Page 36 of From the Flames
A knock sounded on the front door, and Willy got up and let Red and Carter inside. “The kids are asleep,” Willy cautioned.
“How is the breathing?” Carter asked Kevin as Willy closed the door.
“I’m improving. I wish it was faster.”
Carter nodded. “I think we had some luck. I was able to take the drawing we came up with, and I compared it to the DMV database. That search came up with a local man.” He showed them the image from his license photo.
“That’s him,” Willy said right away. “That’s the man who came here twice.”
Kevin nodded. “Yeah. That’s the guy I scared off. Will you bring him in for questioning?” He really wanted to get behind what was going on.
“More likely we’ll go to his house to find out what he was doing here. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Red sounded so sure, it made Kevin feel more confident. “Have you seen him since?”
“Nothing other than a stupid note. There hasn’t been anyone hanging around that we’ve seen,” Kevin said, meeting Willy’s gaze before he nodded. “It’s been quiet, which makes me wonder what this guy is up to. He isn’t really very good at threatening people, and you’d think….”
“What?”
“That a business with connections like Kraft and Hobson would do a better job of it. Not that I want people harassing Willy and the kids, but this guy seems very amateur.” Kevin couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was off.
“I feel the same way. I easily got the drop on him.”
Red made notes. “Okay, we’ll find out what’s going on.”
“Can you let us know?” Willy asked.
Carter hesitated, but Red answered. “We will if we can. With an ongoing investigation, there are limits to what we can say. But we will tell you if we can.”
“I can’t ask for more than that,” Willy said. “Is there anything more that we can do to help you? I have coffee if you’d like some.”
“No, we’re all right. Carter and I wanted to make sure that we had the right person,” Red explained. “Thank you both for your time. We’ll see ourselves out.”
“Thank you,” Willy said as they left. “This is so confusing to me.” He sat down again, and Kevin drew him close. “What I really wish is to understand what is going on and why I was burned out of my home. Why we needed to move.” He lowered his head slowly. “I wish this had never happened.”
Kevin swallowed. “But what if you had never met me?” He didn’t mean to blurt that out, but the sudden hurt that went through him wouldn’t be stopped.
Willy lightly stroked his cheek. “You have been the best thing to come out of this, and I don’t regret anything about that. Maybe it’s true that when a door closes, a window opens… and you are the best, biggest, sexiest window I have ever seen.” He wrapped his arms around Kevin’s waist. “I want my life back. I know we have a better place for the kids and everything, but it still feels like I’m… I don’t know… living someone else’s life? Like I’m a guest in my own mind.”
“I think that’s probably natural. You’ve had a lot of change. But the kids are happy, they are safe… and so are you.” He squeezed a little tighter. “Nothing is going to happen.”
Willy sniffed. “I know. But I keep having these dreams that the house is on fire and I can’t get to the kids. They are blocked off by a wall of fire, and all I can do is call for them until someone drags me out, and I have to watch the house fall in around them.” He shook, and Kevin held him tighter, rocking gently.
“It’s okay. The kids are in their rooms sleeping, and you were the one who kept your head and got the kids almost out of the building. They survived because of you. So remember that.”
“But the dreams seem so real. I know they aren’t, but I wake up terrified whenever I have one, and I have to remind myself that it isn’t real and that I’m safe. I’m petrified that it’s going to happen again.”
“And we’ve done everything we can to make sure it doesn’t,” Kevin said. “Do you think you should find someone to speak to? We have people we work with at the department. They help a lot.”
“I’ll think about it.” Kevin supposed that was about the best answer he could get at the moment. “I really will.”
“Hey. It was a suggestion. I know we’ve talked, but maybe talking to someone else could help. I know you’re worried and that some of that is wrapped up with me because of what I do.”
Willy nodded. “Everything is this big, giant ball of worry that sits in my gut. I keep hoping it will go away, but it just sits there. I know some of it is just because everything happened so fast. The fire, the new apartment, this asshole threatening us, and the fact that all of it may be caused by someone wanting to burn down my building….” He shivered. “I keep wondering what if they come after me? What’s to stop them from burning down this place? Or my building at the college?”
Damn, Kevin hadn’t realized things had gotten so bad for Willy. He had thought that over time, it would get easier, but things seemed to have become worse, with Willy’s active imagination working overtime. Kevin wished he could do something to help him, but had no idea what. He was a man of action. When someone needed something, his first instinct was to jump in and get things done. This was not one of those times. There was nothing he could do except be there for him.
He thought he would give it a try. “You aren’t actively investigating the fire or asking questions. You’ve been busy getting your life together, and that’s your job. I’ve been investigating, and right now, we don’t have much to go on. But there is nothing to bring their attention to you. We’re going to get to the bottom of these threats damned soon. Carter and Red will see to that, and there hasn’t been anyone watching the house in a while.”
“Not that we’ve seen, anyway.”
