by Lisa Lace
“I just can’t believe he’d do that…” I repeated, shaking my head in disbelief. I looked up at Carla, and found that I almost couldn’t find any words; I was in shock. Eventually, I stuttered out a recollection. “I woke up, and there was so much smoke.”
Carla’s face creased in sympathy, and she linked hands with me again. Her usual bubbly and exuberant tone had turned grave. She was frowning, her brow creased, her shoulders slumped. She kept taking deep breaths to steady herself.
“I tried to get out through the hall, but there was just fire everywhere. I smelled gasoline.”
“You did?”
I nodded. “I think that’s when it really hit me that there was no way it was an accident.”
“You have to tell the police that. Make sure!”
“I will.”
“What do you think he did? Splashed it on the door?”
“He must have. Or slid something under it. And I was sound asleep. I didn’t hear anything or smell anything until the whole place was already burning.”
Carla’s face was drawn and terrified. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight, affectionate hug. “I can’t believe we could have lost you.”
I couldn’t believe it either. A few minutes later, and I’d have been dead. The fire was further proof that Victor wasn’t trying to win me back—he was trying to get revenge. I’d been disloyal to him, and I would pay.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
A small smile flickered on my face. “Thanks to Nate.”
I’d felt safe the second I’d heard his voice on that ladder, and known in my heart it was him. The flames had suddenly seemed a million miles away when I was in his arms, and I knew that he was bringing me back to the ground.
I remembered the look in his eyes when he’d taken off his face shield to look at me, and he’d seen that I was all right. The relief in his expression had been real.
“He must have been terrified when he got the call,” Carla said. “I don’t know what I’d have done if that had been me. Froze up, probably. That man’s a hero.”
“I hope he’s all right.”
I was terrified for Nate. Those flames had been vicious, and he’d stayed behind to fight them. There were so many ways those flames could steal him away from me; the smoke in his lungs, a ceiling caving in, a surge of fire swallowing him whole….my mind kept playing over grisly scenes of Nate coming to harm, and it was making it hard to breathe.
My lungs were still irritated from the smoke, and I’d only just been able to stop an incessant cough. They were still burning, though. Each haggard breath I drew was a reminder of the danger I’d escaped.
“They know what they’re doing, Jenna. They’ve done it a thousand times before.”
“I know. But still…”
Carla nodded. “I know.”
We sat in silence for a while, our minds on Nate and Sam back at the apartment, and everyone else who’d been affected by Victor’s act of vengeance.
I’d already been seen by the doctors. I had a small burn on my arm, which had been treated and dressed. It would heal fine; it was only minor. I’d been taking regular breaths from an oxygen mask for the past hour while I was being monitored. My skin felt sore and tender like I’d gotten a sunburn, and my chest was tight and irritated, but I knew that I’d been lucky. I had walked away, and I would recover completely. I’d survived.
Our conversation ended when the doctor returned. She was an attentive woman with sleek blonde hair in a high ponytail and kind, but serious eyes. She seemed weary but smiled.
“Miss Dawson—”
“—Jenna is fine.”
“Jenna—how are you doing?” She consulted her clipboard. “All of your vitals are looking good at this stage. I’d like to monitor you for just another couple of hours to be sure you’re all right, but I think we’ll be able to release you this morning.” Her expression became concerned. “Do you have somewhere you can stay?”
That heavy sense of doom hung in my chest once again. I held back tears and forced a smile. “I’ll find somewhere.”
“If you need anything at all, just let one of the staff know. There are phones throughout the building that you can use if you need to, and someone can call you a cab if you’re going to have any trouble getting to your destination.” She paused a moment to see how I’d taken the first chunk of information before she continued with the next, with an almost apologetic tone in her voice. “The police are in the hall, Jenna. They’re ready to take your statement. Should I bring them in?”
I nodded.
The doctor left the bay, and I turned to Carla. “I’m scared to talk to the police, Carla. I don’t know what Victor will do if he thinks I’ve turned him in.”
Carla’s hand closed around mine. “He’s dangerous, Jenna. He needs to be somewhere where he can’t hurt anyone else.”
“I know you’re right.” I took in a deep breath and gave her a firm nod. “I can do this.”
“You can. I’m right here for you.”
I cast her a worried glance. “And what about you, Carla? Where are you going to stay? They’re not going to let anyone back into the building until it’s safe. Where will you go?”
“I’m sure Sam will let me stay.”
I nodded. “I’m so sorry, Carla. I feel like this is all my fault.”
“Hey! We’ve had this conversation already,” she scolded me. “This isn’t your fault. It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll all be back in the apartment building soon.”
The sound of a throat being cleared caused me to look up, and I saw that a pair of policemen had arrived. “Could we take a statement from you now, Miss Dawson?”
“Yes.”
One of the policemen stayed standing. The other pulled up a chair and began to take notes. It was the first one who asked the questions. The other just wrote down my responses on a little notepad.
“Miss Dawson, can you describe to me what happened tonight? Start from earlier this evening. What were you doing before the fire?”
