Page 63 of Investigation of a Quest

And with that, Bel shut her eyes, silently apologizing to the man who’d made her life complete, and threw herself off the building.

“What are we not seeing?” Olivia charged into the mansion without introduction and threw her keys on the table. “Four days. She’s been gone for four days, and nothing. We can’t find her. You can’t scent her, but Morana claims Morrigan will kill Bel to enslave you. So where is she? She needs you close for the curse to work, so why is she hiding? Doesn’t she want you to step into her trap?”

Morana stepped away from the table, careful never to turn her back on Eamon, and it was embarrassing how long it took him to realize why she’d retreated. It seemed Olivia had learned her bravery from his detective, and faced with a monster who would’ve once ripped the skin off her face for such an outburst, it appeared the witch had no interest in becoming collateral damage. Olivia had no such fear, though, as she proceeded to rant until he raised his hand in surrender.

“She took Leo Craven days before you found the body,” Ewan said before Eamon could speak. “Perhaps she’s preparing the curse.”

“I don’t think she’s hiding,” Olivia snapped at her ex. “I think we are missing something. We’re fooling around while that murderer does who knows what to Bel, and I can’t let her die! If the roles were reversed, she would save me. She would find me, so I can’t fail her.”

“You aren’t failing her.” Reese slid a comforting hand over her back. “We’re⁠—”

“Don’t say human,” Olivia cut Bel’s father off. “Because that wouldn’t matter to Bel. She’d save me. She’s already saved me, and for almost an entire year, I blamed her for things that weren’t her fault. I was angry with her. Mean to her, and she cannot die. She can’t.”

“She won’t.” Eamon finally stood up, shocking Morana again as he pulled Bel’s friend into a hug. Oh, how the evil had fallen.

“Then where is she?” Olivia sobbed into his chest. “What are we missing?”

“Missing…” Griffin murmured as he peeled himself off the far wall. “West, she needs Eamon close to curse him, correct?”

“Yes,” Morana said.

“And you believe Emerson is both the bait and the sacrifice.”

The witch agreed again.

“So, Gold is right. What good is bait if the prey can’t see it?” Griffin asked. “We’re missing something.”

“For the past four days, you’ve been doing things her way.” Reese gestured at Morana. “Magic and spells and blood trails. But this was a murder investigation first, so what about our way? What about the evidence?”

“Because there was no evidence,” Griffin said. “She left nothing for us to follow.”

“You might not easily recognize it, but they always leave something behind,” Reese said. As a former NYPD chief of police, he’d seen everything… except this. “Whether by accident or on purpose, killers don’t truly want to go unnoticed. The greater the crime, the more pride they have. They crave recognition and fame. They always leave something, so what did this witch leave? Where is she sending you?”

“Sending!” Olivia bounced off Eamon’s chest. “This investigation only led us to one location that didn’t belong to the victims. The abandoned industrial park where she sent the custom tin man suit. It’s in the middle of nowhere with multiple buildings, some of which are unfinished. If you want a camp that no one will unwittingly stumble upon, that’s the perfect location. That has to be it, right?”

“An abandoned industrial park?” West finally stepped closer to the group. “That’s the perfect location for a curse that relies on a wide cast net. No one to accidentally enslave in the dhampir’s place.”

“So that’s it?” Olivia asked. “Is she there?”

“Only one way to find out.” Eamon charged for the door, but Rollo grabbed his arm and dragged him back.

“No, I’ll go,” he said.

“Get your hands off me,” Eamon growled. He could ignore Olivia’s outrage and blatant disrespect, but a murderous werewolf didn’t hold the same honor as Bel’s friends.

“Eamon, don’t.” Ethan let go of him despite his protests. “If you get too close, even for a second, she’ll curse you. I’ll go. This witch isn’t looking for my power signature, and I’ll be harder to curse since, out of everyone in this room, I care the least for Detective Emerson. Let me go. If she’s there, my wolf will find her.”

Eamon glared his refusal for tense seconds, but as if Bel were there pulling him away, he backed down. Her life was more important than a masculinity-measuring contest. Ethan was right. The wolf posed the lowest risk.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Eamon relented. “If you get her killed⁠—”

“I know,” Rollo said. “I made those same threats for my grandmother, and I carried them through. Trust me, I know.”

Eamon didn’t need Rollo to say anything. He saw the truth in the wolf’s eyes, and the silent apology was a punch to the gut.

“Gold’s guess was right,” Ethan said. “Detective Emerson was here. Her scent is all over these buildings, but it’s strongest on the third in. I think that’s where she was.”

“Was?” Eamon’s body vibrated to the point of pain.