Out of the Ashes

by Anne Galbraith

  Sarah tugged on the leash, now that Festus had given up and lain down.

  “You’re going to drive back to Balsam Grove with me. And we’ll figure it out.”

  That was all the plan he needed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sarah drove them to the sheriff’s office. They needed to work out their game plan, and she didn’t think they should necessarily hang out at each other’s places. There was a lot to consider.

  There was the issue of Billy and the arson and Lanford’s son, and then there was the issue of the two of them together.

  Festus was happy to return to one of the places he considered home. Spending this much time with Lanford had apparently reconciled him to the man’s presence, and he stretched out with a weary sigh once they’d made their way inside.

  Sarah dropped her bag on her desk. She unlocked her desk drawer.

  “I want to read through your case file again, see if there’s anything that might support our new information.”

  “One moment.” Lanford reached for her hand and pulled her close. His other hand touched her cheek and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “May I?” he asked, eyes on her.

  Sarah nodded, not sure exactly what he was asking, but she knew what she hoped.

  He leaned down and pressed his lips to her. She raised to her toes, as eager as he was to build on this connection they had.

  Lanford pulled away, slowly. “So, this is really a thing.”

  Sarah smiled. “It appears so, yes.”

  Lanford stepped back, releasing her hand. “I should let you do your job.”

  Sarah sighed. “Yes, you probably should.”

  She sat down in the worn seat and pulled out the file she was becoming all too familiar with.

  “If you can’t find anything, if we can’t prove he did it, it’s okay.” Lanford had sat down in the seat beside her desk.

  Sarah looked up at Lanford. He was staring at her intently.

  “You told me, the first time I met you, that you came here to find out who had framed you and killed your family.”

  He nodded. “I did find out. I’d be happy if Billy paid for what he did, and I’d like to be exonerated. But the important people know the truth now. I’ll never get those years back, but I can move forward.”

  “You aren’t angry? You have every right to be.”

  Just thinking about it made Sarah furious, and had required a few prayers to keep the lid on her temper.

  He glanced away for a moment.

  “Yeah, I’m angry. I lost my family. But other things—I was on a bad path. And if I’d tried to be a dad? I have no idea how I would have done.

  “Somehow, I just have to believe God is doing some good through what’s happened. And I remind myself, a lot, that the Bible says vengeance is for God alone.”

  Sarah was impressed. It was easy to voice the platitudes when it cost nothing, but right now, Lanford was living the hard stuff and still following through.

  “Well, maybe I can help that vengeance along.”

  That’s when the door to the station slammed open.

  * * *

  Sarah had to repeat the events that followed over and over again. They became part of the case file, and she had to testify in court. Lanford had to do the same. The details were carved into her memory bank.

  She looked up when she heard the door. She was surprised to see Billy Robertson, bursting in with wide eyes and gritted jaw. She was equally surprised to find Ri, the boy she’d met for the first time mere hours ago behind him.

  She was horrified when she realized Billy was holding a gun. And it was pointed directly at her and Lanford.

  She rose to her feet and, from the corner of her eye, noticed Lanford do the same. Billy pulled back the safety on the gun and she froze.

  “Lock the door, Ri, and make sure the shade is down.”

  At this time of year, approaching the summer solstice, the sun was still high enough in the sky that she hadn’t switched on any lights. With the shade drawn, no one would spot them in here. Not even silhouettes.

  Sarah knew this was going to be bad. She sent up a quick prayer.

  Billy’s expression was both excited and furious. There was also satisfaction in it. At that moment, Sarah had no doubt that he’d set the fire eighteen years ago, and that he’d arranged for the accident that killed his parents.

  He looked like a murderer.

  Ri locked the door behind his father. He pulled down the blind. No one had passed by the station in the moments between Billy’s command and Ri’s response. Who would they call anyway?

  Sarah refused to let her eyes drop to her desk drawer, where she’d left her own weapon. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to reach it, but she wasn’t going to telegraph its location to Billy.

  Most days, she was in her uniform and had the weapon on her hip. Today, she was in civvies.

  She was going to have to rely on her wits.

  “Step away from the desk, both of you. Together now, no splitting apart. I’m not sure who I’d prefer to shoot first.”

  Sarah needed time. She decided to lead with ignorance.

  “What are you doing, Billy—Bill? Why are you here with a gun?”

  Allison must have spilled everything to him as soon as they left. Sarah hadn’t thought Allison would do that—she’d appeared to be considering separating from Billy. Sarah didn’t understand why he’d brought Ri, but she did know this was going to be bad if she couldn’t either defuse the situation or get Billy away from his gun.

  “Nice try, Sheriff. I’m sure my wife told you the whole, sad story. But she’ll keep her mouth shut now.”

  Sarah glanced at Billy’s hands, wrapped around the gun. There were no marks on his knuckles. Did that mean he hadn’t physically hurt Allison? Or had he used the weapon in his hands?

  Sarah frowned. Or was he implying Allison wasn’t his source of information?

  “She’s an idiot. But my son was smart enough to come to me with what was going on.”

  From the corner of her eye, she noticed Lanford turn toward the boy.

  “Stay still!”

