The Fire Still Burns

by Crystal-Rain Love

  “So you had no romantic feelings toward her?” Brynn prodded.

  “No. Why would that even matter? You're investigating an arson case. How does Rachel tie into that? You think she set the fires?”

  “Possibly,” Brynn answered. “We've been told there was a connection between her and Zeke Good. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

  Jimmy's eyes shot upward, his pupils widening before he glanced away. “I don't really know who she was involved with. We quit talking and then she was pregnant, and don't ask me who by because I don't know that either. She had money, dirty money I'm guessing.” He shook his head, so slight Adam nearly missed it. “She barely spent time working in her family's store, and she had more money than she would have earned there. People were saying she was prostituting herself.”

  “Why would she do that?” Adam asked. “This isn't exactly the best town for turning tricks. Surely the police department would catch on if she'd been doing such a thing.” He directed his gaze at Clarkson.

  “We take care of our town.” Jimmy defended the department. “What folks do outside Black Bear Gorge is their business.”

  “As long as they don't bring it back here,” Sheriff Clarkson said gruffly, reminding them of his presence. “Have ya'll got what you needed yet? I'm telling you, you're barking up the wrong tree. The girl got herself in a mess and left town in disgrace.”

  The sheriff seemed to emphasize his remark with a pointed look at Brynn. Adam felt himself bristle but remained calm.

  If Brynn had noticed the implied insult, she didn't let it show. “Actually, I have a few more questions to ask. Jimmy, did Rachel strike you as knowledgeable about fire?”

  “I don't know,” Jimmy answered with a shrug. “It wasn't something that ever came up in conversation.”

  “Did she ever come across as vengeful?”

  “Vengeful? I don't know.” He shrugged. “She was a typical woman. She got angry just like anyone else but I don't think she'd ever get mad enough at someone to burn him up, and she was long gone before the arsons started.”

  “What about her various boyfriends you mentioned before? Do you have any idea who any of them were?”

  “No. I think she met her friends out of town. She went up to Gatlinburg quite a bit.”

  “Did she ever seem scared? Maybe afraid someone was going to harm her?”

  “I don't think so.” Jimmy answered his brow creasing and eyes narrowed. Adam was sure he had a similar look on his face, wondering where Brynn was going with her scattered line of questioning.

  “I mean, she was always stressed out and worried. Her mother died in a car wreck right after her eighteenth birthday. She had to deal with the guilt over that, and she had to care for her younger sister since their dad kind of lost it after losing their mother.”

  “Why did she feel guilty about her mother's accident?” Brynn softened her voice for the sensitive question.

  “Their relationship was strained. Her parents didn't exactly approve of her life choices, and they were arguing a lot around the time of her mom's death. I guess she always felt bad about that.”

  “Was she close to her sister?”

  “Rachel and Riley are very close.” Jimmy smiled, a memory seeming to play through his mind.

  “Does it strike you as odd that she would run off and leave her sister without a word to her?”

  “Yes, it does,” Jimmy answered, his voice hardening, “but the Rachel I knew isn't the same Rachel you're looking for. I guess I don't really know that Rachel at all.”

  Maybe it was the misty look in the man's eyes or the genuine sadness in his voice, but Brynn stopped questioning him.

  “I think we've got enough to start on, gentlemen. We thank you for your time.”

  “Care to tell me what all that was about?” Adam asked as they stepped outside the police department. After all the time spent sitting in the overly air-conditioned building, he was happy to feel the warmth of the sun tingling across his skin.

  “All what?” Brynn responded, sliding on a pair of dark sunglasses.

  “The questions about Jimmy Nelson's relationship with Rachel. Your whole attitude. You said it was a possibility Zeke had been sleeping with Rachel and she could be mixed up in all of this so I agreed to come here. I didn't know you'd be so rude to the sheriff or that you'd—”

  “Rude?” Brynn shrieked the word harshly enough to make Adam wince and turned to face him, firmly planting her hands on her hips. “If that pompous ass had done his job when Rachel Wood went missing we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation.”

  She flung her arms out in exasperation. “Am I the only person in this whole frigging town who cares that a young, pregnant woman is missing? Does the fact she became pregnant out of wedlock really make her that insignificant?”

  “Brynn, I know you were ran out of town when you were pregnant and unmarried—”

  “This isn't about me, Adam. This is about justice.”

  “Justice for who?” He didn’t bother containing his annoyance. “I feel bad for the girl, I do, but we're supposed to be investigating an arson case. We're supposed to be finding out who killed my brother.”

  Her shoulders slumped from their rigid frame as she ran a hand through her hair. “We are. If Zeke was involved with Rachel and she was seeing other men, too, there could be a lot of jealousy involved. Maybe a love triangle.”

  “You think one of her jealous lovers killed my brother?”

  “Possibly. It's also possible she did it, or someone who knew about her situation did it. I just have this gut feeling Rachel is somehow involved. I don't expect you to trust me on this, I have nothing concrete, just a strong hunch.”

  “Well, that's better than nothing.” Adam walked toward his truck. “Just don’t insult the sheriff anymore. Getting yourself locked up isn't going to help one bit.”

