“Hang on, bro. Ginny and I’ll be right there.”
Throwing open his truck door he climbed into the driver’s seat, slapping his phone into the holder. He pulled out onto the street, praying he made it in time. The idea of not having Lia and Emily in his life… Fuck that!
As the operator told Lia to remain calm and that the fire truck was on the way, she jerked her eyes to the window in the dining room, seeing there were no flames on that side. She took a step in that direction but then stopped, remembering it was stuck with old paint.
Grabbing Emily’s hand, she rushed back up the stairs, her phone still in her hand. “I can’t get the downstairs windows open,” she called out to the dispatcher. “But the window in my daughter’s room is near a tree and I know it will open.”
“Ma’am, stay on the line,” the operator said, her voice calm.
Barely listening, she said, “I can’t hold the phone and get my daughter to safety. Tell them we’re at the second-floor window on the east side of the house. There’s an oak tree next to the house.”
Reaching Emily’s room, she shoved the phone in her pocket with one hand and pulled Emily along with the other. Turning, she squatted, forcing her words to be steady as her heart pounded erratically. “I’m going to open your window and see if we can reach a branch to climb down.”
Emily nodded, but Lia could tell she was terrified. She flipped the latch and let out a relieved gasp when the window slid open easily. She cursed as she fiddled with the screen before it popped out and fell to the ground below.
She could hear sirens in the distance and she placed her palms on the window sill, leaning out to see how close the thick branches were to the window. Shit! There was one substantial branch that she could probably grab onto, but then she would have no way of getting Emily onto it as well.
Looking to the street, she saw two fire trucks racing into her driveway, followed by a number of SUVs, cars, and trucks. For an instant, she was stunned at the number of vehicles, then remembered Aiden had told her about the mostly–volunteer crew. Maybe he’ll be here, too!
Running back to Emily’s bedroom door, she slammed it shut. Grabbing a blanket off the bed, she shoved it against the bottom of the door. In case the smoke came up the stairway, they would still be partially protected.
Dashing to the open window, she leaned out again. “Over here!” she began screaming, waving her arms. Within a minute, she saw firemen rushing from the trucks and vehicles, swarming toher house.
Aiden, his heart in his throat, squealed his truck to a stop behind the fire trucks, Zac pulling the ambulance in next to him. Firefighters poured out from everywhere, running to the fire trucks, assisting the ones who were already in full gear.
His feet pounded the ground as he raced toward the front door, unheeding the calls for him to stop. Brogan, who had arrived just before him, ran from the side and almost tackled him, bringing him to a stop.
Grabbing his arms, Brogan shouted, “Aiden! You gotta be smart.”
He turned toward his brother, his face ravaged in panic, and shouted, “My girls! My girls are in that house!”
As the firemen battled the flames in the front and the back with their hoses, the Fire Chief ran to him. “The side! They’re upstairs on the side.”
Rounding the corner, he looked up, hearing Lia shouting from Emily’s open window. He shouted back, trying to gain her attention. “Lia! Lia!”
She looked down, making eye contact, and yelled, “I can get to the tree, but I can’t get Emily there.”
“Get engine eleven over here!” the Chief ordered.
Engine eleven had a turntable ladder, which would easily reach to her second floor. “Baby!” Her attention stayed riveted on him, and he yelled, “I’m coming for you!”
Lia nodded, pulling Emily close to her at the window in case the smoke came into her bedroom. Hoping to keep Emily diverted, she looked down and said, “Watch the fire truck. It’s going to come over here, and they’ll send up a ladder.”
Emily turned her face from her and peered out the window, just as the fire truck drove through their yard, around the corner of the house and parked as close to the tree and house as they could.
She kept a running dialogue as she knelt next to her daughter, pointing out the stabilizing legs of the fire truck and the way the firemen maneuvered the ladder around and then upward toward them.
She did not recognize Aiden at first, who had slipped into his firemen’s uniform, complete with hood and hat. By the time he had climbed part way up the ladder, and the firemen had maneuvered the top to her window, she realized who was there and her heart leaped.
