Page 1 of Forensics of a Fable

“I would liketo thank everyone for coming out tonight. Your support of our family means the world to us, and if Emily was here…” David Kaffe trailed off, his voice faltering as his wife’s name fell lovingly from his lips. “If Emily was here, your love would overwhelm her. She was the light of my life, and she brought so much joy to this town. My daughters and I want to uphold her memory and make The Espresso Shot her legacy, and having all of you here tonight proves just how important my beautiful wife was. So, thank you for coming out on your Sunday night to help celebrate the shop’s reopening and the life my wife lived to her fullest.”

Bel swiped a tear from her cheek as she struggled to keep her breathing under control. She didn’t know what it was like to losea spouse, but she did understand the agony of losing a mother, and her heart broke for the Kaffe girls. Bel had been the one to find Emily’s body, her naked corpse missing its heart, and posed inside a coffee cup like a silver spoon. The Espresso Shot had since been cleaned and cleared for reopening, but this was the first time she’d stepped inside the shop, and Emily’s death was all she could picture.

Bel hadn’t been ready for that case. She’d moved from New York City after a brutal attack left her for dead. Scars still marred the right side of her neck, running down her breasts to her belly, and she fled her NYPD position to work as Bajka’s newest homicide detective. The quaint town promised her peace, but evil followed fast on her heels. A serial killer had chosen Bajka as its hunting grounds, the murderer turning the victims into household objects. Emily had been the second victim, and while all clues pointed to the reclusive millionaire Eamon Stone, who recently purchased the Reale Mansion, the killer was a witch posing as Bel’s elderly neighbor. The deaths, the stalkings, the nightmares. They’d all been an attempt to draw Bel into her trap. The witch, Alcina Magus, had cursed Eamon, hoping to bind his ancient power to her for eternity, and Bel was the sacrifice needed to seal his fate. He’d been the one to nearly kill her in New York, and while he shouldn’t have been able to resist the curse, he had.

Six townfolk had died, including Bel’s partner and almost-boyfriend Garrett Cassidy at Alcina’s hands, but Eamon did the impossible and fought the magic. He and her dog had protected Bel until the vicious end, and she sat in this coffee shop, alive and safe because of them. She’d been lucky, though. So many others hadn’t been, Emily among them, and guilt gnawed at her insides. She’d lured that evil to Bajka, and she regretted coming to the fundraiser as David thanked the crowd for their support.She shouldn’t be there, flaunting her survival when she was to blame for the darkness in their town.

“Emily would have wanted you here.” Violet Lennon slid her hand into Bel’s and squeezed as if she’d heard her deprecating thoughts. “You were her friend, and you almost died finding her killer.”

Bel nodded, clutching her friend’s hand for support. Violet’s boss, Brett Lumen, had been the first of Alcina’s victims. A renowned furniture designer, he’d been transformed into a chandelier after his death, leaving his assistant his multi-million-dollar business. Violet was in her mid-twenties while Bel was thirty-four, and their styles were nothing alike. Violet was all black clothes and designer labels, while Bel’s brunette curls and muscular body preferred more affordable clothing choices, but there was one similarity that instantly connected them. The love of animals, especially those with black fur. Violet had a multitude of black cats wandering her apartment, and Bel’s seventy-pound pitbull was her constant companion. She adopted Cerberus after her attack, his dark fur and cropped ears intimidating to those who didn’t know him, but he was a balm for her soul. Her dog was the kindest creature she’d ever met, and even though Violet was a cat lover through and through, Cerberus had wormed his way into her heart. The women bonded over their pets, and Bel was thankful for her new friend. Violet could never replace the pitbull, but it was nice to have a woman to talk to. Bel’s five older sisters were all married with families of their own, but she’d followed in her father’s footsteps, the only daughter to enter law enforcement. As a result, she loved her siblings but didn’t fit into their worlds. Bel was single, driven by her job, and adored by her pet. Her family often didn’t understand her need to throw herself into the most brutal of crime scenes and stare death in the face.

“But the killer followed me here.” Bel fingered her book charm necklace with her free hand. It had appeared on the bedside table in the hospital when she woke from her attack. She hadn’t known who left it for her, but she slipped it around her scarred neck and never took it off. After Eamon killed Alcina to save her, he admitted the gift had been from him. He had paid a witch to bless it to keep Bel safe, and she contemplated taking it off when she learned where it came from. Eamon Stone was an ancient darkness, a beast among men, and she should rip it from her throat. She should run where he wouldn’t find her, but as her fingers brushed the delicate chain, Bel knew she never would. Eamon might crave her blood, but she craved his black eyes on her. She hadn’t seen him in the weeks since Alcina’s death, but she knew he was watching her, stalking her, protecting her. She felt his invisible presence in the woods behind her cabin, and while she should be terrified of the monster haunting her, of the man whose sharp teeth ripped her to shreds, her soul longed for his presence. Her body ached for his.

