Page 33 of Forensics of a Fable

“I’m not hungry,” Eamon said, his voice dangerously low, and Bel realized it wasn’t the food he was staring at but her mouth. She choked a little on her bite, and after she wiped the crumbs from her lips, she grabbed a potato chip and shoved it at him. He smirked in surprise as she pushed it past his sharp teeth with an annoyed expression, but he obliged her, snatching the snack from her fingers. Before she could pull her hand back, though, he caught it and pressed a kiss to her knuckles as he settled sideways in his seat to observe her unobstructed.

“Are you just going to watch me eat?” Bel asked.

“Yes.”

“Don’t you have something better to do?”

“No.”

“Fine.” Bel shook her head at his one-word answers as she grabbed another chip, but before she placed it in her mouth, Eamon lunged over the center console and snatched it with his teeth, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. His lips brushed her fingers as he stole it. They lingered for a second too long as he captured the tip of her thumb in a slow kiss, and Bel suddenly couldn’t breathe. The car was too small, the oxygen too low. She needed to get out of the vehicle and escape his gravity. She longed to know what his lips would feel like trailing over other parts of her skin. Would they make her moan or sigh or scream?Would they claim her as his, marking her so all would know who she belonged to?

Eamon winked as if he read her thoughts, and she grinned at him, surprised that she wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by their interaction. Despite his nature, she felt safe allowing him to learn her secrets, and they fell into a comfortable silence. She ate. He watched; his quiet presence peaceful. She liked how they could exist together without having to fill the void with meaningless words, and she wondered if he would be open to eating lunch with her on a regular basis.

Bel leaned deeper into her seat and studied him over her sandwich, warmth spreading through her chest at his closeness. His expression was gentle, full of both admiration and nonchalance, but she was learning his tells, and she saw it in his death-black eyes. The reason he had joined her for lunch. The thread of concern was back.

“Hi, Bel, sorry to wake you,”Gold's voice said through the phone, and Bel grunted as she blinked sleep from her eyes.

“What time is it?” she groaned, the world still dark. They had worked late yesterday, and she felt like she had barely slept before her cell rang.

“5:30 a.m.,” Olivia answered.

“There’s another body?” She cursed, pushing the blankets off her bare legs.

“What?” Gold asked. “Oh, sorry, no, not that I’ve heard.”

“Then why are you calling me this early?” Bel sat on the edge of her mattress, head in her hand as she contemplated hanging up on her partner for this sin.

“Oh, right…” Olivia paused. “I can call back later.”

“Just spit it out. I’m awake now.”

“Okay, so I haven’t been able to sleep all night. I keep thinking about the Brick House police report. Something about it bothered me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until now. We’re assuming the killer faked the vandalism to cover up the theft, but think about the path he took. It’s a direct route from the back door to the medication storage.”

Bel sat up straight, her nerves firing as she mentally scanned her memory of the report to confirm her partner’s words.

“A vandal breaking in with the sole purpose of destroying products made it difficult for the police to pinpoint a perpetrator, but knowing they were after the Pentobarbital changes things. Especially since they seemed to know exactly where it was kept. If the killer was a stranger to Brick House Veterinary, then it stands to reason that the destruction would’ve spanned a few rooms as he searched for the medication.”

“But because they moved along a direct path, they’re someone who knows the building.” Bel was wide awake now.

“Patients might remember the office’s basic floor plan, but Bel, you have a dog. Has a vet ever shown you where they keep the lethal drugs?”

“Bigger vets often have built-in pharmacies, but a place like Brick House wouldn’t have one. So, no, chances are they don’t show clients their drug storage.”

“I could be wrong, but I think our killer is someone who worked there. Someone who knows exactly where to look.”

“That makes sense,” Bel said. “Instinct tells me Portia is innocent, but we should take another run at her employees instead of taking her word for it. Brick House opens at 8:00 a.m. so I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going back to bed, though,” Bel said, laying down. The microwave’s big red numbers told her it was 5:45, and she planned to sleep for one more hour before forcing herself to work another long day. “Oh, and Olivia. There had better be coffee.”

True to her promise, Gold arrived at the vet at 8:00 a.m. sharp with an extra shot vanilla latte for Bel and a caramel latte for herself. Bel downed half of her drink before they walked into the reception area, wishing Olivia had waited until after her alarm went off to call. She had trouble falling back asleep, and she could drown herself in coffee and still never fully wake up.

“Detectives?” The receptionist looked surprised to see them again. “Can I help you?”

“Is all your staff here?” Bel asked.

“Yes…” She paused, as if second-guessing her decision to answer. “The doctor was the last to arrive. She just walked in. Should I get her?”

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