Lure of Obsession (The Muse Chronicles Book 1) by Lisa Kessler Page A

She put her gummy worms beside her burger and sat at the little dining room table. She looked down at the papers spread across the tabletop. “Are you catching bad guys?”
    “I’m trying.” He moved the DMV list off the table and pulled out a chair. “How’s school going?”
    She chomped a healthy bite of burger, hummed with glee, and finally answered. “School is good. My teacher is nice.”
    “You have lots of friends?”
    Her cheery expression faltered, and his chest tightened up.
    “Not yet,” she said softly.
    This was her third new school since she lost her mom. He cleared his throat. “You will. Give it time.”
    She nibbled on a French fry and stared directly into his soul. “Do you have lots of friends?”
    Sometimes her simple questions were far from simple. “I have enough.”
    “Do you take them to min-ature golf, too?”
    The image of Mel putting a plastic ball into a dragon’s mouth popped in his head. He smirked. “Nope. Just you.”
    She groaned. “Uncle Nate, you should take them to fun things. Then they’ll like you.”
    He chuckled and tweaked her nose playfully. “Is that the secret?”
    She grinned and shrugged. “I dunno.” She slurped on her straw and set the cup down. “Will you come to my class and talk about your work?”
    Her rapid change in subject had him thinking about his muse again. “You’d probably have to ask the teacher.”
    She sighed and lifted her green eyes up to meet his. “Everyone is bringing a mommy or daddy. My turn is next week.”
    Oh Christ. “I’d be honored, Maggie,” he said before tears filled her eyes. “Just tell me when. I’ll be there.”
    She ran around the table to hug him. He returned the embrace, wishing like hell he could give her more than an hour in front of her class.
    If he could go back in time, he would. In a heartbeat.

CHAPTER 10
    H e watched her with binoculars from across the parking lot. Catching the Muse of Astronomy off guard had been simple. Pick a lock, wait for the right moment, and then help her down the stairs.
    But now the muses were on alert. Security cameras were being installed around the dilapidated theater, and the Muse of Tragic Poetry had moved in with another partner in Muses Anonymous, Callie, who, judging by the way she seemed to take charge of the group, he was beginning to suspect was the Muse of Epic Poetry.
    She’d also spent an evening with Detective Malone. Ben had taken pictures of them leaving the detective’s condo. The photos might come in handy later. He couldn’t rush his work. Rushing led to sloppiness, and sloppy wasn’t going to lead them into the Golden Age of Man.
    He’d be patient. Learn her routines and plot his course accordingly.
    Her death would be poetic and beautiful, just like she was. He’d see to that.
    Melanie Jacoby got into her car and drove away. He noted the time and tossed his binoculars on the passenger seat to follow her. Soon they’d meet face-to-face. Very soon.

    Mel left her purse in Callie’s guestroom and tried not to notice it had been two days since she’d watched Nate drive away. No phone calls, or texts, or drive-bys. Nothing.
    And she might’ve had chocolate for lunch. Nothing but chocolate.
    “Enough,” she grumbled under her breath. She popped her shoes off and headed out to find Callie. Being alone made it too easy to wallow. Seriously, she’d known this guy for a week, and had only met him because her friend died at the bottom of their steps.
    Not exactly the chick flick meet-cute to sweep a girl off her feet.
    But she wasn’t like other girls. In a twisted way, tragedy was the trail to her heart. And somehow Nate Malone had navigated that path.
    And he was already gone.
    Callie was on the phone when Mel entered the kitchen. She smiled and waved as she chattered, and Mel picked up an orange and started peeling. She had forty more term papers to read and grade, but she couldn’t focus right now. They could wait an hour.
    Callie hung up and