Page 67 of Ink and Ashes
I could understand that. I’m not sure I would’ve given her the time of day had I found articles like that the day I looked her up. Of course, her saying she was framed may just be a cover-up for what’s online, but I don’t think Holland would ever do something to put her career at risk. She’s too passionate about her work to jeopardize it.
If she says she was framed, I believe her.
“I know I’ve spent weeks second-guessing you, but for what it’s worth, I do believe you now. I think part of me has all along, I just didn’t want to admit it. I know you’re trying to help.”
She sends me a soft smile, her eyes watery. “Thank you.”
“And if you ever want to talk about what really happened in Toronto, I’m here to listen. No judgement, I promise.” I pause momentarily, then shock both of us when I add, “I trust you, Holland.”
Her throat works as she swallows, averting her gaze from mine. She exhales shakily, then looks back to me and says, “Shall we get to work?”
I nod, and then we do just that.
It takes nearlyfour hours for Holland to walk me througheverything, and by the time we’re done, my head is spinning.
I don’t know how I haven’t seen it before now. With it all staring me in the face, the truth seems so obvious. This town has an arsonist—has likely had one for years—and somehow, every single person here has completely missed it.
“Are you okay?” Holland asks as I keep my eyes trained on the table, staring blankly at all the proof laid out in front of me.
“Just trying to process everything.”
“I know it’s a lot. I wasn’t sure if I should share it all with you at once, but…”
“No,” I interrupt, turning my attention on her. “I’m glad you did. The sooner I know what we’re dealing with, the better the chance we’ll have of putting a stop to it.” I blow out a breath. “Do you have any suspects?”
She shakes her head. “Truth be told, I haven’t had much luck talking to people in town. Everyone’s been wary of me, which is partially why I published the article. I needed to force them to listen.” She lets out a sigh. “Besides, it’s kind of hard to have suspects when I have no proof that I can link to anyone. Any suspicions I have about townspeople are based on a gut feeling.”
“Who are they?”
“George at Grove Gazette, though his agreement in publishing my article has pretty much cleared any suspicions I had. There’s also Liam Parillo from Cedar Lane Café, but the vibes I got from him were more…creep rather than arsonist.”
I ponder her suggestions for a moment.
Liam could be responsible, but I’ve always gotten more creep vibes from him too. Besides, Holland seems certain that the arsonist is a bit of a loner, and Liam is anything but. Though I definitely wouldn’t put it past him to set fires for attention. He always has been the type to want all eyes on him.
I do agree that George could be a possibility. He’s always been ruthless about chasing stories, and I don’t doubt he’d manufacture one if none were coming his way. The only downfall to him is that from what Holland has said, he’s been helpful in the investigation so far, and while that could be his way of hiding his involvement,it seems unlikely that he would publish the article if he was responsible.
“Liam suggested I look into Tony Watkins too, but I don’t know if that was an effort to get me off him or a genuine concern,” she adds.
My heart rate kicks up at the mention of Tony’s name. “Did you?”
“I started to, but I couldn’t find much. A lot of his records are sealed, and no one in town seems to know much about him. Aside from the fact that he’s an obvious loner and has a history of criminal activity, nothing else suggests it’s him. I’m not sure what his motivation would be, and I wasn’t about to try to talk to him on my own without any real proof.”
That was smart on her part. Tony Watkins has a dangerous past, and he doesn’t talk to anyone in this town. He fits the profile to a tee—the criminal history, the reclusiveness, the age—and I’m willing to bet he has the motivation too.
I blow out a breath. “Any other possible suspects?”
She opens her mouth to respond, but before she can, the bell above the front door dings. We both turn our attention toward the dining room doorway, and a moment later, Dom walks in.
He doesn’t waste time with greetings, instead jumping right into the reason I called him here.
“What the hell am I missing?”
CHAPTER 25
Holland
Iglance between Dom and Colson, a panicked feeling settling low in my stomach. It’s been a week since Dom and I last spoke, and judging from the tone of his voice, he’s pissed.
