The Devil's Sweetheart

After conversing with Francis, Leena stepped into the car and jumped onto the complainer in a split second. Devin has to hold on to the car steering for support with the sudden incursion.

"You are not only a copy cat but a kvetch also." Leena straddled and attacked him from the front seat itself. "Complaining is also mouth farting. Do you know this?"

"Well, then I don't mind hearing from your mouth." He chuckled. He did not intend to complain to Francis but it slipped out of his tongue when he spoke with him yesterday night.

"It's your mouth, idiot." She bawled remembering the sticky note he has put in the bathroom when they were in Seattle. She can never forget those ten days memories with him.

"Curb your temper, sweetheart." With one hand, he held her hands, and with the other, he moved the seat all the way back for as much as possible so that she doesn't hit her back to the steering wheel and knock the gear shifts.

"Do you have to tell the exact count of my dresses also?" Leena unclasped her hands from his grip and pushed his body on to the seat. Like a naive couple, both were fighting inside the car without knowing it has created another meaning to the outsiders. Until they heard a knock on the glass window of the car, they did not stop with their combats.

Clasping her body to his, Devin opened the window slightly and gazed at the curious woman looking at them discreetly. "Yes?"

'Who is this Hogle zoo zebra looking at my babylicious with fascination?' Leena wondered. Leena instantly wrapped her arms around his neck protectively.

"What do_"

"I expected a thumping thighs scene when I saw your car shaking." There was a sadness in her voice when she spoke up. "But you were just fighting?"

Leena: " "

A laugh escaped from his throat as he gazed at Leena. Realization hit her brain and instantly she buried her face into his chest. "Many would have witnessed the scene right?"

"The possibility is less. Too sad that we are in the parking slot." He whispered into her ear. "Shall we try in the car for real?"

"Hop in the backseat for more leverage. Both can put your back in action perfectly." The old woman exclaimed.

"Please send her away, Devin," Leena muttered. Shameless old woman. Even her Meemaw falls in the same category.

Not knowing what to explain to the old lady, he gave a double thumbs-up before gliding the window not to put Leena in an embarrassing situation.

"Leena darling." Devin lifted her chin. "Do you want to try in the back seat?"

"No." She declined. It would be embarrassing to do it in the car. What if they are caught doing it for real. That would be super depressing.

"Perhaps in the future?" He asked with a mischievous glint. "Doing it in the car can be adventurous also."

"Don't embarrass me, Devin." She whined. "Let's go home first."

"I will take that as a yes then." He put her on the passenger seat, buckled the seat belt, and sped the accelerator.

"Glad that he stopped the topic." Turning beat red, Leena gazed out of the window. They are yet to go all the way and he started imagining doing it in the car.

...

Right, when they reached home, Devin could still smell the strong smell of a concentrated liquid from Leena. For some reason, the smell was disturbing his concentration from the time he went into the hospital today. It's not that he never smelled it but his senses were relating it to something. He brushed off the thoughts and got down to open the car door for her. There he observed a stain on Leena's white dress.

"Where did you get that mark?" He asked.

When Leena looked down, there was a large splattered mark on her dress right below her bosom. "It must be from the hospital. I bumped into a nurse while stepping down from mom's hospital room. She was not no careful and dropped a glass bottle and it must have smudged my dress."

"Oh no. I can't wear this dress anymore." She sobbed, her emotions broke for the dress. "It's my favorite dress, Devin. It was brought by you from Korea."

Leena blabbered but he was not giving attention to her huffs. Something was running on his mind which none could decipher. Without any warning, he bent down and pulled Leena towards him, and sniffed the dress.

"Naughty fellow. What are you doing?" Leena whispered peeking at her sides. They were still in the parking slot and not many were loitering here was an added advantage. Her mind went into gutter thinking of the dirty thoughts that clouded in her mind. Is he putting the thoughts into action right now hearing that old woman's words? He is quite fast.

But Devin's mind was running constantly to one thing. , The smell of the dried stain on the dress was bothering him. He has to confirm if his assumptions are true or counterfeit.

"I have urgent work, Leena. I will be back in two hours." He lifted his head and gazed at her face as he spoke."Is that fine?"

"Why so sudden?" Baffled at his sudden shift, she inquired.

"Nothing serious, sweetheart. Work-related." He kissed her on the forehead. "Either go to Reese or Uncle Pumpkin's home if you are bored."

"Okay." She nodded. Despite, Leena wanted to ask more, she did not probe seeing his uncertainty. He behaves a little differently at times.

"Let's go." He said. "I will walk you to the home."

"I can walk, Devin. I am not a kid." She shook her head at his protective nature.

"No." But he insisted and went along with her. Only when she is inside the home, he can do his work happily.

Sending her in, Devin made a call to Reese and asked her to accompany Leena until he comes home. Then he straight away drove to his home. For almost a month, he would rarely visit his home except when he needed any important files but still, it was very well maintained by the trusted hirelings.

He strolled into the private space and opened the locker where he filed the letters which Francis received from an unknown person. He carefully opened each letter and sniffed it once, twice to confirm.

From the day, he got the letters from Francis, he has tried all the ways to get the possible clues from them but nothing hit his brain until today.

Even the most intelligent person is bound to make mistakes and that is what the anonymous person has done. The smell. The smell of a drug was proof that he works in the medical field. Even if he washes away, the smell of drugs would linger on a person working in the medical field.

He could smell them in most of the letters except the letters written in red. The smell of the blood has suppressed the smell of medicines. One thing was clear, he is a professional.

But what is the reason for him not to show up? Devin has already announced his relationship with Leena and he was certain that he might have seen the news. He must be keeping a tab on Leena up to date. Then why didn't he show up? He should have made his first move by now but haven't. Without knowing anything about the opponent, Devin can't make a move. One wrong move, Leena's life would be at risk.

There was no expression on his face as he gazed at the dartboard standing in the room. "Who are you?"

"A nurse?" He picked up a dart and threw it into the board. A pro in shooting sports who never missed the bullseye. But the dart has hit the outer ring of the board this time. He missed the target.

"Wrong presumption." A mere nurse doesn't have a wide range of connectivity to the point of masking the identity for three years. There is more to know about him.

"Science Professor?" He threw another dart and it hit the triple ring. Again a wrong assumption. Not a match to his profile. Not always they are in the lab. He must have met Leena somewhere. If he keenly looks into three years of her history, there is a chance to know about him.

"Doctor?" He threw another dart as a thought entered his mind. It hit the treble ring in the dartboard. There is a chance he might have disguised his identity and working in the hospital close to Aunt Heather to have ready access to Leena. It could be possible. If he makes a thorough check on the hospital, he could get the clue. But Devin's gut feeling was telling him he is not a doctor.

"Who are you?"

"Chemist? Scientist?"

He threw another dart and it straight away hit the double bullseye on the dartboard flawlessly.