Fire Storm

by Marlow Kelly

  “Any idea where she went?”

  “There’s a bar two blocks over. I’d start there.”

  They walked the two blocks in silence until they saw a sign over a large oak door that read Moose Call Saloon. The smell of stale beer hit them before they opened the doors. The interior was just one small windowless room with a dark wooden bar that ran along one wall. The floor was covered in a carpet so filthy it stuck to the soles of their shoes as they walked.

  Eva sat at the end of the bar flirting with a large, sweaty man. He wore a light gray suit, white shirt, and red tie. Eva unfastened the man’s tie and tugged it slowly, seductively from his neck. Then she knocked back a shooter of amber-colored liquor.

  Tim tapped her on the shoulder. “It’s time to go.”

  “I’m not leaving,” she said over her shoulder and then turned back to the man in the suit.

  “I promised your uncle I’d get you home safe,” Dana added.

  Eva glanced at her. “Look at you, miss shit-hot police woman. You think you’re so cool because he”—she nodded her head toward Tim—“looks at you like he’d like to eat you.”

  Dana didn’t react to Eva’s words. She wanted to believe Tim was as attracted to her as she was to him, but that was something she would explore later.

  Tim moved the shot glass out of her reach. “I think you’ve had enough to drink.”

  “No, I haven’t had nearly enough,” Eva slurred.

  Tim pinched the bridge of his nose and then said. “Frank’s only been dead—”

  “Why the hell should you care how long he’s been dead?”

  “He was my friend.”

  “Friend? He was a lying, cheating asshole. That’s what he was. Do you know what he did? Do you?” She slid off her stool and poked Tim in the chest. “He stole that stop sign up on the ridge and blamed you. Then he persuaded you to run away so you’d look guilty.”

  Dana gasped. Frank Bryant had killed beautiful, vivacious Aunt Alice, and Tim had suffered for a crime he didn’t commit. He’d been wrongly accused. His life and future had been destroyed, and all along he’d been innocent, blameless.

  Tim’s face paled. His whole body stiffened. “Frank stole the stop sign? Were you with him?”

  Eva smirked. “What do you—”

  “Were you with him?” Tim roared as he grabbed Eva by the shoulders.

  “Yes,” she spat and then smiled. She seemed to enjoy hurting him.

  Dana touched his shoulder, in part to offer support, and in part to remind him to show restraint. As much as she wanted to arrest Eva for manslaughter, protecting Tim from his own reaction was her top priority. She didn’t want him to do something stupid and end up in jail.

  He glanced at her. His face was rigid, except for his jaw, which twitched. High spots of color appeared on his cheeks. It seemed to take a supreme effort for him to release his grip on Eva. He fisted his hands by his side. His muscles coiled so tight he trembled, probably from the effort to suppress his response.

  “You ruined my life,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

  Dana tugged his elbow, trying to pull him away.

  Instead, he stepped closer, forcing Eva to back up until she was pinned against the bar. “I lived on the street. I was hungry.” The muscle in his jaw twitched again.

  Dana didn’t like this. It would be easy for the situation to spin out of control. She yanked his arm again. “Eva has admitted she was involved in manslaughter. Let me deal with it.”

  Eva gasped. She finally seemed to realize she’d confessed her guilt in front of a witness, who was also a cop.

  He glared at Eva for what seemed like an hour but was probably only a minute. Finally, he stepped back, his movements forced, contained. He turned, not making eye contact with Dana and marched out of the bar.

  ****

  Tim was stunned. Frank and Eva had killed Alice Hayden, lied about it, and then used him as a scapegoat. And worse, Frank had pretended to be his friend and kept in touch.

  He didn’t know how he found his way to Dana’s truck. Maybe she guided him.

  She was quiet on the road back to Hopefalls, which was just as well because he was too angry to talk. It was lucky Frank was already dead because Tim would have beaten the crap out of him if he were alive.

  There was some relief mixed in with all the anger. Frank and Eva had caused Alice Hayden’s death. “Tell me you heard that?”

