Page 16 of Forensics of a Fable

“Olivia?” a male voice interrupted, and both detectives turned to find Ewan Orso walking toward them. Gold instantly straightened, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulders.

“Hi, Ewan.” She smiled, and Bel suddenly felt like an intruder watching a private dance between them.

“Funny I ran into you,” he said, settling before her, his lumberjack persona undeniably sexy, and even Bel had to admit that while he wasn’t her type, he was handsome.

“I was about to call you,” Orso continued. “I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight.”

“Oh,” Gold shifted her weight awkwardly. “I already made…”

“She would love to,” Bel answered for her, and Olivia raised her eyebrows as if toask,are you sure?“I should get home to mydog anyway,” she said with a reassuring smile. “Have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Then, yes.” Olivia turned back to Ewan with an electric grin. “I’d love to.”

Ewan slipped his hand into Gold’s, and together they walked off down the street. Bel smiled as she watched them disappear. This job was brutal, but if you found someone who made the end of the day peaceful, you were one of the lucky ones. She only hoped Orso was a decent guy. She didn’t know her new partner well, but she already liked the woman.

Left to her own devices, Bel stopped at the deli she and Garrett used to frequent and ordered two sandwiches: her favorite and his. She then drove to the cemetery, placing Garrett’s sub on his grave as she unwrapped hers. She realized most people brought flowers, but after the roses Alcina left inside her victims, she figured her friend would prefer a sandwich.

“I like Olivia,” she said as she chewed, leaning against his tombstone. “She isn’t you, though. She is different, obviously, and as a woman, we might become friends. But she still isn’t you, and I miss you, Garrett. She’s going on a date tonight, and they walked down the street hand in hand. We never got that chance. I don’t know if we would have fallen in love or broken up, but I still miss you a lot.”

Bel brushed the tears from her eyes and took another bite. “Actually, don’t hate me, but I don’t think we would have worked out. Fate brought us together for a few dates because I needed you. I needed someone good and gentle so I could learn to trust again, but I think we would have eventually parted ways, remaining partners and friends. I like to imagine my kids would call you Uncle Garrett, and maybe you would realize Violet had a thing for you. I would face the reality that there’s someone else I really want. Someone I shouldn’t, but I can’t help but needhim. After your initial poor impression of him, you might have realized he was meant to be mine. Or maybe you would despise him, thinking I was crazy for letting a monster into my life. I don’t know, and I never will. I hate she stole you from me. I hate you had to die. I just hope that wherever you are, it’s a better place, and you know I miss you.”

“One large vanillalatte as an apology for ditching you last night,” Olivia said as she handed Bel a coffee the next morning.

“You didn’t ditch me, but I’ll never turn down coffee.” Bel smiled. “Extra shot?”

“Please.” Gold contorted her face into adid you really need to askexpression. “I tried the cinnamon latte today. Is there anything they can’t make?”

“Nope. I swear The Espresso Shot is magic.”

“I’ll say. I ordered mini donuts too. You want one?”

“No thanks. I ate at home. Besides, Lina just texted. She wants to go over the autopsy results.”

“Right.” Gold looked around, spotting the sheriff. “If we’re going to the morgue, I won’t be wanting these.” She handed Griffin the leftover donuts, much to their boss’ excitement. “And you sure you were okay with me leaving last night?” she asked as the women walked to Bel’s car.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes… I know you’re my partner, but would it be okay if I talked to you as just another woman?” she gushed. “I don’t have girlfriends here, and I need one because I'll lose my mind if I don’t talk about this man.”

“Sure.” Bel laughed as she eased the car out of the parking lot. She wasn’t one to gush herself, but having five now-marriedsisters had made her an excellent listener. To her relief though, Olivia, while enamored with Ewan, was level-headed in her approach to dating, which made the conversation enjoyable. She guessed it had to do with Olivia’s profession. Unlike Bel’s siblings, Gold understood how often people hid their darkest selves and how often they acted on them in the most brutal manner.

“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Lina said as the detectives entered the medical examiner’s office.

“No problem. Did you find anything?” Bel asked.

“Yes,” Lina answered, and Bel’s stomach dropped at the look on the M.E.’s face. “Let’s start with the basics. Alana Drie was a twenty-nine-year-old female in excellent health. She didn’t smoke, she wasn’t sexually assaulted, and I found no underlying medical conditions or bodily trauma other than the small injection point in her left arm. I had wondered if that was the cause of death, but then I reviewed her stomach contents. She had one meal immediately before death, the food barely digested.” Thum met their gazes, and Bel knew.

“The porridge,” Bel said, and Lina nodded. “So, the killer injected her with poison and then fed her until she died?”

“That’s what I thought, but we tested her stomach contents in addition to her tox screen,” the M.E. said. “I believe the injection was merely a sedative to keep her compliant while the killer cleaned and transported her. I’m sure the lab will confirm my findings with the uneaten porridge from the scene, but Alana wasn’t killed by an injection. The poison was in her food, and I think she was forced to eat it.”

“It was in the porridge?”Gold stepped back with the same look of horror that Bel felt spreading across her own features. “The killer forced her to eat her cause of death? Good God.”

“I think we can safely call this a homicide,” Lina said. “If she planned to willingly consume the laced porridge, there would be no reason for the injection site.”

“Did she…” Gold took a steadying breath. “Did she know what she was eating?”

“She didn’t have so much as a bruise,” Lina said kindly. “My guess is she was sedated while he prepared her and then was offered the food, not realizing what was happening. I think she ate this without understanding.”

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