Page 46 of Ink and Ashes
Not that she’d care if she did.
Her eyes narrow when she spots me. “Are you actually happy to see me?”
I mask my expression. “I was actually just wondering why you’re dressed like you belong in a corporate office.”
I curse myself the moment the words fall from my lips. It’s true—she does look out-of-place, but it suits her in a way I’ve never seen the business look suit someone before.
“Ass,” she mutters under her breath. “Where’s Dom?”
I run a hand through my hair, appreciating the change in subject. “He’s off today.”
“Of course, he is.” She scoffs. “I should’ve texted first.” She shakes her head then turns her back on me.
“Rhodes, wait,” I say without thinking. She turns back around, an impatient look filling her features. So I blow out a breath, shifting my weight from one foot to another, as I admit, “I owe you an apology.”
“Okay.” Holland stares at me, her lips parted. Both of us are silent for a moment, and when I don’t say anything more, she adds, “Are you going to give it to me, or…?”
My smirk returns briefly, and then I come out with it. “I’m sorry. Ever since you started coming around, I’ve been a total ass. You haven’t deserved any of that. And you didn’t deserve that note.”
“You’re right. I haven’t deserved it.” She knocks her knucklesagainst the doorframe. “Thank you. I appreciate the apology.”
“Is there something I can help you with?” I ask, curious about what she came to share with Dom.
“You finally care about the investigation?”
I shrug. “I’ve come to realize ignoring it isn’t going to make you go away.”
Her eyes narrow as she sizes me up, then she relaxes her shoulders and reaches into her purse. She pulls out a small Ziploc bag with a tiny piece of metal inside and hands it to me.
I examine the contents closely, trying to figure out what I’m looking at. “What is it?”
“It’s the tab found at the bottom of a candle,” Holland says. “You know, the little metal piece that holds the wick in place?”
I nod. It’s burnt and slightly bent, but I see that.
“I found it at the Welland barn.”
My eyes dart up, clashing with hers. “You what?”
We cleared the Welland Ranch the day after the fire. Dom and I were both disappointed by the lack of evidence on the scene, especially considering how sure he was that the fire was set intentionally. But we turned up empty, and so did Fire Investigation. I received their report yesterday morning, and as expected, they labelled it as unknown causes.
I’m getting real sick of reading those two words regarding fires in this jurisdiction.
“When I was at Cass’s on Tuesday, Liv mentioned you guys cleared it and found nothing, but that Dom didn’t think it was an accident. I wanted to check it out for myself on the off-chance I’d catch something one of your guys or FI missed.” She points to the bag in my hands. “I almost missed that too. The only reason I caught it was because the sun was reflecting off it.”
“You think this is evidence?”
“Yes. I think the arsonist used candles to set fire to the barn. I only found the one tab, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were more. Let a candle burn long enough in an old, wooden building surrounded by dry, highly flammable hay and grass, it’s bound to go up in flames.”
I turn the tab over in my hands, thinking her words over. I suppose it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility, but that doesn’t stop me from playing devil’s advocate. “It could’ve just been there from years ago and the rest of the candle melted in the fire. Plenty of people put candles in barns, as dumb as it may be.”
“I know it’s not concrete, but you can’t stand there and tell me no part of you is at least a little bit suspicious of this. Are you really that naïve, Colson?”
No, I’m not really that naïve.
“I’m not saying I’m not suspicious of the fires, because I’ve come to accept somethingisoff about them. But I also still can’t find it in me to believe it’s arson, and I don’t know that a weird timeline, a sketchy note, and a burnt candle wick tab are enough to prove that it is.”
She keeps her eyes trained on the bag in my hands, her shoulders falling as my words land. I expect her to argue, but instead, the next words out of her mouth are, “Am I making a problem out of nothing? Seeing what I want to just because it fits my theory?”
