by Lily White
Finally, I understood what they were attempting to imply. “Wait … are you trying to say that I set the fire at my house? Why in the hell would I do something like that?” Anger raged through my veins and my hands clenched into fists to a point where my fingernails dug into my skin.
“Ms. Cleary, calm down. If you’ve made a mistake that you would like to admit, you need to do so at this time. Cooperating will be in your best interests.”
“I didn’t set fire to my house!” I screamed at Detective Marx, standing up from my chair, placing my hands on the desk and staring down at him like I was about to jump over the surface to beat his head against a wall. I had just lost everything I owned and they wanted to accuse me of having caused it? I was absolutely enraged.
“You need to sit back down, Ms. Cleary.” His voice was calm and assured, but I could see the light flex of his muscles beneath his shirt. He was readying himself to force me to my chair if need be.
Regaining my composure, I huffed out an indignant breath and sat down in my seat. “I’m sorry, Detective, but the idea that I had anything to do with the fire is absolutely ridiculous. I was sleeping! I could have been killed …”
“But you weren’t, Ms. Cleary. You somehow managed to escape a dangerous inferno without so much as a burn to your skin or smoke in your lungs. I find that to be extraordinary. In addition to that, we received a phone call which gave me a motive – a motive I can only affix to you.”
“What?!”
“I’d calm down if I were you, ma’am. This is a very serious situation and it would be best for you to answer our questions while keeping yourself under emotional control.” Mr. Hilton’s voice boomed out and I was startled to hear the anger in his tone. “Setting a fire such as that could have caused damage to other homes. It could have killed the families that were sleeping in those homes if the wind had picked up to spread the flames. I happen to find it very interesting that on the rare night that there was no rain in this town, your home happened to catch fire. I knew from the burn patterns that it wasn’t electrical and that it was intentionally set. When Detective Marx contacted me while I was analyzing the scene, he explained what he found. After receiving that information, I examined the debris closer and found what appeared to be the remains of plastic gas cans in your garage. They match the cans in the photos, Ms. Cleary. What do you have to say about that?”
There were no words. My level of comprehension had fallen into my feet and a myriad of emotions coursed through my brain. The only response I could give them was the slight shake of my head as I struggled to determine what the hell was going on.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Cleary, we aren’t attempting to interrogate you, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to turn yourself in before I have to apply for an arrest warrant. Between the photos and the phone call, it’s becoming clear that this was an intentional fire set for financial gain.”
Tears welled in my eyes and I couldn’t keep them from slipping down my cheeks. “I didn’t set my house on fire.” My voice was shaking and I attempted to hold back the sobs that were forcing themselves from my chest.
Detective Marx’ expression grew sympathetic when he explained, “I understand that’s the story you would like for us to believe, however we were told that you were under financial duress at the time of the fire, that you lived essentially from paycheck to paycheck. We were told that you set the fire in order to collect the insurance on the home.”
“Who told you that?”
“It was the call we received, Ms. Cleary.” The grey eyes that I’d previously found so comforting were now looking into me like he could read my every thought. “The caller didn’t identify themselves and they were somehow able to block their number from being recorded. I’m not even sure that the voice wasn’t disguised, but the point is that the combination of that phone call and the photos lands you in a tight situation. I’d like to handle this without the need for humiliating you publicly.”
A humorless laugh tore from my mouth. “And how exactly would my turning myself in keep me from being humiliated?”
He raised his voice in response to my question. “Because if I have to apply for a warrant, the evidence we have against you will eventually be made public record. Additionally, the media will be all over it as soon as they catch wind of the fact that we are arresting you. I would hate to have to cuff you in front of cameras.”
I was beside myself, unable to register what was happening and floating off into some reality that wasn’t my own. There was no conceivable reason for what I was being told. It was as if all sense had been stripped from the minds of the two men in the room and I was left with crosshairs pointing directly at me. The only thing I could think to do was refuse to surrender, refuse to admit to something that was absolutely not true.
“No. I’m not going to turn myself in. I didn’t start the fire. I didn’t need the insurance money and there is no way in hell I’m going to sit around and allow this to happen.”
Detective Marx shook his head in disbelief as Mr. Hilton blew out a frustrated sigh. Those grey eyes darkened more and the features of his face tightened when he finally released me. “You’re free to go for now, Ms. Clearly. We have nothing left to say at the moment. I want you to remember that I gave you the opportunity to go about this with as little chaos as possible. What happens from this point on is a result of your decision.”
I couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. After running down the hall and crashing through the double doors into the lobby, I turned to see the officer at the reception desk smirk to see me leaving.
“You should have just admitted what you did. This is a small town, everybody is going to know anyways. All you’re doing by leaving is giving them a show to go with the story.”
Fuck her! Storming out of the station, I didn’t stop until I was four blocks away. I sat down at a park bench, my body heaving from my tears and I pulled my phone from my pocket. Quickly dialing Sue’s number, I broke down when she finally answered.
