Page 70 of Ink and Ashes
My brows furrow. “You know who I am?”
He cackles. “Sweetheart, e’ryone in this town knows ya. Even a recluse like me.” His eyes shift between Dom and Colson. “Didn’t need to brin’ your guard dogs with ya for this chat.”
It’s clear these guys have some history, but it’s not relevant here, so I ignore his distaste toward them. “Perfect, we can skip the introductions then. I was wondering if you would mind answering some questions for me.”
Tony leans against the doorframe, his smirk not fading. “Ask whatever ya want, sweetheart. I ain’t got nothin’ to hide.”
I glance up at Colson, noting the tension in his jaw. He tears his gaze from Tony for a moment to meet mine, and when he jerks his chin slightly, I turn back to Tony.
“Where were you on June sixteenth at ten-thirty p.m.?”
Tony’s brows furrow. “Fuck if I know. That was like a month ago.”
“Three weeks,” Dom pipes up from behind me.
“Same difference. I barely remember where I was last night, let alone that long ago.”
“Try,” I demand. “It was the night the barn at the Welland Ranch burned down. Surely you heard about that.”
Tony’s jaw clenches. “Don’t remember the date, but I was probably up in Enderby, on the reserve. Been up there on and off the past few months for a job.”
Dom huffs from behind me, and I know he’s thinking the same thing I am.
Byjob, he means dealing. Lucky for him, we aren’t cops.
“What about on Canada Day? Around three p.m.?” I ask.
“I was definitely outta town that day.”
“Convenient,” Colson mutters. I shoot him a look that tells him to let me handle this.
“Can anyone corroborate that?”
“Sure can.” He rattles off the information for hisclientand I write it down. “Left early on the thirtieth and didn’t get home ’til the second.”
I let out a sigh. He may not have a solid alibi for the barn fire, but assuming his alibi for this checks out, he can’t be responsible for tampering with my car.
“One more question,” I say. “Ever spend any time in the Monashee Forest?”
Tony scoffs. “Kinda question is that?”
“Just answer it,” Colson demands.
Tony glares at him again, then says, “I have, but not recently. E’ryone around here knows the forest, but I don’t touch it durin’ wildfire season.”
He’s smarter than he looks then—I’ll give him that much.
“Alright, thanks, Tony.” I pass him my business card. “If you think of anything else or know anyone who could be responsible for the fires, be sure to let me know. I’ll be in touch if I have more questions.”
“You got it, sweets.” He winks at me as I turn and make my way back down to Colson’s truck. Colson and Dom continue their stare-down of him for a beat before following behind me.
We pile into the vehicle, and a beat of silence passes before Dom’s head appears between the front seats.
“You believe him?”
I glance down at the information for Tony’s supposed alibi, Joshua Green. “I can’t say until I confirm this…but I think so. He may not have liked us being there, but he was still willing to answer my questions. More willing than I expected, to be honest. He never hesitated, and his body language remained calm for the most part.”
“He’s a drug dealer, Rhodes. He’s good at lying,” Colson reminds me.
