Winterfall

by Denise A. Agnew

  As they drove down her street, the blackened houses across from her house came into view.

  Her voice cracked as she said, “Oh God. Would you look at that?”

  Chapter 7

  Juliet’s eyes almost teared when she caught sight of the four homes across the street leveled to nothing more than charred ruins. “What a mess.”

  Mark’s voice sounded a little hoarse. “I’m thankful it didn’t leap the street and get to your house, but I feel bad for those people.”

  She couldn’t make her throat work as she imagined all the memories in the burned structures. “At least no one was killed or injured.”

  “At least.”

  When they parked behind Jeeter and Okono, she unbuckled her seatbelt. “I won’t take long.”

  “Want me to go with you?”

  She glanced at Jeeter and Okono standing expectantly on the sidewalk. “I have a feeling they’re volunteering for duty.” She grinned. “Gotta keep the overkill going.”

  He laughed and they exited the SUV. Part of her wondered if she was imagining it, but were three men actually jockeying for her attention? It didn’t make sense for Okono, because all he’d shown her was misogynistic tendencies. Jeeter liked her, but she wasn’t convinced he wanted her as his girlfriend. Now Mark…Mark did it for her mentally and physically. His teasing, the banter, and their talk about sex had thrilled her on a level she hadn’t experienced with a man in ages. Remembering how hot and amazing his kisses were threatened to set her panties on fire. Part of her thought maybe she should just do him and get it out of her system.

  Someone was speaking to her, but she’d totally missed what they’d said. “What?”

  Jeeter frowned, and she hated seeing that since he usually had such a happy-go-lucky personality. “You okay? You were about a mile away.”

  She smiled to reassure the three men staring at her. “Absolutely. I’ll get my mail.” She walked over to the mailbox, grabbed the bundle of envelopes inside and walked toward them. “You guys hang out here, and I’ll go inside and get a bag ready. I need my car, so I’ll back that onto the street.”

  To her surprise, no one objected.

  “Amazing,” she said. “That was easy.”

  “What was easy?” Okono asked.

  She smiled and saluted as she walked away.

  She drew in a deep breath and reality hit her in the face. The air still smelled like smoke. She headed up the sidewalk. Once inside the house, she shut the door. She’d left all the curtains closed and had to flip a light on to see. Damn. Even the house smelled like smoke. She wrinkled her nose and threw the mail on the living room table. She took the stairs quickly and went to her bedroom to put together a bag. She threw together a few days’ worth of easy wear clothing. Who knew how long the investigation would take? If they kept this street evacuated for a while, she didn’t plan on returning any time soon. Yet she also couldn’t rely on Sentry Security’s continuing hospitality. She shrugged off the worry. She’d deal with things as they came.

  She removed her heels, which were starting to bug her feet, and dragged off the pantyhose, which were making her legs itch. “Thank you God.”

  She shucked the sweater dress and tossed it into the hamper, then slipped into her favorite blue sweater, a pair of relaxed jeans, and athletic shoes. When she went downstairs with her weekender bag, she noticed the combination telephone and answering machine for the first time. She had one message. Without thinking she pushed the button to listen.

  “Hi sweetie. This is Dad.”

  She dropped the bag on the floor in surprise. That was his voice all right. Gravelly. Deep.

  “Yeah, I know you’re not too crazy to hear from me. I’m out of prison finally. I’ve served my time and want to reconnect. I heard about the fires in Buckleport and the one across from your house. Wanted to make sure you were okay. If you…look, you probably hate my guts and I understand that. I’d like to connect, though. I’ll try calling you again soon. Take care and stay safe.”

  Shivers ran up and down her body, goosebumps trailing up her arms. Dad. Years had gone by since they’d talked, since she’d made the decision to cut him out of her life. Could he have changed in that time? Or had the penitentiary turned him into a worse monster? She rubbed her arms. Whatever. She needed to report this to the Fire Marshal and the police.

