Chapter 1
“Ow, ow, my friends are hot!” Violet twirled her pointer finger through the air, and Bel obeyed her request with a balletic spin before dropping into a curtsey.
“You’re gorgeous.” Violet reached out and tested the skirt’s blue fabric between her fingers.
“And this dress is a work of art. Why have I never seen you dressed like this?”
“Because I only wear designer outfits to crime scenes on Tuesdays,” Bel said as she retrieved her overnight suitcase and rolled it to the front door.
“Ha, ha.” Violet enunciated the syllables with a sarcastic monotone. “I know you can’t wear custom dresses to examine dead bodies, but why not dress like this for girls’ night? You look so good. I can’t believe you’re going to upstage me at my own friend’s wedding.”
“Oh, please.” Bel rolled her eyes. “Did you check the mirror before you left your apartment? You always look flawless.”
“I do, don’t I?” Violet tossed her straightened black hair over her shoulder and struck a pose, the afternoon sun bathing her form-fitting black ensemble and matching stilettos in angelic light.
After learning that her boyfriend Ethan Rollo had manipulated his way onto the Bajka Police force so that he could exact his brutal revenge on his grandmother’s murderers, Violet had sworn off men.
The entire town looked at her differently now—the girl who’d dated a serial killer.
People whispered and stared and judged, and if Bel hadn’t supported her through the heartache, she would’ve locked herself away from the world.
The women had spent most of their free time together over the past few months because Bel understood the reality of loving a killer.
The man she’d aligned herself with had been a monster unmatched.
The couples’ only difference was that Rollo’s good looks and disarming charm had fooled Violet, while Bel had willingly delivered herself into the devil’s arms. Rollo had killed five.
Eamon had slaughtered unspeakable numbers, and while she couldn’t confess his sins to her friend, she could help her heal.
But just because Violet forgave herself for trusting a murderer didn’t mean she had any intention of dating, which was why Bel was standing in her cabin wearing the gorgeous blue dress that Eamon had gifted her on their first romantic getaway.
“Are you ready?” Violet asked, opening the door to let the fresh spring air wash them in her glory.
“I think so.” Bel squatted in her heels to kiss her dog Cerberus goodbye.
Violet had been invited to a friend’s wedding, and hating the idea of venturing into the romance alone, she’d asked Bel to be her platonic plus one.
The ceremony, unfortunately, landed on Bel’s thirty-fifth birthday, and she’d initially declined, but Eamon ultimately convinced her to go.
The wedding was out of town, meaning the women were spending the weekend in a hotel.
Eamon paid for everything, gifting them the luxury girls’ trip with the promise that she’d receive a second celebration with him when she returned.
Both he and her family agreed that helping her friend and enjoying a girls-only weekend would be a glorious way to celebrate the anniversary of her thirty-fifth year on this earth, especially since Eamon’s budget promised an extravagant getaway.
“You be a good boy, okay?” Bel peppered Cerberus’ beefy head with kisses until the pitbull grunted in annoyance. “Eamon will pick you up in a bit. I love you, and I’ll be home…” She trailed off as her phone dinged with a notification.
“Is something wrong?” Violet asked when her face sobered at the text message.
“No… do we have time to stop by the Reale Estate?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Eamon was supposed to pick up Cerberus and take him to his house for the weekend, but he just texted me. His meeting is running late, and he has dinner with a client afterward, so he won’t be home until after midnight.
It would be easier for him if Cerberus were already at his place since he won’t have time to drive here in between meetings.
This way, he can at least let him outside before he heads back out. ”
“That’s no problem.” Violet fished her keys out of her clutch. “Your pup is letting me steal you for your birthday. The least I can do is give him a lift.”
“Thank you.” Bel ushered the animal out of the front door, and the trio loaded into Violet’s car. “I’m afraid I’ve worn off on the man. I worry about Cerberus when I leave him alone for too many hours, and Eamon is starting to sound more and more like me.”
“The upside of cats,” Violet said as she pulled out of the driveway. “They don’t mind when I’m gone. I doubt they’ll even notice I left.”
“I’m sure they’ll miss you.”
“Maybe once the food gets low.” Violet smirked. “They love me in their own ways, and I prefer their independence. Running a furniture design company takes up too much of my time… a fact you know nothing about.”
“No, definitely not. I barely work.” Bel winked at her friend.
“I’m glad we’re doing this. We deserve some fun, and you only turn thirty-five once.”
“Don’t remind me. I’m afraid to brush my hair and find grey strands now.”
“And you’ll still be the prettiest of us when you do.”
“With you in that dress? I doubt it.”