  Dana frowned. “Heard what?”

  His breathing hitched in a moment of panic. “You heard Eva say—”

  “She and Frank stole the stop sign. I told you in the bar I heard it. Eva’s a nasty piece of work. I can only think she and Frank must’ve been well suited for each other.”

  “So I have a witness?”

  “I told you that, too.” She smiled and placed her hand over his. “You have a witness.”

  They pulled up next to his truck at the diner. It was early evening. The sun, sinking behind the mountains to the west, cast gold and pink rays across the sky.

  Tim opened the door before she came to a complete stop. He wanted to call Finn and get some advice on how to deal with this. But more importantly, he needed some time alone to absorb this news, away from Dana’s astute gaze.

  She scrambled to follow him. Tim climbed into his Ford as she caught up. She placed her body between the truck and the door so he couldn’t close it. “Let me deal with this. I’ll start legal proceedings against Eva.”

  “Eva is Booley’s niece. She will never be charged.”

  “Tell me something, how did Booley get involved with this case in the first place? The ridge is the other side of your land in Elkhead County.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “It comes under the jurisdiction of the Granite City-Elkhead County Police Department. Booley should never have been involved in the investigation.”

  He stood, pressing her against the open door. “You really are something.” He bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers.

  She opened her soft lips with a sigh.

  That was his undoing. He’d kissed her on impulse. His attraction to her had gnawed at the back of his mind since yesterday, but she was off limits, a cop, and Alice Hayden’s niece. Now he was free, free of the insinuation of guilt and the repercussions that went with it. He could indulge. He wrapped his arms around her slim, toned body, drawing her closer. Her small breasts touched his chest. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, feeling, probing, tasting, deepening their kiss.

  She responded, wrapping a leg around his hips so his erection was pressed against the apex of her thighs.

  A frisson of pleasure coursed through him. He reached under her shirt to caress the bare skin of her back. She groaned into his mouth.

  He wanted her, wanted her naked beneath him while he moved within her warm moist flesh.

  She tensed, going rigid, and wrenched herself away.

  His arms fell to his side. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Didn’t mean to what? He’d meant to kiss her. She was smart, sexy-as-hell, and direct, plus he loved the way she subconsciously tugged at her hair.

  “No, it’s not that.” She glanced around, biting her lip, seeming self-conscious. “I-I don’t want to get carried away…here.” She pointed to the ground.

  They were in the diner parking lot, acting like a couple of teenagers. There would be a right time and place for them, but this wasn’t it. He rubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin. “Point taken.”

  She smiled. “Tim Morgan, you sure know how to show a woman an interesting time.”

  He climbed in, tugged his seatbelt across his chest, snapping it in place, and then started his truck. “Interesting is a good word for it.”

  She didn’t step out of the way so he could close the door. Instead, she moved closer, her hand stroking his knee. “I need you to promise me something.”

  “What?” He liked that she continued to touch him. It meant he hadn’t overstepped.

  “Go straight home and
don’t return to Hopefalls until you hear from me.” Her gray eyes were serious, intent.

  “Why?”

  “I need to confront Booley. After that, I’m going to present my case to the mayor. I also want to get some advice from Montana’s Attorney General’s Office.” She ran her fingers through her hair, making the shorter strands stand on end.

  He wasn’t sure if it was a sign of frustration or if she was thinking.

  She headed to the driver’s side of her truck, raising her voice so he could still hear her. “I need to get this out in the open. And I want to do it tonight before Eva has a chance to convince everyone we’re lying.”

  He sat in his truck, watching her drive down the block to the Hopefalls Police Station. After being labeled a killer for so long, it was hard to believe the facts would come out and everything would change. Even if Eva recanted her story and they could never prove the truth, it was good to know that for a brief moment, Dana believed in him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Dana pulled up to the police station. She planned to talk with Xavier and apprise him of the situation. Then she would call the Attorney General’s office. It was Sunday evening and doubted anyone would be available, but she would leave a message, start the paperwork, and send an email.