  “Great. Just great,” she said.

  She retrieved the mail and leafed through it quickly in case there was a bill to pay. Junk mail mostly.

  “Well, we know the apocalypse wasn’t too bad. People still send junk mail,” she said.

  One envelope made her blood run cold, and she tossed the rest on the table. Same white standard size business envelope with no return address and her name printed in blue ink on the front. Same handwriting. No stamp. Her heartbeat quickened, her pulse feeling erratic. She reached for the mail opener and sliced it open. Slowly, holding on to the paper like it was a bomb, she drew the paper out and unfolded it.

  Dear Juliet,

  I’m sorry you haven’t seen the folly of your ways yet. I don’t blame you for what’s happened, even though some men would. You’re continuing to ignore me even though it is dangerous to do so. You know I’m the only one you can depend on. The fires won’t stop until you acknowledge that you need me. Yes, I started the fires across from you. I could have taken your house, but I have no intention of hurting you at any time. Now that man you’ve been with. That security guy. That’s another thing. I do plan to hurt him.

  Admit it and join with me. You want the fire as much as I do. It’s the only way to cleanse the horrible society we’ve created. The volcano was only the beginning, you know. The beginning of the end. Help me start the fires and we’ll make the process go faster. Everything must burn. Everything. And when everything is burned, we will start again. Together.

  Love,

  Fire Starter

  The doorbell rang. She gasped and dropped the letter. “God.”

  She scrambled to pick up the paper, went to the door and looked through the peephole. Relief hit her. She opened the door to Mark.

  “Hey.” Concern filled his eyes. “I told the guys I’d check and see if everything was okay. You’ve been in here a while.”

  She drew in a shuddering breath and let him in. “Sorry I’m taking so long. I got a weird phone message from my father and a strange letter in the mail.”

  “Another letter?” He shut the door behind him, incredulity clear on his face.

  She told him what it said and placed it on the table. “I’m leaving it here until the police can look at it.”

  She played the message on the machine for him. Mark rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ve got to call the authorities again.”

  Worry churned in her gut and threatened to make her sick. “The letter threatened you, Mark. This is even more serious. Fires are one thing, but a direct threat?”

  He walked up to her, eyes intense. The barest hint of a smile curved his mouth. “Worried about me?”

  “Well…yes, of course.”

  “As screwy as this situation is, I think I like that.”

  Compulsively she reached up to touch his face, a quick brush of skin against skin. “This isn’t funny, Mark. I’m going a little bit nuts thinking of all the things he could do. What if he’s out there right now with a sniper rifle or something?”

  He caught her hand as it smoothed down his cheek and held her palm to his chest. “Yeah, that’s always a possibility.”

  The hardness beneath her fingers reminded her he hadn’t worn protective gear. “You’re not wearing the flak vest.”

  “Doesn’t matter. If he’s a good sniper he could get me some other way. I should know.”

  She remembered his career in the army. “Right.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Just the thought of anything happening to him sent a wild streak of undeniable fear zigzagging around inside her. When he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, she coul
d have pulled him into her arms right then. But this wasn’t the time or place.

  “That’s it,” he said. “Even if this street wasn’t evacuated, there’s no way I’d leave you here alone.”

  She nodded, grateful for his concern and protection. “Let’s call the authorities.”

  After that, things went quickly. They waved Okono and Jeeter over, and told them about the contents of the letter and the phone message. While they waited for the proper authorities to show up again, and maybe the Fire Marshal if they were lucky, she tossed her weekender bag in the Sentry Security SUV. The men hovered over her right next to the SUV, Mark in particular. He wouldn’t leave her side.

  “This is craziness.” Okono, for the first time she could remember, didn’t have a sarcastic attitude. “This is real shit right here. I’m glad she’s staying with you, O’Day.”

  Mark nodded. “Me, too.”

  Jeeter kept the severe frown, all traces of the humorous man lost. She couldn’t say she liked the new Jeeter.

