Blaze (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 2)

by Kristina Stanley

  Leanne intruded, crowding into Charlotte’s cubicle and standing in Kalin’s personal space. “Can I come?”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes and grinned at Kalin. “Nope. Someone has to stay here.”

  When Leanne didn’t move out of her way, Kalin said, “Excuse me.” Leanne held her ground for a moment, just long enough to make her point but not long enough for Kalin to say anything.

  When Kalin closed the outer door, she saw Leanne already talking on the phone. Did the woman report all activity to her family or only Kalin’s?

  “So, what’s up?” Charlotte asked before they reached the coffee shop at the edge of the lake.

  Chica strained at her leash, pulling in the direction of the seagulls littering the shoreline.

  “What do you think about Pete Chambers being arrested?” Kalin asked.

  “I’m surprised. I did some digging after I talked to you last time. I was scared that you were hit right after leaving my office.”

  “It’s not your fault. It might not even be related to our meeting.” Except that it probably is.

  “Still, maybe I said something that caused it.” Charlotte flipped her braid off her shoulder and behind her back. “Leanne’s been at me since you came in. She wants to know everything about you.”

  “Like what?”

  “She asked about your love life, your job, your dog. You name it. It’s like she’s building a dossier on you.”

  “Since Pete’s been arrested for arson, what harm can I do to them?”

  “You’d think nothing, but then why is she so interested in you? Her family is full of bullies. They look for a person’s weak point and go after them. If they think you’re a threat, they’ll find something.”

  They reached a stand made of plywood and painted bright pink and baby blue. The shop wasn’t much, but it had the best coffee in Holden. Its proximity to the beach meant they sold a lot of cold drinks too, and Kalin and Charlotte took their place at the end of the line. They waited for their coffee before speaking again.

  Kalin motioned toward the beach. “Let’s sit by the water. I don’t really believe Pete Chambers started the fire. Somehow, it doesn’t feel right. Pete’s business is on hold. Without him leading the company, it could go under. Neil Olsen has been approaching Pete’s clients, offering to take over as the general contractor. He certainly had motive to get Pete out of the way. He spoke to my boss about finishing the sauna at the outdoor pools. Work that Pete started. Reed turned him down, and Neil was angry. Do you know if the Olsens have done anything illegal before?”

  “It’s always rumor. As far as I know, no one in the family has ever been charged with a crime.”

  “But…”

  “I’ve heard things. Neil’s brother, Barry, was accused of selling drugs at the high school. One of the grade eleven girls turned him in. Then her cat was killed. After that, she denied everything. No charges were ever pressed.”

  “You think I should be worried about Chica?”

  Charlotte ran her hand over Chica’s head and was rewarded with a tail wag. “Not if you stay away from them. Connor’s dad got in trouble at the plant. He was accused of selling stolen flat screens out of his truck. The guy who accused him owns a farm about twenty K outside of Holden. His cows started to disappear.”

  “Let me guess. The guy took back what he said about Connor’s dad.”

  Charlotte nodded. “I think Leanne works at the paper just to protect her family. She can give them an early warning if something newsworthy comes up.”

  “Can you do me a favor and search your files for anything Neil or Connor Olsen might have been involved in? It could just be speculation, something never proved, so it was never reported.”

  “Are you looking for something specific?”

  “Not really. I’ll have to read it to know if it’s important.”

  Kalin walked Charlotte back to the Holden Press office, then drove to the grocery store. She left the windows open a crack, grabbed her cloth bags and went to do groceries. Chica sat in the driver’s seat, staring at her through the windshield.

  When Kalin returned, the Ford was empty. The doors were closed, but Chica was not inside. She called for Chica, hoping that somehow she’d gotten free but knowing that was impossible. The adrenaline rush hit without warning, and she dumped her bags on the pavement. I can’t lose her. She ran in the direction of the highway. Before she got far, Neil Olsen came around the corner of the grocery store with Chica at his side.

  Anger made her skin prickle. Kalin stepped in the direction of Chica, and Chica strained to get to her. “Give her back to me.”