  Sarah willed Lanford to obey. Billy was on edge, and he had nothing to lose at this point.

  “It was a bit of a shock for him to see you, Lan. He looks just like you, doesn’t he?”

  No one spoke.

  “Yeah, a real shock for a young man to come face-to-face with his father. His biological father. The convict. This is why we didn’t tell you, Ri. Your father, a murderer, and your mother, well, calling her a liar and a cheat would just be the start.”

  Sarah allowed her gaze to flicker to where Ri was standing behind his father. The boy looked shell-shocked. She could only imagine.

  He’d obviously figured out who Lanford was. And unfortunately, he’d gone to Billy to get answers.

  Billy noticed the movement of her eyes.

  “Yes, Ri wasn’t stupid. He waited around, heard what you were talking about and then he called his dad. He thought I didn’t know all this.”

  Sarah somehow had to get control of the situation.

  “Then he didn’t listen to everything we said. He missed some vital information. He didn’t hear Allison admit that you set it all up, that you lit the fire that killed Ri’s uncle and grandfather, framed Lanford and then forced Allison to keep quiet.”

  She hoped Ri was hearing what she was saying. That the words weren’t going through his head without any comprehension.

  “Is that what Allison told you? It’s her word against mine.”

  “Maybe Riordan would appreciate knowing the truth.”

  Billy’s voice cracked with anger. “I’d appreciate you shutting your stupid mouth. It doesn’t matter. After tonight, the truth will be what I say it is.

  “
Step away from your desk, Sheriff. Nice and slow. You and Lan, just move over there together. I’ve decided I’m shooting Lan first, Sheriff, so if you make a move, he’s dead. I’ve practiced. Won some shooting awards. I won’t miss at this range.”

  Sarah would have liked to challenge him, but he was too confident with his gun. And he looked too eager to shoot someone.

  “Ri, check the desk for her handcuffs. She’s sure to have some.”

  Ri still looked shell-shocked. He resembled the boy Lanford had been when he’d been booked for arson and third-degree murder at about the same age. Her chest tightened. This was going to scar the kid, no matter how it ended.

  He’d had seventeen years of listening to Billy. He did what Billy told him. He came to her desk and started to pull open the drawers.

  Sarah kept her face blank, her gaze on Billy. She knew what Ri would find.

  “The handcuffs are here. And...a gun.” He sounded much more surprised than he should, considering it was a sheriff’s office.

  Billy smiled. “Good work, Ri. Just what we wanted. Pick up the gun and the cuffs and bring them to me.”

  Sarah was almost shaking with the urge to do something. But Billy had his gun pointed right at Lanford, and she had no doubts that he’d be happy for any excuse to shoot him.

  She understood what had triggered the hatred, but the intensity of it wasn’t quite sane.

  She continued to pray.

  “Is it loaded?”

  Billy must have taught Ri about guns, because he checked the gun competently.

  “It is.”

  She normally unloaded it at the end of each day. She’d been distracted.

  She was sure it wouldn’t have changed anything if she had taken the ammunition out. There was more in the drawer, and these two were obviously familiar with guns and could load one if necessary.

  “Okay, make sure the safety’s on and slip it into my pocket. We don’t want these two to get their hands on it, now, do we?”

  Ri slid the gun into Billy’s pocket.

  “You have the cuffs?”

  Ri nodded. He didn’t say much. Sarah wondered if that was normal for him, like Lanford, or if it was just the circumstances. It was quite possible she’d never find out.

  “Sheriff, put your hands behind your back. Cuff her, Ri.”

  “Riordan, you don’t have to—” Sarah started.

  “Shut up!” Billy roared, his gaze moving from Lanford for a moment. “If I pull the trigger, that will shut you up, you stupid woman.”

  He looked more than ready to do so. Sarah wondered what was restraining him.

  If he shot Lanford with the gun, the sound would bring people. But by then, he could also shoot her. He must plan to. There was no way she was going to lie about what was happening here. He’d have to kill her.

  She had no idea what story he’d come up with to cover himself, but she was sure he had something planned.

  She’d hoped, especially for Lanford’s sake, that the boy wouldn’t be part of this. But he was following Billy’s orders like an automaton.

  She hated to think what would make him do that.

  She put her hands behind her back, and Ri snapped the cuffs around her wrists. She felt more helpless than before, though she hadn’t been able to do anything then, either.

  “Good, Ri. Good.”

  Billy sidled closer to where Sarah and Ri were standing. If he got close enough for her to knock into him... He was clever, though, and stayed just out of her reach.

  “Ri, take the gun out of my pocket now.”

  Sarah almost groaned when Ri did as he was told.

  “I can see the sheriff here is very curious about what’s going to happen. She won’t be around to understand, but I’ll be magnanimous and give her the story.

  “Lan just can’t help himself. He’s bad, through and through. The two of you were here, in the sheriff’s station... Hmmm. Maybe you picked him up for something. He must be on probation, so having this weapon on him might have been why you had to bring him in. But he doesn’t want to go back to prison. Do you, Lan?

  “Lan, criminal that he is, shoots the sheriff with this gun.” Billy waved the one in his hand. “It’s had the serial numbers filed off, and no one will be able to trace where it came from. Naughty, naughty, Lanford.”