“Sue … I have a problem …”
Lucas
Arriving home, I opened the door to find Sarah standing in the entryway, her thin arms crossed over her chest. She glared at me and tapped her foot when I stepped forward and I chuckled to see her expression.
“What have I done today?”
“You were supposed to finish an interview today for an article that was supposed to go live tomorrow. Now, because of you, and YOU alone, the blog has to run some bullshit fluff piece to fill the spot. How many fucking times do I have to tell you to check your fucking calendar?!”
Taking three steps forward, I was nose to nose with her, smiling to feel the heat of anger roll along her skin. “Do you know that you are absolutely irresistible when you’re mad? I love angry women. They are so much more enjoyable to bring to their knees.” I winked at the same time I felt her hand close around my balls. She squeezed and I sucked in a breath in an attempt to alleviate the slight pain.
With her fingers still curled around the most sensitive part of my body, she smiled sweetly, tilting her head to say, “I’ll only be on my knees because I’ll be busy holding your body prostrate on the floor.” The tip of her tongue flicked along my cheek as she leaned in to whisper, “What do you say, Lucas. Care to see who can be the better Dom?”
Laughing, I pushed her away before setting my briefcase on the floor and stripping off my jacket. “My apologies for fucking up yet another ‘assignment’, but I was working on the book. You know how I get.”
“I’m familiar.” Her four inch heels clicked behind me as I made my way into the kitchen. “Tell me that you at least finished your quest for the perfect victim and we are back on track with the book.”
When I turned back to look at her, I noticed how her hair was disheveled and her clothes weren’t as immaculately coordinated as normal. “You look like shit.”
Flicking me off, she sashayed over to the bar, pushing herself up onto the stool and crossing her legs in a seductiv
e, exaggerated manner. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I had a mission, remember?”
Curling my lips into a wicked grin, I nodded. “Of course.” I didn’t ask for more information than she gave. Sarah was the type of person to accomplish a task and move on satisfied with the result. Dragging her back through the miniscule details of the path leading to that result was useless. The woman was all about bottom lines. She had my utmost respect for always using her strength and intelligence to her advantage.
“But, back to the book, Lucas, what’s going on with it?”
Pulling the glasses from my face, I placed them on the counter. “It’s going. I think I have my rabbit in her hole, so to speak. It’s just a matter of reaching in and grabbing her. She’s had a rough couple of days. I hate to take advantage…”
“Oh, who are you kidding? Advantage is the only thing you take. But she’ll love you for it - they all do.” Examining her fingernails, she added, “Plus multiple orgasms will probably put her in a better mood. Take all the advantage you want, just make it quick. We’re …”
“Running out of time. I know.” I was tired of the constant reminder. I never bowed to pressure, but the annoyance of her pestering was enough to throw my flow off entirely. Writing a book to me was the same as composing classical music. There was a rhythm to the storyline, the choice of words, the development and eventual destruction of the characters. One wrong beat and the entire story was negatively affected.
Grabbing the remote, she flicked the television on behind me. I looked between her and the screen and raised my brows in question. She glanced at me briefly, a mischievous smile rolling across her lips.
“What? I grew bored with the conversation.” Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the news broadcast that blared loudly through the large room.
“We are just now learning that an arrest warrant has been issued for Autumn Clearly. The twenty-four year old librarian is accused of purposefully setting the fire that destroyed her home last night…”
My attention was instantly on the screen.
“Although a motive is not yet known, we believe police are in custody of information identifying Ms. Cleary as the arsonist. Inside sources are claiming the information might have something to do with insurance fraud. We will continue following this story and hope to live-broadcast the arrest. At this time, the police have not made a formal statement and it is assumed that they are still in search of Ms. Cleary…”
I was beside myself at how quickly the police had decided that Autumn was to blame for the fire.
“Sarah, I need to go.”
A slight smile tugged at her lips when she asked, “What? Why are you leaving?”
“Because advantage just became available for the taking.”
…
“I don’t know what to do, Sue. They told me that someone called, that there are pictures!”
Autumn broke down in tears in front of her boss. I approached from the parking lot, taking in the scene of my beautiful victim pouring her heart out to the older woman. Her voice carried through the strong winds that warned of an inclement storm. Hurrying up the shadowed path, I stopped when both women turned to look at me. Autumn’s face was red with grief and it was obvious she’d been in hysterics since meeting with the police that afternoon.
“I’m so sorry, but we’re closed, Mr. Bates.” Sue wrung her hands, one over the other, as she apologetically declined me entrance into the library. The overhead lighting of the front patio area was poor and her face was partially hidden in shadow.
“I understand that, Ms. Armstrong, I came down when I saw the news about Autumn. I heard they’ve issued an arrest warrant and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.”
Autumn turned her pitiful face in my direction, her body shaking slightly from a sniffle as she reached up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. I reached out, running my finger along the wet skin, my expression one of sympathy.
“I can’t go to jail, Lucas. I can’t. I don’t know what to do. They think I started the fire for the insurance money. They wouldn’t listen to a damn thing I said.” Her previous animosity towards me was gone, replaced with the harrowing reality that she’d become the center of the investigation’s focus. “Oh God. He actually got the warrant?”