“You and I both know you didn’t do this,” Violet whispered as the fundraiser surged to life. “That lunatic followed you here. She hurt you. You’re lucky to be alive, and everyone here agrees with me. We’re glad you survived. We don’t blame you, and we’re thankful you stopped her before more people lost their lives.”

“I know.” Bel wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Hey.” Violet nudged her with her shoulder, straight black hair and fringe bangs swinging with the movement. “Let’s go spend a lot of money on coffee and chocolate. I didn’t eat dinner because I plan on trying everything. From what I’ve heard, Emily’s daughters are as much bakery witches as she was.”

She pulled Bel from their seats and dragged her across the floor. Balancing perfectly on her designer stilettos, Violet leaned over the display case, ordering one of every pastry for themto share, and when the women’s arms were overflowing, they dropped large bills into the collection for the Kaffe family.

“Oh my god,” Violent moaned as she bit into the first pastry, and Bel subtly rolled her eyes as a few male guests watched her lips appreciatively. “You need to try this.” She shoved the other half at Bel’s face with a laugh. “I’m going to buy extra of these to take home.”

Hands too full to accept the offering from her friend, Bel opened her mouth and bit down on the buttery carb. The flaky pastry melted on her tongue, and she fought the urge to moan in pleasure.

“Amazing right?” Violet said through her mouthful. “I hate what happened to Emily, but I’m so glad her daughters have their mother’s love of baking. I think it’ll help them feel close to her.”

“It will.” Bel pulled a cookie from their horde and split it for them to share. “I was young when my mom passed, so my sisters are more like her than I am. I’m like my dad a lot, though. He was the chief of police when he retired, so I’m the daughter he can relate to most.”

“I didn’t know that about your mom.” Violet’s voice softened. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. I wish I had more of her, but my dad is great. I love my sisters too, but we aren’t alike.”

“How many sisters do you have?”

“Five older—”

“Hello, Detective Emerson,” a male voice interrupted, and both women started at the sudden appearance of Abel Reus. A lanky man in his forties, Abel was a loyal patron of the Espresso Shot, but his slightly awkward demeanor always left Bel confused about how to interact with him.

“Hi, Abel.” Bel smiled gently as their intruder completely ignored Violet.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m all right, thanks.” Bel paused, waiting to see if he needed something, but when he remained silent, she asked, “And you?”

“I am well.” He shifted his weight uncomfortably. “I actually wanted to—” He froze, a glare spreading over his features. “What is he doing here?” Abel studied the front door behind Bel, and she watched as Violet’s gaze caught on whoever he was referring to.

“My god,” Violet whispered appreciatively. “No man has any right being that sexy. I wonder if he’s single.”

Bel’s stomach sank as her skin pricked with gooseflesh. She didn’t need to turn around to know who had just entered The Espresso Shot, nor did she need Violet’s lust-filled expression to guess either. She knew by the electricity that raced over her skin, igniting her nerves with a burning hunger, by the way her heart pounded in both fear and longing, by how her lungs struggled to breathe in his presence. Eamon Stone.

Violet trailed his movements with unbridled interest while Abel glared at the newcomer, but Bel remained frozen where she stood. She hadn’t laid eyes on him since their encounter in the woods after Garrett’s funeral. She hadn’t seen him since she learned it was his teeth that ruined her body, his violence that nearly destroyed her life. Bel was afraid to look, to meet his death-black eyes and feel both fear and desire poison her veins. She hated that he was a monster, yet she craved him anyway, and a dark part of her soul despised how Violet watched him. Eamon had avoided all public appearances before this, and Bel’s stomach cramped painfully at how every woman’s gaze followed his predatory movements.

“Do you know if he’s single?” Violet whispered conspiratorially. “God, how is it possible to be that handsome?”

Abel made a disgruntled noise at her comment, and Bel forced herself to turn and face her beast. The second theirgazes collided, the world around them ceased to exist. Eamon was talking to David, but his attention was for her alone. His presence sucked the air from the room, and each time she exhaled, he inhaled as if he wanted to breathe in the oxygen that had once been inside her lungs. He owned the room like a god. He called to her like the devil, and his dominance over every molecule of air excited her. His gravity was impossible to resist, and without thinking, Bel took a step toward him.

“Wasn’t he a suspect in your last case, detective?” Abel asked pointedly, as if to remind her of the evil corrupting the shop. Bel froze, Eamon’s spell broken enough for her to refuse his pull, but his gaze never left hers as he settled at the edge of the crowd.

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