Page 30 of Autopsy of a Fairytale

The sun had yet to bless the land, but Bel gave up on any chance of sleep. Instead, she slipped into her workout gear and strapped Cerberus into his harness. It was foolish going into the woods at this hour, but she couldn’t breathe in her house, in her bed. All she saw were Garrett’s pleading eyes. All she remembered was him tackling her, her attacker tackling her. Death and murder and betrayal painted the backs of her eyelids, and she needed air.

“Keep an eye out for your mamma, okay, baby beast?” She scratched the dog’s meaty head. “If you hear something, you let me know.” Cerberus looked up at her as if he understood, and she booped his nose. “You are mamma’s good boy.” At that phrase, he wagged his tail aggressively, whacking everything in his wake, and then they plunged into the darkness, the steady glow of the moon and her flashlight the only beacons in the night.

The walk was uneventful, Cerberus taking full advantage of his mother’s insomnia, and as the sun peeked between the trees, Bel pulled her cell from its slot in her leggings. She unlocked it, the time still too early to meet the Sheriff, and so she thumbed through her contacts, finding the name she needed most.

“What’s wrong?” Her father’s voice surged through the phone as she sank to a tree stump.

“Hello to you too,” Bel said, hoping her greeting came off teasing when, in reality, his voice made her want to cry. She might be thirty-four, but there was nothing quite like a parent when the storms raged.

“Sorry, hi, sweetheart,” he groaned, and Bel realized she must have woken him. “It’s early, and…” he trailed off, but he didn’t need to say it. She already knew. Every time his phone rang at an odd hour, he was transported to the past, listening to strangers tell him his youngest daughter was in the hospital and they weren’t sure if she would make it.

“Sorry, Dad.” Cerberus started pulling to get to something, and she dropped his leash.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah…” Her father’s silence was so accusing, she finally continued, “No.”

“Are you safe? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, but I can’t talk about it. It’s a case… a bad one.”

“In Bajka?” Her father sounded surprised.

“My thoughts exactly.” Cerberus trotted back to her, holding a thick stick in his teeth. Bel smiled at her dog and accepted his invitation to play, launching the makeshift toy down the trail. “I know there is crime everywhere,” she continued, “but this? I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Do you need me to come? Say the word, and I can be in the car in a half hour.”

Bel laughed. “No, you don’t have to come. Well, I would love you to visit, but not like this.” Cerberus returned the stick to her, and she tossed it again. “It’s just… something happened, and it… it feels personal.”

“I’m serious, sweetheart, I’m awake now. I’ll start packing immediately.”

“No. I just wanted to hear your voice. I’ve been meaning to call, but I was nervous to.”

“Why on earth would you be nervous to call your old man?” She didn’t answer him. “Bel… are the nightmares back?”

“Yes… but they never really left. They only got better when I adopted Cerberus.”

“He isn’t helping anymore?”

“He is the only thing that helps.” Bel kissed her dog’s head before tossing the stick again. “It’s this case. I wasn’t ready for one this aggressive, and… there have been more than one. Then something happened with someone I care about.”

Her father let out a low whistle. “Sweetheart, multiple homicides are tough on anyone, especially if it involves someone you know. I realize I can be the overprotective dad, but can you cut me some slack? I worry for two parents now.” Bel laughed softly at his words. “Call me, okay? Always call me. I don’t care what time it is or how silly the reason is. If you won’t let me come see you, then at least pick up the phone. Every day if you have to.”

“Okay, Dad.” Bel smiled. “But I’ll try not to call at weird hours since you answer so sweetly when I do.” It was her father’s turn to laugh. “All right, I should probably go. I need to feed Cerberus before I meet Sheriff Griffin.”

“Call me, Isobel. I’m serious.”

“You must be if you’re using my full name.”

“You and your sisters…” she could practically see her father shaking his head. “Too much of your mother in you all. Gonna make me crazy.”

“You love it.”

“I do, sweetheart, I do. I love you so much. Let me know when I can visit you. I miss the dog.”

“I’m sure he misses you too. Love you, dad.”

Bel hung up the phone and searched for Cerberus. He had abandoned the stick and was sniffing a tree. She waited for him to finish his business, but it wasn’t until she pushed off the stump that she saw him.

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