Speaking slowly, I explained, “It’s all over the news. We need to get you away from here. They’re looking for you, Autumn. Not only the police, but the media as well. They know you can’t be at your house, so I’m sure they’ll check your workplace next.”
Her expression fell, realization like a sinking stone weighing down her heart. Her optimism that the world was good and that truth would always be brought to light was completely shredded by the weight of the situation.
“Why don’t you stay with me? You’ve already accused me of setting the fire; they’ll never think to check for you at my house.”
Her head shook from the refusal she wanted to give. However, I wasn’t the type of man to take ‘no’ for an answer. I wouldn’t force someone’s hand, but I would manipulate them into seeing things from my point of view.
Placing my fingers beneath her chin, I tilted her head to look into her red rimmed eyes. “I’m the last person you would run to for help. They’ll assume you’ve fled before they would think that you’re tucked away on my property. It’ll give us time to figure this out, to prove you weren’t responsible for that fire.”
She pulled from my hand slowly, opening her mouth to respond, but Sue, the aggravating woman who always made an attempt to dominate the conversation, interrupted.
“He’s right, Autumn. I hate the thought of you being a – a fugitive – but maybe the police just need time.” She stroked her hand down Autumn’s hair while at the same time turning to look at me. “Won’t you get in trouble for this Lucas? I mean, isn’t it illegal to not tell the police where she is?”
Smiling I responded with bullshit, the truth of which was highly in question, but would sound good enough to appease the woman. “If they never ask me, I haven’t broken the law. Plus, there’s no evidence that I even know about the warrant. As long as we stay out of sight, we’ll be fine.”
She nodded and I raised a finger to indicate I had another point to add, an extremely important point if I wanted to ensure I had Autumn all to myself. “However, Sue, it’ll be best that you stay out of contact with Autumn. I’d hate to ask you to lie, but …”
“No worries there, Lucas. I know nothing about any of this.” She made the motion of locking her lips with her hand. “My lips are sealed.”
I highly doubted that, but smiled anyway.
Turning back to my rabbit, I spoke softly in order to convince her to go with me. “Please, Autumn, set aside whatever hostility you have towards me at the moment and come with me. We’ll figure this out.”
Her eyes flicked up to look at me from beneath the thick fan of her lashes. Seconds felt like hours while I waited for her response. Finally, her whispered words breached the heavy blanket of silence.
“Okay, I’ll … yes, let’s go before anybody gets here. The last thing the library needs is to be on the news while I’m getting arrested.”
Gently, I nudged her to give up contact with the world. “You’ll need to give Sue your phone. They can trace it. Sue can leave it somewhere conveniently out of place for them to find.”
My statement wasn’t exactly accurate, but logic has a curious way of disappearing when a person was emotionally distressed. She nodded her agreement with my suggestion, never once questioning its necessity and handed the phone to Sue.
I didn’t speak another word, choosing not to risk saying the wrong thing and giving her a reason to change her mind. While I led her to the car, thunder crashed above us. I tilted my face to the sky to feel the first drops of cold rain fall along my skin.
The drive home was quiet and I was thankful for the lack of conversation. Autumn kept her attention focused outside the car, her eyes tracking the rain as it ran in rivu
lets along the windows. With every passing streetlamp, the shadows of those drops and streams would dance along her face, marking her skin with not only her sadness and tears, but also those of the world.
Pulling up to my house, I turned off the engine and reached to open my door. Her hand was on my shoulder before I ever reached the latch.
“I’m sorry…” I could barely hear the words that she said, but from the look on her face, I could understand their meaning. “I’m sorry for having accused you, Lucas; over something as stupid as the fight we had in my yard.”
Wrapping her hand in mine, I debated allowing her confession to go without comment, but like the bastard I am, I added an additional sting. If for nothing else, but because I could. “How does it feel to be on my side now? To be accused of something heinous without being given the chance to prove that you’ve been wrongly judged?”
I didn’t give her time to answer, simply making my point and letting myself out of the car. Rounding it from behind, I opened the door for her, offering my hand to assist her up.
Her hand was still in mine when we climbed the steps to the front door, opening it to find Sarah waiting on the other side.
Autumn
“Welcome home, Lucas. I’ve missed you.” The woman’s smile highlighted the guile in her words. I gasped when I saw her, not expecting anyone to be at Lucas’ house, especially not a woman as beautiful as her.
“Sarah.” He held my hand, not once releasing the only contact he had with me. Pulling me forward, he said, “I appreciate that you stayed to work late tonight. However, I’m going to have to request that you leave. Don’t worry about the time off, you’ll be paid for your absence.”
I looked between their faces, noticing annoyance in his expression and mischievous joy in hers. I wasn’t sure of their relationship, but I hoped it was only professional as Lucas had implied.
Her laughter was sweet, yet sultry, as if there was a completely different woman beneath the angelic appearance. Her long blonde hair fell in waves down her back and her hazel eyes caught the light in such a way that several colors shone through. Despite her kind smile, there seemed to be someone far different inside.