He smiled at her, his lips tight, and asked, “Can you help Emily get to the windowsill? If not, I’ll come in and get her.”
“I’ve got her,” she said. “What do you need her to do?”
By that time, he was at the top of the ladder, with his body right at her window. He smiled widely at Emily, and said, “Hey, Sweetie. Looks like you’re having an adventure. You’re going to come with me and we’re going to get down the ladder together. Okay?”
Emily looked up at her, uncertainty on her face. She held her close, and said, “You’ll be fine. Aiden will make sure of that.”
Hugging her tightly, Lia lifted her daughter to the windowsill and held her securely while Aiden quickly fastened a safety belt and line around her. As his sure and steady arms locked around her, he held Lia’s gaze for a few seconds.
“I love you,” she said.
“And I love both of you,” he replied. With a forced smile, he added, “I’ll be right back, babe.” With that, he hustled down the ladder with Emily secure, her little arms wrapped around his neck. Continuing to talk, he was not sure she could hear him, but in case she could, he wanted her to hear his voice. He felt her body shiver as he quickly met Brogan on the bottom of the ladder.
“Hey, Emily,” Brogan said. “You’re going to come to me now, sweetheart, so that Aiden can go up and get your mom.”
She nodded and, with little trouble, made the transfer, wrapping her arms around Brogan’s neck.
Aiden kissed her forehead and, bending low, said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get your mom.” He watched for a second as Brogan made it easily to the ground with Emily in his arms, Zac ready to whisk her over to the ambulance.
Climbing back up the ladder quickly, he reached the windowsill. Lia was ready for him, with one leg already slung over to the outside. Just as efficiently, he secured the safety belt and line around her and maneuvered her body tightly to his and onto the ladder. “Hang on, babe. They’re going to bring us down.”
The ladder began to descend, and Lia focused her eyes solely on Aiden’s face, clinging to him, knowing he was taking her to safety.
At the bottom, other firefighters reached out their arms to assist him with her, but he shook his head, throwing his hat to the ground. “She’s mine. I’ve got her.” As he unhooked her from the safety belt, she jerked her head from side to side trying to find Emily. “It’s okay. She’s with Zac at the ambulance.” Tossing the safety line down, he grabbed her hand and together they ran over to the ambulance.
Lia’s face broke into a wide smile as she rushed to Emily, scooping her into her arms and holding her in a crushing hug. Aiden wrapped his arms around both of them, and together they stood for a moment reveling in the fact that what could have been a greater disaster had ended in all lives saved.
Looking down at Emily, she said, “We’re safe, sweetheart. We’re okay.” Emily leaned forward again, her cheek pressed against her chest and her little arms wrapping around her waist. Looking back up, Emily said, “Mama, I hear your heart.”
A sob ripped from her lips and tears pricked Aiden’s eyes.
Aiden sat with Emily in his lap and one arm tucked around Lia in the Baytown Police Department conference room. Mitch, Grant, Ginny, and Lance were in the room, as well as Colt and Hunter from the North Heron Sheriff’s Department.
Mitch and
Colt were starting to question her, but she found it hard to focus with Emily there. She really should not be hearing all this. Just then, Corrine showed up and popped her head into the room. Her gaze quickly skimmed the occupants, landing on Emily. She smiled widely, and said, “Hi, Emily. Can you come to keep me company out here for a few minutes? I brought some cookies and milk.”
Emily’s gaze darted from Corrine to her and, when she nodded it was okay, she slid from Aiden’s lap. Tucking her hand in Corrine’s, she walked toward the reception area.
“Brogan called her. Thought you’d appreciate it, not having to worry about Emily overhearing this,” Aiden explained.
