Notes: Thanks to Sunflower3759 and Ashes Ashes for beta-ing and Content1 for validating!

Chapter 24: The Final Puzzle Piece

EPOV

I gritted my teeth together as Bella drove away. If I didn't have a complete and total mental breakdown by the end of the day, it would be a miracle. I really didn't want to be the asshole boyfriend who told her that she couldn't go into work, but damn was it tempting. I sighed and dragged my hand through my hair before walking over to my car. If for no other reason than keeping my sanity intact, I was going in to work myself. Charlie planned to spend the morning at the SPD precinct that Officer Branson worked out of, and hopefully, they'd be able to get the prints taken at the break-in back from the lab. I was going to take my time digging through the public records.

I was walking into the Seattle Times Building when Bella texted me to let me know she'd made it in to work safely, and I let out a small sigh of relief. I knew it was driving her crazy that I'd asked her to text me hourly to check in, but I appreciated that she agreed to it. It was hard to sit by and let the person you love put themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. I did my best to go through my normal morning routine; getting a cup of coffee, booting up my computer, and checking emails. When my cell phone rang and I saw that it was Bella, I scrambled for it, panicking that something had happened.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said calmly. "I just saw something that could be a potential clue."

I sighed with relief and tried to force my racing hear to slow. I listened to Bella describe her encounter with Bree, and the envelope with the different last name. Bella sounded unsure if the information would be helpful, but I reassured her that anything was worth checking in to.

"I'm glad you called. It will give us something new to look into," I reassured her.

We spoke for a few more moments before I let her go. "Be careful, Shutterbug. I love you."

I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. "I love you, too, Edward."

The moment we hung up, I called her father. Charlie and I had exchanged numbers the other day and he answered immediately when I called.

"Everything okay, Edward?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"Bella's fine. She may have found a clue."

"What's that?"

I relayed the conversation we'd had and he agreed. "I'm headed to the precinct shortly. We'll look into that right away."

"I'm going to dig through the public records to see what I can find," I told him. "Oh, and Bella's going to text me hourly so I know she's okay."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." He paused for a moment before he asked thoughtfully, "You love my daughter very much, don't you?"

"Yes, more than anything else in the world."

"I'll admit I was a little leery of you. You two are moving fast, and all of this started shortly after you met, but I'm glad I was wrong. And I'm glad she has you."

"Thank you. I'm going to do everything in my power to protect her now, and for the rest of our lives."

"This sounds an awful lot like you asking my blessing for something, Edward," Charlie said warily.

I chuckled. "It guess it does; although, that wasn't my intent right now. Someday, I will be asking that question. For right now, I want to focus on solving this, and then Bella and I can spend some time actually dating and living together. I have every intention of asking Bella to be my wife, but there's no rush. I know she needs to focus on her career, and in the fall she'll be ready to begin her final year of school."

"When you do ask, I'll give you my blessing, son," Charlie said.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me." I took a deep breath. "Now, I think we'd both better focus on finding out who Bree Thompson is and if she's the one involved in these threats to Bella. I'll call you the moment I find something."

"I'll do the same."

We said goodbye and I hung up the phone. I immediately dove into searching the public records for someone named Bree Thompson. The problem was, without her social security number, it was difficult to narrow it down. Thompson was a common name, and I had no idea if it was short for something else like Breanne, or perhaps Brenna. To my dismay, there was a vast number of people by that name or variations of it in Washington State. I knew the age and birthdate of Bree Tanner since Bella had given it to me, but I had no idea if that was accurate. There were too many unknown factors; had Bree really changed her name from Thompson to Tanner? Was she was originally from Washington like she said?

The morning flew by as I searched through records, neatly compiling all of the information into clear notes so I could keep track of it. It was interspersed with the hourly texts from Bella reassuring me she was okay. The reassurance from her and my never-ending research were all that kept me from totally going out of my mind.

