Black Creek Burning (The Black Creek Series, Book 1)

by R. T. Wolfe

  A single tear spilled down Brie's face. Nathan assumed the story must have felt familiar.

  He brushed the side of his boot against her sneaker. They traded happier stories about family before he decided to change the subject altogether. "You must have run track."

  "I was tired of being the fat kid no one wanted to date."

  He left his eyes closed but lifted the corners of his mouth. "There was enough of a variety in your anonymous pictures."

  "I told you the photos might not sit well with you." She pulled on her ear. "You must have been one of the jocks."

  "Nope. My brother and I worked for my dad. It was all about the money back then. The jocks impressed the girls, but I had the funds to take them out. And the chick magnet car, of course."

  "And now you drive a pickup."

  "Mmm hmm. I have a car in storage with the rest of my furniture."

  "A chick magnet car?"

  "Saab 9000 Turbo. Black. Leather interior. I miss her."

  * * *

  The next morning, Brie lost herself in rolls of sod, while dodging sprinklers. Pallets of brick edgers were coming, and she wanted to finish with the sod before they arrived. She cut each piece carefully to fit next to the orange lines she had sprayed in the smooth soil, marking where the edgers would be placed.

  She fit the rolls on pre-dampened soil tightly next to each other, making sure the seams buckled slightly to give room for shrinkage. A myriad of hoses, hose splitters, sprinklers and timers made Nathan's yard look like a well-organized road map. The sprinklers were set to soak the new grass in regular intervals without neglecting any corners.

  She glanced up when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Nathan walked with Andy on his shoulders and Duncan at his side. Over their shoulders were chairs, a tackle box and fishing poles. She stood as they walked toward her.

  "Come fishing with us, Miss Chapman. We are really good fishers." Andy balanced his fishing pole in one arm and his chair in the other.

  "Next time, guys. The boss is a bear around here."

  "That's okay," Nathan interjected. "Now we can make man noises and smoke cigars." He winked at her as they walked toward the lake.

  "Coooool." Andy rode on Nathan's shoulders with his feet tucked under his arms.

  Brie was glad she'd worked the yard front to back. She was close enough to hear the three of them talking and felt only a tiny bit guilty for eavesdropping. Andy didn't want to lace the worm on his hook. Duncan had his line out before any of them. Nathan tried to explain to Andy how the bobber worked.

  Brie butted sod up next to the corner she planned for a wall of ornamental grasses. She wanted a frothy green to give a backdrop of solid color that would allow the effect of the flowers to show more brilliantly. Unrolling and cutting, she adjusted the sod, imagining a cluster of tall purple cone flowers behind bushes of knee-high Early Sunrise coreopsis. There would be variety without looking like a botanical garden. The corners would be crowned with autumn joy sedums for fall blooming.

  When she heard Andy yell excitedly, "Dad, I've a big one!" she turned her head to watch the fun.

  Except it wasn't Andy. Duncan held onto his awkwardly bent pole as he obviously realized he'd addressed Nathan as his dad. He jerked his head to look at Brie. Nathan stood composed with his thumbs in his pockets, but with eyes shut. Brie and Duncan stared for only a fraction of a second in silent understanding before Duncan continued.

  "Get the net, Dad," he addressed Nathan again. "We're eating this one."

  And they did. They ate together using Brie's kitchen. In real chairs. At a real table. Brie silently decided this would turn into an evening habit until Nathan's kitchen was finished. She thought of how long it had been since she'd cooked. She liked to cook, was actually good at it, but living alone left her rushing out often with a yogurt in one hand and her keys in the other.

  No, she corrected her thoughts. Nathan was right. She'd avoided anything that took extra time in the house that once belonged to her parents. She decided to work to change that.

  "You coming back from that daydream anytime soon?" Nathan tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear as he sat down with drinks for the kids.

  Blinking a few times, she sat. "It smells delicious. Let's eat."

