by Melody Anne
The day was going a heck of a lot better than it had begun. Maybe this was a start to the newest chapter in her life. Maybe things were about to take a turn for the better. Maybe her smiles would become real again.
“Thanks, Dad,” she whispered. “I’m sure you were talking to Roxie in her sleep. I guess I didn’t want to be alone, after all.”
She felt warmth surround her heart, and tears blinded her for a moment. She had to quickly wipe them away so she didn’t crash her car. She was sure her father was right beside her at that moment, and he was telling her he loved her, that she would never be alone again.
More tears fell.
Rage filled him when he saw Eden leave the motel, followed by Roxie Forbes.
He’d had plans for her that night. No, he wasn’t a fool. He’d seen the patrols, seen how closely Owen had her guarded. But it wasn’t close enough. He would have gotten to her that night.
She would’ve died.
But not before he had a little fun. He wanted to make Owen Forbes suffer. He wanted to make all the people who’d interfered suffer. And there was no better way to do that than to mess with someone they thought they were protecting.
He’d have to rethink his strategy now, because there was no way he’d get to her if she was staying at Kian’s place. He was good, and that meant he wasn’t foolish.
He forced his rage down. He’d be patient. His time would come . . .
Chapter Seventeen
Eden sat on Roxie’s plush leather sofa and curled her feet beneath her. Her friend handed her a cup of coffee, and she took a sip, then nearly spit it out, her throat on fire.
“What in the world is in this?” she asked as she coughed several times.
“It’s my special mix, and it will help you sleep like a baby tonight,” Roxie told her as she took a sip of her own coffee before sighing.
“Or it will burn through the inside of my throat. Seriously, what’s in it?” Eden took a much more cautious sip; it didn’t taste too bad when taken in small doses.
“It’s probably better for you not to know,” Roxie said with a laugh. “Enough about coffee. I need to know why you’ve shut me out. Are you still upset with me because I left?” There were tears in her friend’s eyes that instantly had Eden feeling terrible.
“No,” she assured her friend. “I do have severe abandonment issues. I’m not going to even try to deny that. But I swear that’s not why I haven’t called. I know you were dealing with your own problems when you left town. You had terrible parents and a sister you didn’t get along with. Then with you and Kian being a hot mess, you had to go.” She stopped as she took another drink. “I did miss you horribly, though.”
“I missed you, too. I was so lost. I didn’t know what else to do. I don’t want to see you hit the same rock bottom that I hit. It was a horrible place to be in, and I have so many regrets about that time. If I’d stayed . . .” She stopped as she gulped. “I lost so much time with Kian because I was lost and afraid. I would give anything to have that time back.”
“But would you be who you are if you’d have stayed?” Eden asked.
Roxie was quiet for several moments. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I might have needed to get away to figure that out. And it did all work out beautifully. We have our daughter. I’m sad that my sister’s gone, and I regret I didn’t try to understand her, that I didn’t help her . . .” She paused again, this time taking so long Eden wasn’t sure if she should say something. “I’ve learned, though, to not have regrets. There’s nothing that can be done about the past. All I can do is change how I want to be for the future. I love my husband, my children, and my friends.” She looked pointedly at Eden. “There’s nothing I won’t do for any of you.”
“I’m trying to be stronger. I’ve leaned on people for too long, and what’s happened is I don’t know how to rely on myself. And the harsh reality of the world is that sometimes all we have is ourselves. People disappear, and our lives change forever. Fate is a cruel bitch that doesn’t take prisoners,” Eden said.
“Sometimes that’s true. But now I like to think that it all happens for a reason,” Roxie told her.
“You think there’s a reason my dad died?” Eden questioned, hearing the anger in her voice.
“No. I think death is awful, and something we can’t explain. I tried to understand it when I lost my sister. I tried to blame myself and everyone around me. But in the end, I discovered there were no answers. Your dad was an incredible man, and he shouldn’t have been taken from you. You’re going to have to grieve, and there’s no way I’ll sit here and tell you it’s all going to be okay because it’s not. It’s going to hurt like hell. The only thing that can make it better is for you to realize you aren’t alone, that you have people who love you and who you can grieve with,” Roxie assured her.
“I’m just so mad. Is it okay for me to be mad for a while?” Eden asked.
Roxie smiled at her. “You can be sad and angry, hurt and distrustful. You can go through every emotion there is, and I’ll still be here for you. I’ll go through it with you,” Roxie assured her.
Eden was silent as she sipped on her coffee, feeling warmth deep in her belly. The more she drank, the more she enjoyed it. It was apparently what she’d needed.
Roxie didn’t try to fill the silence with empty words. She was letting Eden know she truly was there for her for anything she needed. Knowing that gave her more strength than just about anything else had in a very long time.
“Can we not talk about any of it, or think about any of it, for a few hours?” Eden asked.
Roxie smiled again. “We can definitely do that. Let me make us another cup of coffee . . . maybe a little less strong. We can chat about anything at all that you want, or we can snuggle up and watch a good movie. It’s up to you.”