Nodding in relief, she slumped closer to Aiden and began answering the questions. “I didn’t see anything and because I had the vacuum cleaner going, I didn’t hear anything either.” She sucked in a shuddering breath, her fingers flexing on Aiden’s thigh. Shaking her head slowly, she said, “I know that Zac said that the fires were started using an accelerant, so obviously one or more people set them. I just can’t imagine why someone would want to do that to me, especially knowing my child was inside.”
The reality of what could have happened hit her and a sob burst forth from her chest. Without a second thought, she turned to bury her face in Aiden’s neck and his arms wrapped tightly around her. The gathering stayed quiet, giving her a chance to cry. After a moment, she lifted her face and accepted the tissues being pressed into her hand. Wiping her eyes and blowing her nose, she sucked in another deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Even if this is about the report for the town, I still can’t imagine that it’s happening.”
Mitch leaned forward, his eyes warm as he asked, “Lia, how close are you in your investigation to knowing who may have been stealing the money?”
“I’m close. I think I know what has been happening and have eliminated some of the people in my inquiries. I need a little bit more time to know definitively, and then I’ll be able to present my findings to the Town Council and see if they want to turn the investigation over to the District Attorney.”
Corrine popped her head into the room again, this time her eyes wide. “Uh, I think you all need to hear what Emily has to say.”
She jumped up, thinking Emily was ill, and said, “What’s wrong?” She was already stepping over Aiden’s feet to get to the door, when Corrine shook her head.
“No, no. Nothing’s wrong, but…” Turning her head, Corinne smiled, and said, “Emily, honey, will you tell the nice policeman and your mommy what you just said to me?”
Emily, with her hand in Corrine’s, walked back into the room and looked at her. “I looked out the window when I was cleaning my room,” she said, “and saw the Mayor-man walking around our house.”
30
The room, silent as a tomb for a few seconds, suddenly came to life as numerous people spoke at the same time.
“Quiet!” Lia called out, immediately cutting through the cacophony. Moving quickly to Emily, she squatted and wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her close. Pulling back slightly, so that her face was directly in front of hers, she asked, “Did you see someone at our house?”
Emily nodded and she felt her breath rush from her lungs. “Have you ever seen him before?”
Emily nodded again, and she asked, “Where did you see him? Why did you call him the Mayor-man?”
“He was at the park the night I got lost. You know, Mama, the music in the park.”
Brow scrunched, she was aware that all eyes were centered on her and Emily. “And you saw him at the park that night?”
“He was the Mayor-man. The one up on stage when the band wasn’t playing.”
She remembered Mayor Banks greeting the crowd, but that had been when Emily was with her friend. Lifting her eyes to Aiden and seeing his angry expression, she shot her gaze over to Mitch.
“We need a search warrant,” Grant said, at the same time the others began to plan out loud, several talking all at the same time.
“There,” Emily’s small voice called out.
Hearing her daughter’s voice, her gaze shot back to her. She was staring up at the wall, arm stretched out, pointing with her finger. Looking over her shoulder in the direction Emily was indicating, she saw a photograph of the Mayor surrounded by the members of the Town Council.
Everyone quieted, staring at the picture, except for Aiden, who jumped from his seat. He stalked over and lifted Emily in his arms. “Emily, sweetheart,” he said, his smile warm. He walked toward the picture and held her in front of it. “Do you see the man who was at your house this morning?”
Emily nodded, and he said, “Can you show me who he is? Can you point to him?”
Lia moved next to them, her hand resting on Emily’s back encouragingly. She tensed a little, feeling the others in the room step closer as well. Emily’s reached out and touched the picture with her finger. Staring at the man’s face, she sucked in a quick breath.
It was not Mayor Banks, it was the man standing next to him…Silas Mills.
Silas protested loudly as Mitch placed him under arrest, but his protestations turned to whining when they produced a search warrant for his car. As suspected, a gas canister was found in his trunk. When the reality struck that he was going to be charged with multiple counts, ranging from grand larceny to attempted murder, he quickly decided he was not going to go down alone. Confessing to the theft of town money, he turned on Sandra as his accomplice.