  After their late meal of breaded catfish and garlic bread, compliments of Mackenzie, Brie sat in a tiny red chair next to Andy's bed, reading him a story about bears and moons.

  "What will she look like?"

  Brie sighed with frustration that their first substitute teacher couldn't handle the job. Or didn't want to. "She's about your grandma's age and is very nice. I think she'll do a great job as a sub and that you will like her."

  Andy nodded politely. "Will you be here before I leave?"

  "I'll make sure of it."

  He nodded again. "Will you make me lunch?"

  Now she laughed. "Lunch? Why?"

  "It's cheeseburger day tomorrow and the cheeseburgers are gross. Dad is just going to tell me to choose the peanut butter and jelly instead, but it's gross, too."

  "I'll see what I can come up with. Go to sleep." She pulled up his covers and kissed the top of his head. She tried to keep her deep frustration of her suspension hidden, but suspected Andy could sense her reservations as they discussed her newest replacement. Her expression remained tight as she turned out his light.

  She walked out and shut Andy's door gently just as Nathan shut Duncan's. They stood there awkwardly. The scene felt so right, it unnerved her. Quietly, they walked down the stairs together and out the front door to her car. After a few comfortable minutes laughing about worms and the look on Andy's face when he tried the catfish, she headed to Liz's for the night.

  * * *

  Detective Tanner and Officer Dave Nolan stood before the case board first thing Monday morning. Over the smell of strong coffee, they went over open files and their plan for the day. Tanner was a big man with skin the color of coffee. Not in shape like Dave, just large. It was easy to tell Tanner had been off beat patrol for several years, but he was still efficient, meticulous and brilliant. When they reached the Chapman section, Tanner opened the floor to Dave.

  "What've you got?"

  Chapter 22

  "Finley is still missing. Looks like she cashed in her savings and disappeared," Dave said. "Didn't cancel her accounts though, and kept some in checking. We're watching for credit card activity, but so far nothing. I've got someone checking out-of-town transportation after the date of the lockdown, but she's come up empty so far. The old boyfriend has been seen driving by at least two times and was said to have grabbed her during a party on New Year's Eve."

  Dave tapped at a picture of Susie. "Susie Phillips. Works in Chapman's building. Started the year before she did." He sat a hip on the edge of the desk, flipping through his notes. "Possible motive? Brie was offered the administration position Phillips applied for. Twice it looks like, and Brie turned down both offers. Hardly a reason to burn someone's house down."

  "Stranger things have happened," Tanner interjected. Make sure you approach that one as someone who could help Brie. Don't let on that she's a person of interest."

  Tanner looked at the pictures as he spoke. "The case is just as frustrating now as it was six years ago. No forced entry. No prints. Precise backdraft. No activity post arson until recently. It feels as much of a loss now as it did then. Is that all?"

  "No, there's Elizabeth Whittier. She was Chapman's teacher when Brie went to school there. Got a hold of the photos meant for the Board of Education and pinned them up in their workroom. Says she found them in her office box."

  Tanner wrote on the board and in his file as he continued. "Neighbors?"

  "Lucy Melbourne is the only one known to have been home during each incident."

  "She's the one who made the 911 call six years ago."

  "Yes, and she's also always home. So, not much help there," Dave said.

  "Okay. Get the ex-boyfriend in here. Let's see what
he's got to say. Shake that one up. See what happens when someone pushes his buttons. And line up interviews with the staff who was at the school six years ago. Looks like a short list there. Oh, and call the vet to find out the drug used on the dog. I want to know how easy it would be to get it and in that amount."

  Dave finished writing down Tanner's instructions, flipped his notebook closed and started to walk to his office.

  "Nolan."

  "Yeah?"

  "I want this one wrapped up. Whatever you need. Keep me posted."

  * * *

  Brie had already taken the dogs for a run. She was able to get Macey to stay at her left and Goldie at her right now, no matter the speed or terrain. Training dogs was one of her most treasured parts of life. She'd showered in one of Nathan's guest showers that morning and didn't kick his gorgeous cabinet when she realized she'd forgotten her brush at Liz's.

