Page 12 of Autopsy of a Fairytale

“Let me feed the dog,” Bel sighed, caving to the pressure. After her day, cookies and normal conversation might lift the tension from her chest.

Five minutes, a bowl of food, two guilt-induced treats, and a ton of kisses to the dog’s meaty head, and Bel crossed the lawn to Vera’s cabin. Everything about her neighbor’s home was welcoming. It was warm and cozy, constantly smelling of baked goods and lemon cleaner, and Bel allowed herself to imagine that this was what it might be like to have her mother back.

“Have you had dinner?” Vera surveyed Bel as she walked through the front door as if she could read the detective’s day on her face.

“Not yet.” Bel took the offered seat as the teapot sang on the stove.

“I already ate,” Vera said, pouring the boiling water over the peppermint tea bags. She set both mugs on the table where the still warm chocolate chip cookies sat in an enticing pile. Bel didn’t know how the woman managed it, but her baked goods were almost as magical as Emily’s.

“I could make you a sandwich,” her neighbor continued as she drifted toward the fridge.

“I don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense, child. My grandkids don’t live close, so I like to pretend you are one of them. It gives me someone to spoil.” She pulled turkey and cheese from the meat drawer and then grabbed an heirloom tomato that she had just picked from her garden. “Besides, you can’t eat cookies for dinner. It would be unforgivable of me to let you chase a murderer without a proper meal in you.”

Bel wrapped her fingers around the steaming mug. Arguing with Vera was pointless. The woman was aggressively friendly, and she had adopted the detective as one of her surrogate grandchildren.

“How is the case going?” her neighbor asked as she sliced the tomato before layering it on the bread.

“You know I can’t talk about it.”

“You look tired. Are you sleeping?”

Bel smirked behind the woman’s back. Vera lived for the questions and not the answers. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” The woman placed the sandwich before Bel and took a seat, snatching a cookie as she settled in for her affectionate interrogation. “All alone over there, working such a dangerous job. I worry about you. You need to eat more; you are too skinny.”

“If you keep baking, I won’t be.”

“Nonsense.” She swatted Bel’s wrists. “You are such a pretty girl. You should be married. Having lots of babies for me to spoil.”

“One day.” Bel knew not to argue, and as Vera opened her mouth to continue her barrage, Garret’s question rang through Bel’s memory. Her mother had died before she began noticing boys. Her father raised her and her sisters himself, and she had become too much like him. Her job was her life and breath. Perhaps Vera was someone she could finally talk to about something other than autopsies and motive.

“Actually…” Bel started, but then paused, reconsidering. She didn’t want rumors of her romantic entanglements—or lack thereof—spreading like a wildfire throughout town. “Never mind.”

“Oh honey, don’t be shy.” Vera plucked up another cookie. “You can tell me. Your secrets are safe.” She mimicked locking her lips and tossing out the key.

“Someone asked me out,” Bel admitted with a soft laugh at her neighbor’s excitement for gossip.

“Was it that gorgeous partner of yours?” Vera leaned forward conspiratorially, and when Bel raised an eyebrow, the woman swatted the air as if Garret’s name was written in neon lights above the detective’s head. “Oh honey, anyone with eyes can see that boy is crazy about you. Has been since the minute you landed in town. Honestly, I’m surprised it took him this long to ask.”

“We work together.” Bel popped the last bite of sandwich into her mouth. Garrett was a year older than her at thirty-five, but every time her neighbor referred to him as a boy, she felt like a teenager being humored. She half expected Vera to give her a curfew while awkwardly attempting to explain the birds and the bees.

“Oh, that means nothing when it comes to love.”

Bel stiffened at the comment. She liked Garrett. If she allowed herself to be honest, she also liked the idea of them being more than friends, but love? She wasn’t sure it was in the cards for her. Her father had worshipped the ground her mom had walked on, and losing her had almost destroyed him. Bel wasn’t sure she wanted to open herself up to that brand of heartbreak.

“Is that your only reservation?” Vera asked, oblivious to Bel’s stiff shoulders.

“No. I…” Bel paused. “There is a reason I moved to Bajka. My life? It’s complicated.”

“And you’re afraid to let anyone in?” Vera finished for her, and Bel took a bite of a sinfully rich chocolate chip cookie to avoid answering.

“Love is scary. Life is scary,” her neighbor continued. “Don’t let your past keep you from a good thing. Garrett is a sweet boy. Handsome too.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Give him a shot. I hate seeing you so lonely over there.”

“I’m not lonely,” Bel argued. “I have my dog.”

“Dogs are nice, but you need a husband.”

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