Where There's Smoke

by Jayne Rylon

  When he jerked to a stop about halfway there, she squeaked.

  “Shh.” Easy joy drained from his body, replaced by tension. “I thought I saw something.”

  “There are a bunch of deer that roam around this part of the property.” She couldn’t think of any other explanation. “Or maybe it’s bigfoot.”

  “Not funny.” He never once took his eyes from the general area he’d been scouting. He set her down and stepped in between her and the direction he’d peered. This time he raised his voice. “Who’s out there?”

  Kyana gripped his hand hard enough she feared she might break a bone or two. A heartbeat passed and then another before a cracking twig had them both jumping.

  “It’s just me, Logan.” Daryl Thick stepped from the shadows. “You’ve got a good eye. I always told you to try the military.”

  “I still say I wasn’t made to take orders. But I would like to know what the hell you’re doing sneaking around all the time.” His shoulders spread and his chest puffed up as he confronted the retired veteran.

  Kyana was about to jump to the man’s defense when he shocked the hell out of her.

  “I was watching you two lovebirds.”

  Fists immediately formed at Logan’s sides. “You did what?”

  “Jesus, man.” Daryl waved his hands in front of his chest. “Not like that. I just meant I saw you head out to the dock. Was making sure no one surprised you.”

  “No one other than yourself, right?” Some of the fight leeched from Logan. He stepped back from the confrontation while keeping Kyana behind him. When he reached his hand out, she grasped his fingers and didn’t plan to let go.

  “Whatever. I have the internet. I don’t need any more porn. Though next time you might want to pay attention, or be a little more discreet. Not that I minded listening.” Daryl shrugged. “Going home now. Have a nice night. Tell Ben I said hi.”

  “You asshole,” Logan growled. “Keep the hell away from us. Next time I catch you creeping through the shadows I won’t be so friendly, neighbor.”

  Daryl waved without turning. He vanished around a bend in the path. How did he do that?

  “Come on.” Though the night hadn’t cooled off any, Kyana chaffed one of her arms with her free hand. “Let’s get inside.”

  “Good idea.” Logan scanned the darkness in every direction as they practically jogged back to the house with their fingers still woven tightly together.

  Chapter Five

  “Ben?” Logan joined his great-uncle on the porch.

  “Yeah, kid.” The older man leaned his elbows on the cedar railing while overlooking the expanse of green that united his house with Rose and Kyana’s.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll have you home as soon as possible. Everything just as you left it. You’ll never know anything happened at all.” He slapped Ben on the shoulder.

  “Actually, I’ve been thinking maybe it’s time to update a few bits. I saw what you’ve done so far. You’re making great progress on the demolition and it’s sort of a blank slate. We should take advantage. Maybe tonight we can sit down and work out a design. Give me your input. Help me invest in some shit that’ll up the resale value.”

  “You’re thinking of moving?” Nothing could have shocked Logan more.

  “Hell, no. This neighborhood is where I belong. I’m too old for new places at this stage. But you’re working on your inheritance kid. Gotta do what’s best. Make it your own.”

  “Jesus. Don’t talk like that.” Logan scrubbed his face with his knuckles.

  “It’s just practical.” Before they could argue, Ben continued, “So, what’d you come out here for? Need something? Or should I say someone?”

  Logan cleared his throat. “Sort of. Where’s Ky?”

  He’d worked like crazy all morning to hit his milestones and free up the afternoon. Being his own boss kind of rocked. He’d planned to use the opportunity so they could hustle somewhere private to put the stash of condoms, which she’d deposited on top of the duffle he’d been living out of since the day after the fire, to good use. Soon he’d have to make a final—more thorough—run to his apartment to salvage what he could before his landlord evicted him. Not much was worth the effort and the gas gauge in his truck had sunk perilously low so he’d put it off. He mentally added a modest hourly pay rate to the list of topics to discuss with Ben later.

  After he found Kyana.

  Stolen kisses and some ultra-quiet, beneath-the-covers fooling around hadn’t come close to satisfying him since she’d blown his mind on the dock two nights ago.