  “Jeeter, everything all right?” she asked.

  “Hell, no. I think you should stay with someone else,” Jeeter said.

  Mark stood taller, his eyes hard. “Who?”

  Jeeter shrugged. “I have that guest house on my property outside of Buckleport. It’s secluded.”

  Mark shifted his hands to his hips. “Secluded isn’t what she needs right now. The compound at Sentry Security is the safest place she could be in this city.”

  Jeeter’s face solidified into pure contempt as he glared at Mark. “Look, you don’t know her that well. She has friends at the fire station who’ve worked with her for months. I’d trust her safety to Okono before I would you.”

  “Gee, thanks.” Okono’s voice was dry as he smirked and crossed his arms.

  “Stop it.” Juliet couldn’t believe the gorilla chest-beating contest. She had half a mind to tell all three of them she wasn’t staying with any of them. But she didn’t play games, and these men seemed hell bent on competing to see whose yardstick was longer. “I’m staying at Sentry Security, but only for a day or two until I can find something else. The investigation might be finished by that time anyway.” All three men didn’t look convinced, so she continued. “Jeeter, I think it’s very kind of you to want to help and offer your place. I really appreciate it.” When his mouth widened into a smile, she rushed to make sure he didn’t get the wrong idea. “But I won’t be staying there. It is remote and there’s bad cell phone reception from what I hear. Plus, I’d be out there all alone while you were on shift. I’m not going to stay somewhere like that by myself now that I’m getting these letters.”

  Jeeter’s face fell again, but this time he didn’t protest. His lips thinned in disapproval. “I understand.”

  “Okono, you’re off the hook, too,” she said.

  “Good, because my apartment is pretty tiny and it isn’t in the best part of town. Remind me to find a safer place.”

  Okono’s continuing smile held more agreement and good-naturedness than she could remember witnessing. She glanced at Mark, and thankfully he wasn’t doing any male preening because she’d agreed to stay at Sentry Security.

  “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?” Mark asked.

  She was tired, and the whole situation made her a bit nervous. “Sure. Let’s sit in the SUV.”

  She climbed into the passenger seat. He turned toward her. “I’m glad you’re staying at Sentry Security, but I don’t want you to feel unsafe. If there’s anything I can do to help with that, I’ll do it. We’ll have the locks changed on that apartment door if you want. Whatever it takes.”

  Her eyebrows went up. “Oh, no. No. I feel perfectly safe at Sentry.”

  She hadn’t realized until now how true that was.

  “Good.” He looked more than relieved. “You haven’t met the General. We’ll make sure that happens ASAP. If you want to quiz the hell out of him about me, go for it.”

  “Okay, it’s a deal. But I’m not worried. I trust you.”

  He lifted her left hand and kissed it again, and a sweet tingle traveled all the way up her arm. “I’m glad to hear that. There’s one thing that has me worried, though. Do you think there’s any chance Jeeter and Okono could be the arsonists?”

  She hadn’t expected that question, and her hand slipped from his. “No.”

  “That’s pretty definitive.”

  “It is. I’ve never seen anything in their personalities that would make me think that.” She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. “This is a nightmare.” When she opened her eyes, she felt his attention solidly on her. “First Long Valley, then Buckleport having riots, the crime rate through the roof, the refugees from the west, and last but not least, arson? What if my father is part of this arson thing now that he’s out of jail? He was supposed to be released around January, but I never heard from him. I mean, why would he call me when it’s been years since we communicated?”

  “Do you think he’s changed?”

  She swallowed hard around a sudden surge of tears. “I don’t know. Anything is possible, I suppose.”

  “Maybe we should call him. See if we can feel things out based on what he says to you.” She must have made a face, because he said, “You don’t want to call him.”

  “No.” She shrugged. “I don’t have his number anyway.”

  One tear escaped. She wiped it away quickly.

  “Hey.” His voice was low and soft. “What’s wrong?”

