by Amy Reece
“Mel, no offense, but that’s bullshit. I love you and I want you here. Please stop worrying about this.” Then he’d found a way to both distract her and convince her he wanted her there.
She grimaced as she walked past the “Die Bitch” etched in her yard. She had racked her brain for anyone she might have offended in some way, but to be honest, she never really interacted with people enough to engender violent feelings one way or another. Finn had insisted she give him all the details she could on her college mistake/boyfriend, Evan, so he could rule him out as a suspect. She highly doubted he’d ever felt strongly enough to even waste a moment’s thought on her. What was she going to do about that giant burned-out patch in the yard? Maybe it would be a good spot to plant a tree. Maybe she’d call a landscaper and see about xeriscaping. No, she liked green grass too much to fill her yard with rocks and desert plants.
The stale stench of smoke and wet, sour fabric hit her as she let herself in through the front door. Ugh! It was so much worse than she expected. She would make this as fast as possible. The living room was a disaster: scorched drapes and sodden furniture. Her feet made a nasty squelching sound on the carpet as she crossed the room to the hallway. She glanced around and into the kitchen, which had sustained the worst of the damage, at least as far as the house was concerned. She had glimpsed the garage as she entered. It was nothing but a burned-out shell with the charred remains of her aunt’s car inside. Hugh had assured her they would be able to rebuild and even offered to draw up some plans for an addition while they were at it.
It didn’t take more than an hour to box up what she needed; all the clothes would need a good washing or two before she could hope to wear them. She gathered a few more things: her Kindle, a photo album, some books, and prepared to lug them back to Finn’s house. Everything smelled strongly of smoke and she wondered if she’d ever be able to get it out.
“Yoo hoo! Melanie? Are you here?”
Oh, great. She set down her box and trudged back to the front door. “Hi, Lena. How are you?” She knew she should be polite to her annoying neighbor, but a visit was the last thing on Mel’s mind right now.
“I saw you go inside and thought I’d come over and see if you needed any help.” The blonde woman slid past Melanie and into the living room. “Oh, wow! This is awful!”
“Yeah. Listen, I really can’t visit right now, so—”
“Oh, I know. I’m just here to help. I can carry boxes for you.”
Well, that was nice and Melanie instantly regretted her reluctance to talk to her neighbor. “Thanks, Lena. That would be great, actually.” She led the way back to her bedroom where the boxes were stacked. They each grabbed one and trooped back to Finn’s house. It took four trips to bring everything over and Mel was grateful for the help. “That’s the last of it. Thanks again.” They stacked the boxes in the guest room. “How about some iced tea?”
“That would be lovely, thanks.”
They sat in the kitchen and cooled off with the tea and some cookies Mel had made the day before. Lena was chatty and, although she was grateful for the help, Mel wanted to get rid of her. It had been emotionally taxing to see what had happened to her home and she needed to be by herself to process. She’d always been that way, needing more time to herself than anyone she knew. She’d spent hours in her room when she was a child, by herself, never bored. Her mother learned early on that sending her there wasn’t an effective punishment; it was much better to make her stay with people. She’d do nearly anything to get away—even become the compliant daughter her mother required.
“I can’t believe what happened to your house! That’s so awful! You’re so lucky you got out. Do you know how it started? The fire department has been over there an awful lot lately.”
Mel sighed; of course the neighbors were concerned and curious. She might as well get the explanation over with now. If she told Lena, she probably wouldn’t have to explain it to any of the others since she’d be sure to spread the news. “It was arson, actually. They’ve discovered the fire was set using gasoline.”
Lena looked shocked. “Oh my goodness! Someone tried to burn your house down? Do you think they knew you were inside?”
Mel had no intention of talking about the sleeping pills in her bloodstream. That was something she was still having a difficult time wrapping her mind around, so she hedged. “Well, it makes sense they knew I was inside because it was in the middle of the night. Where else would I be? Plus, you did see the lovely message in my yard, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I guess that does make it pretty clear.” Lena took another sip of her tea. “Well, I’m so glad you’re okay. What happened? How did you get out?”
