Page 9 of Heat Wave
God! Does he think I had something to do with this? He doesn’t stop until we are by his car.
“In the car, Oakley. Get in the car.”
He holds the passenger side of his car open and all but shoves me in, but doesn’t say another word.
“You too, Terry.”
Chapter Eight
Waylon
Terry looks past me, and her face scrunches up. “Mom.”
Shit! I turn to find my mom walking towards us.
“Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Debby, the dispatcher, called me and told me your girlfriend’s place had been broken into. Of course, I was going to come check on Oakley.”
Damn it! The sheriff said something about hearing from the dispatcher that ‘one of our own was in need of help’ and now, Mom. But none of that matters now.
“Did you drive?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I need you to take Oakley and Terry home with you. Right now. And don’t let them leave until I get there. Do you understand, Mom? Not for any reason.” I meet her gaze, and for several seconds, we have a silent conversation.
“Of course, Waylon.” She wrangles the two girls. “Come on girls. Let’s get home!”
I walk with them so I can make sure they get into the car safely before walking back to the apartment. Jones came out and walked straight to me and the Sheriff, telling us there was something he wanted us to look at. He took us back through the living room to the kitchen, where there was a dark spot on the wall. I noticed it when I walked through. It was one of the reasons I called the fire department in.
“This was a deliberately set fire. You can see here someone shoved towels in here to make it ignite and they smell like kerosene. But whoever did it was a real idiot. They started the fire, but it didn’t have enough oxygen to go up the way they wanted it to. Whoever did it wanted to burn the entire building down.”
As soon as I heard what he was saying, I went to make sure Oakley was alright. Thankfully, Mom showed up when she did. Otherwise, the girls were going to be stuck in my car for a few more hours. The Sheriff claps me on the shoulder, taking my attention away from the car pulling away with Oakley, my mom, and sister inside it.
“You think it might be someone you arrested or had words with?”
“I can’t see how. It’s a small town. If someone were pissed at me, it wouldn’t be a secret. Besides, you think someone would get pissed because I pulled them over or broke up a domestic disturbance? And they're going to take it out on Oakley?”
“I admit it doesn’t make much sense. I mean, hell, there’s only about eight hundred citizens in the entire fucking county. It wouldn’t be a secret like you said. That leaves her. Maybesomeone she’s dated before you or someone who was sweet on her and then felt like you took away their chances with her.”
“Well, shit. Now that you say it like that, I…I’ll have to ask her when I get home.”
Sheriff’s eyebrows climb on his forehead until he’s finally got hair on his bald head.
“Get home? She’s living with you now?”
In a split-second decision, I answer him, “She is now. At least until I find out who did this.”
Chapter Nine
Oakley
“Mom, what is going on?” Terry pretty much asks the question that is screaming through my head.
“I’m not sure, sweetheart, but I know he had a good reason to want us gone.” She looks in the rearview mirror at me. “Have you spoken to your mother today, honey?”
“Oh God!” I immediately try to call her. It takes me a minute to even pull up the phone since my hands are shaky and sweaty. God! She was supposed to be staying with a friend, a fellow nurse, overnight. Could she have been in there? Was that why he wanted me to leave? So I wouldn’t see my mom. “You don’t think…,”
