Page 2 of Forensics of a Fable

“Yes.” Her voice faltered. “But we cleared him of all suspicion. He saved my life.”

“I’m glad, because he’s way too hot to be a murderer”, Violet said, and Bel pinned her with a glare. If only she knew the killer that had just slipped into their midst. “What?” She laughed as she registered Bel’s expression. “Sorry, I work too much and rarely date, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone that handsome before.”

Abel grunted uncomfortably again, and Bel wondered why he still stood there when the conversation had taken a decidedly feminine turn.

“You don’t think he’s sexy?” Violet asked, confused by Bel’s reaction, and her stomach pitched at the thought. Eamon was the darkness that craved her light. He was the nightmare who haunted her dreams, and the obsession that plagued her days. Eamon Stone wasn’t just a sexy face to her, but the soul she wanted to braid together with her own until she was lost inside him.

“No.” Bel shook her head. She needed to escape this conversation before her anxiety slipped to the surface. “I…” she turned, finding Eamon’s eyes stalking her as a beautiful brunettesettled beside him. The woman was young, seemingly in her mid-twenties, but she didn’t seem to care that Eamon looked to be forty. She flirted and smiled and laughed, and Bel felt sick. Eamon wasn’t hers, but every fiber of her body screamed that he belonged to her. Possessiveness wove through her, and her features hardened as she struggled to reign in the confusing emotions. Part of her wanted to storm across the room and stake a claim on her monster, but the rational half of her brain forced her to turn away. Eamon leaned against the wall as she dragged her gaze from his, but just as her sight left him, he smirked, his sharp canines flashing.

“Oh well, looks like I was too slow,” Violet sighed as she watched the young brunette flirt shamelessly with Stone. “Not that I have time to date. Mr. Lumen left me Lumen’s Customs, but without a designer, it’s just a workshop gathering dust. I don’t even like going inside the showroom because all I see is his body in that chandelier.”

“Have you thought about selling it? Or turning it into a different business,” Bel asked, Eamon’s eyes burning holes in the back of her neck.

“It’s all I think about.” Violet shoved another pastry into her mouth, eyes flicking to Abel as if only just realizing he still stood there. “But I don’t want to change his vision. Lumen loved furniture, and because of his passion, I learned to love it, too. I want to continue his legacy, like the Kaffe family is doing for The Espresso Shot.”

“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” Bel said.

“You can find out if he’s single,” Violet laughed with an exaggerated glance at Eamon, and Bel’s stomach pitched again. She could tell by her expression she wasn’t genuinely interested in the man, but Bel still hated the visceral reaction coiling through her. She hated that the young woman behind them wasflirting so forcefully, the entire room could practically hear every seductive word she spoke.

“Although, if that brunette has anything to say about it, he won’t be single much longer.” Violet grimaced at the woman’s somewhat obnoxious behavior, but Bel refused to turn around and look. Eamon’s eyes were still on her. She felt them on her skin as if they were his hands, as if his sight wanted to burrow inside and live within her, but he hadn’t sent the woman away, and the surprising jealousy made her wildly uncomfortable.

“He doesn’t seem interested in her though, because he keeps looking over here.” Violet looked suspiciously at Bel as if she had just put the clues together. “Are you—?”

“Detective?” Abel interrupted, and Violet snapped her mouth shut. “As I was saying earlier, I was wondering if we might have a conversation?”

Dread threaded her icy fingers through Bel’s gut. She didn’t want to be rude, but between Eamon’s unwavering stare and losing Garrett still haunting her, she wasn’t in the mood to entertain male attention.

“Perhaps another time?” she asked kindly. “I have an early shift tomorrow and still need to walk my dog. I should get going.” Bel glanced at Violet, and her friend seemed to understand.

“You know, me too,” Violet agreed. “Let’s say goodbye to David and the girls.” She angled toward Mr. Kaffe, and Bel followed her lead.

“Have a good night, Abel.” She smiled as she fell into step with Violet. “He’s harmless,” she said when they were out of earshot. “Normally I wouldn’t mind, but after Garrett, I’m not ready to talk to other men.”

“I’m sorry.” Violet threw an arm around Bel’s shoulder. “I feel bad for teasing you about Eamon Stone now. I forgot you were dating Garrett. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you.”

“It’s all right. We kept it quiet and had only just started seeing each other, but still. He was my friend, and I liked him. After my attack, I have trouble letting people get close to me.”

“I don’t blame you.” Violet tried not to stare at Bel’s throat.

“You can look.” Bel laughed. “I recently had some closure for my scars, and I think it’s time I stop using them as a shield and accept they’re a part of me.”

“They’re pretty badass,” Violet said. “Plus, you’re probably the prettiest woman in Bajka, so no one’s looking at them.”

“Stop…”

“What? It’s true. You’re the town beauty. I would be jealous if you weren’t so nice.”

Bel rolled her eyes. She had the same thought about Violet when they first met, but she decided not to argue with her friend, opting to slip an arm around her waist as they said goodbye to David.

Together they walked to their cars, and Bel tried to ignore Eamon’s unwavering stare and the brunette’s flirtatious laughs. She shouldn’t be jealous. It was wrong. She wasn’t that type of woman, yet her fingers itched to drag that girl away from him. She needed to get home and see her dog. Her emotions were out of control, and she hoped it was merely a side effect of standing in the room where she’d found Emily’s body.

The drive to her cabin was quick and uneventful, and Bel’s heart surged with love as she threw open the front door. Cerberus was in her arms in seconds, his meaty head bumping her nose as all seventy pounds of him wiggled, and it took her five minutes to get him to calm down enough for her to slip his harness on.

“Come on, baby beast.” She tugged him outside, hoping he didn’t want a long walk. She had an early morning, and now that she was home, she craved the cool sheets and soft pillow of her bed.

But the second they stepped into the yard, a dark shadow shifted, moving too fast to be the moon light drifting through the trees, and icy terror cracked over Bel’s skin.

Cerberus lunged forwardon powerful legs, ripping the leash from her hand, and Bel’s fear braced for the attack. Suddenly, she wasn’t standing on the lawn before her cabin, but she was in the woods, bleeding out as her dog attacked Alcina. Eamon had warned her to trust her pitbull’s instinct, and at his reaction, she stepped backward, readying to race inside for her sidearm.

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