Page 22 of Criminology of a Character

“No problem, Detective. I love you.”

“I…” Bel froze. It was instinct to end her calls with her family with the customary‘I love you’, and it had almost slipped out of her mouth. Was she in love with him? Was she ready to say it? And if she was, this phone call wasn’t the time. “I’ll talk to you later. And thanks for the food,” she said instead.

Eamon chuckled, clearly not distressed by her fumble, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she hung up.

“I’m sorry,” Olivia repeated. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” Bel said as she gave Cerberus his steak. “Eamon just called to say he bought me takeout. Are you hungry? I have plenty.”

“No. Ewan’s working late on a commission, so I took advantage ofnodinner plans and atea bitof everything as I worked. I know men like meals, but sometimes eating a cube of cheese, some chips, strawberries, a slice of turkey, and an entire row of crackers, followed by dark chocolate, is precisely what you need.”

“Or a giant bowl of cereal,” Bel added. “Perfection.”

“Exactly, and these guys just don’t get it.”

“Although I’m glad Eamon is meal-oriented,” Bel said. “I tend to eat poorly when I’m busy, and it got worse after my attack. I struggled with self-care for a while, but he loves to feed me.”

“Seems he likes to feed the baby beast, too,” Olivia said. “Was that steak in his bowl?”

“The man is nuts. He goes to a client meeting and orders my dog a steak from an expensive restaurant. I don’t even want to know how much Cerberus’ dinner cost.”

“I think it’s romantic,” Olivia said as she sat at the kitchen table. “So I’ll try to be quick so you can call him back.”

“Wine?” Bel held up an empty glass, and Olivia’s eyes widened when she saw the bottle.

“If that’s what we’re drinking, absolutely.”

Bel poured two glasses before pulling her meal out of the oven. Cerberus instantly ran to her side at the smell, pretending he hadn’t just eaten a bowl of expensive beef, but she lovingly ignored him as she sat across the table from her partner.

“I looked into Anne Blaubart after we talked,” Olivia began. “I know you think obsessing over a gum wrapper is silly, but now it’s bothering me, too. And not because you found garbage someplace it shouldn’t be. It rattled you, and you have good instincts. If something unsettled you, it isn’t a coincidence, so I’m invested.”

“Olivia, I didn’t mean to put this on you.”

“We’re partners, and Ewan has a massive commission to finish before Thanksgiving, so I’m putting it on myself because I’m bored. Maybe I should get a pet.”

“Well, thanks for not thinking I’m nuts, and my bias will always say adopt a dog. We could take them on hikes together.” Bel said, unsure how to tell her partner that one reason she believed she was making a mountain out of a molehill was Eamon’s senses. She couldn’t admit that her boyfriend was an ancient being who drank human blood to survive, or that his sense of smell had confirmed Anne hadn’t been in that clinic. Not recently at least.

“Ewan loves hiking, so maybe once we’re serious, we’ll adopt a pup together,” Olivia said. “Okay, switching gears.Our theory isAnne endedup in that facility because sheasked Hydeformedical help.The wrapper was old, so if shewas there, it wasa long time ago, and if shewashiding a procedure from her husband,thensomething must have happened to her.So I tracked down one of her college friends. I figured we could start there. She might have insights that’ll give us an idea of what Anne was dealing with.” She set her phone on the table as if asking Bel’s permission. “Her friend is expecting our call.”

“Sure, why not?” Bel shrugged. Her brain warned that this was a wild goose chase, but her partner was right. There was a reason this bothered her, and it would nag at her until she figured out why.

“Hello?” a feminine voice answered on the second ring.

“Is this Kelsey Lynn?” Olivia asked.

“Yes.”

“Miss Lynn, this is Detective Olivia Gold with the Bajka Police Department. We spoke via email earlier today.”

“Oh, of course. How can I help you?”

“I’m here with my partner Detective Isobel Emerson,” Gold continued. “We’re calling about Anne Blaubart, or as you knew her, Anne Chambers.”

“What’s this about?” Kelsey asked warily.

“We can’t speak about ongoing cases,” Olivia lied without batting an eye. “Anne isn’t in trouble, though. We’re merely trying to ascertain her character.”

“Oh okay,” Kelsey said. “But I’m not sure how much help I’ll be. I haven’t seen her in years.”

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