“I understand your anger, trust me, but words like that have a way of being taken out of context when problems arise. I’m just trying to protect you.”
“I know… but it was my job to protect my child. I should’ve kept her safe from this creep, from being killed, from everything, and I failed. I failed my princess, and now I can never make it up to her.”
“She knew you loved her. Everyone we’ve spoken to told us how close you were as a family.”
“But it didn’t matter. I let her die in the end.”
“You didn’t let her die.”
“Yes, I did.” Mr. Triton moved toward the living room, signaling that the conversation was over. “And I can’t even help her now. I thought Erik was Ondine’s boyfriend. I paid no attention, so I have nothing for you. Ariella was my little girl, but she didn’t trust me enough to tell me about her older boyfriend, and he probably got her killed.”
“The Tritons hadnothing for us. The mermaids’ friends and families had nothing for us. We just wasted an entire day drivingaround.” Olivia dropped her half-eaten burger onto the wrapper spread across her lap. After the coffee returned Mrs. Triton to her usual self, the detectives left the grieving couple’s home and drove to the first address on their list. They spoke to the family members and friends of the identified mermaids, but it yielded no new information. No one knew Erik, and all the victims had disappeared without a trace.
“There are no patterns to the kidnapping either,” Olivia continued as she stared down at her meal as if it had personally insulted her. “Some went missing after parties. Some after college breaks. Some after a weekend. Different schools. Different lifestyles. Different circumstances.”
“Same M.O., though,” Bel said. They’d stopped for a late lunch on the drive home, and the duo was currently sitting in her parked SUV. She was glad Eamon couldn’t see them. He’d freak out if he realized she was tempting the upholstery’s fate with that red ketchup. “Girls who look the same go missing after trips, parties, or weekends. Those are all times that lend to confusion on campuses. At a party, parents wouldn’t know where their kids were, and friends would be too drunk to notice anything weird. Alcohol leads to one-night stands, blackouts, or straight-up lying to save one’s own skin. No one would notice a girl vanish at a frat party. A weekend would be iffy too. Some people take road trips. Others hole up in the library. Some stay with significant others or visit their families. If they didn’t go home, parents would assume they were on campus, and roommates aren’t always close. Failure to return to a dorm room isn’t often cause for alarm in college. The same logic applies to trips. Every single mermaid was missing for longer than forty-eight hours before someone noticed.”
“So he was stalking them,” Olivia said.
“He picked girls known for their absence, so it didn’t raise red flags right away. He probably studied them for a long time.”
“Erik still fits the bill. Finds students to date, gains access to campus, which his youthful appearance helps with, and then hunts for girls famous for one-night stands or irresponsible behavior or being extroverted.”
“I admit he sounds like the perfect suspect, but we have nothing concrete,” Bel said. “Without evidence, we need to consider that Erik Prince might just be a man with questionable integrity. Someone else could’ve killed those mermaids. That same person might have also strangled Ariella, or we’re looking for two perpetrators. Who else could’ve followed those college students without raising suspicion?”
“Anyone determined enough will find a way,” Olivia said. “Jax Frost used his job at the local news channel to find girls. Erik works at his father’s sign business. He could’ve used it as his cover… I know, I know.” She gestured with her burger for Bel to slow down so she could finish her thought. “We’re trying to identify someone other than Erik, but my point remains. People can use work to slip under the radar. Maybe he’s a tattoo artist who gains girls’ trust while working on their pieces. Maybe he’s in maintenance since the public tends to walk right by janitors or groundskeepers. Or he’s just a lying chameleon who blends wherever he goes. This brand of predator is meticulously disciplined. Difficulties don’t deter them. If someone wants something badly enough, they’ll find a way.”
“And I want this killer behind bars,” Bel said.
“And I know you,” Olivia said. “You want it badly enough. You’ll get it.”
“Is that my car?”Olivia pitched forward to get a better look at the station parking lot before the seatbelt yanked her to a halt. “That is my car… and Ewan. What is he doing with my car?”
“Fixing it, by the looks of it,” Bel said as she parked. “It looks brand new.”
“He stole my car?” Olivia’s southern accent thickened in her annoyance. “How dare he!”
“It looks good, though.” Bel shrugged.
“He stole my car! It doesn’t matter that he fixed it. We aren’t a couple, and I didn’t give him permission to take my property… why are you smiling?”
“It’s sweet, and a money saver. He knows you’re pissed at him, yet he fixed your car anyway.”
“This is wildly inappropriate, and you know it.” Olivia pointed an accusatory finger at her, which only made Bel snort, the blonde’s anger almost charming in its southernness. “Stop laughing. What would you do if Eamon stole your car?”
“Eamon still doesn’t have a key to my cabin, yet he breaks in on a regular basis. You’re asking the wrong person.”
“There is something wrong with you.” Olivia glared at her ex, who was patiently leaning against her vehicle as he waited for the women to decide if they’d engage with him.
“Probably,” Bel agreed. “Do me a favor. Talk to him. You don’t have to get back together, but your breakup left both of you with unresolved issues. He lied, but you haven’t truly accepted what he is. He never got the chance to explain.”
“Liars don’t deserve a chance to explain.”
“What would you have done if you could shift into a bear, and he was human?” Bel asked. “The world denies the existence of magic and monsters. Admitting you’re a shifter would be the fastest way to land in a psych ward, so realistically, what would you have done? How would you have told him the truth? You don’t tell random hookups your secrets. You want to make surethe person will love you despite your differences, so you wait until you can see a future with them. I’m not justifying Ewan’s behavior, especially since Eamon made it very clear that he needed to come clean, but in his shoes, would you have been any more honest?”
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Olivia grumbled.
“I am.”