“I was with Carla.” I nodded towards Carla to identify her. “We were just sitting in her sitting room, having a drink and watching some TV.”
“And then?”
“I returned to my apartment. I called my boyfriend. I went to sleep.”
“And when did you first notice the fire?”
“I woke up to smoke. I called 911. I followed the operator’s instructions until help arrived.”
“And you have reason to suspect that this incident was caused by an ex, is that it?” The officer turned to his partner to confirm that he was speaking correctly. Then he turned back to me. “It was you who got in touch to say that you suspect this is arson.”
“That’s right. I’ve been receiving notes from my ex-boyfriend, Victor. I moved from Pennsylvania when we broke up, but he’s managed to find me somehow. He’s been stalking me. So far, he’s left two notes in my PO box. One was about how he’d found my PO box, and was going to find me. The other was just a sentence about how he’d been watching me on a night out.” I shuddered. “I showed the notes to the officers at the station when I got my restraining order against Victor transferred to here.”
“We’re going to need to see those notes again, Miss Dawson.”
“They were in my apartment.”
The two officers exchanged glances, and the first one spoke again. “Apart from these notes, do you have any other reason to suspect that this fire was not an accident?”
“I smelled gasoline.”
The second officer quickly scribbled this down.
The officers asked a few more questions about Victor, the fire, and my suspicions. They asked for a description of Victor. I was able to show them a picture of him on my cell, which I’d still had in my hand when I’d climbed out the window. The second officer wrote everything down, and the policemen told me they’d be in touch if they had any more questions.
As they went to leave, Carla spoke up. “Hey! Aren’t you goin
g to do something to protect her?”
“I’m sorry?”
“What are you going to do to protect Jenna? Her ex has already set her apartment on fire. Shouldn’t someone be watching her? Looking out for him?”
“We don’t know anything at this point. There are alternatives to explore.”
“Okay, you’ve got to look at all possibilities; I understand. But let’s just say that this whole thing is as obvious as it seems. What are you going to do to protect her?”
The first officer listened to Carla and then nodded. He turned over his shoulder to talk to his partner. “Bill, make a note to arrange for a protective detail for Miss Dawson.” He turned back to me. “Ma’am, if you could kindly contact the station when you know where you will be staying, we will arrange for an officer to stop by regularly. How does that sound?”
I smiled gratefully and nodded. “Thank you.”
“We will be in touch.”
The officers left, and I felt a huge tangle of nerves churning inside me. I’d just given Victor’s details to the police, and now I had to put my faith in the system to do its job. It hadn’t worked for me before, but I had to take another leap of faith if I wanted to protect this new life I’d built for myself. The only other option was to run away, and I refused to run again.
Carla gave my shoulder a rub. “You did good, honey. They’ll go and do their jobs now. They’ll find him.”
“Let’s hope.”
“God, I can’t wait for the boys to get here. I hope they’re both okay.” She let out a long breath and turned to me. “Will you stay with Nate?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Why not? That’ll be the first thing he suggests.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t put him or Harriet in harm’s way. Not when I know Victor’s watching, and that he’s dangerous.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
I looked at her and held my hands up helplessly. “I don’t know.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nate
I saw the police leaving after they talked with Jenna, and they brought home the ugly reality of the night’s events. This was not an accident.
With Sam at my heels, I rushed to see her and felt an overwhelming relief when I saw Jenna sitting there, looking about as well as anyone would in this situation.
Sam was first to rush over to Carla and wrap his arms around her. It was the first time he’d seen her since the fire broke out. As soon as she saw him, Carla’s eyes filled up with tears. She stood up and threw her arms around his neck, finally breaking down in sobs on his shoulder.
“Come on, babe,” Sam said softly. “Let’s get you back to my place. You’re staying with me until this gets sorted out.”
Sam punched me softly on the shoulder and gave me a nod. “Good work tonight, buddy. See you tomorrow.” He turned to Jenna and gave her a nod too. “Stay safe, Jenna. If you two need anything, just give us a call. I’m gonna get Carla back now if that’s all right. I’m sorry for what’s happened.”
Jenna smiled softly. “Thank you, Sam.”
I gave Sam a nod. “Thanks, buddy. See you soon.”
It had been a hell of a night. The fire had been fierce and unyielding. We’d fought it for four hours before we finally defeated it. The fifth floor of the apartment building was a shell, and none of the residents would be returning for a while, but nobody had been seriously hurt. I counted that as a win.
With Sam and Carla gone, I sat beside Jenna on her bed and pulled her into a hug. “Are you all right?”
“Me? You’re the one who’s been fighting fires. I’ve been worried about you.” Jenna lifted her face to kiss me, and then rested her head against my shoulder, holding onto my arm. “I’m so glad you’re here and safe.”
“I’m glad you’re safe. It’s been one intense night, huh?”
Jenna let out a long breath and shut her eyes like she was letting the night sink in. She nodded. “I knew what Victor was like, but even I didn’t expect him to go this far.”