  The three males in the morning were a sight to see. Socks that didn't match, bed-head hair and favorite hats that had gone missing. She had to admit that they'd found a comfortable system and it warmed her heart.

  She noticed that Nathan had taken her advice and laid out backpacks and clothes the night before. Andy gave Nathan throat-choking hugs and Duncan one-armed chest bumps. The boys walked to the bus stop and Nathan to his garage. Brie sensed he wanted to give them some growing up room while still keeping an eye on them.

  It was no accident that he waited to put on his headphones until after the bus arrived. That morning he said he was working on installing the slides to the kitchen drawers. She brought the dogs with her to say goodbye to the boys.

  Andy bent down and rubbed cheeks with Goldie as his lips moved a mile a minute. Duncan spoke of the new friends who'd asked him for drawing lessons during recess.

  When the boys spotted her brown, paper lunch bags, they stood straight and turned their backs to the house. She slipped a bag to each of them, then glanced over her shoulder. Nathan revved his drill and was concentrating on his work.

  After waving goodbye through the high windows, Brie headed to his garage before going to get her mail and newspaper. She knew Nathan would think of some excuse to come with her.

  He picked up the steaming mug that sat at the end of his workbench and took a sip as she noticed he had another. She could get used to this routine and this man. And she was getting all too used to him escorting her to her own home. This time, he assured her it was time to do a thorough walk-through.

  It had actually been a long time since she felt this good about coming into her own home.

  * * *

  Nathan stood in his work jeans, looking in Brie's fridge. "You have nothing in here."

  "I haven't been living here, remember?" She walked over to look out the glass of the doors. "There's no rain in the forecast. We've been without a nor'easter all spring. I'm going to focus on finishing the edging and your pond and put off the plants for a rainy week." She turned to face him. "What do you think about a patio?"

  "Come away with me for the weekend."

  "Away? Where? Are you serious?"

  He took her face in his rough hands. "Yes, away. Camping. Very serious."

  She shuttered. "I have work to do."

  He pulled back and curled one side of his mouth. "All you've done is work for weeks. And there's no rain coming for your... for my plants."

  "This weekend?"

  "Yep." Nathan meandered over and searched the empty cabinets. "My folks think the weather looks good for Niagara Falls and the kids have Friday off. I think Dave is taking Amanda and Rose to Florida."

  Brie tried to pinpoint the moment from last December when her life turned upside down and realized she didn't care. "Yes. Yes, I'll do it. Wow. I have a lot to get done before then." She headed upstairs to pick up an extra brush before getting started. Pausing, she thought and turned back, kissing him long and hard.

  * * *

  Standing with knees locked, Brie stood in the dry, chilly air judging the look of the curved edging. The earthy red color blended with the slate gray of the house. Each brick lay on a layer of sand to prevent movement. They were evenly buried so two inches remained exposed and lined nicely with the tops of the new grass. There was plenty of room for the river rock.

  Slowly, she rotated while resting her hands on her hips. She'd used an assortment of fitted, limestone and granite rocks of all different shades for the three tiered spots, the two back corners of the property and the northwest corner of the house. The short, staggered walls were easy to stack once she used sand, string and a level to lay the first layer flat. The areas still needed to be filled with black soil before she could start on the fishless pond and trickling waterfall.

  She looked forward to each day working in the fresh air and each night spent with Nathan and his kids. As her mind wandered, she looked at the space for the deck, the empty tiered corners and back again. She made a decision and picked up her shovel.

  The tile guy finished the grout in the kitchen. Intricate and complicated patterns framed the base cabinets and the imaginary kitchen island Nathan had drawn on the kitchen floor. He chose several colors of tile, all that would enhance the cherry color of the kitchen cabinets. He let him finish in peace and walked around to his backyard and found Brie neatly digging up some of the sod she'd laid just the week before.

  "What are you doing?" Nathan asked.

  Brie didn't stop or look up, but he could see her smile as she slid her shovel under the green, loosening it from the soil. "Patio."

