“Of course. So we’ll be quick.” Now that I seemed to have magic, it would be really helpful if I knew how to use it. Because a spell would work wonders on this sourpuss. “We’re here to see Anders Lynwood. Has he been around lately?”
She furrowed her brow. Worry lines were deeply ingrained in her skin. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“That’s odd.” I feigned surprise. “Because he told us he lived here.”
“I’ve been here for thirty-two years. I can assure you he’s never lived here.” She peered past me, considering Bellamy. “The girl who lives there has a boyfriend, though.”
“We know her.” It was sort of true. “She comes to my spa. Is her boyfriend a little older?”
The woman scowled. “If she’s got someone living there?—”
“We don’t want to cause any trouble.” Bellamy came up behind me and handed the woman a business card.
“Are you sure? Because this card’s got trouble written all over it.”
“Positive. We’ll head out now, but if you see anything unusual happening in the building, don’t hesitate to give me a call.” He gave her a nod and put his hand on my back.
I was about to protest that we were leaving empty-handed once again, but I was happy to get out of here. The woman was either going to be a nightmare or our biggest asset—no in between.
“Now what?” I asked once we got outside, fully aware the sourpuss was watching us out her window. “That was our entire plan.”
“Let’s comb the area and see what we find.” Bellamy’s hand was still on my back.
“You feel it too,” I said.
“Something’s off here, and I’m not sure what.” He turned to me. “Was that woman familiar to you at all?”
“I don’t think so.” My mouth dropped. “Do you think she was one of the Lynwoods?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Bellamy rumbled. “He could’ve given the wrong apartment number on purpose.”
I didn’t have the luxury of closing my eyes since we were on the move. I did my best to recall Alba’s image, but the neighbor was too fresh in my mind.
“It’s possible. But I hate that it adds more questions instead of answering them.”
“Welcome to private investigation. Nothing makes sense until it does.” He chuckled. “Let’s take a walk around downtown. Get something to eat. Maybe you can convince me to buy you something from one of those cute little stores.”
“I’m perfectly capable of buying myself whatever I want, but I won’t stop you from buying me gifts.” I sauntered ahead of him. “Maybe we’ll find a lingerie store.”
A low hum resonated in his throat. “Maybe you could try a few things on.”
“A gift is supposed to be a surprise,” I reminded him. “You’ll get to see it if you’re a good bear.”
“I think you’d rather me be a bad bear.”
I stopped, because something was glimmering on the sidewalk. Kneeling down to get a closer look, I felt the same vibration that had come from the stones in the tent. Warmth tangled with electricity.
“What did you find?” Bellamy asked.
“The force field around it is so strong, it’s like it doesn’t want to me to pick it up.” But I’d brave the pinpricks that felt like hundreds of tiny shocks against my arm to see what this was.
Got it.
For a small, powerful stone, it was heavy. The weight changed, and the electricity subsided as I stood up. Bellamy watched me with a quizzical look on his face. The whole thing was so weird I wasn’t even sure what to tell him.
I gasped as the magic fell away and fully revealed the object. “What a gorgeous ring.”
“That’s moonstone, right?” Bellamy asked.