Page 71 of Criminology of a Character

But Eamon didn’t answer her. He couldn’t hear her. He wasn’t there.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Bel’s head fell to the side as oblivion reclaimed her, but just before she dropped off, blonde hair caught her eye… Anne Blaubart’s blonde hair. With a jolt of realization, Bel understood her situation, and fear flooded her chest as she lost consciousness.

“Pull over,”Olivia said as they entered the Blaubart’s neighborhood. Charles’ office was in the city, but since it was a Sunday, the trio aimed for their suburbia mansion.

“What’s wrong?” Eamon asked. The drive had been silent and tense, Olivia refusing to acknowledge either man as she sulked in the front passenger seat.

“Just pull over,” she snapped, and Eamon understood why Bel was so fond of her partner. They were cut of the same tenacious cloth. “Get out,” she said as he parked the car. “If Anne Blaubart is Hyde, she’ll take one look at you and suspect us. She’s met you, and she knows how protective you are of Bel. You’re also terrifying. I always thought something was off about you, and I guess being some sort of ancient monster explains that, but your anger will spook her. If she’s involved, it’s best she doesn’t see you.”

“You need me inside that house,” he argued.

“You had no problem entering my building and apartment without a key,” Olivia said. “You’ll find a way, but Ewan and I should talk to the Blaubarts alone. They’ll assume I’m merely a distraught partner trying to make sense of her death for my own closure. Ewan will come with me, so it’ll feel unofficial. Just me and my boyfriend—don’t get excited.” She whirled on Ewan in the backseat. “I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive you for lying to me, but we’ll get the most out of Anne if she thinks I’m a woman struggling to come to terms with a friend’s death. Bringing my boyfriend will help this visit appear personal.”

“That’s smart.” Eamon stepped out of the driver’s seat so Ewan could take his place. “Speak clearly when you’re inside the house. I’ll be listening.”

He watched the car drive off before following on foot. Security protected the Blaubart mansion, but the cameras only stalled his progress for a few minutes before he found an opening, and then he was scaling the outer walls of the home.

“Yes, of course,” Charles Blaubart’s voice drifted up the stairs to Eamon’s ears as he slipped through a third-floor window. “Come in. Can I get you a drink? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?”

“Tea,” Olivia answered as Eamon moved silently through the upper floors of the mansion, his senses searching for any sign of Bel. He hadn’t considered that Anne might be the mysterious Dr. Jake L. Hyde, but if evidence of her guilt hid in this house, he’d find it.

“Come into the kitchen,” Charles said. “We can chat while I put on the kettle. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, though. Detective Emerson died in a car accident.”

“I know,” Olivia said. “And I’m sorry we’re inconveniencing you and your wife on a Sunday, but Bel was my friend and partner. I was at the scene… I saw her body hanging out of thewindshield.” She burst into tears, and Eamon could practically picture her throwing herself into Ewan’s arms. “Her death was so senseless, and I didn’t get to say goodbye. I just want to know what happened to her. Maybe if I can understand her state of mind, or figure out where she drove after she left your office, I’ll find closure about why she flipped that car so badly.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Charles said, and by the sincerity in his voice, he’d bought her explanation. “And it’s no bother to talk to you. My wife isn’t home, though, so it’s just me.”

Eamon paused with his hand on the attic door. Anne wasn’t home? Coincidence? Or was she cleaning up her mess?

“Bel told me she wanted to speak to you about her scars,” Olivia continued. “Did you meet with her yesterday?”

“I did,” Charles said. “But not for long. When she showed up, I was with a client. I left her in my office to finish my consultation, but by the time I returned, she’d left. My receptionist confirmed she ran out looking upset. I assumed she’d received bad news or was fighting with her boyfriend. Have you met him? He’s… intimidating. I wouldn’t be surprised if he upset her. Maybe they fought, and that’s why she crashed. She’d been crying.”

“It’s possible,” Olivia agreed, and Eamon smirked, satisfied the attic was useless to him. The detective had been right. His absence made for a looser tongue.

“I don’t know Mr. Stone well,” she continued. “He’s very rich, though. Owns half of our town. I imagine he’s a man who gets what he wants, but do you think that’s it? Did he really make her so upset that she died?”

“She fled for no reason,” Charles said. “I have access to the security footage if you’d like to watch it for yourself. Women don’t leave my office sad. They leave sexy and confident, so her distress was probably from her boyfriend.”

“I’ll never forgive that man if he caused her death,” Olivia said. “He rubs me the wrong way. He seems dangerous.”

“I agree,” Charles said, and Eamon aimed for the basement, thankful Gold was keeping their host occupied. Blaming him was smart, but the idea that he’d fought with Bel so terribly that her emotions hindered her driving enraged him. Olivia was playing a part, but he couldn’t help but wonder if her words were to punish him for this morning.

“Would you mind if I viewed the security footage?” Olivia asked. “I knew Bel well. If she’d argued with her boyfriend, I’d recognize her expression.”

“Of course. Let me grab my laptop.” Charles left the kitchen, and Eamon traced the sound of his footfalls until he returned. “The cameras only cover the entrance and main areas for patient privacy reasons, but you see her come and go.”

Eamon silently ventured into the basement as Olivia and Ewan watched the footage, but nothing stood out. This immaculate home was just that. A wealthy surgeon’s home. It boasted all the latest designs and appliances, and nothing pointed to Bel ever having been there or Anne being Hyde. It was the only lead they had, but it was dead in the water. Further snooping was useless, and disappointed in his failure, he left the mansion to wait for his companions.

“We watched the footage,” Olivia said when they finally picked him up from the shadows of a tree. “She was there yesterday afternoon, but as he said, she walked out on her own two feet. He was in a consultation, and he even fast-forwarded the recording to show us when he left his patient to return to his office. He never left the building, and Anne wasn’t there, so whatever happened to Bel went down elsewhere.”

“She wasn’t upset because of me,” Eamon said, needing to defend himself. He normally didn’t care if people believed him the guilty party, but he would not be blamed for this. Not whenit involved the only person he’d never hurt. “I spoke to her Saturday morning, and she was happy, but we never spoke after that. I didn’t make her leave that office.”

“I know,” Olivia said. “I told Dr. Blaubart she was clearly bothered by something you said to confirm his guess. It was safer if he believed I suspected you and not Anne, but I meant what I said. I know Bel fairly well. I’m familiar with her expressions, and she wasn’t upset about your relationship. She wasn’t upset at all. Bel left that office because she was afraid.”

Bel opened her eyes,her back aching after sleeping on such a hard mattress. She needed to start spending more time at home. After all her nights atEamon’s, her bed felt like a metal slab…andit seemedCerberus preferred Eamon to her now.His solid warmth was nowhere to be found, andit was his absence thatdragged her to consciousness.

With sluggish movements, she twisted to search for him, but itwasn’tblack fur that greeted her. It was blonde hair…AnneBlaubart’sblondehair,and Bel jerked to a seat only for her bound wrists to yank her back down. A groan involuntarily escaped her lips, and she breathed through the sharp pain firing in her joints until it lessened, giving way to fear.They’dbeen right about Anne and Hyde being the sameperson. She must have figured out Bel learned the truth, but how had she taken her? The last thing Bel remembered was getting in her car.She’dbeen safe.She’dbeen driving home to Eamon, to the man who would protect her, but thatwasn’tright, was it?She was forgetting something, but what? Whatcouldn’tshe remember?

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