Beauty and The Beasley

Chapter 20

"So you spoke to the thief?" Bruno asked with one eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Bree's hands were tucked behind her and she stood with one foot slightly twisted. She silently prayed Bruno would not ask too much questions but then, he wasn't so gullible.

"I did."

"What does he look like?"

Bree chewed her bottom lip. "Not important."

"Why didn't you bring him to me?"

She heaved a sigh. "that is because, Bruno, unlike you i have pity on people."

"This isn't about pity. He's a thief. He steals from innocent people." Bruno admonished with a hand gesture.

Bree wanted to scoff at the word innocent but she looked away instead.

"Well, he's not going to do it anymore." She stated.

Bruno sized her up. She could tell he was still suspecting her and the way his eyes seemed to burn into hers made her want to spill her guts.

"I'm not buying it." He said with a sly smile.

Bree tilted her head. "Okay?"

"You're hiding something." He walked to the back of his van and pulled out a brown leather bag. Bree feared he had some kind of evidence inside but he only pulled a jacket out and put it on.

"What do you think i'm hiding?" Bree asked.

"Nothing. I just think you're not being honest." He said with a shrug.

Bree kissed her teeth. "Hmm, you really have a way with those words, don't you?"

"What?"

"You promised to let those men go if i gave you proof concerning the pig snatcher. Well, my proof is my word and the assurance that no more pigs will ever go missing from the pen."

"I said i needed to see the thief." Bruno said crossing his arms. He smelled like coconut and air freshener. Bree had to move a step back to keep herself from gagging.

"Well, i sorted the whole thing out so stop whining. You get your peace, i get my payment and those poor men get their freedom. It's a win-win for everyone." Bree blurted.

At first, Bruno looked like he was going to get mad but then he sighed and opened the door of his van. He leaned inside it for a couple of minutes then came out and handed Bree a cheque.

"I guess a deal is a deal. You brought proof nohow so you can keep your job and i'll let those men go." He said in defeat.

"Thank you. See, that wasn't so hard." Bree breathed.

He squinted his eyes. "No, it wasn't. You have a strange sway over people you know."

"Believe me, if i really did. . ." she paused to hold back the rest of the sentence then walked away. "Later, Bruno."

She took a cab home and cooked dinner for herself, all the while recounting her experience from her very first day in the pen to the encounter in the forest.

First, she was a fanatic for fantasy so Pauline had been absolutely right about that bit. Then to make things worse, she had come across a creature that was entirely out of this world thereby confirming that she was not at all a fanatic and the rest of the town was probably just blind.

She thought about how she'd first met Beasley as it had called itself. A memory that was still stuck in her mind like fresh pebbles in a clear lake. She thought about how it had tried to kill her right after paralyzing her arm.