Page 60 of Ink and Ashes
“Fucking hell,” I curse. That’s all the confirmation we need.
I get out of my truck and round the front of it, opening her door for her. She doesn’t turn to me though, frozen as she stares at the screen. I can only imagine what she’s thinking about.
“Holland,” I say, placing my hand over the one holding her phone. “Come on. We’ll report this too.”
I cautiously help her out of the vehicle. Inside, they take her statement with no questions asked once she shows them the proof. I hold her hand as she recounts it all, and when she finishes, they make a copy of the file so she can also submit it to her insurance company.
As we make our way back out to the lobby, my uncle pulls me aside.
“Be right back,” I tell Holland, gesturing to the chairs along the wall. Then I join Mike on the other side of the room.
“This still sounds like it was just some stupid kids playing a prank,” he grumbles. “Lord knows the girl had it comin’.”
I ball my fists at his words, my hypocrisy staring me dead in the eye. I said the same thing just a few weeks ago, but hearing it from someone else fuels the anger deep within me. No one deservesto spend their life looking over their shoulder, and I’ll be damned if this gets brushed under the rug because it’s Holland.
I shake my head, forcing myself to remain calm. “I thought so too. But Mike, as much as it pains me to say it, I do think she’s right,” I tell him as I look back over at her. We’re far enough away that she’s out of earshot, but she keeps her eyes trained on me.
Knowing she’s watching me has my lips curling into a smile.
I look back to my uncle. “The fires we’ve been fighting have happened on a near perfect schedule, the number of days between each increasing by one day each time. It started with ten days between fires, then eleven, and so on. Our last fire happened fourteen days after the previous one, which means the next should happen fifteen days later. Well, today is day fifteen. Her car was the only fire we got called to.”
Uncle Mike still looks unconvinced, and I make a mental note to look into him. I can’t imagine my uncle committing arson, especially not as the town sheriff and the father of a firefighter. But then again, I never thoughtanyonein this town would be capable of something like this. Holland’s revelation has me looking at everyone in this town in a new light.
“We have ‘er statement. If anything comes from it, I’ll let ya know.”
Jaw clenched, I nod at my uncle and then head back over to Holland without so much as a goodbye.
“Everything okay?” Holland asks, a timidness to her, and it breaks my heart a little bit. This woman who’s normally so bold and confident has poured everything into a town that’s wanted nothing to do with her.
I’ll be damned if this town is the thing that breaks her even more. So as I stand here watching the war wage in her chocolate irises, I vow to myself to make sure nothing like this happens again. I’ve been in denial about her theory, but I’m done pretending not to see what’s standing right in front of me. Resisting her theory doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
Starting right now, I’m entirely on her side.
“Yeah,” I say, swallowing roughly. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 23
Holland
The dread I felt all through dinner continues to bubble in the air as Colson drives down Grove Street in the direction of The Scarlet. He took me to Marydale’s Diner and bought me a meal, and though we didn’t talk much while we ate, the silence sizzled with tension—a mix of the obvious attraction we feel for each other and the weight of the target on my back.
When I was waiting to be picked up from Jimmy’s Garage, the fact that today is day fifteen dawned on me. I’d been reminding myself of that through my research all day, waiting to hear about the next fire. But it wasn’t until I was alone and had a moment to think that I realizedthatwas fire number ten.
Clearly, that fact was enough to convince Colson too. Coupled with the new email I got, I think we both finally realized how serious this is.
I appreciated that he didn’t push me to talk while we ate. The severity of everything is hitting me hard, and though I know I’ll need to fill him in on everything soon, I’m not ready to do it quite yet. His belief in my investigation is brand new, and while I do thinkhe has good intentions now, it’s going to take me a minute to trust him back.
A few minutes later, he pulls into the parking lot of the inn and shifts his truck to park. He keeps his eyes trained on the red-roofed building, his shoulders tight.
I break the silence first.
“So, uh, thanks. For picking me up and buying me dinner. I guess…I’ll see you later?”
He turns to look at me, the question hanging between us.
Colson’s lips don’t move. He stiffly jerks his head, then I exit the vehicle. I round the front of his truck, not sparing a glance back at him—no matter how bad I may want to.
As I make it to the front door of the inn, a door slamming shut sounds behind me, followed by Colson’s rough voice calling my name.
