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I’d been back at work for a week now, and Leo was already nearly two weeks old. Time seemed to be flying by, and tomorrow I’d finally get to take Belle out on our first date. My nerves had been growing more and more as the week went on, and now they felt almost out of control.
Work was taking its toll, and I was starting to realize the number of hours I’d worked. I’d never thought twice about it, not until Leo got here, but now all I could think about was the amount of time I was missing out on. I’d been assigned a case, and I needed to collect intel, which meant I was watching the house at all hours of the day and night. And when I was off work, all I had time for was a quick visit with Belle and Leo before I went home to get a few hours' sleep, and then I was back to gathering information on the case.
But it also allowed me to finish off the renovations I was doing. I was so close to finishing downstairs but upstairs had been complete for a day. I was excited to show Belle what I’d been doing. I just wasn’t sure how she’d react to it.
I leaned back in my seat and stared out of the windshield. The only light was the stars shining in the sky. No one had come in or out of the house for the last six hours, and I was debating on going home when my cell rang. Belle’s number flashed on the screen, and I frowned at the time on my dash. Why was she calling me at three in the morning? My stomach churned with the possibilities, and I pressed my thumb on the answer call button as I sat straight in my seat. “Belle? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she answered, her voice small. “Sorry, I just… Ugh. I…never mind. I shouldn’t have called you.”
“No. No.” I held my hand up in the air even though she couldn’t see me. “What’s up?” She was silent for so long I pulled my cell away from my ear to check the call hadn’t dropped. “Belle?”
I heard her exhaled breath, and then she whispered, “I miss you.” My stomach dropped at her words, and I wasn’t sure what to say back to her. “I think Leo misses you too.”
I chuckled as I leaned back in my seat. “I miss you both too.” It was the truth. I was so used to being around them both that it felt strange to go back to an empty house. It should have been filled with love, and most importantly, the woman I loved and the son I adored. But I had to bide my time. We couldn’t jump headfirst into everything. We needed to do things right this time, and that started with our first date tomorrow night.
“I heard from Doctor Ponts this morning,” she blurted out, and I knew then what she’d really called me for. I’d been in touch with the people in Five Oaks to find more information about Leopold and his funeral. I’d gotten distracted since Belle had asked me to find out, but I hadn’t forgotten.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I heard some shuffling. “She said the funeral was last week. They hadn’t released his body right away.”
I already knew that. I’d spoken with the department which held his body and pulled some strings to get his body released so he could be buried. The investigation into his death was still ongoing, but they’d gotten all the DNA they’d needed.
The more and more I read the statements about what had happened when the team had turned up, and then the interview with Belle, the angrier I got. She’d been through hell, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I could have put a stop to it by making sure she knew what the plan was. I’d always kept her informed because she had a right to know, and the one time I hadn’t, we’d ended up here.
“I’m sorry you missed it,” I murmured because I was. He was her friend, the person she’d confided in, and she hadn’t been able to say goodbye to him.
“Me too,” she whispered. “I…I want to go and see his grave, though.” She paused, and I had a feeling what she was going to—
“Would you go with me?”
“Of course I will,” I answered right away. “You never have to ask, Baby Belle. You should know that.”
“I know,” she replied, but her words were sad. “I never got to go to Stella's and Justin’s funerals either.” A lump built in my throat because I understood how she must have been feeling. These had been people in her life she loved, and they’d been taken away from her in the most horrendous way. “All these people died because of me, and I wasn’t even there to show my respect.”
“That’s not your fault,” I ground out, wanting to drive the point home. “You didn’t have a choice.”
“But…” She heaved out a breath, and there was nothing more that I wished than for me to be there to hold her. My fingers tingled at the prospect, and I was ready to leave my post and drive over to her place right then. “I suppose it doesn’t matter now. It’s in the past.”
“It is,” I told her, narrowing my eyes at the house as a light came on. “All that matters is what you do now. I’ll take you to each of their graves, and we’ll pay our respects. You can tell them everything that happened and explain why you weren’t there.” I pushed forward in my seat.
“Do you think they’ll be able to hear me?” she asked, her voice low.
“I have no doubt,” I told her, meaning every word of it.
She was silent again, but this time I was concentrating on the house and the front door that was opening. The target was on the move, and I had to follow him.
“Thanks, Ford.”
“For what?” I asked, lowering in my seat as the car peeled out of the driveway. I waited until he was at the end of his street, and then turned my ignition on.
“For knowing exactly what to say.”
She yawned, and I clicked my belt in place. “You’re welcome, Baby Belle.” I rolled down the street with my lights off, and as soon as I was at the end, I switched them on and sped right, knowing that was the way he went.
“I’m gonna go to sleep now,” she whispered, her voice sounding tired. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“See you tomorrow,” I murmured, not wanting to end th
