Fade Like a Goddess: Surprise Goddess Cozy Mystery, #8

By A.M. Canavan

The Best Goddess is Yet to Come.

Greek gods and a mystery only she can solve. That's exactly what Eva's life has been like since she moved to Surprise. Now, she finds herself faced with the lies, secrets, and everything the gods have been hiding all along.

Still reeling from a personal discovery, Eva barely has a chance to catch her breath before she stumbles on the greatest mystery of all. She's only got one chance to solve it, and then face a mountain of problems that she's put up against.

With a map that only she can read, and a town full of gods going crazy … Eva must put all the pieces together before it's too late. With stakes bigger than she's ever faced before, Eva doesn't have a choice. She can either release destruction on Olympus, or she'll be the end of the gods.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Canavan Novels LLC
• Release date: Jul 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393400509

Book preview

1

Evangeline Lewis stared at the massive white board that took up her entire kitchen wall and shook her head.

Is that a murder board? Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, walked in with a bag from one of Eva’s favorite bakeries and hopped up on the kitchen counter. I feel like this is a murder board.

Oh, it’s a murder board, alright. Iris, another of the Olympian goddesses and Eva’s foster sister when she was little, sat at Eva’s dining table with a bowl of rainbow sherbet in front of her. We’re trying to figure out exactly who to trust and who to throw into Tartarus.

No we’re not. Eva glared at her friend. "And it’s not a murder board."

Looks like one. Persephone joined Iris at the table. Just like the ones you’d find in any detective show in the history of detective shows.

You know what it reminds me of? Iris slurped down her melting ice cream. "It reminds me of the first season of Supernatural. You know, when Sam and Dean’s dad went missing. They found all his hunting stuff in the hotel and got arrested, because they looked like serial killers."

Eva rolled her eyes, trying not to lose her patience. It wasn’t their fault that she was struggling. Seriously, it wasn’t. She looked at the two women who’d practically refused to leave her alone in the last week, who refused to let her fall into a pit of despair.

It’s not a murder board. She took a deep breath and exhaled ever so slowly. For it to be a murder board it would have to actually involve an actual murder.

I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Persephone laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands. I mean, a murder board is really just a method for collecting all the information at hand and trying to sort it. I think it just got a bad rap, because cops use them …

To find murderers, Iris pointed out. They use them to find murderers. That’s why they’re called murder boards. Our girl’s gone crazy, trying to figure out who to trust by using a murder board.

Seems like maybe we’re gonna be burying bodies in the middle of the desert. Persephone mused.

Eva watched them, wondering if the other two goddesses had cracked a gasket. Until she saw the way they smiled deviously as they kept on bantering.

I mean, I’m always up for burying a body, Iris added. But wouldn’t it be easier to just ask Hades to make the body disappear.

Enough. Eva rolled her eyes, but smiled at her friends’ attempt to try to make light of the situation. Especially since the past week had been so terrible for her.

You two are ridiculous, she told them with a laugh.

We’re not the ones with a murder board, Iris pointed out before she grabbed another munchkin. I think you’re the ridiculous one. We’re just along for the ride at this point.

I don’t know about you, Persephone added. But I swore off adventures after the Labyrinth tried to murder us. I personally think a murder board is an excellent way to investigate.

Eva snorted, unable to help herself. Memories of their last investigation, which led them into the bowels of the Labyrinth on a mission to rescue a mortal detective trapped in a dimension that Poseidon created, flooded her mind. Along with them came the very real problem at hand.

Have you even eliminated any suspects yet? Persephone’s eyes were darting around Eva’s wall of photos and all the different colored strings connecting them. In that moment, Eva felt bad about what she’d essentially done, at least for a minute.

I mean, you two and Kai, pretty much. Eva tapped her fingers on the cup of coffee that sat in front of her, and she thought about reheating it, before deciding it wasn’t worth it. Instead, she drank the rest, and got up to pour herself another.

Why only us? Persephone was watching her with her head tilted slightly to the side.

Well ... Eva poured until her cup almost over-flowed, then she put the carafe back on the hot plate. I’d also include Zephyr and Hades in that, too. So I guess really I’ve eliminated five. But I grew up with Iris, and you’ve used your powers in front of me before. If either of you were actually a titan hiding in plain sight, you wouldn’t be able to use those powers. At least, that’s the mental bridge I’m making. After taking a drink of the delicious caffeine, she sat back down at the table and motioned to the wall. So, I’ve been trying to figure out who’d lie to me about Perses actually being alive.

Persephone and Iris both started to shift where they were sitting, and Eva could practically feel their tension through the air around them. She knew why, too even if they didn’t say a word.

Ataro. The Sphinx. The keeper of all information regarding the Olympians. One of her closest friends, and the first god that she had really saved after moving to Surprise. She’d been the one to tell Eva that Perses, the love of her first life, was alive and had been in Surprise the entire time Eva had been there.

She’d been crushed, upon hearing that revelation. No doubt about it. Despite that Eva also knew better than to assume that Ataro had done anything intentionally. Unfortunately, after telling her what she knew, Ataro and her family practically vanished. Eva couldn’t get any information from her parents-in-law, Aphrodite and Hephaestus, they refused. She’d asked, repeatedly, and had pretty much been told to stuff it by the goddess of love.