  "Really? It's so big."

  She pulled up heavy squares of wet sod and tossed them in her wheelbarrow. "Round will accent the radius of the edging, but it's not too late to change if you would rather have a different shape. I know you've worked mostly with straight lines inside." They looked mutually at the red brick that curved the entire length around the house before Brie finished filling the wheelbarrow with clumps of grass.

  "No. Don't change it. Your thing, remember?"

  * * *

  Nathan moved his weights and the mattress he'd been using for the past several months into Andy's room. The boys' rooms were the only two that wouldn't need stain and finish the following day. He stopped to look out his window and check on them.

  Brie had them walking on the patches of exposed Black Creek soil with their sneakers. She would point, turn over a submerged rock and then pick up what looked to him to be a wiggling crawfish. Explaining animatedly, she then put it down and Duncan grabbed at it. He held on and cheered as he held it out at arm's length.

  Nathan leaned against the window frame as Andy took a turn. Brie pointed. Andy turned over a dirty rock. It took him several tries of reaching in, pulling his hand back and reaching in again before he gathered enough courage to grab at the pinching creature. Brie and Duncan applauded as Andy held up his prize for a split second before tossing it back in the water.

  * * *

  "I brought you something for your trip." Brie sat at the desk chair in Duncan's room as Andy brushed his teeth for the night. She pulled out a compact, collapsible tripod.

  "Uh. Thanks." He scrunched his brows. "What is it?"

  "It's an easel that folds up and will fit in your case. I thought you might want to start a sketching of the falls this weekend."

  "Cool," he said. "Thanks." After trying it out, Duncan lifted his drawing case, opened it and slid the easel easily along the side next to his colored pencils. "Will you be here in the morning?"

  "Sure." She sat next to him and covered him up. "Andy tells me lunch is way gross. I'll bring you something."

  "Dad says no one can walk on the floors for a while and it will smell bad, too," Andy interjected as he walked in the room. "He says you guys are going away. Are you dad's girlfriend?"

  Duncan rolled his eyes and as soon as Andy climbed in, pushed on the side of his little brother's head.

  Brie took a deep breath. "Yes. I suppose I am. Go to sleep." She covered them up and kissed the tops of their heads. "I packed an instant c
amera in your bag, Andy. Your job is to use all of the pictures. I'll be back in the morning and see you off before you catch the bus."

  She found Nathan folding up the card table and hauling it and the chairs to the garage. He stopped when he saw her, grabbed his half-empty bottle of beer and walked with her to her pickup.

  Before opening her door, she paused and turned, noticing him watching her. "You're staring at me."

  Self-consciously, she reached up to tuck a few stray hairs out of her face. He stepped closer, causing her to lean back against her door. He placed the fingers from one of his calloused hands on the side of her neck, then brushed his thumb across her lips.

  "You're stunning." His other hand trailed up her arm to just above her elbow. "I should tell you I'm going to take advantage of you this weekend." He ran his thumb along the line of her jaw.

  The corners of her mouth turned and she rested a hand on the center of his chest. She thought of how he so often managed to blanket her with calm.

  He pressed his forehead to hers. "I should also tell you I'm in love with you."

  In a knee-jerk reaction, she used the hand on his chest to push him. "Oh, boy," she said out loud and started pacing back and forth in a small line in front of him. "Let me think, let me think." The palms of her hands pressed absently on her temples.

  Nathan turned and leaned against the side of her truck, sticking his legs out and casually placing a thumb in one of his pockets. She could see his brow lift as she paced.

  "You see." She moved her hands to the backs of her hips but kept pacing. "I really like you—"

  "This isn't high school, Brie," he said. "I don't need the same."

  "But everything is so good now. You'll jinx it. We'll be going along just fine and then you'll think I'm too detached, and—"

  He grabbed an arm and pulled her up against him, using his other hand to place a finger on her lips. He inclined her weight along the length of his. "Let go, Brianna."