  Adam sat with Brynn in the truck, as far apart on the seat from her he could get, before Brynn removed her sunglasses and spoke. “Nelson was lying, you know?”

  “About what?” He paused with the keys in his hand.

  “His relationship with Rachel. It was a romantic one, maybe not requited, but he definitely felt more for her than friendship, and he knew more about what she was doing than he let on.”

  “And you know this, how?” He already suspected the same thing but had the benefit of knowing Jimmy Nelson from the department games. He was curious to find out how Brynn gathered her information.

  “He looked to the left when answering me.”

  “So?”

  Brynn turned her head to look him square in the face. “Adam, if you're going to be doing any kind of investigative work, you need to learn about body language. Clicking the pen was a nervous gesture.”

  “Yeah, I picked up on that,” he answered, letting her know he wasn't as amateur as she apparently thought.

  “Yes, well, it also showed me he was right-handed. When a right-handed person is answering a question from memory they look to their right. When they're creating an answer, or in other words, lying, they look toward the left. Vice-versa for a left-handed person.”

  “And you know this for a fact?”

  “There have been many studies done on the matter. Plus, I've been doing this P.I. thing for a while now and I've found the theory to be extremely accurate.” She twisted a strand of auburn hair around her finger. “Sure, there are some people who will look you dead in the eye when answering a question, and that can make deciphering a lie harder, but mostly, they either look to the left or right.”

  “So, why would Jimmy lie about his relationship with Rachel? Could he have been jealous of my brother's supposed relationship with her? Could he be behind the arsons?” The need for vengeance furrowed low in his belly, and he looked back in the direction of the sheriff’s department, dark thoughts of what he’d do to that little punk running through his mind if he turned out to be the killer.

  Brynn's hand rested on his forearm, easing bac
k the tide of hostile emotion.

  “I'm not saying that. There are many reasons he might want to hide his feelings for Rachel. Maybe they weren't returned, and, being the typical male, his ego won't accept the refusal.” She removed her hand from his arm and Adam realized he’d been holding his breath.

  “Maybe he doesn't want Clarkson, a man he probably looks up to, to know he was romantically involved with a woman the sheriff obviously thinks low of. Maybe he doesn't want to be known as one of her many lovers.”

  “Maybe he's the father of her baby.” Adam drummed his fingers along the steering wheel, contemplating the idea.

  “Possibly. I don't know. I truly believe he thinks she left town on her own accord, though. I know he doesn't think she's dead. He kept referring to her in the present tense other than when discussing their relationship, which is apparently a thing of the past.”

  “Do you think he knows where she is?”

  She angled her head to the side, looking to the right as she thought. “No. He didn't seem like he was hiding her.”

  “So, what next?” He turned the key in the ignition and waited for further instruction. Initially, he hadn’t been thrilled to be given a partner on the case, but he had to admit she seemed to know what she was doing.

  “The police department didn't really conduct a thorough search into her disappearance. I doubt they've checked her bedroom.” She fastened her seatbelt around her. “If she was seeing your brother, or a vast assortment of other men, we might find evidence of that in her room.”

  “You think the family is going to let us barge in there?”

  “We won't be barging in. We'll get permission. Believe me, Riley will let us. She wants to know where her sister is. I saw it in her eyes.”

  “Fine, but one thing before we move any further in this case.” He looked her directly in the face.

  “What's that?”

  “Quit acting like my brother is a villain.”

  She turned to look at him, her jaw set tight and her eyes darker than normal.

  “I mean it, Brynn. I agreed to keep an open mind about him, realizing that the clues we've got so far do indicate these arsons have something to do with him, but every time you bring him up it's with disdain in your tone.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to speak, the narrowing of her eyes letting him know what she intended to say wasn’t pleasant. “Have you ever thought maybe he didn't do anything? Maybe the firebug we're after is a true psycho, who, for some reason, has developed some sort of fascination with Zeke?”

  She looked at him, her gaze burned his skin with its heat before she finally turned to face frontward. “Fine, I'll keep an open mind about his involvement, even though, I feel the arsonist is trying to tell us something specific, something bad about him.”