“I saw the police leaving as I came in. Did you tell them everything?”
“As much as I could. I showed them a picture.”
“Can I see?”
Jenna picked up her cell from beside her on the mattress and ran her thumb over the screen until she found what she was looking for. She passed her cell to me, and I looked at the face of the man terrorizing Jenna.
Even in a photograph, there was something sinister about him. He had dark eyes that seemed to glisten with malice. His smile was more of a smirk. He had dark hair that had a slight curl to it.
I frowned at his picture and handed the cell back to Jenna. “At least now I know who I’m looking for.”
“If you see him, Nate, you should just turn and walk the other way, and let the police do their jobs. I don’t know what his end game is, but I want you and Harriet clear away from it all. If you see Victor following you, I want you to go to the police.”
I didn’t reply. Honestly, I didn’t know what I’d do if I ever came face to face with this monster who’d put Jenna’s life on the line. What kind of sick psychopath sets someone’s home on fire? This guy was twisted and sadistic, and if I ever crossed paths with him, I felt like I might not be able to hold back from doing what I had to do to protect Jenna.
“What happened with the fire?” Jenna asked me. Her grip tightened on my arm. “Please tell me everyone got out okay.”
“Nobody was hurt.”
Jenna let out a long, slow sigh of relief, closing her eyes. “Thank God.”
“The fifth floor is in ruins. Nobody will be able to go back there until it’s repaired. The whole building’s been evacuated for now.”
“I can’t believe it. So much mayhem, all because of me.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“That’s what Carla said too, but it doesn’t change the way I feel.” She stood up from the bed, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to pace as she spoke. “I should have known. I should have guessed what he was capable of. I knew that things were escalating. I knew that he was getting more aggressive. That’s why I moved so far away. I didn’t feel safe anywhere near him. Not in the same town, not in the same state. I knew that he would do something extreme if he found me…I just hoped that he wouldn’t find me.”
“He’s the only one to blame for this, Jenna, and he’ll face the consequences in the end. Eventually, everything he’s done will catch up with him.”
“And until then? What do I do? The people around me are in danger.” I heard a tear catch in her throat, and she turned away from me. Her voice became soft and full of fear and regret. “Carla can’t go home tonight because of me. God knows what damage has been done to her apartment, or what she’s lost… I can’t stand to think of how much everybody has lost. I don’t know what I’m going to do, Nate. Running away just doesn’t work. He always finds me.”
“Then don’t run. Stand your ground.”
“He’ll find me, Nate. And God knows what he’ll do next.”
“You can’t keep running.”
“Carla tried so hard to be strong for me tonight, but as soon as she saw Sam, you could see her breaking down. She was in danger too, tonight. She’s also lost her home. What kind of person am I if I stick around to let him strike again?”
“You just said yourself: he strikes wherever you go.”
“So, what do I do, Nate?” The pitch of her voice rose a little in desperation, and she finally turned back to me, tears streaking down her face.
I stood to stand in front of her and took her hands in mine. “You take it one day at a time. You watch your back. You keep your eyes open. And the second he slips up, we’ve got him.”
“I’m scared that he’ll get me before we get him.”
I nodded, and pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms around her as she let her tears silently stream against my chest. I wanted to promise her that everything would be all right, but I understood th
at this Victor was a type of evil that I’d not encountered before. If I had my way, I’d stand vigil beside Jenna every hour of every day. If I didn’t have Harriet to think about, I’d drop everything to watch Jenna’s every movement until Victor showed his face and we could call the police to swoop in.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Jenna. He’ll be caught. This is a small town, and unfamiliar faces stand out. After word gets out that this was arson, he’ll be a man on the run. We’ll show everyone we know his picture. We’ll get the whole town watching your back.”
Jenna smiled at me with gratitude but shook her head. “Tell the whole town that my deranged ex is out to get me? I’m not sure what I think about that. I just want it to go away quietly.”
“He’ll make a mistake soon, Jenna.”
“Will he? He’s a cop, Nate. He knows how people get caught. He knows how to cover himself.”
“He’s reckless,” I told her. “Gasoline? He didn’t even try to make it seem like an accident, and who’s going to be the prime suspect in a crime like that? Probably the spurned ex who’s been sending unsettling messages in the mail. Probably the guy with the restraining order against him. This time the odds are stacked against him, Jenna. This time, it’s not like all he’s doing is standing outside your house making a scene. He’s crossed a line. He’s destroyed a building. He can’t hide anymore. His true nature is out in the open for everyone to see. It’s just a matter of time before he gets caught.”
Jenna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose like she was holding back a headache. She nodded. “Let’s hope.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?”
I didn’t even think before extending the invite. Jenna didn’t have a home to go back to and was still new to town. Her only other friend, Carla, had also lost her apartment. I knew that Jenna had nobody else to turn to. So, I was surprised when she turned down my offer.
“No, Nate. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What? Why not?”
“You just said it: it’s not like Victor is just making a scene. He’s out for blood. He’s dangerous. I would never put you in harm’s way.”