Autopsy of a Fairytale (Autopsy of a Fairytale, #1)

by Nicole Scarano

Bel finished her circle of the body and settled beside her partner, staring at the gaping hole in Lumen’s ribs. She had noticed that gruesome wound instantly, but she had needed a minute to fortify herself for the gore, choosing to examine the craftsmanship first to ground her emotions.

With rapid steps, she lunged backward to get the full view. The base of the structure was composed of bestial clawed feet, but the coiling wood and metal that wrapped around the body formed intricately carved branches and vines. Delicate leaves and thorns decorated the sculpture, the melted wax gifting it with an otherworldly glow, and she understood.

“Because rigor mortis is still present, I estimate some time yesterday,” she answered. “I’ll know more once I complete the autopsy, but that makes the most sense since his showroom was closed every Sunday. Almost everyone in this town knows this building is abandoned, save for Brett, from Saturday night until Monday morning. Killing him and then assembling this piece would have taken hours, and yesterday was the only uninterrupted opportunity available. Did you notice the lack of blood?” Lina pointed to a screw protruding from Brett’s ribs, and Bel stepped closer despite having already studied the pale skin. “There is no blood at the drill sites,” Lina continued. “Combined with the very little lividity, I believe he was drained and washed before this was assembled. At least he was dead before they mutilated his body.” The

“There are no signs of forced entry,”

“The security footage.”

“It’s been disabled.”

Saturdays are by appointment only unless Mr. Lumen is hosting an event.

He lunged and growled, jaws snapping at her neighbor, and Vera shrieked in terror. Her fear did nothing to deter the pitbull, and not wanting to face his aggression, the elderly woman launched into an unsteady run. Bel yelped at his sudden viciousness, digging her heels into the dirt to keep the dog at her side.

“It’s a heart.”

“You didn’t find his actual heart inside the furniture’s base, did you?”

So someone took the time to craft a heart out of rose petals, string a man up and turn him into furniture. This killer either really hates this man, he is playing a game with someone. The question is who is he trying to gain the attention from?

“We did not locate it.”

She had never stared at such evil.

So is this MMC morally gray or just evil? Sometimes in these books the lines are blurred.

Bel almost choked at the realization. Brett Lumen had been carved into a chandelier, turned into the furniture he cherished. Emily had been shaped into a spoon to stir the life-sized mug of coffee, becoming one with the liquid she claimed flowed through her veins instead of blood.

So she is like the Mrs Potts of the novel or should I say like a mix of Chip and Mrs Potts? This is wild like I think it’s Eamon, Bel thinks it’s Eamon, but in reality is the book leading us to that conclusion because it is correct. Or is the book giving us the idea that it’s him when it’s someone else behind the scenes. The obvious answer isn’t always the correct one.

They didn’t need Lina Thum to estimate the time of death. Emily had been alive and well yesterday.

So it was less then 24hrs since she was last seen by anyone. That’s a not a lot of time to kill a woman, drain her of all bodily fluids, get to get work with her van I assume. Get her post death posed body into the place, and clean the place from top to bottom. It’s impossible without someone seeing you it has to be.

Eamon Stone.