Bella called on her lunch break and I went ahead and took mine, as well. Her day had been uneventful so far, aside from the odd run-in with Bree earlier, and I was thankful for that. Despite not really feeling hungry, I choked down a sandwich after we hung up and called Charlie. The information he had uncovered so far was equally unhelpful. There were just too many possible people with that name.

I got back to work, but was slow going and I found myself getting increasingly frustrated. Bella texted me about James and Victoria's alleged alibi for Friday. It wasn't concrete proof, but in the absence of anything proving otherwise, I decided to trust it for now. Of course, if James wasn't a suspect, that meant that Bree was even more likely to be the culprit. I groaned and dug my hand into my hair, frustrated that I wasn't getting anywhere with this.

"You okay?" a voice asked and I looked up in surprise.

"Hey, Mike. No, I'm trying to do some digging on one of the people Bella works with. Bella found an envelope that showed the girl might have changed her name at some point. I'm trying to find that, but it's really tedious searching through the records."

"I can help," he offered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm waiting to hear back from a contact. I'll just be killing time until then anyway."

"Thanks, man," I said gratefully. "It's a good thing I got ahead on my articles last week; I haven't done shit for work today."

"No problem. Just tell me what you've done so far and where I should start."

I filled Mike in and he agreed to go through marriage and divorce records while I tackled name changes. About an hour and a half in to our search, Mike got a call he had to take, but Eric took over. I was so damn grateful for those guys right now, and when this was all over, I'd owe them big time.

It was mid-afternoon before I found anything, but when I did, I nearly leapt out of my chair. "Holy shit," I said loudly and Eric looked up from his computer.

"You find something?"

"I think so. I found a record in Redmond, Washington of a name change about seven years back. A Breanne Thompson changed her name to Bree Tanner, and the birthdays match."

"Redmond's twenty minutes from here; that has to be it," Eric said, sitting back with a relieved grin. Mike was still on the phone but he gave me a thumb's up, showing he heard what I'd said. "What next?"

"I call Chief Swan."

I called Charlie immediately. "That's great, Edward," he said once I gave him the information I found. "Finally, something solid to go on. I'm still at the precinct, and I'll go over this with Mark. I'll call as soon as I find more."

"Sounds good."

I waited on pins and needles to hear back from Charlie and tried to dig up more information on Breanne Thompson in the meantime. At the end of the day, I wrapped up my research and called it a day. My eyes were beginning to blur, and clearly, I wasn't going to find out anything else right then. I had to trust Bella's father to handle it from here. I had just gotten in my car when Bella texted me to let me know she was headed home. I let out a huge sigh of relief, glad that her day had passed uneventfully.

When I arrived at home, I tossed my bag on the couch and sorted through the mail. The thought crossed my mind that Bella was going to have to put in a change of address form at the post office and update her driver's license. After straightening up a bit and wondering about what to do for dinner, I glanced at the clock on the wall, surprised that Bella hadn't made it home yet. Maybe she stopped for gas, I rationalized, but tension began to build within me.

My phone rang and I answered it quickly.

"Edward," Charlie said immediately. "We've found something. There's an arrest record from seven years back. Breanne Thompson was booked for stalking and harassment by the Redmond PD. They couldn't make the charges stick, though, and she was never convicted of anything."

"Finally," I said, almost smiling in relief. "We're getting somewhere."

"Hang on a sec, Mark has something for me here," Charlie said abruptly. All I could hear was muffled conversation for a moment and then he spoke clearly to me. "We've got it. The prints from Bella's apartment match the ones for Breanne Thompson. Looks like Bree is the one we've been searching for."

The air immediately left my lungs, and in a blind panic, I hung up the call and hit speed dial for Bella as I grabbed my keys and bolted out the door of my apartment. I took the stairs as fast as I could, my heart racing in my chest as her phone rang with no answer. Fuck, fuck, fuck, I thought. What if Bella is there alone with Bree?