I don’t think Ataro would have done it intentionally. She said the words for the first time to anyone but herself, and felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders as she said them.

From the looks of relief on both Iris and Persephone’s faces, Eva could tell that they both had thought she was angry at the Sphinx.

I’m only here for all the spilled tea, Persephone admitted when she stuffed another donut in her face. Anyway, I think that’s what it’s called. When mortals hang around to find out all of the information they possibly can about something, strictly for the drama of it?

Eva laughed. Yeah, girl. It’s called spilling the tea. But I don’t have any to spill.

Sure you do. Iris crossed her arms and leaned back, revealing her very pregnant stomach. You literally just found out that the man of your dreams—the actual man that you dream about when you think about your past life—is alive and kicking here in Surprise.

Eva watched her shrug, arms still crossed, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. Iris was about five feet tall on a good day, and she currently looked like she had triplets growing inside her. Which she very well might be, because every single time she’d tried to get an ultrasound, the machines shorted out and made it impossible for anyone to see their baby.

So, have we determined who to trust? Persephone slid off the counter and stood so close to the murder board that it started to give Eva hives.

Don’t touch it, she said hastily. It’s set up exactly the way I need it to be.

Except Persephone ignored her completely, and Eva swore that she could see a smile on her face. She reached out and unwound one of the strings that had been thumbtacked to the wall.

Please put that back, Eva pleaded uncharacteristically. You’re messing up all my connections.

I hate to tell you this, Iris chimed in. But all of that … looks like a crazy, caffeinated, mental break just waiting to happen.

Eva sat back, shocked that Iris would say that, and took a long hard look at what she’d accomplished over the last week.

Oh, gods on Olympus, she muttered.

Iris was right.

Her entire kitchen wall, all of it—fifteen feet long and ten feet high, was covered in photos of the different gods of the pantheon. She’d even researched everything to make sure that she had them all lined up correctly.

The Titans aren’t on the wall. Persephone pointed out when she stepped back, holding tightly onto the photo she’d pulled from its place.

Eva caught a glimpse of it, smiling when she saw that Persephone had taken down her own picture from the wall. Of course she had.

Honestly, Eva knew that most of the gods on the wall weren’t anyone to actually consider. Yet the flash of doubt and fear in her friends eyes gave her an insight into what they were thinking and feeling about her murder board.

Though there was something in Persephone’s voice when she said the word ‘Titans.’

Crap, she whispered to herself. A shiver raced down her spine at the thought of the people she trusted more than anyone else in the world feeling like she didn’t trust them.

She stared pointedly at the photo in Persephone’s hand. You know that you’re only on the board, because I Googled the pantheon and had to put everyone up. That’s why you have a bright pink piece of string. All of the people I know would never be in question are linked with pink.

Persephone blinked owlishly. That doesn’t make any sense. She looked down at her picture lovingly. You should just take the ones you can trust off the wall.

That was about the time Eva’s obsession reared its ugly head, and she had the worst time imaginable not sounding like an absolutely crazy person. After biting her lip, struggling to keep it back, and losing the last bit of composure she had, Eva decided to just go for it.

What happens if I take the pictures off the wall, narrow down the suspects, and then one of them sees the board? She shook her head indignantly. This is easier. I’ve got a color-coded system that no one, but me understands.

Persephone nodded, her eyes completely blank, not giving Eva any idea of what she was thinking or wanting to say about Eva’s system.

That’s cray cray, like beyond crazy. Iris said with a yawn. But that’s why I love you, Eva. You don’t think about things the same way I do, or anyone else for that matter. If the coded system works for you, though, maybe you should use a color other than red to show who you’re thinking is a suspect. She looked like she was about to say something else, but suddenly her face turned bright red. Whoa. She groaned.

Eva and Persephone were at her side in the next instant. Are you okay? Eva touched her arm, trying to get her attention when Iris didn’t answer her. Or even acknowledge that they were there.

After a few extremely long seconds where Iris’s face turned bright red and appeared to have a coronary, Iris let out a whooshing breath.

That was a doozy. She sounded out of breath. These Braxton-Hicks contractions ain’t no joke. Her southern accent shone through, and there was sweat dotting her brow.

Are you okay? All thoughts of the murder board vanished when her friend was gasping for air and looked like she was about to cry. Maybe we should call Zephyr.

Eva eyed her phone, sitting on the kitchen counter, and seriously wondered if they needed to call Iris’ husband.

I swear to every star in the sky, Evangeline Lewis, Iris bit out roughly. If you call the man who did this to me, I will never forgive you.

That got her complete attention. Eva stared, wide-eyed when a few moments later another contraction overtook her friend.

Please don’t have that baby in Eva’s kitchen, Persephone said for the first time since Iris’ contraction hit.

Eva shot her a look, but Persephone was looking down at her phone. That was less than two minutes from the last one. Are you sure that’s a Braxton-Hicks? I think you might actually be in labor.

I’m not in labor, Iris scoffed.