Page 90 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“I don’t know how much help I can be, but give me a chance to look around, and I’ll let you know if I spot something,” I offered.

With the guys flanking me, I entered the workspace where most of the damage had been done. Every surface was covered in paint, drawers of supplies were dumped, and the canvas I’d been working on was absolutely destroyed. Squatting, I picked up what was left of the frame and noticed what looked like part of Ulysses’ head was scribbled out with a marker. It was like Randall was trying to erase them from the picture, and if he couldn’t do it in real life, then he’d make do with the picture.

Thankfully, I hadn’t gotten much further than sketching it out, but it still made me sad to see it ruined. Something caught my eye, and I stood, walking over to a pile of paint tubes that looked like someone stomped on. Sticking out was the corner of what might be a card of some kind. I found a spot where the paint was dry and set Nugget down.

“Stay right there, mister,” I ordered.

Nugget instantly dropped his butt to the floor and wagged his tail, making me smile. “Good boy.”

Moving aside the paint, I realized they covered a bouquet of flowers, pink peonies to be exact. Randall and I had been on our third or fourth date when he gave me a bouquet of them. He said they reminded him of me with how happy and soft they were. The downside had been they attracted bees to our picnic lunch which is when he started calling me Bumblebee. I was the sweet-smelling flower that had attracted him. It had never made sense to me, but Randall was adamant it was the perfect pet name.

“Officer Fawlk,” I called. “I found something.”

He wandered over, slipping on a pair of gloves before picking up the letter. The paint covering it made it a little hard to open, but he managed to pull out a get-well-soon card. Flipping it open, he scanned the inside, frowning before flipping it around for me to read.

A hand settled on my shoulder before another blocked my view. I was surrounded by the comforting scent of sweet tea with a tang of lemon, letting me know it was Gareth. “You don’t have to read it, baby girl.”

“Yes, I do,” I countered. “I don’t want to be afraid of him, Gareth. Randall haunts my dreams and sends me into a panic when the police call. He has no right to take up this much space in my life when he means nothing to me. If I can help the police figure out what’s going through his head so they can catch him faster, then that’s what I’ll do.”

Gareth dropped his head to rest on mine for a moment before pressing a kiss to it and dropping his hand. “All right, baby girl. It’s your call.”

Leaning into him, I looked up, offering him a smile. “Thank you, Gareth.”

He returned my smile and kissed my forehead. “You’re welcome, baby girl.”

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the card.

Bumblebee,

I’m sorry I ran, leaving you all alone. They said you were taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery. I tried to visit and give you these flowers then, but they refused to let anyone visit. My face is on the news, and they are spreading lies again. Don’t listen to them. I would never hurt you, Bumblebee. I love you. I picked you out of everyone to be mine.

I hope these flowers make you smile and remember how perfect we are together.

xx R

“He said that to me before,” I murmured. “Something about how I was rejected, but he picked me and was told he could have me. I don’t understand it, but obviously, it means something to him.”

Officer Fawlk tucked the card back in the envelope, handing it off to someone else who placed it in an evidence bag. “In my experience, that type of entitlement comes from people who have been born into privilege. They don’t know what the word ‘no’ means. Did Mr. Steele talk about his family much?”

“Come to think of it… no,” I answered as I thought back over our conversation. “The only thing he ever said specifically is that they came from money so I shouldn’t be worried he was after me for that. When I asked what his parents did, he brushed it off, saying he didn’t want to talk about it. I just figured he didn’t have a great relationship with them, so I didn’t want to press the matter.”

“Well, any detail helps us narrow down what his last name might really be,” Officer Fawlk commented as he made notes.

“I’m sorry, his real last name?” I pressed.

The officer’s gaze flicked to me then Gareth for a second, as if judging if he’d spoken out of turn. “Yes, I just spoke with the two detectives on your case, and they mentioned the last name he’s using now only started showing up in the system about a year ago. This leads us to believe he used a different one previously. If someone wanted to keep the incident related to his previous pack quiet, changing his last name would be the easiest place to start.”

An idea popped into my head. “Did you look at who owns his apartment? He told me it was owned by his family so he could live there as long as he liked.”

Officer Fawlk grinned at me. “I see we have a detective in the making. I’m not on the official manhunt for Mr. Steele, but everyone in the department knows about it. So let me know what the address is, and I’ll make sure to run it past Detective Vogal. They might already have the information, but it never hurts to ask.”

I rattled off the address by heart, having it memorized since I had to give it to every taxi driver since I couldn’t drive myself.

“Thank you, Miss Thatcher, you have been a huge help,” Officer Fawlk said, shaking my hand. “I hope you believe me when I say we are doing everything we can to get this guy off the streets. No one deserves to feel like the boogie man is lurking behind every corner.” Shifting his gaze to Gareth, he continued. “If I have any further questions or information to share, we’ll reach out. You guys have a better rest of your day, and we’ll make sure this place is secured the best we can.”

Gareth shook the officer’s hand then bent down to scoop Nugget up before twining our fingers together and leading me out of the workspace. I was surprised to see the others talking with Eli, who looked like he came right from the office.

“Thank you for the offer, but Infinery owns the building even though it’s Bailey-Rose’s to do with as she pleases. I’ve already called the insurance company, and they’ll be sending someone by to look at the damage,” Eli explained, then he spotted me.