Blaze (A Stone Mountain Mystery Book 2)
Page 27
Kalin sighed. “It’s really sad. Melanie could have tossed them there, thinking Connor’s fingerprints would be on them.”
“Miller has her in custody. You did quite a number on her arm. She’s in the hospital somewhere. I’ll remind him about the trucks. He told me that there was an unidentified fingerprint on a lighter. Maybe it’s hers. He’ll figure it out.”
Of all the people to start the fire, it had to be her boss’s daughter. “Do you know if Reed knows?”
“No, but I’d guess he does.”
“If I hadn’t been there last night, she might not have been caught. What if he blames me?”
“That’s his problem, not yours.” Ben leaned his forehead onto Kalin’s right shoulder, hiding his face from hers. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner. You might not have been hurt.”
Kalin placed her hand on the back of his head, pressing him closer. “You don’t know that, and it’s hardly likely Monica would have invited you to the party.”
Ben laughed.
“You have no idea how good it is to hear you laugh.”
He lifted his head and looked directly into her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re joking about this. It’s so you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Kalin threw her backpack into the passenger seat of her Jeep. She was late. She’d promised Ben and Nora she’d be home by five, and the dashboard clock displayed six-oh-three.
Her cell rang. She answered and put the key in the ignition.
“Where are you?” Nora asked. “We’ve got the pizza ready to go in the oven.”
Kalin checked behind her and reversed out of the spot. “In my Jeep. I’ll be home in five minutes.”
“I’ve been calling you for an hour. How come you’re late?”
“I was meeting with Reed, then Miller called.” Kalin drove past the lower village. The demolition crew had removed most of what remained of the burnt condos and a rebuild could start soon.
“Did Miller get evidence against Neil Olsen?”
“He did. The paint on his truck matches my bike, and Miller is going to arrest him today. But don’t repeat that. He told me in confidence.” Neil was a snake, just like the tattoo on his arm, and he deserved jail time.
“Is that enough proof?”
“I hope so.” Kalin turned the corner onto Black Bear Drive. The trees were still scorched from the fire, but the underbrush showed bits of green.
“It’s amazing Neil would be such a thug just to protect his cousin. Do you think there’s enough evidence to convict Connor?”
“I talked to Tessa today. She’s going to testify against Connor for raping her. That should help Melanie in her trial.”
The day after stabbing Kalin, Melanie Reed confessed to Miller she’d started the fire. He’d told her to get a good lawyer, then arrested her. She’d been remorseful about the extent of the damage but not about trying to get back at Connor for raping her. She’d mixed up Ben’s truck with Connor’s. Without proof Connor raped her and with her background, she thought no one would believe her, so she had to get at him somehow.
“I hope Connor goes to jail forever,” Nora said.
“Miller thinks there’s enough evidence to convict him for Jason’s death. That should put Connor away for a long time.”
“What did Reed want?”
“That was an awkward conversation. It’s the first time we’ve spoken about the fire since Melanie was arrested. He hired some high-powered lawyer out of Calgary to defend her. He wanted to know if I was going to testify against her.”
“What did you say?” Nora asked.
“I don’t think I will. She was out of her mind when she stabbed me. Maybe she can plead temporary insanity on that one. Anyway she wasn’t targeting me, Ben or Pete when she set the house frame on fire. Poor Pete. I’ll bet she feels bad about him being arrested for what she did, considering he’s her nephew’s grandfather.”
“She should feel worse about making me give birth to her nephew in the forest.”
“Don’t be too hard on her. She told Miller she hadn’t thought the fire would get out of control. She only meant to torch the one place, thinking that would be enough for Connor to go to jail.”
Nora laughed. “Are you defending her because she’s Ethan’s aunt?”
“Not really. I guess I understand what she went through, and I don’t want to make things worse for her.”
“Where are you now?”
“Wow, you must be hungry. I’m almost at the driveway.”
Kalin arrived home and found a car she didn’t recognize taking up her spot. She hoisted tile samples from the back of her Jeep. She only had four, but her shoulder injury made lifting them difficult. Her stitches had been removed, and her shoulder would heal with no lasting damage.
With Pete’s name cleared, he’d gained back most of his clients, including Kalin and Ben. He’d started the building process, and they’d started planning the interior of the home. She was looking forward to spending the evening with Ben and Nora, eating pizza and choosing their flooring.
Kalin carried her bundle to her front door. Before she put her hand on the doorknob, the door opened.
Nora waited in the front hall, wearing a silver dress held on her shoulders by spaghetti straps. Her matching silver pumps gave her an extra two inches of height. She grinned at Kalin and pulled her inside.
“Close your eyes,” Nora said.
“Why?”
“Just do it. Here, take my hand. I’ll lead you.”
Kalin did as she was told and followed Nora. She heard a door close.
“Okay. You can open them.”
She didn’t have to ask what was going on. Her wedding dress, veil and shoes were laid out on her bed. Candles filled the dresser top and rose petals covered the bedspread.
“You look beautiful,” Kalin said. “I’ve never seen you in a dress or in makeup. And I never thought you’d wear stiletto heels.”
“Shut up, or I’ll change into cargo pants. It’s time for you to get ready.”
Kalin tried to speak.
“Shh. You need to make yourself gorgeous. I’ll help. Into the shower.” Nora pushed Kalin into the en-suite. “Don’t take too long.”
