Page 19 of Ink and Ashes
I glance back at the woman who has most certainly given me a hard time during every encounter we’ve had, but I shake my head. “Not at all. She’s lovely,” I force out, getting the feeling this man is her boss.
His eyes narrow as his lips turn up. “She’s a bitch, but I appreciate the effort to convince me otherwise.” He holds his hand out. “Name’s Liam. I own this shop.”
I smile, taking his hand. “Holland. It’s a nice spot.”
“Pretty name for a pretty woman. And thanks.” His eyes rake over me before meeting mine again. “What brings you to town, Holland?”
I swallow. “I’m investigating the wildfires.”
He hums. “Are you now? Interesting.”
“It is.” My eyes trail over him, assessing him. I notice gauze wrapped around his opposite hand, an alarm going off in my head. “What happened there?”
He holds the hand out. “Oh, burnt myself on some hot water. You know how it is.”
“I don’t, actually.”
He huffs a laugh, thinking I must be joking. I can tell he’s growing uncomfortable, and that only makes me more curious about him.
He’s curious about me too, judging from the next question that falls from his lips. “So, what about the fires are you investigating?”
“The causes.” I lean in close, lowering my voice. “I think there may be arson involved.”
I watch for any sign of guilt, but his face shifts into one of confusion—similar to that of everyone else I’ve spoken to.
“Whoa, arson?” He blows out a breath. “Damn, that’s serious.”
My eyes narrow. “Do you have any ideas about who could be responsible for something like that?”
He swallows, averting his gaze. But before he has a chance to respond, Ruth comes over with my order, smiling shyly at Liam as she reaches past him. He smiles down at her, and I watch their exchange closely. She almost looks afraid of him, which raises the red flags even more.
“Thank you,” I tell her. She scowls in my direction again and makes her way back to the till. I look back at Liam, who studies me with a strange expression on his face.
“If you think of anything that may be worth noting, send me an email.” I pass him a business card over the counter, letting my hand skim against his. “Thanks, Liam,” I say flirtatiously, hoping it’ll help get this guy to let his guard down around me.
His shoulders relax as he meets my gaze, and with a wink, I turn and head toward one of the empty tables in the café.
As I take my seat, I make a mental note to look more into both Liam and Ruth in addition to George. Statistically speaking,the culprit is unlikely to be Ruth because arsonists are most often men, but I’m not discounting anyone without solid evidence. Her hatred toward me is uncalled for, and it makes me wonder if she knows something.
Not that she’ll share it with me if she does.
Resigning myself to that, I open my laptop and take a sip of my drink. As soon as my email browser opens, I spot a new message sitting at the top of my inbox. Noticing the email is from Liam, I click on it.
FROM: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Wildfires
You should look into Tony Watkins.
You should also go on a date with me.
Liam
I huff a laugh, hitting the reply symbol and typing a message back.
FROM: [email protected]