  It’d taken him a solid couple hours swinging a sledgehammer after the discovery of the goodies to wrap his mind around the fact that his girlfriend had to buy protection for them because he couldn’t afford it. At least she must have realized what the holdup had been without him having to spell out his inadequacy. She’d always been sharp.

  Thirty-seven hours had never gone by so slowly.

  And now that he’d worked up to approaching her, she was nowhere to be found. Figured.

  “Girly headed to Town Hall to search for some records from the holding company Rose and I bought these lots from. I told Ky not to bother. Her friend even said it. Those old papers don’t mean jack. Plus that whole office burned down back in the seventies. There’s no other information to be uncovered. No funny business with the mortgage. Nothing to do with the Gittlesons and their petition either.”

  “Rewind a second.” Logan tilted his head, thinking of the young couple he’d spotted huddled at the edge of the sidewalk during the fire footage on the news. “I think I missed something. What petition?”

  “About a year ago, Laura and Dean made a push to run a ramp to the highway through our backyards. It didn’t get very far. Most of the other residents voted it down. But there’s no bad blood. They followed the process and agreed with the majority. I’m telling you. This whole thing is just bad luck.” He sighed. “The world is going crazy. Rose, my house, you kids acting all weird around me. What the hell is going on, Logan?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll get through it.” Uncommon melancholy from his great-uncle concerned Logan. He and Kyana had agreed not to pile on another worry by telling Ben they were fooling around with their friendship. After his complicated relationship with Rose, they were afraid he’d be upset. Or object. Neither of them could stand to have their bubble burst when things were bright and new and promising. Although their joint occupancy of her bed had to be raising some questions. The guy was no dummy.

  Logan’s train of thought reminded him of something Ben had said recently…

  “Hey, I’ve been wondering. What’d you mean the other day when you mentioned sacrificing for your dreams?” He shuffled his boot along a seam in the porch. One board lifted higher than the rest. He’d level it out later.

  “It’s hard to say anymore what might have been.”

  “I don’t understand.” Logan lifted his head, observing Ben’s faraway stare.

  “I regret a lot of things in my life.” He rubbed a gnarled hand over his chest. “Not the least of which is you.”

  “Shit.” Logan reeled at the revelation, something like rejection tearing through his guts. He thought he’d armored himself against disappointment years ago. Apparently not. “I know I was a pain in the ass. I ate a ton and you spent a shitload of money on my clothes and school supplies before you sent me back to my mom each year—”

  “If you say one more damn word, I’ll show you I’m not too decrepit to put you over my knee or shove my boot up your ass.” Ben scowled. “Though you’re proving my point nicely. I love my niece, but she didn’t do right by you. I could see the damage her selfishness caused and I didn’t step up to the plate. Not soon enough. By the time you came to me to stay for that last year, it was too late to fix it all.”

  “What are you talking about?” Logan scratched his chin.

  “You’re a damn fine man. The stuff of you has never changed. I could see it in you as a kid. You
had a kind heart, you worked hard, and you were loyal to a fault. I should never have let your mom take you away from here at the end of the summers. But I knew I worked too much to be any kind of father figure. Too stubborn. For all of our goods.”

  “Who do you mean?” Logan squinted, trying to make sense of the rambling self-deprecation oozing from his great-uncle.

  “Me. You. Rose. Kyana.” He sighed. “There could have been something there. All my life, I knew Rose was special. She was the one for me. The only woman I could have loved. I thought she deserved better. I wouldn’t accept her help. Some of her enormous inheritance. Hell, I didn’t even take her up on the date she asked me on once. I regret every single day that I live on after she’s gone, never knowing what might have been if only I’d looked past my pride. We could have been a family, Logan. It’s my fault you didn’t have that. Because of me, you’re unsure of the facts I see plain as day. You’re a decent person. And you’re head over heels for Kyana Brady. Have been since you were old enough to sneak nudie magazines from my shed by the garden.”

  “Uh… You knew about those?” He scrubbed his face with his hand. “I don’t know what to say to that, Ben. That’s a lot of shit to carry around.”

