Page 54 of Forensics of a Fable

“I guess that makes sense, but who…” Her face paled, and she stared at Eamon as if suddenly understanding his presence. “Bel was supposed to leave early that night. We’re the same size, and in the dark, it would be easy to confuse us. The other two victims were brunettes. Oh god, he was after her, wasn’t he?”

“We think so,” Griffin answered.

“Where is she?” Olivia sat up, looking around wildly as if it might force her partner to appear, but as her gaze landed on Eamon, her face fell. “Where is she?” she directed her question at him.

“He took her,” he answered, his bitter voice dangerously low and predatory.

“No.” Gold tried to get out of bed, but Griffin caught her.

“You need to rest,” he ordered.

“No, we have to find her,” she argued. “The timeline is always short. He kills within twenty-four hours, which means if we don’t find her…”

“What do you remember about who took you?” Griffin asked. “Did you see him? Could you describe him?”

“No, I never saw him. He kept me sedated the whole time, but I felt him.”

“Can you recall his body type? Was he large? Could it have been Ewan Orso?”

“Ewan?” Gold asked in confusion. “Why would you ask if my boyfriend took me?”

“We arrested him after you disappeared. We found a bloody ring in his apartment. It belonged to the hiker, which puts him in the woods around the time Alana Drie was murdered.”

“No, Ewan didn’t take me. Besides, a bear killed that hiker,” Gold insisted. “Ewan is tall and muscular, with calloused hands from all the woodwork. He smells like pine, and I know how his body feels against mine. Whoever took me was tall but lean. His palms weren’t calloused, and he didn’t smell woodsy. It was definitely a man, though, and I’m assuming he was strong enough to carry me to his vehicle, but he was nowhere near Ewan’s size.”

Both Gold and Griffin looked at Eamon as if they were simultaneously crossing him off their suspect list since he was larger than Ewan. At six and a half feet tall with the sculpting of a Greek god, Eamon towered over most men.

“Tall and lean,” Griffin said as the wheels in his brain turned the information over. “That fits Foley Locks’ description. Three brunettes. Three women associated with Brick HouseVeterinary. As soon as we’re done here, I’m requesting a warrant for his place.”

“You still haven’t found him?” Olivia asked, and Griffin shook his head.

“Do you remember anything else?” he asked. “Did you recognize where he kept you? Did you catch sight of his car or notice any smells?”

“Not really.” Gold shrugged. “I was unconscious, and the few times I started to wake up, all I saw were the walls of a nondescript cellar. He made me face them so that he was always at my back. He put a blanket down for me, but I can’t tell you much about that either. It was one of those generic light green ones everyone seems to have, but no one likes.”

“But you were in a basement?” Griffin confirmed.

“Yes… I think so. I don’t know, maybe I was in a shed or a garage. Something along those lines.”

“But it sounds like he was holding you somewhere while he figured out what to do with you. Were there signs of other women having been there? Could he have held Drie and Kolm there?”

Gold shrugged. “I didn’t see much. It was just bare walls.”

“It’s okay.” Griffin squeezed her hand. “We know we’re looking for a tall, lean man who has access to a basement, garage, or shed. It’s more information than we had before.” He looked at his watch. “You rest now. You’re not leaving this bed until the doctors clear you, and that’s an order.” He pinned her with a harsh look when she opened her mouth to argue. “There will be a deputy outside your room at all times, and I realize it’s late, but I’m going to try to get the judge on the phone. We need a warrant for Lock’s house. Hopefully, he has a basement, and we’ll get lucky. If we work fast, we might find Bel before he moves her.”

The warrant for Foley Locks’property arrived first thing in the morning. The moment Sheriff Griffin had it in hand, he and a team of techs raced for the one-story residence on the edge of town, Eamon hard on their heels.

“It seems that short of arresting you, there’s nothing I can do to keep you from following me,” Griffin muttered as the millionaire stepped out of his sleek, black car.

“No, there isn’t,” Eamon agreed, choosing not to point out that a jail cell was incapable of containing him, especially when his detective’s life was threatened.

“The way I see it, if you’re the killer, Emerson is safe if you’re with me,” Griffin said with authority, and Eamon felt his respect for the sheriff grow. He did not back down, not even when faced with the man who owned half of Bajka. “And if you’re not the killer, then I have one extra body helping me find her. You saved her life once before. Perhaps you’re her good luck and can do it again.”

“I intend to.”

“But you touch nothing. Do you understand me?” Griffin stepped forward, going toe to toe with the much larger Eamon. “This is still my case, my warrant, my crime scene. She is my detective, and whatever attachment you have to her comes second to mine. I don’t like you for her, but I’ll do anything to keep that woman alive. So, you follow in my footsteps. You say nothing. You disturb nothing. If you see something, you leave it and alert a tech. Is that understood?”

“I would never foolishly jeopardize Isobel’s life.” Her name fell reverently from his lips, and the implication wasn’t lost on Griffin.

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