AN: I don't own Twilight. I so wish I did though!
A Deadly Crimson Smile
Bella sits at her computer desk in yoga pants and a tank top. It's May and she's just wrapping up her final essay on the politics of seventeenth century England. A rare warm breeze blows through her Washington apartment. She shivers and gets up to close the open window. Then she sits back down to write the last paragraph of her thirty eight page essay. "Finally." She whispers to herself as she writes the last sentence of her conclusion. As she hits save, the doorbell rings. She assumes it's her boyfriend, Edward, and goes to answer the door with a huge smile on her face. Instead of seeing Edward, a tall man in a dark suit and aviator sunglasses stands in her doorway. "May I help you?" she asks.
"I'm Detective Newton from the Washington Police. Are you a Miss Bella Swan?" He replies benevolent.
"Yes, I am Bella Swan. How may I help you, Detective?" she asks.
"Your boyfriend, Edward Cullen, is suspected to be involved in foul play." He states.
"Is Edward alright?"
"No, ma'am. He's dead." Bella gasps. "His body was found by the ravine a few miles away from the campus. He was shot in the back and in the head."
"Are you sure it's him."
"Yes, ma'am. We found his ID in his wallet in his pocket." The detective answers sympathetically. Bella sinks to the ground, grief struck.
"Did you find any evidence as to who may have killed him?" she asks.
"No. The murderer was very clever and left no fingerprints. We have investigators looking up the gun licenses for all of the people in Washington. If any licenses match the type of gun, we'll bring them in and question them. We will solve this, ma'am." Detective Newton replies. Bella rose off the floor and smiled weakly.
"Thank you, detective. I trust you're capable of this." She says.
"But I need to ask you a few questions, before I go back to the station. If you don't mind." He explains.
"Of course. Come in." she steps away from the doorframe and leads him to the living room. He sits on the large brown sofa and takes out a legal pad. She sits in the pale blue armchair and crosses her legs, trying to stay calm.
"When did you last see you boyfriend?"
"This morning. We went to get coffee and then I came back to write my essay for one of my classes."
"What time was this at?" he asks.
"Around ten. We met at the café at nine thirty." She replies. The detective writes something down on his legal pad and nods.
"Did he seem nervous or did you notice anything out of the ordinary about him." He asks. Bella shakes her head.
"No, sir. But he did mention something about being late for our dinner date because he had to run an errand."
"Ah, yes. Along with his wallet we found a ring box with a rather large engagement ring. It had your initials engraved on it." The detective says, ruefully. He pulls the ring box from his briefcase and hands it to her. Tears prick in Bella's eyes and spill over as she opens the box. A diamond ring sparkles in the box.
"Thank you, Detective." She whispers. "But won't you get in trouble for giving this to me? Wouldn't this be considered evidence?" The detective shakes his head.
"We ran scans on it. There're no fingerprints on it, other than his." Detective Newton explains.
"Maybe someone was trying to steal the ring." Bella suggests.
"Then they would've taken the ring after he was dead."
"Oh. It was just a random thought." She replies. The detective nods and looks down at his legal pad.
"How was his behavior in the last month? Was he skittish or did he act normally?" The question reminded Bella of a dinner date a week before.
Edward and Bella danced around her living room to Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron and Wine. "Bella?" he asked.
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched?" he asked. Bella stopped dancing and pulled away.
"No. Why?"
"No reason." He said absentmindedly.
"You wouldn't have brought it up if something wasn't up." She pointed out. Edward shrugged.
"The past week I've felt as if someone was watching me. It's probably just me being paranoid." He said. Bella sighed.
"Alright." Edward pulled Bella close again and they danced for another ten minutes. The entire time, Bella chewed on Edward's question. He could tell she was distracted but didn't bring it up. He felt sorry for bringing it up and making her nervous. Then he came up with a clever distraction.
"Do you still dislike Professor Black?" he asked.
"Oh my gosh, yes! He's so biased. He completely ruins the class." Bella replied. She knew he was trying to distract her but it wasn't working. She was still unnerved by the thought of someone sneaking around to spy on Edward. Edward laughed and kissed her forehead.
"Well, I should be getting home. Emmett will be wondering where I am." Edward sighed, pulling away. Emmett was his best friend and roommate. They shared an apartment a mile or two from Bella's. Bella sighed and nodded.
"Fine." Edward smiled and kissed her softly on the lips before heading out to his car. Bella watched from her window as he drove into the moonlit night with a sense of fear for her boyfriend.
"Miss Swan?" The detective asks, snapping her out of her reverie.
"Yes?" she asks.
"Was his behavior unusual in the past month?"
"Oh, yes. He mentioned something about feeling as if someone was following him." Bella replies. The detective writes that down on his legal pad.
"Did he know if anyone was following him?"
"No, sir. He just said he felt like someone was watching him." The detective nods.
"Well that's still a good lead for the case." He murmurs and puts his legal pad back in his briefcase.
"Is that it?" Bella asks. The detective nods.