  “For us all. I hurt her. Rose. No matter how much I thought I was doing the right thing. I could see it more as the years went on, but I assumed it was too late to change. So much time had gone by. How stupid. That’s only true when you’re dead, Logan.”

  “You sound like a Hallmark card.” Logan squeezed Ben’s shoulder, hanging on a little longer than man-to-man interaction deemed appropriate. “Don’t you fucking worry about me. Not for a second. The time I spent here saved me. You showed me the kind of person I wanted to be. And… Ky and I are sort of working on things. You know, between us.”

  “You are?” Ben’s whole bearing changed. He perked right up and a smile erased his frown.

  “Yup. She actually asked me out. I guess she’s more like Rose than I realized. We have a date tomorrow night. Reservations at Fleur.” He hoped like hell he wasn’t blushing.

  “Thank God you’re smarter than me, kid.” Ben grinned. “Want me to stay out late? I think Myrtle is having a bridge game I could join in.”

  Logan started to deny it, but then thought better of it. “If you don’t mind…”

  “In fact, I might tie one on and end up staying the night. Yep, that sounds like a damn fine idea. She’s offered her couch plenty of times. It looks comfy, too. And I think you might even fit in my suit jacket. It’s too big for me anymore. One good thing ’bout not being trendy, you shouldn’t be hideously out of fashion.”

  “Thanks.” A million ideas flashed through Logan’s mind.

  “You got it.”

  “Hey, Ben. One more thing…” Logan hopped the railing, but paused to look over his shoulder on the way to his truck. “I’m pretty glad right now that I didn’t grow up with Kyana as some kind of sister.”

  Ben doubled over laughing. “That might have been hard to explain to people, huh?”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Still, some bonds are simply understood. You might never have said a thing about it. And maybe you never acted on it. But Rose knew you were connected, every bit as much as you did. There’s no way she doubted you loved her. I’d bet our new business on it because I always knew you did. Even before I understood what the words really meant.”

  “I hope you’re right, Logan.” Ben sank into the glider on the porch. He seemed smaller than ever, huddled beneath the last golden rays of the afternoon. “But I’ll never know for sure. Go to Ky. Make sure she understands.”

  “I will.” He nodded as he climbed into his truck. “I promise.”

  A bell tinkled when Kyana pushed open the heavy door to the brick building that housed their village’s records and the lone policeman’s office. She stepped into the stuffy building, peeking around the corners. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

  “Good afternoon.” A woman spoke from behind her.

  Kyana slapped her palm to her chest, over her racing heart. She hadn’t heard anyone emerge from behind the receptionist’s desk. “Oh, Laura. Nice to see you again.”

  “You too.” The young Mrs. Gittleson smiled sadly. “How’s Ben holding up?”

  “Eh. He never complains, but I can tell he hates seeing his house in disrepair. I think it helps to be staying in Rose’s space though. It’s probably comforting, having her things around.”

  “He’s spent enough time there over the years. It’s more like an extension of his own place.” Laura nodded. “But I’m sure you didn’t come in just to chat. Can I help you with something?”

  “Would you mind if I asked you some questions?” Kyana took a deep breath. “About the petition you raised.”

  “Ah, yes. I was surprised you hadn’t mentioned it before.” Laura wrinkled her nose. “We were new to the neighborhood and didn’t really understand what Oak Street was all about. Dean and I are thrilled we lucked into such a tight-knit community. It makes up for the longer commute he has to make, going around town to the other side of the lake.”

  It was hard to imagine her large, toothy grin as anything other than genuine.

  “Who else supported the proposal?”

  “Why?” Laura hesitated. “Do you think that has anything to do with the fire? The easement right clause on Ben’s mortgage expired several months ago. Didn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Kyana nodded. “But I’m wondering if someone didn’t realize that. Or maybe they were just bitter?”