Kalin let steaming water fall over her and thought of Ben. She loved him. This was their moment. Her stomach fluttered, and her skin sizzled. When Ben said he wanted to come home, he’d meant home in a big way.
Steam billowed into the bedroom when she opened the door, and she wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Don’t cry now,” Nora warned. “We need to do your eye makeup. But first your hair.”
“How long have you known about this?”
“No questions.”
Kalin pulled her towel tight and sat in front of the mirror. Nora grabbed a brush and got to work. By the time she finished, Kalin’s hair glowed.
“For such a tomboy, you’re good at this,” Kalin said.
“Don’t tell anyone. It’s not the image I want to portray.” Nora held out the wedding dress for her.
Kalin dropped her towel and took the gown. She ignored Nora’s glance at the scar on her shoulder. She held the satin against her cheek and closed her eyes for a moment. She slipped into the dress, then her shoes. Nora zipped the back and tied a bow.
“Ready?” Nora asked.
Kalin nodded.
Nora opened the door, and Kalin stepped through.
Ben stood beside Cindy Tober.
“I’m the best man,” Cindy said. “We thought Jason would have wanted me to be here in his place.”
“I think so too.” Kalin could almost feel Jason’s presence with them but refused to be sad. She turned her eyes to Ben. He wore the dark blue suit he’d bought for their wedding, and elegant was an understatement. Chica sat at his feet, wearing a large red bow around her neck.
Ben pointed to the wall beside Kalin and grinned. Roses were strung along the handle bars of a new road bike. Kalin was painted on the blue frame. It wa
s the most romantic gesture he could have made, and she could barely breathe.
She didn’t think it could get better, then a woman stepped from the shadows. “Hello, darling,” her mom said.
She glanced at Ben in surprise.
“I thought you’d want her to be here,” Ben said.
A lump formed in Kalin’s throat, and even though Nora had warned her about messy makeup, she let tears drop. She couldn’t speak. She touched her mom’s cheek. Her mom had her hair pulled off her face with her grey streak swooped to one side. Her silk dress flowed around her. She wore a corsage and her favorite pearl necklace. Kalin recovered and pulled her mom into a hug, unaware of squishing the corsage, not caring about wrinkling her own dress, and savored the moment. Next she hugged her step-dad.
Ben had one more surprise for Kalin. Her estranged brother, Roy, tentatively stepped into the room as if he was unsure of the welcome he would receive.
A sob burst from Kalin’s throat. A moment ago, she’d thought she couldn’t get any happier. “Hey.”
“Is it okay I’m here?” Roy asked.
Kalin grabbed him by his arms and pulled him close. She whispered in his ear, “I couldn’t be happier. Am I forgiven?”
“Too much time has gone by. The past needs to be left in the past.”
When Kalin composed herself, Ben introduced her to the Justice of the Peace. Kalin hadn’t met him but recognized him as one of the local skiers. He smiled at her over a set of reading glasses and shook her hand.
Nora dabbed Kalin’s cheeks with a tissue, handed her Ben’s wedding ring and nudged her forward.
The fire had ruined Kalin’s original wedding day, traumatized Ben and taken Ethan’s aunt away from Nora. Yet there they were. They’d survived.
Kalin stood beside her soon-to-be husband and held his hand.
~ * ~
If you enjoyed this book, please consider writing a short review and posting it on your favorite review site. Reviews are very helpful to other readers and are greatly appreciated by authors, especially me. When you post a review, drop me an email and let me know and I may feature part of it on my blog/site. Thank you.
Kristina
KMStanleyWriter@gmail.com
Message from the Author
Dear Reader,
The Stone Mountain Series exists because I moved away from my home in the mountains of British Columbia, and I missed her terribly. I left for an exciting adventure on the seas, and my past life of living in a ski resort became my muse.
I was the director of a security at a ski resort, the best job of my life, but the stories and people in DESCENT and BLAZE come from my imagination.
Stone Mountain and Holden do not exist on the British Columbian map. I made them up. For those of you from the area, you may see the resemblance to Panorama and Invermere. I love the area and wanted to write about it, but didn’t want to be restricted by an actual place. My imagination needed more freedom to get the story out.
If you’d like to connect, send me tweet @StanleyKMS telling my you’ve read BLAZE, and I’ll follow you back. I can also be found at http:\www.KristinaStanley.com.
The next book in the series is AVALANCHE. And you guessed it…It’s about an avalanche causing terror and grief. But who started the avalanche?
With all my heart, I thank you for reading BLAZE.
Kristina Stanley
Novels by Kristina Stanley
Descent
Blaze
About the Author
Kristina Stanley is the author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series. Her books have garnered the attention of prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers of Canada nominated her first novel for the Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’ Association nominated her second novel for the Debut Dagger. She is published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.
Before writing her series, Kristina was the director of security, human resources and guest services at a resort in the depths of the British Columbian mountains. The job and lifestyle captured her heart, and she decided to write mysteries about life in an isolated resort. While writing the first four novels, she spent five years living aboard a sailboat in the US and the Bahamas.
Find out more about her at www.KristinaStanley.com.
IMAJIN BOOKS™
Quality fiction beyond your wildest dreams
For your next eBook or paperback purchase, please visit:
www.imajinbooks.com
www.imajinbooks.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/imajinbooks
www.facebook.com/imajinbooks
IMAJIN QWICKIES™
www.ImajinQwickies.com