  “Hey, I was just trying to help you out. She was getting too hot in your truck. The SPCA could take her away from you if you abuse her.”

  Kalin grabbed Chica’s leash and pulled her to her side, causing pain to ripple through her shoulder. “It’s overcast and not hot today. You had no right to take her.”

  “Like I said, I’m just trying to be helpful. You should be nice to people who help you. It’s not good to make enemies in a small town.”

  Kalin turned from him and headed toward her truck.

  Before she slammed her door, Neil said, “She’s a good dog. It’d be a shame if something happened to her.”

  * * *

  “What’s with your boss?” Connor asked Tessa.

  Tessa jumped at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t heard him sneak up behind her. The noise of the wind must have blocked the sound of his footsteps, and she was disappointed in her implant. She was in the middle of her driveway, and Connor had come from the side as if he’d been hiding in the trees.

  Tessa’s pulse accelerated. “What’s with you? Get a thrill out of scaring me?”

  Connor stepped forward and blocked her way to her house. “Does your boss have it in for me?”

  “No.”

  “No,” Connor mimicked. “Don’t get smart. Did you tell her anything about me?”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Kalin seems to think I started the fire and hit her with my truck. You told Miller I said Chambers deserved the damage ’cause he started the fire. Why don’t you tell Kalin that?”

  Tessa’s head buzzed. That’s not what she’d heard that day in the deli. The words pushed their way to the surface. She’d heard him say, “Chambers deserved the damage caused by the fire.” Oh, God. She’d turned in the wrong man. “Get away from me.”

  Connor raised his hand.

  Tessa squared her shoulders and stood tall. “Don’t.”

  A neighbor, one house over, yelled, “Hey, Tessa. Is everything all right?”

  Connor lowered his hand. “I better not find out you’re talking about me.” He glowered at her and stomped away. Tessa watched him until he reached the corner and disappeared.

  “I’m fine,” Tessa called back to her neighbor. “Thanks.”

  Fifteen minutes later, she stood nervously in the reception area of the RCMP headquarters in Holden. She was waiting for Constable Miller. She fidgeted with the strap of her backpack, pulling at a loose thread. She wished she hadn’t sounded so sure of herself the last time she’d been there. She’d tell him she hadn’t had her cochlear implant long enough to fully grasp her capabilities or lack of them. She wanted the arsonist to be Connor. Jail would fix him for good.

  Five minutes ticked by. Tessa flipped through a magazine but couldn’t focus on the words. There were pictures of fish on almost every page. She could identify the local fish by sight, but some of these were ocean fish.

  A side door opened, and Constable Miller greeted her.

  “I need to tell you something.” Tessa was still getting used to the sound of her own voice and hadn’t decided if she liked the singsong tone or not. Miller led her to the same room he had the last time they’d spoken.

  “Is everything all right?” he asked.

  Tessa stared at the table, having a difficult time meeting his gaze. He was polite and courteous, but it was more than that. He came
across as genuine, and she hated to disappoint him. Pete Chambers had been arrested, and she’d contributed to that. If that was an error, she had to tell Miller what she thought. “I’m not sure about what I told you the last time I was here.”

  “Not sure about what?”

  “I’ve had my cochlear implant for a while now, and I’m getting used to sounds. Every day, I hear better.” Tessa shook her head. “That’s not quite right. I understand what I’m hearing better. I told you before that I thought Connor had said Pete Chambers started the fire. Now I’m not sure I was right.”

  Miller waited with a curious expression on his face. He didn’t seem angry, so she continued. “I think Connor said, ‘Chambers deserved the damage caused by the fire.’ That means, Connor thinks someone else did this, maybe it was even Connor.”

  “Why are you changing your mind?”

  “I talked to Connor today, and he wanted me to tell Kalin what I’d told you. That Chambers deserved what he got because he started the fire. When he repeated the words today, I realized I’d understood him wrong the first time.”

  Miller stood. “Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate you coming in.”