Mel stood, wishing to bring this conversation to an end as quickly as possible. “CJ—the cat, you know—actually woke Finn and Mr. Taylor and led them to my house. I was unconscious, probably from the smoke.”
“The cat? Really? How extraordinary. I’ve heard of dogs doing that, but never a cat.”
Mel shrugged as she smiled tightly and gestured to Lena’s glass. “Would you like more?”
Lena shook her head and smiled. “I can see you’re exhausted, so I’ll get out of your hair. Do you mind if I use the bathroom? Too much tea.” Lena laughed self-consciously.
“Of course. Down the hall, first door on the right.” She was relieved the other woman had caught her social cues. She cleared the table and stacked the glasses and plates in the dishwasher while she waited for Lena to finish in the bathroom and leave. She still needed to make a call to the insurance company and run to the grocery store. She was making her mental list of chores when Lena returned.
“This is a really nice house. I like the layout much better than mine.”
Melanie simply smiled; she was socially tapped out for a while. She saw Lena to the door, locked it carefully as per Finn’s directives, and retreated to their bedroom for a brief nap. She woke an hour later, refreshed and ready to face people again. She made her call to the insurance company, then backed Finn’s Jeep out of the garage and made a quick trip to the grocery store. She wanted to prepare something special for dinner, hoping to distract him from his worries about her safety. He was an amazing man and she loved him to distraction, but she found she preferred when he wasn’t stressed and cranky. He was also fairly predictable: a good meal always had a positive effect on his mood. On second thought, she decided to swing by the mall and pick up something fun from Victoria’s Secret. He had seemed to enjoy the last silky nightie Cara had given her and she was sure he’d be appreciative of another. Besides, she had discovered she felt pretty when she slept in something sexy rather than her usual t-shirt.
By the time Finn hobbled through the door later that evening, she had a chicken roasting in the oven alongside red potatoes, which were crisping nicely. She reached up to kiss him quickly, then poured two glasses of wine and carried them to the living room. He sat beside her, groaning as he removed his heavy boot and propped his foot on a pillow.
“Come here,” he growled and pulled her on his lap. “Have I mentioned how much I love coming home to you?”
“Not in nearly twenty-four hours, so go ahead. I’m all ears.”
He chuckled. “I love having you here,” he mumbled against her lips.
She allowed herself to sink into the kiss, but pulled back after a moment. “We only have ten minutes before I need to pull the chicken out of the oven.”
“Challenge accepted.” He flashed a cocky grin and reached for her again. “I can do a lot in ten minutes.”
***
Finn
What in the world am I going to do with her? He knew he’d been cranky and irritable for the past two weeks, but instead of riding his ass about it, she greeted him with wine and the best roast chicken he’d ever eaten. The potatoes she’d served with it were perfectly crispy and buttery and he’d gorged himself before falling asleep on the couch while they watched television. She’d let him sleep, then surprised him at bedtime with a sexy new nightie. Wow.
He didn’t deserve her and he’d better start pulling his weight in this relationship or he’d lose her. He pulled her close and kissed her hair before he dragged himself out of bed and grabbed his crutches. If all went as planned, he would ditch them later that week and move to a walking boot. He would never take his mobility for granted again.
“What time is it?” Mel asked sleepily.
“It’s not yet six. Go back to sleep, love.” He leaned over to pull the sheet over her shoulders. “I’ll make coffee.” He smiled as she snuggled back into her pillow. She wasn’t much of a morning person. He made the coffee, then fixed himself a few pieces of toast. Chris would be by to pick him up in an hour or so; while he waited, he drank coffee and brooded about the investigation. He had examined every single email she’d received, especially those sent through her website, and had found mainly messages from fans and advertisements for author-related services. There was nothing even vaguely threatening. Tracking down the college boyfriend had proved more challenging than he’d expected, and it was really starting to piss him off. The other detectives who officially had the case were swamped with a high-profile investigation that was hot at the moment, so they were happy to have Finn do the background research for Mel’s case. Chris was busy questioning all the arson witnesses and possible suspects they’d identified, but while she’d closed two other cases, none of the suspects looked good for the fire at Mel’s house. Argh! He scrubbed his hands over his face, frustrated beyond belief.
