Chapter 9

Jeremy's left fist was pulsing. As much as he tried with all his might he couldn't get the urges to stop. He was convinced that that chick was trying to turn the murder into a sideshow.

He wouldn't be surprised to get a call from the local media, asking if there was any truth to the rumor that they were working with a psychic to find the murderer. Not that it wouldn't be a good idea to use it and lure the killer to her..

They had leads of their own and would find out the killer themselves. They didn't need to cute brunette fake psychic bitch guiding them another direction whether it was the right or the wrong one..

Damon had spent the afternoon checking out bella. the neighbors on the left, born and bred in Mystic Falls, were certain of that. they described Bella as quiet, friendly, and always accommodating about collecting their newspaper and mail whenever they visited family, and feeding their cat. Not many neighbors were so friendly.

"Have you noticed anyone coming or going from the house? Does she have many visitors?"

"Not that I've seen, though of course, we don't just sit and watch Bella's house,but I don't think I've ever noticed any visitors over there. Have you, dear?"

'Dear' scratched his jaw.

"Don't think so. She's just about the perfect neighbor, you know. Always speaks when we see her, don't have her nose in the air like some. Keeps her yard neat, too."

"Not any visitors? Ever? No family? Brothers, sisters? Girlfriends"

he stressed almost growling.

"No,"

the wife repeated a bit testily.

"No one. She even takes care of the yard work herself, instead of hiring a neighborhood boy. I've never seen anyone over there except for the mailman."

Dead end. He was frankly puzzled by it.

"Does she go out much?"

"Not often, no. She sees an occasional movie, I think. I can't believe she's in any sort of trouble. Why, when Bill broke his leg two years ago, she'd stay with him whenever I had to go out."

the wife glared at him. Damon gaveher a charming smile and stood to leave.

"Thanks for your help."

The neighbors on the right had basically the same comments, except the lady of the house had two squalling rugrats hanging on her legs and couldn't be expected to pay a lot of attention to the comings and goings next door. No, she'd never seen anyone visiting Bella.

Damon sat inside his classic car, staring at the house. It was a neat, solid little bungalow, typical of houses built in the fifties, though it had been spruced up with a cool, sand-colored paint and enlivened with the kind of touches women put on their nests, the trim done in ice cream colors. The front porch was decorated with a couple of ferns and some pinkish flowers, all in pots hanging from hooks. So what had he just found out? That the most likely suspect sounded like some kind of nun?

He was flooded with relief. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the pain in bella's dark ones. The same pain he saw in his own when he let his guard down.

Bella Swan saw him immediately when she left the school. He was alone in his car, just sitting there, watching her. The late afternoon sunshine glinted off the windshield and prevented her from clearly seeing his face, but she knew it was him. Deputy Childish.

He stayed there, the dirty white car tight on her rear bumper, as she threaded her way through the normal afternoon traffic. She thought about stepping on the gas but then she remember something Edward had told her. When someone can go fast the most annoying thing you can do, is go slow.

with a smirk on her face she lowered her speed to 10 miles below the limit and cruised through the slightly busy town. If he thought he could rattle her with this juvenile game, he was in for a surprise; her nerves had been tested in circumstances far more dire than this, and she had survived.

She had errands to run, things she would have done over the weekend if she hadn't been overwhelmed by that nightmare vision. She didn't let his presence stop her; if he wanted to see what she did after work, he was in for a real treat. She stopped at the cleaners to get one of Renee's dresses she had made the mistake of wearing to work once. Next stop was the library, where she returned two books and picked three more. Then she went to the neighborhood grocery store with the prerky teenage clerks.

At every stop, he parked as close to her as possible, twice right beside her, and waited until she returned. When she came out of the grocery store, he watched as she wheeled the cart, loaded with four bags, to the back of her car. She put her foot on the cart to keep it from rolling while she unlocked the trunk.

He was out of the car and standing beside her almost before the sound of the car door slamming could alert her. Her head jerked up, saw nothing and then looked down. His eyes were hidden by a pair of very dark supposed he wore sunglassed with to make him look scary since there was almost zero sun out at the moment. However he looked comical and she had to bite down on her lip to fight a smile off.

"What do you want?"

she asked in a cool, flat voice. He reached out one big hand and effortlessly lifted a grocery bag from the cart into the trunk.

"Just helping you with the groceries."

"I've managed all my life without you, Deputy. I can manage now."

"It's no problem."

The smile he gave her was humorless, mocking and deeply annoyed with her constant downplaying of his title. He stowed the remaining three bags in the trunk beside the first one.

"Don't bother saying thank you."

Bella shrugged.

"Okay."

Turning away, she unlocked the door and slid behind the wheel. The parking space in front of her was empty, meaning she didn't have to back out; she pulled out through the space in front, leaving him to park the cart or do whatever he wished with it. She wasn't in the mood to be gracious. She was tired, depressed, and angry.

Worse than that, she was frightened. Not of Deputy Kiddie, let's be real. Her fears were much deeper than that. She was afraid of the monster who had butchered Anne JonesAnd she was afraid of herself.

By the time she stopped at the second traffic light after leaving the grocery store parking lot, he was right behind her again. The man really had a talent for getting around in traffic. The sight of her house wasn't as enticing as it usually was. She was wryly certain that its sanctuary was going to be violated...

Just as she had expected, he pulled into her driveway before she had time to cut the ignition off. He got out of the car and took off the sunglasses, tucking them into his shirt pocket.

"What now? Or did you come all this way to help me carry in my groceries?"

"You said you could manage them without my help. I thought we'd have a little talk."

Someone came out next door. She looked up and saw her neighbor, Louise, standing on the porch and staring curiously at them. Bella waved and called out a hello refusing to let Deputy kiddie ruin her neighbourly affections. Unfortunately so did he.

"Nice to see you again,"

he called. Bella controlled her temper. Of course he had already been out questioning her neighbors; she wouldn't have expected him to do otherwise. He had made it plain this morning that he was very suspicious of her.

Despite what he had said, when she opened the trunk he plucked all four bags of groceries out, clutching two in each hand.

"After you,"

he said politely. She shrugged; if he was willing to carry her groceries, she was willing to let him. She unlocked the front door and held it open for him, then followed him inside and directed him back to the kitchen, where he placed the bags on the table.

"Thank you,"

she said.

"Why say thank you now, when you didn't before?"

She lifted her brows and turned her back on him as she began putting away all her purchases.

"You told me not to. What's on your mind, Deputy?"

"Murder"