  Tessa stood too. “Will you let Pete Chambers go now?”

  Miller seemed surprised. “We had more evidence than what you first said before we arrested him.”

  * * *

  Kalin put away her groceries. She’d bought enough for one. How depressing. She left a box of granola on the counter, thinking she didn’t have the energy to make anything else for dinner.

  She answered her cell on the first ring. She’d stopped looking at call display, hoping for Ben’s name to show.

  “It’s Tessa. I need to ask your advice about something. I hope it’s okay I’m calling so late.”

  Kalin listened to Tessa and told her she’d just have to wait and see what happens. She’d done what she could.

  Before she’d placed her cell on the counter, her doorbell rang. Ben? Kalin followed Chica to the front hall.

  Constable Miller waited on her step, and she invited him in. Chica rubbed her side against Miller’s dark pants, leaving a swatch of blonde hair in her wake. Miller wiped at the hair.

  “Sorry.” Kalin pulled a roll of tape from the front hall table, wrapped it inside-out and handed it to Miller. “This will take the hair off.”

  Miller chuckled. “Inventive.” He stuck the tape to his pants and started the removal process.

  “What can I say? I own a lab. You must be here for a reason.”

  “I’d like to pick up your bike for analysis, and I want to show you something.” Miller pulled a plastic bag from his pocket and held it up for Kalin to see. “Do you know anyone who owns a lighter like this?”

  Kalin studied the black lighter. A gold streak spiraled its full length. Miller must be taking Tessa’s visit more seriously than he’d let Tessa think. “I don’t think so. Why do you want what’s left of my bike?”

  “Maybe we can match paint chips. If we find the truck that hit you, that is.”

  “Are you checking the Olsen family? Neil in particular?”

  “You know I can’t answer that. Have you remembered something that would point in his direction?”

  “No, and this might not be relevant, but I left Chica in the truck when I did groceries today. When I got back she wasn’t there. Neil had taken her for a walk.”

  “He brought her back?”

  Kalin rested her hand on Chica’s soft fur. “He was all smiles, but there’s something ominous about him.”

  “Have you met him before?”

  “No. That’s the weird part. He acted like we knew each other. The last thing he said to me was he hoped nothing bad happened to Chica.”

  “He threatened you?”

  “It was all very polite, but I guess he was threatening me.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Nothing happened, exactly. I got in my truck and left. He said he took Chica because of the heat, but no way do I believe that. He was trying to intimidate me.”

  “What were you doing before groceries?”

  Kalin laughed. “Wow. You think I brought this on.” She told Miller about her meeting with Charlotte. “I didn’t really learn anything except the Olsen family can be nasty.”

  “We know about them. That’s an accurate assessment. What does Ben think?”

  “I haven’t told him.”

  “Why not?”

  Kalin couldn’t believe Ben wasn’t there. She needed him. “He’s not home.”

  * * *

  “I won’t let U leave me.” The last text message Connor sent to Melanie worried Nora. Melanie had been with them for two nights, but Connor had pestered her the entire time. He texted her at least once an hour. As far as Nora knew, Melanie ignored the texts. Connor wanted her back. He didn’t understand why she left him. Nora didn’t understand why Melanie would have dated him at all.

  In response to a tap on the window beside the front door, Nora stepped over Melanie’s suitcase and opened the door for Kalin. “Come in.”

  Farley burst around Kalin, wiggling his body, waiting to be pet. Kalin knelt and rubbed his head. He rolled on his back and showed her his belly.

  As requested by the dog, Kalin stroked his silky fur. “I see he’s a shy one.”

  If Kalin was surprised to find Melanie, Ian and Ethan in the living room, she didn’t show it. None of them had made up the pull out couch, and Ian and Melanie sat on the bed with Ethan between them.

  Nora had been nestled in the corner chair. The coffee table was pressed between the edge of the bed and the wall, leaving little room for walking.

  Kalin grabbed a chair from the kitchen and perched at the side of the room. “It looks like a dorm in here. Did I miss the party invite?”