So that’s what they did. And for the first time since she’d lost her father, Eden felt a small measure of peace. She hoped it would last, but she was sure her worries weren’t quite over.
At least she knew she wouldn’t have to go through it alone. She shouldn’t have been trying to for so long. She was finally realizing her father was right, that it didn’t make her weak to lean on her friends.
“I need to go to his house. I need to clean it out. I haven’t been able to do that yet,” Eden said after they finished a movie.
“I’d love to do that with you,” Roxie told her. “I know it won’t be easy.”
“I lost everything in the fire. So maybe it’s a blessing I haven’t had the strength to do it yet. At least I’ll still have my father’s things—a small piece of him,” Eden said.
“Oh, Eden, you will always have your dad because he’s in your heart,” Roxie assured her. “Just like my sister’s in mine.”
“It doesn’t feel like enough,” Eden told her.
“I don’t think it ever will feel like enough.”
Maybe nothing would be fulfilling ever again. But at least Eden was no longer alone. She had Roxie in her life . . . and she had Owen. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about him, but it didn’t seem as if he was going away.
Only time would tell what came next. She hoped she was ready for whatever it was.
Chapter Eighteen
Eden didn’t get to sleep until almost two in the morning, so when her alarm went off at six, she groaned, reaching out and hitting the “Snooze” button. Normally she’d fall back asleep instantly, but with all that had been happening, it appeared that wasn’t going to happen on this day. It was Monday, and that meant it could be her last day working on the case.
She lay there awake, her mind reeling. She wasn’t even sure what she needed to get done for the day. She knew she still had to conduct interviews. She had to assume all the men on her list were guilty. Yeah, she knew innocent until proven guilty, but lives were being lost, homes were being destroyed, and until the person was caught, more damage would occur.
Today she was meeting with Sherman Armstrong, wh
o was a close friend of the Forbes family. She knew he wouldn’t willingly give up anything that might indicate guilt, but once you got someone talking, they were bound to give up information they had no idea they were revealing.
Giving up on the idea of an eight-minute snooze, Eden rose from the incredibly comfortable bed in one of the many guest rooms in Roxie’s home and hurried through a shower. Her friend had left her more clothes and a full arsenal of cosmetics. She’d never have thought she’d be so grateful for a fresh container of deodorant. It was funny how you always had certain items on hand, things you just grabbed every time you went to the store. They added up through the years. Then a fire had taken it all away in minutes.
That thought made her want to catch the arsonist that much more. Arsonists had no boundaries when it came to people’s lives. How selfish could a person be? She’d never know the answer to that, because such cruelty wasn’t in her genetic makeup.
Roxie wasn’t yet awake when Eden came downstairs. She scarfed down a donut while she made a quick cup of coffee, grateful when she found a mug she could take with her. She quickly hurried out the door and headed to the address Sherman had given her.
When she pulled up to a small airstrip, she felt a bit of anxiety. Why were they meeting at a private airport? She’d seen Sherman around but hadn’t ever talked one-on-one with the man. She realized she didn’t know a heck of a lot about him.
When a white-haired gentleman came out of the large hangar wearing a sweater-vest and holding a cane, she let out her breath. There was no way this man was dangerous.
“Hello there, young lady,” he said. He moved pretty dang spryly for a man with a cane. She wondered if he used it for visual effect instead of necessity.
“Hi, Mr. Armstrong,” she said, holding out her hand.
He gripped her fingers and squeezed as he waved his other hand in the air. “There’s no need to be so formal. We’re all friends here. Please call me Sherman,” he told her.
“Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me today, Mr.—” She cut herself off. “Sherman,” she finished.
“I always take time to talk to a pretty lady,” he said with a wink. She couldn’t help but smile. He reminded her a lot of her father—in all the good ways.
“You probably know I’ve been asked to look into this wildfire,” she said, not wanting to be deceptive. “I’ve heard you know just about everyone in this town, and I was hoping we could talk some things out. The sooner we figure out who’s causing this damage, the sooner we can put an end to it.”
“You might be getting more than you want,” Sherman replied with a chuckle. “I do love to talk. Follow me.”
She was left with no choice but to tag along as he moved inside the hangar, where a pretty blue plane was sitting, the windows sparkling in the morning sunlight. He moved over to the plane and began walking around and checking different areas of it.
There was nowhere to sit, so it seemed she was just going to trail after him. She was sort of unsure where to begin. She didn’t want to dive right in and ask about Owen and make him instantly suspicious of her motives.
“Have you been up in a small plane before?” Sherman asked, making her stop in her tracks.
“No. I’ve never wanted to,” she told him as she eyed the plane before her with suspicion.
“Nonsense. Everyone needs to go up at least once in their lifetime. But I’ll warn you that most people get the bug once they do it,” he said as he moved over to the passenger side of the plane and opened the door, holding out his hand.
“You want me to get in?” she asked, taking a step back.
“Sure do. We’re going to go for a little flight while we visit,” he said. He was still smiling at her, but she had no doubt he wasn’t compromising. If she didn’t fly with him, he wasn’t talking with her.
“Can’t we just talk here on the ground where it’s safe? Then you can go for a flight,” she suggested.