Her phone went to voicemail, and I tore out the door of the apartment building, nearly knocking over a guy in the process. "Sorry," I gasped. I called Bella one more time before swearing in frustration. I yanked open my car door and dialed Charlie again.

"What happened—"Charlie asked, but I cut him off.

"Bella texted me when she was on her way out of the studio. She should have been home twenty minutes ago, and now she's not answering my calls. Get over to the studio," I barked. "I'm headed there now."

"On our way," Charlie said grimly. I ended the call without another word as I started my car and tore off. I broke about forty-seven traffic codes on my way to the studio, frantically trying to call Bella as I wove through traffic and slid through yellow lights turning red.

"Fuck!" I swore loudly as I was forced to stop at the next light. The moment the light turned green I took off again, screeching around the corner and cutting off two lanes of traffic before sliding into the parking lot behind the studio. I scrambled out of my car and burst through the back door of the old brick building and into the office area. The scene was everything I'd feared when I rounded the corner and came face to face with Bella and Bree. Bella's relieved but frightened eyes met mine. She held herself in a defensive stance with one hand in her left pocket. I remembered her telling me earlier about the pepper spray she was carrying.

Bree backed away from Bella with a wary glance at me, and Bella relaxed a little. "Are you okay?" I asked her. My voice was rough, strained from seeing her in such a potentially dangerous position.

Bella nodded and swallowed hard. "I'm fine," she said. Her voice quivered and my heart twisted. I could tell she was trying hard to hold herself together.

"When you didn't come home, I got worried." I stepped toward Bella, keeping my eye on Bree. I had no idea what she was capable of, and I knew I needed to tread lightly. Bree's eyes followed my every movement, but she didn't make a move as I closed the distance between me and Bella. I wrapped an arm around her waist; just touching her eased a little of the tension within me, and seeing her, knowing she was all right, was what I needed.

I had imagined every horrible scenario on my drive over. Bella hurt, strangled, or shot by Bree.

Bree sneered. "Isn't that precious? Edward came to rescue his damsel in distress. Everyone's always right there for Bella," she spat.

Charlie's words to Bella echoed in my head. "Well, he does look at you like he'd throw himself in front of a bullet to protect you."

I would, but I certainly hoped Bree wasn't that unhinged. I couldn't be sure, though; she didn't exactly look sane at the moment. She was glaring at Bella, dark tracks from her tears streaked down her cheeks. Thankfully, she wasn't holding anything that could be used as a weapon. Still, my grip tightened on Bella.

"There must be someone who worries about you, Bree; your family or friends?" Bella offered.

"I don't have a family," she shouted. "They're all dead. My parents died when I was four, and I went from foster home to foster home. No one ever wanted me. They didn't want to keep me. No one ever loved me best." She seemed to crumple inward, her arms wrapping around her waist, as she appeared to be trying to hold herself together. Tears poured down her cheeks and I felt a stab of pity. She was clearly a sick girl, but I couldn't hate her. She was too sad, too broken. It didn't mean I was going to drop my guard, though. There was no telling what she might do.

She dropped to the chair beside her desk, still hugging herself. Bella and I exchanged worried glances, and I took a quick peek at the clock on the wall. Jesus, where the hell are Charlie and the Seattle PD? I was afraid that if Bella and I left, Bree would do something rash. We needed to stall for time until the police arrived.

Bella and I both jumped in surprise when Bree spoke. It was so quiet; almost like she was speaking to herself. "No one loves me the way he loves you. No one's ever looked at me the way he looks at you."

"Bree," Bella whispered; her eyes reflected the pity I felt in my heart for the girl. "Did you … did you have a crush on Edward before I met him?"

Bree gave her a startled, bewildered look and Bella continued. "I mean, you knew how long he'd be modeling for Van Der Moore's and … well, everything started to happen right after I met him. Are you doing this because we are together?"