  “Yes, well, Charles Manson thought he was telling us something about Sharon Tate when he killed her, but I don't think what it was made her a horrible person,” he retorted, satisfied with the eye roll he caught a glimpse of before putting the truck into drive. Showing her she wasn't the only one who could make a good point filled him with satisfaction.

  ~~~

  Brynn sent up a silent thank you as she and Adam walked into the Wood family's discount store fifteen minutes later to find it nearly empty. She really didn't want the town gossips to know any information about the case, and, if Riley wasn't ringing up a customer at the cash register, she would have more time to answer some questions.

  The spunky teen in question stood behind the counter, flipping through a rock music magazine and chomping on gum when they approached. “What?” she asked, glancing up from the magazine.

  “We were just at the police station inquiring about your sister.” Brynn decided straightforward was the best approach with Riley. “They say she had a lot of money, more than anyone working for their family's small discount store would have. You said she didn't have any money when she left—or was taken—from Black Bear Gorge. What's up with that?”

  Riley rolled her eyes, simultaneously snapping the magazine shut. “She had a lot of nice things. That doesn't mean she had money.”

  The tone of the discussion was reminiscent of conversations Brynn had had with her own son when Nate felt he was answering the most stupid question on Earth, something she had come to realize teens thought they were doing often.

  Why does my best lead have to be a teenager?

  “Where did she get the nice things from?”

  “Stores.” The teen smiled sweetly.

  “You know what I mean, Riley.”

  With another eye roll, the dark-haired teen tossed the magazine on the counter. “She was popular with the guys, all right? She wasn't a slut though, regardless of the fact she got pregnant. She had this one guy who took care of her, bought her nice things. There's nothing wrong with that.”

  “There is when she ends up missing and no one seems to know who her friend was. Did you know who he was?”

  “Like I said, she dated a lot of guys,” she answered sassily, glaring at Adam when she spoke.

  Brynn glanced over her shoulder and noticed the awkward way Adam shuffled his feet, picking up on the girl's scrutiny.

  Might as well cut to the chase. “Did she date Zeke Good?”

  “The town's golden child?” Riley quipped, returning her gaze to Brynn.

  “Nobody would believe me if I said yes, so why bother.” With that she gave another unfriendly look to Adam, chomping down harder on her gum.

  “Do you think Zeke had something to do with Rachel's disappearance?” She sensed Adam’s tension and glanced sideways to see him stiffen at her side, but she didn't have time to coddle him.

  A young, pregnant girl was missing, an arsonist with an obvious grudge against his brother was lighting fires all over town and her gut screamed at her that somehow it was all related.

  Riley released her glare from Adam for a short moment to glance at Brynn. “It's possible, but we'll never know. The police haven't exactly been helpful.”

  Brynn sensed a change in the air and knew it was Adam's anger she was picking up on. She grasped his hand and squeezed it once for reassurance, quickly so Riley wouldn't notice. “We're looking into her disappearance. We know she was rumored to have dated Zeke and with his death and her disappearance being so close…”

  “Rachel didn't kill Zeke,” Riley stated firmly. “She didn't have it in her.”

  “I'm not accusing her of killing Zeke. But, whoever did may have known of their relationship. Rachel might be indirectly involved with the arsons. Can we search her room?”

  “Why?” Riley's eyes widened, quickly narrowing when they landed once again on Adam.

  “We might find clues there as to what happened to her, where she can be found. Even if it turns out she isn't involved with the arson, I still would like to help you find your sister.”

  “Do you believe my sister was a worthless tramp?” Riley asked, her gaze fixed on Adam.

  “No,” he answered. “I can't pass judgment on someone I didn't know well.”

  Riley looked between the two of them, slowly chewing her gum. “I guess that's good enough. I'll let you into her room, but you won't find anything useful. I've already looked.”

  “I don't think she likes me,” Adam stated dryly moments later as they found themselves alone in Rachel Wood's bedroom, part of the small house attached to the store.

  It was a typical nineteen-year-old girl's room, complete with band posters tacked to the pink and white striped walls, CDs and magazines stacked atop the dresser and desk in neat piles. The floor was uncarpeted hardwood, free of clothing and other junk.

  If only Nate kept his room this clean…

  “I kind of got that impression, too, but I don't think it's you personally she dislikes.”

  “You think she hates me because of my brother.”

  Brynn paused in her perusal of the desk's contents to watch Adam search between the mattress and box spring of Rachel’s bed. She hadn't picked up any hos
tility or accusation in his voice, nor could she see it on his face, but she knew it was in there somewhere just beneath the surface.

  “I am keeping an open mind about him, Adam, I swear, but you have to admit Riley showed a definite dislike of the man once his name was mentioned.”

  “Yes, I know.” He settled the mattress back into its original position and rose to his feet.

  “Nothing there. You were a young girl once. Where did you hide stuff?”

  “Gee, thanks,” Brynn responded, feigning indignity as she crossed her arms, taking on a miffed stance.

  “You know what I mean,” he replied sheepishly while color suffused his face.

  His lips twitched at the corners, and that was all it took to draw the laughter out of Brynn's system. Adam joined in, both of them chuckling until Brynn’s belly tightened from the action.

  “Man, I haven't had a good laugh in a while,” Adam admitted after they sobered.

  “This must be very hard for you.” Sadness replaced Brynn’s joviality. For a moment, she’d joked and laughed with him like old times, but the reminder of why they were there, and the pain Adam had to be going through wondering who killed his brother, sucked the humor out of the room.

  “I'm the only member of the fire department with any investigative training,” he responded while perusing the room. “The initial homicide investigation led by the police department hasn't turned up anything so it's all on me to figure it out. All on us now, I guess.”

  “You're going to join the police department after this is over, aren't you?” Brynn asked.

  “It's always been my dream.”

  “So why didn't you join before like you had planned?” Brynn leafed through the magazines on Rachel’s desk, flipping through the pages to see if anything had been hidden there.

  “You know why.” His tone was accusatory.

  Brynn spun around to see him looking inside Rachel’s pink pillow case.

  “My father would have treated you fairly.”

  “We said we weren't going to bring up what happened thirteen years ago.” He dropped the pillow back on the bed.