The whole area had been marked off with police tape. This had become the norm on Maplewood Drive, and he figured most of the neighbors, if not all, had grown accustomed to it.
Three stalks of sunflowers lined one side of the area. He watched them sway back and forth as the wind whooshed through them and the last of the remaining leaves on that cool October morning. It was overcast; just how he liked it. The chill in the air felt good to him. Being in his condition, he wasn’t a fan of sunshine and summer days.
He couldn’t help lifting his gaze to the broken attic window. He needed to get closer to it and inspect the scene from the inside.
Running his tongue over his sharp canines, he then took a deep breath, reached up, and rang the doorbell. His heartbeat sped up, but he didn’t know why. He was here on business, and even though Carter wasn’t aware of his little disappearing act from the precinct, if Cassius were able to find out some information that was valuable to the case, Carter would be pleased. Maybe even pleased enough to loosen up a bit. Carter had it out for him since he’d brought Cassius in. But that wasn’t Cassius’s fault. If Carter had a problem with him being involved, he should’ve taken it out with his brother, Ethan, who’d mentioned Cassius in the first place.
Just as he was about to reach up and ring the doorbell once more, Cassius heard a voice from opposite side of the door. Carefully, he leaned in closer and tried to listen.
At first, he thought he must have been mistaken, and maybe the eerie atmosphere of being in the perimeter of where all the murders had taken place was getting the best of him.
But moments later, he heard it again.
“I said I’ve got this. Go,” Lara’s whispering voice could finally be made out.
Was someone in the house? Who was she talking to?
Cassius stepped back quickly as the door began to slowly swing open. Behind it, a pale Lara stared directly into his eyes.
She squinted her eyes, tilting her head slightly to the right. “Mr. Broxsby? What are you doing here?”
Cassius straightened. Clearing his throat, he responded. “Mrs. Angelov—”
“Lara, please,” she answered, abruptly cutting him off.
“Lara, right...”
A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips. “After all, if I’m going to be seeing more of you on a regular basis, we might as well cut the formalities.”
He nodded and swallowed hard. What was it about this woman causing something to suddenly awaken inside of him? He liked it. He smiled back devilishly, picturing her with that look upon her face as she’d lie in bed.
Mmm. She’s got to be amazing for every guy to stick around long enough after learning about her romantic past. It was too much of a coincidence for all her lovers to die so... tragically.
But is she worth sticking around to find out just how amazing she is? Is it worth losing your life?
Cassius shook his thoughts away as she pushed a strand of her long blonde hair back, tucking it behind her ears. Her eyes closed for just a moment, thick lashes shielding them. “So, Mr. Broxsby—”
“Cassius,” he stated. “You know, since we’re ditching the formalities and all.” He winked at her, hoping she’d find his sense of humor alluring.
From the look on her face, it appeared as though she did.
“So, Cassius...” she said his name, letting the sound of it hang in the air. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company so soon after our first meeting?”
He watched her as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, placing a hand on her hip... her very curvy hip.
Heat rose within him as an urge to take her right here and right now began to take over him.
Calm down, Cass. Keep your cool. You don’t know if she’s just a cold-hearted lover murdering all her fiancés.
He ran his eyes over her once more. Damn, she’s so sexy... is it so bad if I enjoy the view while trying to uncover the truth?
No. It wouldn’t be, so long as he didn’t touch her.
But he wanted to. God, did he want to. It had been a while since he’d felt this much of an attraction to someone.
He was right about to answer her as her pink tongue poked out, wetting her already soft lips.
Keep it together, man.
“Well, may I come in?”
Lara took a step back. “Why, how awfully rude of me. Please, come in. Pardon the mess. It was a... hectic day with all the police traipsing through here. I haven’t gotten a chance to tidy up yet—”
“No need to explain.” He stepped foot inside her home. “It’s no problem at all. That’s completely understandable.”
“Please, have a seat,” she said, motioning to the white sofa sitting smack in the middle of the grand room.
Cassius waved a dismissive hand in front of him. “No, no. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a look upstairs.”
Lara nodded. “The attic.”
“Yes, please,” he answered.
Nodding again, her voice cracked a little. “C-certainly. Follow me.”
She led him up the stairs, past the second floor, and into the attic.
Maybe it was because he was at the scene of the crime, or maybe it was because Halloween was right around the corner, but he could have sworn he felt a cold wind swoosh right past him.
He shuddered.
The boxes were still scattered across the floor. Her statement about being halfway across the room carrying a box could be true. But what if she moved the boxes to make her story plausible?
“Did you move any of these boxes after Mr. Conners fell?” he asked, searching her eyes.
She shook her head. “James? No, I didn’t. When he fell, I dropped the box, running to the window to try and save him. But he was already... well, you know the rest.”
“Actually, I don’t...”
Lara smirked.
Turning away from her, he walked up to the broken window to have a look. He shook his head. The poor guy. He could still visualize the red blood stains on the white fence.
“So, how did he fall through the window?” Cassius turned back around to face her.
Annoyance was painted on Lara’s face. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes for a second before releasing. “He was carrying boxes that were stacked way too high, didn’t see the ones in front of him, tripped, and fell backwards... look, we’ve already been through this. I need to grieve my fiancé’s death... I need to make funeral arrangements. I have things I need to get done. Is this really necessary after I was just at the station like half an hour ago?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s necessary, Lara.”
Another smirk formed on her lips. He wasn’t sure, but it appeared as though she found him just as attractive as he did her.
She stepped forward, closing the gap between them. “Well then. I guess we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other.”
Bingo. The seductive tone in her voice was confirmation.
“That we will.” He let his eyes roam the length of her body once more before deciding it was best if he got going. “Well, I’ll let you get your things done,” he said, repeating her words and then added, “but before I go, let me give you this.” Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a black wallet.
“What’s that?” she asked.