  Her phone rang. Xavier’s number appeared on the screen. She answered on the first ring. Without waiting for him to talk, she said, “You’ll never believe what happened.”

  “Y-you need to get to the town hall.” Xavier’s voice shook.

  Dana was instantly alert. “Why, what’s going on?”

  “Booley has called an emergency town meeting. He and the mayor have been working themselves into a lather all day. He wants to arrest Tim Morgan. I don’t mind arresting a guilty man and bringing him to justice, but I don’t think that’s what Booley has in mind.”

  “Come on, Xavier, when was the last time you heard of a lynch mob?” There had to be some kind of mistake. Booley hated Tim but executing him in an act of mob violence was extreme.

  “I grew up in New York. I’ve seen things like this get out of control. I need you to back me up.” The young officer’s voice was clipped and urgent.

  “I’m next door.” She climbed out of her truck. “And on my way.” She clicked off the phone and started running. Thank God, Tim had gone home. With any luck, she could diffuse the situation before things got out of hand.

  Xavier stood at the door, his hand on his gun, fear in his young eyes. The town hall was a simple affair, just one large room. A plain white podium stood at the far end opposite the door. The rest of the space was filled with stackable chairs. Now most of the seats were scattered and turned on their sides. The room was packed, the noise of angry voices deafening.

  Mrs. Anderson stood nose to nose with Booley, both of them screaming at the top of their lungs. Zoe Harris shrieked at a tall, slim man in a knit hat who looked familiar. He could be one of the protesters. Joe Freeman, the postmaster, stood with his arms crossed, scowling at Booley. And Paul Harris, the mayor, stood on the podium, watching the proceedings. Not once did he bang his gavel to ask for silence.

  Shelly approached Dana. “Stop this.”

  Dana didn’t try to yell over the noise. Instead she dragged a chair to the center of the room and stood on it, waiting for everyone to quiet down.

  Finally, they all stopped to stare at her.

  “What the hell is going on here?” She spoke to the room, but stared directly at Booley, waiting for him to answer.

  He cleared his throat. “A group of us are going to drive to Wind Valley Ranch. It’s time we dealt with Tim Morgan.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Mrs. Anderson snapped.

  The room erupted again.

  “Enough,” Dana roared. One of the advantages of being big and strong was that she was also loud.

  She waited until everyone was still, and then she said, “Booley, if you try to do this, I will arrest you and make sure you are charged to the full extent of the law. I will also charge anyone who aids you.”

  “It’s time he got his comeuppance. I’d have thought you’d want to join us, considering he killed your aunt.”

  A hum of agreement resonated around the room.

  “What about Eva? Are you going to arrest her?” The question came out of the blue, but Dana wanted to blindside him and see how much he knew.

  “She hasn’t done anything…” Booley looked at the ground and then back at Dana. “Zoe said he took her—”

  “I told you he took her to grief counseling at St. Mark’s church. You can check with Father Meade if you don’t believe me.” She made sure her words were clear so everyone could hear.

  “Oh.” Booley’s face reddened.

  “He left her there and went to see his father, Jack.”

  Booley grunted at the mention of Jack’s name.

  “He’s a good son,” Mrs. Anderson announced with a nod.

  Dana jumped down from the chair and strode over to the police chief. They were about the same height. She straightened her spine and squared her shoulders, making herself as tall and imposing as possible. It was time to confront him about what really happened nineteen years ago. “Are you going to arrest Eva for manslaughter?”

  “What—”

  She poked his chest. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

  He paled and backed up a step. “I didn’t—”

  She poked him again, wishing she could drive her fist into his misogynistic, corrupt face. “How could you not know? And the fact you haven’t asked what I’m talking about speaks volumes.”

  He shook his head. “They were just kids. It was meant to be a harmless prank.”