“I don’t know, Bel. Your blue dress is mesmerizing… to be seen is to be loved.”
Bel raised her eyebrows in question.
“I know you. You’d never buy yourself something that expensive. Eamon clearly bought it for you.”
“He gave it to me on the island.”
“He loves you, and not because he spent a ridiculous amount on a designer piece. There are hundreds of designers out there. He could’ve bought you dozens of dresses, but this one?
He didn’t buy the dress for himself. He picked it just for you.
Even if you weren’t wearing this, I’d still know it belonged to you. He really sees you.”
“He asked me to wear this to the wedding,” Bel said as the car finally turned down the Reale Estate’s long gravel drive. “Claimed it was so he could be with me for my birthday.”
“Ugh,” Violet faked a gag. “You two are disgusting. I’m changing the rules. No more boyfriend talk this weekend.”
“You’re the one who brought it up.” Bel opened the car door with mock accusation. “All right, I’ll be quick. I’m just going to get him settled.”
“We’re still good on time,” Violet called after her. “No rush… actually, can I use the bathroom? I forgot to pee at your cabin.”
“Sure.” Bel held the front door open for her friend and gestured down the hall. “It’s right down there.”
“Thanks!” Violet disappeared, and Bel strode into the kitchen as fast as her high heels would allow to set out a fresh water bowl for her boy.
Cerberus had vanished deep into the mansion as soon as she’d opened the front door because, like her, he’d grown attached to this home.
He knew where all his toys were stashed, his treats were hidden, and his water bowls were kept, so he’d find his way to a drink when he needed it.
“All right, buddy, you have fun with Eamon,” she called into the emptiness.
“Are you going to come kiss your mom goodbye, or are you going to ignore me for the toys?” She paused, waiting for her dog to trot into the foyer, but after silent moments, the hall remained empty.
Seemed Cerberus didn’t care to join her…
and come to think of it, neither did Violet.
Not wanting to embarrass her, Bel waited by the front door, but when long minutes passed, she wondered if her friend was sick or lost in the expansive home.
“Violet?” She walked to the first-floor guest bathroom, but it was empty, the woman in black nowhere to be found. “Where are you?” Bel moved toward the rear of the house. “Violet, are you okay? Answer me, because if you jump out and scare me, just know I’m a cop who carries a gun.”
“I can’t believe you live here,” a disembodied voice finally called. “This house is massive… and so pretty.”
“I don’t live here,” Bel said, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. “This is Eamon’s house.”
“Same thing!” Violet said. “Sorry, I got sidetracked. I wanted to explore.”
“You mean snoop?”
“Me? Snoop? How could you even suggest that—oooooo that’s pretty.”
“Violet, where are you?” Bel froze, her friend’s voice coming from a concerning direction.
“Back here… like way back!”
“Violet…” Bel picked up her pace. “You can’t be back there.
It’s too dangerous.” Eamon had explicitly forbidden her and Cerberus from entering the rear section that extended into the right side of the expansive gardens.
They were the most damaged rooms of the house, and Eamon didn’t want them falling through rotten floors or being crushed by collapsing ceilings.
Most of the estate’s decay was a result of age, but it appeared a storm had ravaged those back rooms. And if Violet was traipsing around on those crumbling floorboards, she could break her ankle when her stilettos sank through the wood.
“Violet, I’m serious. That entire section is unstable.”
“What are you talking about? It’s so nice.”
“What?” Bel’s expression pinched. Death traps weren’t usually described as ‘nice.’ “Aren’t we going to be late?” she called. “I don’t want to wander back there without Eamon. I won’t be able to lift a fallen beam off you like he could… Violet?”
But it was Cerberus’ bark that answered her.
“Baby beast, you come here now!” Bel stormed after him, suddenly angry at her friend’s blatant disregard for her pet’s safety.
It was one thing if she wanted to get herself killed, but Cerberus?
That was her son in furry form, and she wasn’t about to let him traipse about the only section of Eamon’s house that was expressly forbidden.
“Cerberus, come!” she called again, her confusion growing when clean hallways and not rotten floorboards greeted her. Violet was telling the truth. It was nice. “Violet? Cerberus?”
The pitbull answered her with an excited bark, and she followed his call until she came face to face with ornately carved double doors…
and no dog. He didn’t have opposable thumbs, so Violet must have opened them for him.
Bel just hoped there wasn’t a pit on the opposite side that had swallowed her friend and pet alike.
“Are you guys okay?” Bel gripped the handle and twisted the vintage gold doorknob, and the moment she shoved open the doors, her world exploded.
“Surprise!”