  She smiled through the tears that had taken over. “Stress and anger. I cry sometimes when I’m pissed.”

  He returned her grin. “Good information to know in case I piss you off.”

  She snorted a laugh. She wiped at her face again. “It’s the situation. This arsonist, whoever he is, is controlling what I do. He’s forced me out of my home and damaged others’ lives.”

  Leaning forward, he tilted her chin up. “Yeah, and they’re gonna find him. In the meantime, I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

  She fell into his dark eyes, feeling the warmth of his gaze and touch. Her attention caught on his mouth, on the way it was so damned perfect. Not too full and not too thin. Yet she’d never call him a pretty boy. Too much of the rough and tumble lived inside this man to qualify him for a fluffy award. He was an incredibly masculine man, hard and strong.

  “Damn,” he said softly, his hand now cupping her face.

  “What?” Her voice sounded raw, almost pained.

  “If we weren’t in full view of members of your crew, I’d kiss you right now. Hell, I should kiss you anyway.”

  A swirl of heat darted around in her lower belly. She turned into a puddle of chocolate every time this man looked at her, and this time was no different. “I wouldn’t stop you. Crew or not.”

  Was he closer? Yes, he was leaning in. So near and—

  A tap on the driver’s window startled her again, and she jerked from his hold. Okono stood at the window wearing a shit-eating grin.

  Mark rolled down the window. “Yeah?”

  Okono gestured behind them. “If you two lovebirds can spare a minute, it looks like the cavalry is here.”

  * * * *

  The cavalry came in the shape of Detective Grant Morrison and the Fire Marshal himself. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, that scared the crap out of Juliet. She already felt shaky around the edges and angry at the crazy way it messed with her head. Rise to the occasion. Now isn’t the time to freak. After Long Valley, too many others had lost their minds, but she’d always kept her cool. At least externally. People didn’t know what went on inside her, thank God, or they’d know how weak she could be.

  Fire Marshal Ridley Colfax sat next to her on the couch, perusing the newest letter. The Detective hovered over them. Jeeter and Okono stood outside like sentinels while Mark stayed slightly to the side, slouched against the wall, hands jammed into his pockets. He looked nonchalant as hell. She wished she could relax, but her insides had decided to start jumpi
ng around. The longer it took the fire marshal and detective to ask questions, the tighter her muscles got. Yeah, being out of control sucked, and right now she could lose it any minute.

  Ridley Colfax was a fit man over six feet tall, with a bald head and a few wrinkles. She guessed he might be somewhere in his fifties. A hawkish nose dominated his narrow face and gave him a harsh expression devoid of humor. When he smiled, which he did often enough, he looked almost approachable. She’d heard Colfax took no prisoners when it came to investigations—with thirty years of firefighting experience, he knew his business.

  “We’ll take this letter and analyze it along with the other one.” Detective Morrison turned toward Mark. “Could you give us a few moments alone with Miss Van Pelt?”

  Mark’s eyes flashed, and Juliet thought she saw reluctance in them.

  Mark shrugged and headed for the door. “I’ll be right outside.”

  After he left, she felt raw, as if her nerves and insides lay open to the elements. Rain splattered against the windowpanes and thunder rumbled. While the detective stayed standing, the fire marshal remained on the couch.

  Detective Morrison took the letter and placed it in an evidence bag, and then he took off his gloves and reached for his notebook and pen. “Are you working with your father?”

  Juliet’s muscles tightened in surprise. Maybe she hadn’t heard him right. “What?”

  The detective smiled, but it was insincere and icy. “We know your father’s been out of prison since January. We don’t know where he went. Do you?”

  “No.” Her temper surged, but she kept it under control. “You heard the phone call. Does that sound like I’m working with him?”

  “He could have sent the letters,” Colfax said.

  “No,” she said.

  The men stared at her.

  Her skin crawled at the thought of her father sending those letters, and she rubbed her arms. “No.”