  Dana gasped. She hadn’t thought she would get him to admit his collusion so easily. She seized the opportunity to set the record straight. She turned to the residents, who seemed mesmerized by the exchange. “Today Eva Bryant admitted, in front of me, that on the night of Alice Hayden’s death, Frank and Eva Bryant stole a stop sign from Wind Valley Ridge. Then Frank Bryant convinced Tim Morgan the police were about to arrest him and persuaded him to run away. Chief Booley has just admitted, in front of all of you, that he knew Tim Morgan was innocent.”

  Booley’s eyes narrowed into two hate-filled slits. “He was never innocent. He was sleeping with all the girls, leading them astray. We were better off without him.”

  Dana stepped closer, invading his personal space, forcing him to back up. “There has to be more to it than that. I find it hard to believe you would destroy a family and ruin a kid’s life because he slept with a few girls.”

  Mrs. Anderson came at them from the side, forcing her way into their conflict. “You’re right.” She pointed to Booley. “He was always besotted with Jack’s wife, Georgina, but she was never interested. She loved Jack and that was that.”

  That explained everything. Booley hadn’t just been protecting his niece; he’d used the circumstances to punish the woman who’d rejected him.

  Dana strode to Mayor Harris who stood unmoving on the podium. “Are you going to fire Police Chief Levi Booley?”

  The mayor blinked. His mouth hung open, seemingly stunned by the turn of events. “I need to look into this matter. Chief Booley has served this community for thirty years. He deserves the benefit of the doubt.”

  Dana couldn’t believe her ears. “Doubt? There is no doubt. He just admitted to a miscarriage of justice.” She looked around the room. She estimated there were at least twenty people present. She recognized most of the faces, the mayor’s wife, Joe Freeman from the post office, Jeff Spencer who owned the gas station. Then there was Mrs. Anderson, a woman who Dana had obviously misjudged.

  She bounced back onto her chair in the middle of the room. “You all heard him. What if Tim Morgan was your son? How would you feel then? I’m calling Montana’s Attorney General tomorrow about the chief’s conduct. Then I’ll call the Granite City-Elkhead County police—”

  “Why call them?” Joe Freeman asked.
<
br />   “Because Aunt Alice died on the ridge, and that’s in Elkhead County. This case comes under the jurisdiction of the Granite City-Elkhead County Police Department. Booley should never have been a part of the investigation.”

  “Good luck with that, missy. It’ll be your word against mine,” Booley spat.

  Dana sucked in a breath. “Until this moment, I was proud to be a police officer. I serve and protect the community. I bring criminals to justice, and when investigating a case, I follow the evidence. I don’t frame the innocent. I obey the law. I don’t make it up. I don’t lie and manipulate public opinion to protect my family. And I most certainly don’t whip people into a frenzy. What were you going to do, kill him?”

  “I’m still the police chief until the mayor fires me.” Booley gave her a cold smile.

  “Yes, you are, but I quit. She unclipped her badge, jumped off the chair, and thrust it at Booley. Justice was not just a word to her or an ideological argument. It was at the core of her being. The impartiality, honesty, and fairness her position represented mattered. If her badge didn’t stand for that, she didn’t want it.

  The chief’s mouth curved into a sneer. “I want your gun, too.”

  She pulled her SIG Sauer from her holster and clicked the button that released the magazine, allowing it to slide free of the frame. She racked the slide back to eject the cartridge and then checked the barrel to ensure it was empty. She threw it on the floor at his feet.

  Booley didn’t bend to pick up the weapon but stared at her instead. Every muscle, every sinew was coiled tight ready to spring. An intelligent woman would back away, but at this moment she was more angry than smart. This man had destroyed a family because a woman had rejected him. He had perverted justice to satisfy his own need for revenge and to protect Eva. She didn’t know if he would pay for his crimes, but she could, at least, tell the people of Hopefalls what he’d done. “Do you know what you did to him?”

  “Who?”

  “Tim Morgan. Do you know where he went when he ran away?”

  Booley shrugged as if it were unimportant.

  “He lived on the streets of Granite City. He was hungry and cold. Think of how it must’ve been in winter. When you were tucked up in your bed, he was sleeping in doorways. All because you”—she pointed to Booley—“needed someone to blame.”