"Yes ma'am. I'll contact you if we get any new leads." He replies. Then the doorbell rings. Bella gets up and answers the door. Rosalie, Bella's close friend, tumbles into the room and slams the door shut.
"I just heard! Oh, Bella! Are you okay?" she gasps, pulling Bella in for a hug. Then she notices the detective and straightens up. "Oh! I didn't know you had company. I'm sorry." She blushes a deep crimson and lets go of Bella. "I'll just wait in the kitchen." She mutters. The detective smiles at Rosalie.
"No need. I was just about to leave, anyway." He says. He hands Bella a business card and nods politely to both of the girls. Then he leaves. Rosalie grabs her shoulder.
"Did he ask you about Edward? Is he on our trail?" she asks in a jumble of words.
"No. The clothes are burnt and the gun is in the bushes somewhere."
"Are you sure he doesn't suspect you?"
"No. I'm pretty sure he just thinks I'm in shock."
"Good! Play that up! We can't have any of the police suspecting us!" she says.
"I am! It's kind of easy; too, since I found out he was going to propose to me."
"He was? But he cheated on you!"
"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't make it any easier to admit to myself that I killed my own boyfriend."
"He cheated on you! He deserved it!"
"Does the fact that he cheated on me with you make the fire just burn more intensely?" Bella asked.
"Yes! He told me you broke up with him!"
"But you didn't ask me?"
"It made a lot more sense in my head."
"Whatever. Just as long as we don't get caught."
"We won't. I promise."
It was a month later and the case was now labeled a homicide. The police gave up on finding the killer. Rosalie and Bella ride in a black Cadillac to the funeral. Edward's brother, Jasper, and his sisters, Alice and Esme, ride in the black Cadillac behind them. The headlights seem bright even though it's the middle of the day. Bella is nervous and fidgets with the hem of her black dress. The black veil hides her face enough so she only has to fake cry. "Relax. The worst part is over." Rosalie sighs.
"What?"
"The viewing is over. That's the worst part. It's just a coast downhill from here."
"But we're gonna be in front of a bunch of people who'll be expecting us to cry."
"The will be expecting you to cry. I wasn't close to him, remember?"
"Right. I keep forgetting nobody knows he was sleeping with you." Bella replies icily.
"Jeez! Calm down. It's almost over." Rosalie turns the music up on the stereo. Bella chews on her lip and fidgets even more. When they park at the cemetery, several people are already there, including the preacher, several kids from school, and other people who knew him. "Just don't talk. I'll do the talking. You're devastated, remember?" Bella nods and gets out of the car, stumbling on her black heels.
"Bella!" Jasper calls. Bella turns to see an identical image of Edward walking towards her.
"Hey, Jasper. Bella hasn't spoken since she found out. Don't think she's giving you the cold shoulder." Rosalie says.
"Oh. Okay." Jasper gives Bella a long hug. "It'll be alright, Bella. Don't worry, we'll find the killer. Whoever he is we'll get him." He reassures her. Bella tries to give him a weak smile.
"Bella! Jasper! How nice to see you again." Father Weber says, walking towards them. Jasper shakes the preacher's hand. The preacher gives Bella a big hug. "He is resting among the angels now." He tells her.
"Thank you, Father Weber." Bella whispers. He nods.
"Well, the ceremony is going to start soon. Shall we?" Jasper says, offering Bella his arm. Bella takes his arm and walks with him to the burial site. The ceremony lasts a half hour.
"Edward was a good man. He will be in our hearts forever." Father Weber says.
"He was a good friend." Jasper adds.
"He was a good student." A professor from school adds.
"He will always be with us." Rosalie says with fake tears rolling down her cheeks. A student from school pats her shoulder. Bella looks around at the mourning people. His sisters are emotional wrecks and his brother's trying to console both.
"I have something to say." Bella tells Father Weber.
"Of course, my dear." He pats her hand and urges her to go on.
"What are you doing?" Rosalie hisses under her breath.
"I can't do this." Bella tells her. Rosalie grabs her arm but Bella just shakes it off.
"You're going to ruin us!" Rosalie hisses. Bella doesn't care.
"Edward was a good man, a good friend, and a good student. He was more than that though. You know him as this sweet man who couldn't hurt a fly. I know him as the cheating scum that slept with my best friend. I…" Rosalie cut her off.
"She's sleep deprived. I am so sorry you had to hear that. She doesn't know what she's saying." Rosalie says, digging her nails into Bella's arm. Bella winces but doesn't speak. "Bella, apologize for saying such nonsense at a time of mourning."
"I'm sorry." Bella whispers.
"It's alright, my dear. We all know what sleep deprivation and depression do." Father Weber says. Bella gives him a small smile. Then the burial begins. Bella and Rosalie toss white roses and a handful of dirt on top of the casket and then Rosalie hugs Bella, pretending to comfort her.
"Not another word from you." she hisses. "You almost destroyed us."
"Someone will find out eventually." Bella whispers back. Then Rosalie lets her go. Bella looks at her in surprise and catches Rosalie's deadly crimson smile. A shudder runs through Bella as she realizes what she has brought upon herself.