Page 79 of Buried Roots

The door flies open, and Bailey busts in, dressed up in a skimpy silk top, tight pants, and heels. She has tears streaming down her cheeks when she says, “I was coming home from dancing at the Moonlight Lounge. I saw who started the fire.”

30

Long Way Home

Earlymorning,Iarriveat the house, or really, the charred wreckage that remains of the house. Some partial walls remain, a few of the kitchen cabinets still standing but blackened. Random items, like a toaster and a coffee pot, are scattered about. Shattered windows lie around with broken glass and splintered wood. In a dark haze, I wander, sifting through the rubble to see if there’s anything left worth keeping.

I swear I’ll never get this singed metal smell out of my nose.

Tears fall from my face as I lift the charred pieces of wood and drywall. I find Bo’s computer, or what’s left of it, now just a shattered screen and a collection of data chips. I pick it up and hug it, not caring that I’m getting soot all over my clothes.Allmy answers were there. I saw them, neatly organized in appropriately named files, calling for me to click on them. I had them in my fingertips, and now they’re all gone. My past is in shattered pieces, literally.

My eyes scan the place, looking for my personal things so I can go. But I don’t have even those—the only clothes I have are the ones on my back. I don’t have a suitcase, either, so why bother?

I have nothing to pack, which is somehow freeing—a silver lining in the debris. At least I have my tablet and keys, which were in my purse that I left sitting on the lookout spot yesterday evening.

I’m free to go, but I see one thing I want to take—the sapphire from the grand room chandelier. I wander over and twist it off, holding it in my hands. It’s a beautiful stone to remind me of the wonderful time I had here in Violet Moon.

I shove it in my pocket, then see Owen approaching me through blurry eyes. My heart somehow breaks more, and I don’t even know how that’s possible. I whisper, “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it.”

He rakes a hand through his burned and jagged hair. “Me neither.” His face turns resolute. “We just have to keep going. We’ll start over. I’ll call the guys—“

“I’m going back to New York,” I cut in, meeting his hollow eyes. I can’t hear anything he’s about to say. It’s over. “Today.”

For the first time since I’ve known him, he looks at me with utter disappointment. “What do you mean? What about finding out who did this?”

“The arson investigators are working on it. They’ll figure it out whether or not I’m here.”

Last night, Bailey told us what she told the fire marshal. She saw a thin-framed male, about five eight or nine, wearing a blue or black hooded sweatshirt and dark shades running across her property. She called the police and spoke to them, which is why she wasn’t with us at the fire. The rest of the family was sound asleep.

Someone’s been sabotaging this place since the beginning. “It could be Mary Louise. She could’ve had Huck do it so she could have this land for her plant. Or Levi. He acts strange and leaves his cigarette butts everywhere.”

Owen’s voice is desperate. “Let’s talk to Mary Louise. See if we can help lead the investigators to where they need to go. This is your property.”

“Not for long. My insurance won’t cover it if arson caused it—and given what Bailey saw, it sounds like it. Which means I’ll have no money to pay the bank back the loan, which means this will all get repossessed. Roy already advised me on everything. So, it’s done. My business in New York is done. I have nothing left.”

“You have me.”

My heart does that thing it does when he says those things. I meet his gaze, so desperately wanting to tell him that yes, he has me too. But I can’t listen to my heart—it’s why I’m here in this mess, standing in a pile of rubble. It’s time to go back to using my head, which I know is the only thing I can count on. Right here, right now, is proof I lose everything. “Owen, someone is out to destroy me here. If I stay, you’re going to get hurt. It’s not safe for you or anyone while I’m here. I have to go.”

Before he can respond, Trinity runs up to me, crying.

I pull her into a hug. “It’s okay. The horses are okay. The goats are okay.” She shakes her head, her tears spilling onto my shoulder. Her trembling arms pull me tighter, and I try to sound confident when I say, “It’s all gonna be okay, Trin.” I don’t say I promise because I don’t know if I believe what I’m saying.

With her tiny body quivering in my arms, her croaky voice is just above a whisper when she says, “Love you.”

Two words, that’s all, and it’s everything. “Love you too.” I don’t have anything more to say. I don’t think there is anything left because at the end of it all, that’s all that matters. I just hold her tighter, and as long as I can. When I finally pull away, I squat so I’m eye level with her. “Listen to me. I’ve got everything worked out. Soon, the bank will probably take this land. Roy Livingston is going to work with the city and the bank to redraw the property lines so your ma can purchase the pasture. That way, your family can continue caring for the horses and goats, okay?” I brush a stray wisp of hair off her face. I don’t tell her the part about how if it was arson, I’ll have to file for bankruptcy.

“Really?” She sniffles.

I manage a smile. “It’s not a done deal yet, but Mr. Livingston is doing everything he can, okay?”

She nods, but then pulls me into a hug again. “But when will I see you again?”

Ugh. A question I don’t have a good answer for. This is what Kayla warned me about, and she was right. But my heart is breaking too, and I know I can’t go without ever seeing her again. “I’ll come visit. I promise.” I mean that.

“I know you will. You have to.” She steps away and lifts her chin. “I’m calling you later today. I have something I have to tell you. So, bye for now.”

I wonder what? “Bye for now,” I say as she runs off toward the bramble that separates our properties.

---