Page 20 of Criminology of a Character

“Then why do you look like something’s wrong? You just got back from a romantic—if not unexpectedly thrilling—vacation. Shouldn’t you be floating about the station with hearts in your eyes?”

“I do not float around with hearts in my eyes,” Bel said, and her partner smirked.

“I know. I could barely say that with a straight face.” She gently tapped Bel’s temple. “What’s going on up there?”

“It’s stupid, really.”

“Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do.” Olivia gestured to the quiet station. “Seems Thanksgiving is bringing out the best in our town. We’ve barely given out so much as a speeding ticket. So hit me with it.”

“Gum wrapper origami.” Bel slid her Post-it note butterfly across the desk and explained Anne’s gum obsession, starting with her after-dinner ritual and ending with Eamon’s theories about how it might’ve ended up in the illegal surgery clinic.

“And you’re the only one who saw the butterfly during the raid?” Olivia asked as she studied the photo Bel had snapped of the blue origami from her spa day.

“At least I think I saw it.”

“Don’t doubt yourself. You were convinced men with different faces were the same person, and look what your suspicion uncovered. You saw that butterfly. You know you did. Your problem is you’re trying to rationalize what you and only you witnessed.”

“I don’t know why, but it feels significant,” Bel said. “Anne had no reason to visit that facility. The wife of a renowned plastic surgeon would never allow a doctor without a license to touch her. At least I wouldn’t if I were her.”

“She would if she was hiding something from her husband,” Olivia said, and Bel quirked her eyebrows at her. “Come on. Let’s get lunch. Maybe talking this out will give you peace of mind.”

“Sure,” Bel said as she pulled on her coat. “But don’t you hear how crazy I sound? I’m bothered by a gum wrapper.”

“I’ll drive.” Olivia grabbed her keys. “And after everything we’ve been through, I’m smart enough to take your gut feelings seriously… even if they’re about gum wrappers.”

Twenty-seven minutes later, the detectives tucked themselves into a corner booth of the diner to avoid being overheard by the other patrons. Olivia ordered a cheeseburger and fries, but Bel opted to eat breakfast for lunch. The women made idle chitchat until their food arrived, and with two types of fried potatoes gracing the table, Olivia restarted the conversation.

“Logically, Eamon’s theories are probably correct,” she said as she stole some of Bel’s hash browns and offered a pile of her fries as payment. “The Blaubarts visit Hyde’s resort regularly, so there are undoubtedly dozens, if not hundreds, of her butterfly wrappers floating around that island. Think about how cigarette butts end up all over. You rarely see people toss them, but they’re everywhere you walk. If she chews gum multiple times a day, it wouldn’t be long before one of those butterflies ended up somewhere it shouldn’t. Trash bags rip. People pick things up and carry them around. Litter gets stuck to shoes and car tires. Anne is married to a skilled surgeon. I can’t imagine any rational reason she would visit an illegal clinic with uncertified doctors. It would be like Eamon asking a fired cop to investigate a case instead of asking for your help.”

“Which is why it’s silly to obsess over this,” Bel said.

“But what if Eamon was hiding something?” Olivia asked. “If he wanted to keep secrets from you, he wouldn’t ask for your help. Nor would he come to me or Griffin. Playing devil’sadvocate here, let’s argue Anne was at that facility, and that’s how that gum wrapper landed there. A woman like her would never visit a subpar surgeon unless she didn’t want her husband to find out. Visiting that island as much as she did, perhaps she trusted Hyde to help her, and he brought her there because of its advanced equipment. Anne probably didn’t even know the truth about his operation.”

“I hadn’t considered that.” Bel sipped her water as she twisted the ideas around in her head. “That makes sense, though. Plastic surgeons have medical knowledge beyond facelifts. It’s possible she had a tumor or a miscarriage that she didn’t want to worry Charles with.”

“Or a birthmark or tattoo tied her to a problematic past, and she wanted it removed without her husband learning the truth,” Olivia added.

“I looked into Anne,” Bel said. “I couldn’t dig too deep without a warrant, but I doubt a woman with her background would be running from trouble. She was born to wealthy parents who died in a car accident while she was attending an Ivy League college. Little is known about her post-school years until she married Charles Blaubart about a decade ago.”

“Okay, so the checkered past theory is unlikely, but the other two are valid. Either Eamon is right, and the butterfly was coincidental trash, or Anne required medical attention she wanted to hide from her husband.”

“She was friends with Hyde,” Bel said. “So she wouldn’t have revealed his secret, especially if he lied about the facility’s purpose. If he told her the center helped those the American medical system wouldn’t treat, she probably would’ve been eager to remain silent.”

“I would believe that lie if a close friend told me that.” Olivia shoved the last bite of her burger into her mouth. “So, did talking it out help relieve your anxiety?”

“Yes,” Bel paused. “I don’t know. It’s still bothering me, but when I say it out loud, I sound ridiculous. But… I felt the same way when I recognized Alessandro Gianni’s shoes.”

“And your suspicion paid off. So you’re worried that if you dismiss that gum wrapper as nothing more than scattered trash, you’ll let something horrible go unnoticed.”

“Exactly… hence, why I sound like a conspiracy theorist. I’m seeing clues in gum, and it’s ridiculous. I’ve gotten used to finding monsters among us, so I’m turning everything into an issue.”

“It’s hard to see what we’ve witnessed and not expect evil to be around every corner,” Olivia sympathized. “We recently worked a case where a groom hired his childhood friend to kill his new family in the most horrific ways. We were both kidnapped by a man who believed killing women who resembled you was a love letter. So, I get it. Everything has a double meaning. Everything becomes a warning sign. Our suspicions are right as many times as they aren’t, but regardless of which this is, you know I’m always here to chat.” She reached out, and Bel took her hand, suddenly feeling like she had six sisters instead of five.

“We should get back to the station,” Olivia released her and threw cash onto the table. “Nothing’s going on, but Griffin will be mad if we play hooky.”

“Thanks for indulging me.” Bel placed her payment atop her partner’s, and together the women donned their coats and returned to work.

Bel’s phonerang as she removed Cerberus’ harness. Work had been painfully slow, so for the first time in months, she’d arrivedhome at a reasonable hour. The nights were growing bitter, but that didn’t stop her dog’s love of hiking, so she’d bundled up and let him guide their walk. He’d taken her to all of his favorite spots along the trail, and when her fingers turned blue despite her gloves, she dragged him back to their cabin.

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