Two days later, Lia stood before the Town Council, along with Mayor Banks, and presented her findings. She explained that sloppy procedures made it easier for Silas and Sandra to be able to steal over fifty thousand dollars from the town.
“Their system was crude, but effective,” she explained. “Sandra realized that when the Mayor was unable to sign the checks she brought him immediately they were left vulnerable, unsecure in Celia’s desk. Silas, who at one time dated Celia, had the opportunity to lift her key and made a copy. Silas would get into Celia’s desk, after hours, and Sandra would manually alter a few of the checks after they had been printed. Overpaying some of the vendors would result in a refund check. I noticed that Mayor Banks’ signature did not always look exactly the same. This is not necessarily an indication that someone else is signing, but it was enough that I became alerted. When I started receiving personal threats, I knew that I was on the right track.
“My full report is in front of you, detailing the past thirteen months and the discrepancies I found. I am now working with the District Attorney, going over Silas’ and Sandra’s personal bank accounts.
“My report also includes my recommendations on how to close the gap in the sloppy procedures so that this cannot happen again.”
Casting a glance to the side, she noticed Mayor Banks shifting in his seat. She knew that this information could reflect negatively on him for the upcoming election, but pushed that out of her mind.
The Chair of the Town Council looked up and thanked her profusely. She nodded and rose from her seat. Saying her goodbyes, she walked out of the conference room and back through the Municipal Building hall. Several people standing around in huddles, whispering, quieted as soon as she walked out. Celia, whose face was often set in a hardy smirk, was pale and wide-eyed.
Mark walked over and shook her hand. “I want to thank you, Lia. Sandra has been around for a long time and I’m the new kid on the block, but there were just some things that did not add up to me and some of the procedures she insisted were normal around here were just not what I had learned in school.”
She accepted his handshake and smiled. “That’s often how things are found, Mark. Someone gets the feeling that things just aren’t right.”
“At least temporarily, I’ve been moved up to Sandra’s position. I’d like to work with you to make sure any recommendations you have will be put in place.”
Agreeing to meet with him at a later time, she walked out, heading to her car. Back at her office, she reported the meeting to Mrs
. Markham, who clucked over the news of Silas’ arrest, and Scott, who nodded his head while congratulating her on her investigation.
As Scott and Lia walked back to their offices, she paused and lifted her gaze to him. “Um…Scott? It’s none of my business, but you and Celia?”
He blushed and looked away, squeezing the back of his neck before meeting, and holding, her gaze again. “I thought I was interested, but it didn’t take long to figure out she’s a man-eater. I used to think she was beautiful but now when I look at her all I see is a preying mantis.”
A laugh bubbled out and she pressed her fingers over her lips in an attempt to stifle the sound.
He chuckled as well, shaking his head. “It’s hard, being new in town. And…well, dating is hard in general. At least, for me…”
She cocked her head and reached her hand out, resting it on his arm. “Oh, Scott, don’t worry. You’ll find someone special, I’m sure.” She hesitated for only a few seconds before adding, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about becoming a partner.” Encouraged by the spark in his eyes, she said, “Let’s set up a time next week to discuss the particulars.”
With a huge grin, he nodded. “Absolutely. I’ve decided to make Baytown my home, so this’ll be perfect.”
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, and Aiden took Emily to the ball game early. Arriving after the game had started, Lia slipped through the crowd and walked toward the bleachers behind the dugout. Standing next to the fence before climbing up to sit with her friends, her eyes searched the field, landing on Emily at third base. Thrilled that her daughter had made it that far, she leaned against the fence and watched.
Her gaze swept over the rest of the field, recognizing Brogan, Jason, Zac, Grant, Mitch, Lance, and, of course, Aiden. She saw Katelyn and Ginny near the dugout, but in the outfield she saw someone that she did not recognize. It was a man, muscular, in an American Legion T-shirt and cargo shorts. What held her attention was that he had a prosthetic right leg. She wondered if he were new, since she had not seen him before.
Hear My Heart Page 23