  “Wow.” Laura perched on the edge of her desk then flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I can’t imagine anyone going to those lengths. The only other people who signed the petition were new to the neighborhood, I think. I stuck a copy in record storage in the basement. You’re welcome to have a look if you want. Fair warning though, it’s not very neat down there. Filing isn’t my strong suit.”

  Refusing to ask what other possible job requirements there could be besides answering the phone, Kyana shrugged. “Sure, that sounds good.”

  “If you don’t mind, I actually was planning to leave early today. It’s Dean’s birthday and I’m making his favorite, duck l’orange, for dinner. Would you lock up behind you when you leave?” She dug an enormous key ring, complete with at least ten dangly bits boasting a variety of cheesy vacation destinations, from her purse and held it out to Kyana.

  “Uh, no problem.” She jangled the keys. “Don’t worry, it’s impossible to lose these. I’ll swing by and drop them off when I’m finished.”

  “Maybe just leave them in the mailbox.” Laura winked.

  Kyana couldn’t help herself. She laughed. After charging down here prepared to dislike the Gittlesons, she admitted Ben had been right. They were a little slow to catch on, but nice people. Maybe she’d invite Laura and Dean over to cook out sometime soon. Logan would enjoy having a conversation about something other than bad knees and the best denture cream on the market. Though she had to admit he looked pretty cute hanging out and drinking a beer with all the elderly guys on the block after quitting time.

  “You got it. Thanks.”

  Laura showed her to the basement. The heavy door creaked when she tugged it open. Kyana batted a few cobwebs out of her way then started down the old wooden stairs. “Now you see why I’m not too keen on spending quality time with the records.”

  “I’m getting a clearer picture by the minute.” Kyana flipped on the yellow overhead lights when she reached the cement floor. “I’ll make this quick then.”

  “Okay, I’m out of here. Hope you find something that helps.” Laura shut the door with a wave. Her heels clicked on the linoleum above until the front door opened, bell tinkling again, then shut hard enough to dislodge a sprinkle of dust. It rained down on Kyana.

  She swiped her hands over her bare arms, imagining the number of spiders per square inch to be similar to the amount of germs in a gas station bathroom. Blech.

  Either Laura had turned off the a
ir-conditioning or the luxury wasn’t a line item in the tiny town’s budget. The basement grew stuffier by the minute as Kyana rummaged through stacks of paper, dismissing them out of hand since the top sheets were no more recent than last decade.

  Fanning herself, she sidled over to one of the rectangular windows. After standing on a chair and worming her hands around the bars on them, she gave up on cracking the thing open. About nine million coats of paint, probably lead-filled, had sealed it shut.

  “Great. Just look faster. Let’s move this along.” Kyana flew from box to box, trying to gauge which had the thinnest layer of grime on top. One looked a bit newer than the rest. She flipped the top off and grabbed a paper at random. It had a date of last spring.

  Bingo.

  Leafing through the documents, she came closer and closer to the general time Ben had guesstimated the petition had surfaced. A bead of sweat rolled off her forehead and dripped onto the records, smudging the ink. “Okay, this is nuts,” she muttered to herself.

  While she was talking, a noise caught her attention. It almost sounded like the bell on the door. Maybe Laura had forgotten something. She decided to haul the likely box upstairs and do more investigating where she could catch her breath, never mind seeing clearly.

  The damn thing weighed a ton, but she hoisted it to her hip and began to climb the open-backed staircase. A thump startled her when she was a few treads from the top. “Hello?”

  No friendly voice answered this time.

  “Who’s there?” She continued to ascend, her arms starting to tingle from holding the files. With the box balanced on her thigh, she reached out a hand to turn the knob.

  It didn’t budge.

  “What the hell?” Had the sheriff come in and locked the damn thing as part of his standard end-of-day routine? Had the ancient hardware broken?

  Kyana pounded on the paneling, almost losing her balance in the process. “Someone help. I’m stuck in here. Are you there?”

  As she strained for any answer at all, she heard it again. The suddenly not-so-sunny ringing of the bell on the door. No way could anyone have been upstairs yet not heard the racket she was making. The hair on the nape of her neck stood up straight and her instincts went on red alert.