I nodded. But as Eric led me to the door, I glanced back at the table.
At the lemon tart recipe. At the withered thistle. At the laptop hiding a monster on the other end. Val-Du-Lys never forgot the Bellerose name. And now? It had come to collect, only this time I wasn’t alone. I had a good man by my side and his family, who had taken me into their fold like I was one of their own. This time my ending had to be different.
CHAPTER 36
Eric
The house was too quiet for how many people were inside it. Becket was somewhere in the dining room muttering about code forks. Asher had already left for the community center. Dad had taken the early patrol shift at the festival grounds before sunrise. But even with all of the movement, the house felt… muted. Like we were all holding our breaths. I sat at the kitchen table nursing a half-warm mug of coffee, staring out the back window toward the orchard. The morning light was soft, hazy, catching the edges of the trees like a watercolor. It should’ve been calming.
It wasn’t.
My knee bounced under the table, the restlessness crawling under my skin. Harmony had barely spoken since we got home from the loft last night. She’d gone straight upstairs, climbed into bed. I stayed awake beside her until she finally fell asleep and curled toward me, her breath uneven. I didn’t know what she saw on that laptop. She hadn’t told me. She’d lied like she wished she hadn’t had to. And I didn’t press because there was no point. She looked like one wrong question would break her.
The front door opened and closed, drawing my attention. Dad stepped into the kitchen, jacket half unzipped, shoulders tense, wearing his uniform.
“You’re back early,” I noted.
He didn’t answer right away. He hung his jacket on the chair, reached for a glass, and filled it with water before leaning against the counter. “The crowds are already forming,” he said. “Final festival weekend. People are coming in from Saint-Adèle, Val-David, even a few from over the border for the parade tonight.”
“Good for the town,” I murmured, “bad for us.”
Dad’s mouth tightened. “I hope Harmony won’t go anywhere near that crowd.”
I nodded. “I figured.”
He took a sip of water, then set the glass down with a quiet click. “There was a camera down in the north corner of the festival grounds.”
My spine straightened. “Down, or vandalized?”
“That’s the question.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The Trust installed those cameras. Tremblay was in charge. And who knows what wiring he used. Could be a simple glitch.”
“And could be something else.”
Dad didn’t deny it. “One of the vendors thought he saw someone who looked like Tremblay this morning.”
That pulled me up short. “I thought he left town.”
“He did.” Dad’s voice was low, steady. “But people like that don’t always stay gone.”
I swallowed hard. “Should we tell Harmony?”
“No,” he said immediately. “Not unless we have to. She’s barely holding on as is.”
I tightened my grip on the mug. “She’s trying to pretend everything’s fine.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “And you’re trying to pretend you don’t see through it.”
I didn’t even bother denying it.
Dad lowered his voice. “You need to keep her close today. Closer than usual.”
“I know,” I said. “I was planning on keeping her here.”
Dad exhaled, a long, slow breath like he was bracing for a fight.
“That may not be an option,” he said, his brows drawing together.
That had me even more worried. “What do you mean?”
