Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 103552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
I stood. “I’ll be back for dinner. I want her to stay here at Heartstone, out of sight. She’s on lockdown. If anyone comes to the house, make sure they don’t see her.”
“Got it,” Griffen agreed, then paused. “Be careful out there. If she hadn’t gotten out of that fire—”
I nodded in agreement. “Whoever set that fire wasn’t overly worried about killing her.” I rubbed the heel of my palm on my chest to chase off the icy hollow of fear.
“Yeah, well, you can’t clear her name if they take you out too,” Griffen reminded me.
“I’m aware,” I agreed. “I’ll keep you posted,” I said with a short nod and strode out the door.
I had an arsonist to find and Avery’s name to clear.
And the clock was ticking.
I left Heartstone Manor behind, knowing time was running short. I couldn’t keep Avery caged forever. Her business was closed, losing money every day, and the judge’s orders would only keep her out of jail for so long.
Matthew was the obvious suspect. He had a motive. Almost anyone had the means. But arson was a big step from spreading gossip. Going after her business reputation and sabotaging her relationships with other brewers was one thing. But if she hadn’t been able to get that door open—
I pushed the thought away. She had. She’d escaped with a few bruises and a sore throat. She’d been extraordinarily lucky, all things considered.
I had a lot of problems. One of them was that I couldn’t know if Avery getting trapped in Wild Haven was intentional or an accident. The whole thing had been fairly basic: lure her to the location, set it on fire. Gas wasn’t a sophisticated accelerant. Anyone could get it, and everyone knew it would start a fire. I already had my deputies checking the local stations to see if anyone remembered someone filling up gas cans, but the town was busy with leaf season. So far, no one remembered a thing.
Zeroing in on Matthew, while tempting, wasn’t the answer. If the evidence pointed his way, great. But I wouldn’t run the risk of missing the real culprit by assuming I knew what was going on. Been there, done that. I’d start with the evidence.
Before that, I called Cammie and Dave, explaining only that Avery had a family situation and Sawyers Bend Brewing would be closed for the next few days.
Dave had asked, “Avery okay?”
When I assured him she was, he’d answered, “Cool. I’m going to go see my brother in Chattanooga. Tell her to text when she’s ready to reopen, and I’ll hop back. Cool?”
“Sounds good,” I assured him.
Cammie had seemed more troubled. “But I need my hours. Rent’s coming due, you know?”
“It’ll only be for a few days,” I’d said, not sure if that was true or not.
“Well, can I talk to Avery?” she asked, a faint whine in her voice.
“Not right now. Like I said, she has a family thing.”
“You sure I can’t just go in and open?” she wheedled.
“Avery will let you know when she’s ready to reopen,” I said. “For now, Sawyers Bend Brewing is closed. No one should be on the property. Understand?”
“Okay, I guess.” She’d hung up, leaving me curious about her reaction.
Cammie had closed the night of the break-in. She swore she’d locked the door, but we only had her word for it. And now she hadn’t asked about her boss or what the family emergency was—only worried she wouldn’t make her hours for the week. On one hand, I got it. We all need money to live, and Cammie had rent to pay. On the other hand, her lack of concern about Avery felt off. I tucked the mental note in the back of my mind for the future. It could be nothing, or it could be something.
I parked my SUV in the lot of the county fire department and sent Avery a quick text.
If Cammie calls, don’t talk to her. Let it go to voicemail.
The answer came back immediately.
You already told me not to talk to anyone. Don’t worry. I’m bugging Finn and staying out of trouble. I promise.
A tight feeling in my chest relaxed a fraction. She’d promised she’d keep her head down, but I couldn’t discount Sterling’s influence. If Finn was keeping her occupied with plans for their joint venture, it would take her longer to get restless.
The County Fire Marshal was expecting me. After getting checked in at the front desk, I headed back to his office, taking the seat he offered.
“What have you found?” I asked. Henry Boone had been the Fire Marshal for a decade, after serving as the Deputy Fire Marshal for almost fifteen years. We weren’t buddies, but we’d known each other most of our lives. I trusted his judgement, and as far as I knew, he trusted mine.