“Mmm, that coffee smells amazing.” Mel padded into the kitchen, wrapped in her fuzzy robe, her silky nightie regrettably hidden from his view. She poured a mug and leaned against the counter.
“Sorry I woke you up.” He stood and took his plate to the sink. He’d been doing the one crutch thing for a while around the house—with permission from his physical therapist—and was glad to be able to carry his own dishes for a change. “You want some toast or something?”
She smiled at him over the rim of her mug. “Maybe later.” She sipped in silence for a few moments. “When’s your birthday?”
He frowned at her slightly. “Odd question first thing in the morning. October twelfth. When’s yours?”
“July seventh.”
He stared at her. “That’s tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” She nodded and continued sipping her coffee.
“Thanks for the heads up, Mel.” His words were infused with sarcasm.
“Sorry. I actually forgot in all the chaos we’ve been dealing with around here. It struck me when I woke up.” She turned and inserted a piece of bread into the toaster.
“What do you want to do? I can make reservations somewhere.”
“Oh, you don’t need to fuss. I can fix something here. I just wanted someone to know.” There was a lingering sense of loneliness in her tone.
He crossed the kitchen and put his arms around her, pulling her back against his body. “It’s not a bother, and we need to celebrate. It’s your twenty-fifth birthday, a quarter of a century.” He kissed her hair before returning to his seat. “I guess we really don’t know that much about each other yet. It’s strange.”
She brought her toast and coffee to the table. “A bit. I like what I know so far, however. Tell me something new about you, something that will surprise me.”
He smiled and cast about in his mind for some fact she would be surprised to discover. “I really love camping and I’m bummed I won’t get to this summer.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. You seem like the camping type.” She buttered her toast. “I’ve never been. It sounds like fun.”
“As soon as I’m walking without these crutches or this boot, we’ll take a weekend and head up to the Jemez wilderness or the Chama. You’re game for staying in a tent?”
“Absolutely. I don’t mind getting dirty.”
“Oh, I know.” He said it with a smirk and enjoyed the blush that crept across her cheeks.
***
“Finn, you’ve got a visitor.” The receptionist handed him a stack of papers.
“Who is it?”
“One of your brothers. I think it’s the oldest one. You want me to send him back?”
“Sure.” He was standing outside one of their interrogation rooms, watching Chris question a rape suspect they’d been investigating for several months.
Hugh appeared several moments later. “You free for lunch? I was in the area.”
“Sure, if you can wait a few minutes. I want to see the end of this interview.” He gestured toward the glass, beyond which Chris sat with a young Hispanic male.
“Listen, Miguel.” Chris’s voice sounded slightly tinny though the microphone as she grabbed the two small water bottles on the table at their side. “This where we are right now.” She moved the bottles apart to opposite ends of the table. “But here’s where we need to be.” She moved the bottles next to each other. “Now I know what happened that night at the party, but I need you to tell me in your own words. You’re gonna feel a lot better once you tell me. You’re gonna walk outta here as soon as we’re through. I’m not gonna arrest you, so you can tell me what happened. That girl was coming on to you, wasn’t she?”
The young man nodded. “She was. She was all like, ‘Hey, Miguel, you wanna go upstairs with me?’ So I did, man, but then when things got going, she freaked out and was like, ‘No, Miguel, that’s enough.’ Well, she got me all worked up, you know.”
“Am I allowed to watch this?” Hugh asked, gesturing to the interrogation.
Finn shrugged. “Sure. You get to see Chris in action. She’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. This little asshole will be crying in a minute. You watch. She always makes them cry.”