  “Melanie’s bunking here for a while,” Nora said.

  “I think you might need a bigger place if you keep this up.”

  Nora pointed to the remnants of a meal resting on the kitchen counter. “Are you hungry? Melanie made us a gourmet lunch.”

  “And it wasn’t easy to do with the way the kitchen is stocked. They don’t even have a good knife to work with,” Melanie said.

  “I’m fine. Have you been to see Pete yet?” Kalin asked.

  Nora tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. “Not since he was arrested. I can’t decide if I should or not.”

  “Do you know Tessa Weber? My new recruiter?”

  “I know of her,” Nora said.

  “I know her,” Melanie said. “I’ve met her at a few parties.”

  “She went to see Miller.” Kalin explained what Tessa had told her earlier in the afternoon and that Tessa had asked Kalin for advice. “She didn’t come away with the feeling that it would change anything, but she said she felt bad about telling Miller something that was wrong.”

  “Does Pete’s lawyer know about her conversation with Connor?” Nora asked.

  Kalin shifted on the wooden chair, so she could pet Farley. “I don’t know. I’m not sure who that is. I guess we could find out, and I could have Tessa make a call. I think she’d like to do what’s right.”

  “Why would she want to help Pete?” Nora asked.

  “She’s known the Olsen family all her life. I guess it’s more that she doesn’t want to help them.” Kalin related what Charlotte had told her about the Olsen family and their history in the town. “Tessa must know all that.”

  “I wish I’d known some of it before I dated Connor,” Melanie said. “Dad tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.”

  “We won’t let him near you.” Ian pressed his hand onto Melanie’s arm. Nora envied the closeness Ian had with his sister and was happy Ethan had Melanie as an aunt.

  “Does she really think Connor started the fire?” Melanie asked.

  “I guess, or she wouldn’t have told Miller about him,” Kalin said.

  “The thing is, I’ve been thinking about why he would want to date me,” Melanie said.r />
  Ian faced Melanie. “What do you mean?”

  “Remember I told you I thought Connor and Neil had been talking about hating Dad?”

  Ian nodded.

  Melanie twisted the ring in her eyebrow. “I’ve been running that conversation through my head. It’s hard, because I was so wasted at the time and don’t remember much, but I started thinking about the first time I met Connor. I was serving at the restaurant. He came in and sat in the section I wasn’t responsible for. He watched me for a while and moved to a table in my area. I was flattered. He made an effort to talk to me and asked me to go out after my shift. It’s almost like he singled me out. What if he wanted to get at Dad by bringing me down?”

  “Could he have known about your drug addiction before he met you?” Nora asked.

  “Sure. Everyone knows. It’s not exactly a secret.”

  “Why would he want to get at Gavin?” Kalin thought her boss was strict, sometimes hard to deal with, but not bad enough that someone would have it in for him.

  “When we moved here, my dad bought an apartment building in town as an investment. Connor was renting one of the units, and my dad kicked him out.”

  “When was that?” Ian asked.

  “A few months ago.”

  “Do you know why?” Kalin asked.

  “I guess Connor had a party and someone punched a few holes in a wall.”

  Ian clenched his fists. “Dad told you this?”

  Melanie looked sheepish. “He did. I thought he was just trying to control me. I didn’t really believe him. I mean, I did, but I thought he was exaggerating so I wouldn’t date Connor.”

  “Do you think Connor has it in him to run me over?” Kalin asked.

  Melanie let Ethan grab her finger, and she watched him for a while. “Probably. I think he targeted me and tried to get me into drinking and drugs again, so yeah he does.”

  Ian bent his knees, creating a half circle with his body, and rested Ethan’s back on his thighs with his tiny feet pressing on his stomach. He cradled Ethan’s head in his palms. “There’s a lot going on here. Jason Tober’s accident, the fire, the hit-and-run and now we think Connor is purposely trying to ruin Melanie. I can’t see him being responsible for everything. It seems a bit drastic just because Dad kicked him out.”