“I don’t like to fly alone,” he told her. He continued to hold out his hand.
Eden could tell him to have a nice day and then quickly turn around and leave, or she could face her fears and possibly get closer to solving this arson case. She chose the latter. With reluctance she moved over to the plane, grabbing hold of the bar and pulling herself inside. It was so small. She felt a tremor shake her body.
Sherman closed the door, then moved over to some device that began pulling the plane from the hangar. Eden’s stomach was tense as the plane was tugged outside. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this.
Once they were clear of the hangar, Sherman stepped inside the plane and sat down. He showed her how to buckle up, then grinned as he handed her a set of headphones to wear. He clicked a button; then she heard his voice through the noise-canceling earpieces.
“I know you’re a little nervous, but I promise this will be a blast,” he assured her.
“I doubt that,” she muttered, and he laughed. She hadn’t expected him to hear her.
Eden clutched the seat on either side of her legs as Sherman started the plane and began to taxi out to the runway. Voices came over the radio, telling him which direction to go, what the wind speeds were, where visibility was worse than other places. She also heard other pilots talking about water drops and commenting on how the fire was getting more out of control.
For once Eden wasn’t thinking about the fire. Even though that’s why she was in this predicament, she was more worried about plunging to her death in this contraption Sherman expected her to feel safe in.
They immediately began picking up speed as Sherman played with the controls; then they were lifting off. Eden was fascinated as the ground grew farther and farther away. She couldn’t help but look out at the houses and vehicles. They grew smaller, and the sensation of floating was almost euphoric. She’d flown before—of course she had—but never in a plane like this, never with this view.
She didn’t want to admit it, but Sherman was right. She could see this becoming an addiction for her. Without her being aware of it, her fingers unclenched, and her lips turned up in a smile that was so big it hurt her cheeks.
“Wow,” she breathed as he took a pass over Green Lake Park. It was all so breathtaking. Then he circled, and she gasped as she saw a sky view of the fire. It was even more devastating than she’d realized. Her smile fell away.
“This fire’s getting worse,” Sherman said, his voice subdued as he circled the outer edges of the wildfire. “It breaks my heart. Not just for the loss of all this beautiful greenery, but for the men and women down there fighting it. I know these kids, have known them their entire lives. I even know the hotshots, as they’ve come in before. Most of them are so young, but it takes special people to go out there and risk their lives for others.”
“Is there anyone you don’t know around here?” Eden asked. This was as good an opening as any to get him talking.
“Not really. I like to know the people where I live. I think if we all got to know our neighbors a lot better, there’d be a whole lot less anger and destruction in this world,” he told her.
“I agree with that,” she said. “Maybe it’s time I stopped keeping to myself so much.”
“I won’t argue with you there,” he told her. “You can’t keep yourself cooped up. It gets too darn depressing.”
“Do you have any family fighting the blaze?” she asked.
“Yeah, my nephews are helping. Ace is my youngest, and he’s a pilot. They’re all pilots, but Ace is definitely the hotshot of the crew. He and his brother Maverick have been dropping water for the past two weeks. It gets dangerous out there when you’re dealing with hot pockets of air. But those boys don’t mind flying into danger. I’m a bit too old for it. I tend to stay on the outskirts of things now.”
“I have a feeling you’re more of a hotshot than you want to admit,” she said, smiling again. It was hard not to when she was with this man.
“I might have been a long time ago,” Sherman said with
a chuckle. “I leave all that madness to the kids now. My boys are up in the air. Of course Owen’s on the ground right next to the flames, and I think of him like a nephew. I worry every day he’s out there.”
She hadn’t expected to get to Owen so quickly. She was a bit disappointed. She found she didn’t want to interrogate Sherman about Owen. She knew it was a waste of time, but with her suspicions of Declan growing, maybe Sherman would be able to answer something without realizing he was answering it. She could possibly get information about Owen and Declan and others on her list.
“Has Owen told you what it’s like down there fighting it?” she asked.
“Yeah, we’ve talked. Not much, though. He pretty much fights the fire, sleeps minimal hours, possibly grabs a bite to eat, then rushes right back out there. He won’t stop until this thing is out. He won’t let it take his hometown.”
“Does he have any suspicions on who started the fire?” she asked. Then thought she’d better add more. “Does anyone have any suspicions? Do you?”
Sherman kept his eyes forward, continuing to fly. He circled the large perimeter of the fire, making sure to stay out of the way of the other aircraft dumping water; then he turned to start heading in another direction.
“Hey, Uncle Sherman, are you finally joining us?” a voice asked over the radio.
“Not a chance, Maverick. I’m taking a pretty lady out for a flight,” Sherman responded, turning toward her and winking.
“Way to go, Uncle,” Maverick replied. “Want to send a selfie?”
Eden found herself blushing, though she didn’t know why.
“It’s not like that, boy. Get your mind out of the gutter,” Sherman scolded.
Laughter came through loud and clear over the radio before another voice joined in. “I don’t know if I believe you, old man,” it said.
“That’s because you’re as bad as your brother Nick,” Sherman replied. These must be the nephews he’d been talking about.