  Billy’s smile wasn’t sane.

  “Well, of course the sheriff defends herself. Unfortunately, they both die. Ri and I had come down to warn her about him, but we arrived just in time for the shots.”

  Sarah’s brain worked through the scenario. She could see the holes that he hadn’t covered, but it wasn’t worth telling him. It wouldn’t change what he did, and if she was going to be dead, she wanted the evidence to lead to the true perpetrator.

  “Ri, take these gloves. We don’t want residue on our hands. We can get the fingerprints figured out when they’re dead.”

  Ri had frozen, staring at Billy.

  Billy gave Ri an impatient glance before returning his focus to Lanford.

  “Come on, now, son. Today you’re going to become a man. This convict, the one who looks just like you, is going to ruin all our lives. You need to protect yourself, protect your family. A man does the hard things.”

  Ri was still holding Sarah’s gun, but his hands were shaking. Sarah watched the two of them carefully, waiting for her chance. She’d get only one opportunity before Billy started to shoot. Unlike Ri, his hand was steady, and he was prepared.

  Billy was too far away from her for her to get to him. She had no chance to change the aim he had, directly at Lanford’s chest.

  Ri was closer. She could throw herself at him, knock the two of them to the floor. That might distract Billy enough that Lanford could move and stay alive.

  She tensed, waiting for the right moment.

  “Ri, this is your chance. Just raise the gun, aim it right where I have and pull the trigger. It’s easy.

  “It was a lot more difficult to set that fire. I hadn’t had time to do any research. I took the gas can, poured it around the couch where this guy was passed out, drunk—”

  The fury was rolling off Billy, but his hand stayed steady.

  “I thought Dan and his dad might get out, but I wasn’t worried about them, not then. But everything worked out for the best. I didn’t need Dan shooting off his mouth about your mother.

  “I couldn’t believe it when Lan staggered out of the house. But then he fell over and knocked himself out.

  “I didn’t have time to pull him back into the house since the sirens were getting close, but I managed to wipe off my fingerprints and put his hand on the gas can instead.”

  Billy shook his head at Lanford.

  “You should have died. You were supposed to die. And now you will.”

  Billy spared another glance for Ri, but the boy was still frozen.

  “Ri, you can do this. It’s what we Robertsons do.” Billy laughed, almost a giggle. “I had time to do some research for the crash that took care of my dad. I did an excellent job. Everyone thought it was an accident.

  “Only a man can pull that trigger, Ri. I know you can do it. Show me you’re a man.”

  Ri dropped his gaze to the gun. His whole body began to tremble.

  Billy sighed.

  “Come on, Ri, I can help you.”

  Billy moved over to the boy, gaze flickering between Lanford and Ri. Sarah tensed, waiting for her moment, hoping it was going to work.

  Then, things went crazy.

  * * *

  Lanford could do nothing but pray.

  Billy had everything prepared, everything ready to kill him. Lanford knew Sarah would try to do something. She was a cop. This is what she was trained for.

  He didn’t know what God had planned for him. This afternoon, when he’d kissed Sarah, he�
�d experienced a happiness he hadn’t known since long before the fire.

  Maybe that was his last blessing, before his life down here was over. If so, he’d be grateful for it.

  He felt a strange peace—until Billy gave Ri the gun.

  He knew Billy was evil. He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected his dad had done something to twist him. But his son, Ri, wasn’t there yet. He didn’t want Billy to twist up Ri the way Billy’s father had done to Billy.

  Lanford had made a lot of mistakes by the time he was Ri’s age. He’d paid for them. He didn’t want that for his son, the boy he’d only learned about hours ago.

  He was reconciled to the idea of his own life ending, but he didn’t want to mess up Ri’s life.

  With Billy’s gun pointed at him, he couldn’t do much. But he could pray.

  He didn’t look at Billy. He looked at Ri. He saw the panic in the boy’s eyes. He wanted to urge him not to do it, but he didn’t know how to tell him in a way that wouldn’t make Billy start shooting at Sarah, as well.

  He prayed. It was all he could do. But he had confidence God could intervene.

  Billy moved toward Ri. Sarah tensed, ready to try some desperate measure to save the situation.

  And then, Billy tripped on Festus.

  Lanford had forgotten about the dog. He hid every time someone came in the room, and that had happened when Billy entered, as well. This time, though, he wasn’t under the desk, he’d been behind it.

  Billy had been focused on Lanford and Sarah. He hadn’t been watching his feet. Maybe Festus had been comfortable with Ri after meeting him this afternoon, or maybe Ri had walked around him. But Billy wasn’t watching where he stepped, and he stepped right into Festus.

  It knocked Billy off-balance, tilting him sideways. Festus jumped to his feet after getting Billy’s shoe in his ribs, and he crossed into Billy’s path again. Billy tumbled to the ground, swearing, but he kept his grip on his gun.

  He landed on the floor, his head next to Sarah. She kicked his temple with all she had. She lost her balance after her foot connected, falling over. She landed, without her cuffed hands to break her fall, sprawled awkwardly on Billy. Billy didn’t get up.