“She teased you, didn’t she, Miguel? She was asking for it, I know. So what happened next? You had sex with her, didn’t you?” Chris’s voice soothed, full of sympathy and understanding.
Miguel nodded, tears streaking down his face.
“I need you to tell me, Miguel. Tell me what happened.”
“I was past the point of no return, you know? She knew that. You can’t get a guy all worked up and then change your mind. She wanted it. She pretended she didn’t, but I knew she wanted it. Yeah, we had sex. No big deal. She wasn’t even good. She cried the whole time.”
“She was fourteen years old, Miguel. She was a virgin.” There was no longer any sympathy or understanding in Chris’s voice. “All right. You can leave.” She stood and ushered the young man out of the interrogation room and watched him slink down the hall. “Little fucker,” she murmured. “I hope they cut your balls off in prison and shove them down your throat.”
“Good work in there, as always,” Finn said.
She turned and saw Hugh standing behind Finn. She dropped the file she was holding. “Oh, hi, Hugh. I didn’t, um…hi.” She bent to pick up the scattered papers.
“Hi, Chrissy. It’s nice to see you again.” Hugh helped her gather the papers while Finn watched, amused. “I came by to take Finn to lunch, but you’re more than welcome to join us.”
Chris took the papers and photographs from Hugh’s hand and quickly stuffed them into the manila folder. “Oh. Um, no thanks. I have some surveillance this afternoon and I need to get on that. Thanks, though.” She hurried away.
“Weird,” Finn said. “You make her nervous, apparently.”
“Huh. I guess so.” He looked nonplussed. “Why did she let that guy go? Why didn’t she arrest him?”
“Oh, she will. We’ll get an arrest warrant and have him in custody within a few days.”
“Good. Sounds like that’s where he needs to be.” He turned back to his brother. “You ready? There’s a new burger joint we can try.”
Twenty minutes later they were seated in a bistro-style gourmet burger restaurant, orders placed, and a local brew in front of Hugh. “Mmm. This is great,” he said as he took his first sip. “We’ll have to come back when you’re not on duty.”
Finn sipped his iced tea and narrowed his eyes at his br
other. “Yeah, we’ll do that. Hey, I just found out Mel’s birthday is tomorrow. I need a really nice place to take her.”
“How about Antiquity in Old Town? It’s got great atmosphere and the food’s excellent.”
“Great idea.” Finn pulled out his phone and looked up the number. He was able to get a reservation for the next night. “Thanks. Now I need to figure out what to get her for a present. Any ideas?”
“Hmm. Probably jewelry. Something nice. You’re in love with her, so maybe something with a heart. Unless she never wears jewelry. Then you’re screwed.”
“She wears some. Maybe I’ll find a nice necklace. Good idea. Thanks.”
“No problem. I was with Mel earlier, actually. We looked at her house and I gave her some ideas about what we could do. This is a great opportunity to build a two-car garage and maybe an extension. I could see a second floor above the garage easily and I’d do it for a good price.”
“That’s totally up to her. It’s her house.” The two men were silent as the waiter delivered their meals.
“Well, I didn’t know what your plans were once her house was habitable again. Are you going to ask her to stay with you and sell her house? Or is this living together a temporary arrangement?”
“We haven’t really talked about it yet, but I certainly want to make it permanent. Shit.” He threw his French fry down. “You were right, Hugh, although I hate to admit it out loud. When the right one comes along, you just know. I’m going to try to wait a decent amount of time, then I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
“Told you so.” Hugh grinned and took a huge bite of his burger. “Mel’s great, and I’m happy for you. Don’t wait too long.”
They finished their lunch and sat enjoying another glass of tea. Hugh had opted for tea after one beer, saying he’d need a nap if he had two.
“How’s the investigation going? Any idea who set the fire?”
“Not yet, and it’s killing me. We’ve questioned a few witnesses and suspects related to other arson cases in the area, but nothing seems to be connected to Mel’s case. I’m trying to track down the asshole she dated in college, but he’s hard to find.”