Bree sniffled and wiped at her eyes. Her head dropped and she spoke, her voice sounding almost shy. "I … I noticed him." She sniffled wetly. "I mean, who wouldn't, right? But no, I never thought I'd have a chance with him."

Bella went to say something but I put my hand on her arm and gave her a small shake of the head. "Bree," I said and her head whipped up. "You're a very pretty girl and you have a talent that you've turned into a career. That's something amazing. I'm sure a lot of guys would be thrilled to get to know you."

Maybe not now, I thought to myself. Bree was clearly mentally unstable, but what else could I say to her?

Bree shook her head, tears beginning to flow again. Her voice was defeated when she spoke. "No one ever does. There's always someone else better than me; someone like Bella, who's naturally better at everything—better friend, better girlfriend, better employee. . . ."

Bella pulled away from me, and I reluctantly let her go, poising my body to throw myself between them if Bree lashed out. But all she did was weep. Softly at first and then with more and more desperation.

Bella's voice was soft and caring. "I wish I'd known you felt this way, Bree. I really did try to be your friend. If I'd know you were so upset about the shoots, we could have talked with Victoria together. We could have found some way that both of us could work together. Edward's right; you do have a gift, and I never wanted to take this away from you."

"I just wanted something that was mine, you know?" Bree looked up at Bella with a heartbroken expression. "For once in my life, I wanted someone to think I was best. Someone to pick me."

Silent tears streamed down Bella's cheeks, and she nodded at Bree. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

The last of the anger seemed to fade from Bree's eyes, and she huddled into herself even more. She looked like a sad, crumpled doll. "I should have known; good things almost never happen for me. And if they do, they don't last. Sometimes I wish I could just disappear." Her voice sounded far away. "I think about it, you know."

"Think about what?" I asked quietly.

"What it would be like if I disappeared. I don't think anyone would even notice."

"We would, Bree," Bella said urgently. "Victoria would. I would."

"You'd forget." Bree stared at us. Her eyes were vacant, completely void of all emotion. "I think about what it would be like if I took some pills or cut my wrists. I could just close my eyes and drift away. It would be like I never even existed." She sighed heavily, and her despondent, un-focused gaze sent a shiver down my spine., "I think it would be better that way."

"No!" Bella gasped. "Bree it wouldn't be better. Think about all the people you've photographed. They'll always remember the person who took the photos. Twenty years from now they'll look back at their wedding pictures and remember you. You're a part of their lives now."

Bree began to weep again. "It would be better," she whispered to herself.

I struggled to find something to say to her, something that would make her feel better, but I was at a loss. Just then, the door burst open and a loud voice put an end to the morbid conversation. "Seattle PD."

Everything seemed to happen in a blur after that. Bree froze, her shocked eyes trained on the police officers who stormed into the room. I grabbed Bella and pulled her back out of the way, and in the chaos we were able to step toward the door.

"Thank God," Charlie groaned and pulled Bella to him. "Are you all right, Bella?"

Her voice broke. "I'm fine." She burst into tears and I saw Charlie let out a shuddering sigh of relief that she was safe. I glanced over at Bree. Her face was eerily blank as Officer Branson handcuffed her and recited her Miranda Rights to her.

"Edward?" Charlie said quietly, and I looked back at him. Bella lifted her tear-stained face to mine and I held my arms out to her. She went right into them, sobbing against my chest, and I felt the first wave of relief wash over me. I knew we'd have to give the police our statements soon. There were probably weeks, if not months, of follow up that would have to happen. But for now, Bella was safe, and hopefully life would slowly begin to return to normal.

Notes: Well, I hope you like the direction I went with this. It was never my goal to have a crazy huge, physical throw down between Bella and Bree. Although Bree was angry with Bella, she never had plans to harm her physically. What she really wanted was for Bella to leave the studio.

And yes, Bree is quite disturbed. You'll learn more about that in the next chapter. But, the good news is our couple is safe and Bree will get some help.

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