Sunset Flames_Baytown Boys

by Maryann Jordan

  A sliver of fear sliced through Zac, wondering what this she was talking about. Before he had a chance to ask, she continued.

  “I mean, my life is confusing enough right now without adding the extra stress of us.”

  “The stress of us? What the hell, Maddie? We’re friends. We’re close friends…getting closer…at least, that’s what I thought we were.”

  “To what purpose, Zac? I’m a mess and my life just keeps getting messier. You’ve got a job that’s overwhelming and a serial arsonist that’s taking over your life. I don’t even know what we are. Fuck buddies? Friends with benefits? A casual hookup to use sex to relieve our stress, when we know there’s an ending when I leave?” Madelyn hated the words falling from her lips but seemed unable to stop them. The silence on the other end of the phone reverberated through her.

  Finally, he spoke, his deep voice calm, but hard. “I thought you wanted this. I thought you wanted friendship and the closeness.”

  “I did! I thought I did. I thought I could have sex without the messy emotions of something other than friendship, since my time here is limited. But I miss you when you’re not here and I want to be with you at night instead of my walls closing in around me. But that’s more than we bargained for and now I’m not sure what we decided was a good thing.”

  She did not give him a chance to speak as her emotions continued to pour out. “Don’t you see? Being with you makes me miss you when we’re not together.” Exposed, she squeezed her eyes shut, hearing the need in her words.

  Madelyn’s honesty moved through Zac, syrupy warm. The knowledge that her feelings for him were growing made him smile but, before he was able to reply, the alarm sounded. Shit timing! “Maddie, I’ve got to go, but this conversation isn’t over. We need to talk.” Seeing the volunteer running, he bit out, “Fuck, gotta go, babe. Jesus, I’m sorry. I’ll call. I promise.”

  The airwaves were dead as Madelyn lay back, her phone screen now blank. Sighing, she shook her head knowing the decision to pull away from Zac was the right one. With her heart involved and his not, they had nowhere to go but down.

  The emergency call had involved a domestic dispute ending in a husband with an injury to his forehead after his wife hit him with a frying pan. Ginny and Burt had taken the call as the police and were there as well. The wife was alternating between screaming obscenities at her husband for “cattin’ about town” and then screaming at Zac for hurting her husband when he tried to patch him up.

  Ginny was in the process of arresting the wife when the husband, still sitting with Zac working on his head, jumped up, knocking him over in the process, to protest his wife’s arrest. Losing his cool, he bounded to his feet, fists clenched. “Mr. Washington, sit the fuck down or I’ll refuse to treat you further!” Whirling to face the irate wife, he shouted, “And you, shut the fuck up or I’ll press charges against you myself!”

  The couple clamped their mouths shut, eyes wide at his outburst. Ginny, fighting a grin, continued to read the wife her rights as Burt placed the handcuffs on. Zac barely noticed Joe, the new rescue volunteer, standing to the side as though afraid to move. He finished placing butterfly bandages on Mr. Washington’s forehead and had the volunteer take photographs, in case any visual evidence of the incident was needed in court. Sighing, he knew it would never make it that far. The husband would be in Easton, the county seat, the next morning, bailing out his wife and would not press charges. Jesus, is this what love does? Maybe Maddie and I are better off as nothing.

  Driving back to the station, he reminded himself that he knew of so many marriages that were strong…where the couple worked well together…where love endured. Scrubbing his hand over his face, he shook his head. But how do you know going in which kind of marriage yours would be?

  He wrote the report before heading back to his apartment. Flipping on the light in the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, drinking most in one long gulp. Dropping his chin to his chest, he heaved another great sigh. It was too late to call Maddie and, right then, he did not have the energy. Guilt speared through him, knowing she was in the throes of grief and now having to deal with her mother. Hopefully, she’s asleep by now. And God knows, I’m no good for her at the moment.

  Still on call, he climbed into bed a few minutes later, glad for once that his apartment was at the station. Praying he had had the last call of the night, he fell into a fitful sleep.

  19

  “Are you sure no one’s here?”

  “I saw the obituary myself. Thought about the house but I didn’t want to drive toward the front and possibly be seen. We can just come from the side and do the shed.”

  “It’s got a lock on the door. You think something’s inside? Like a mower with gasoline?”

  Chuckling, they replied, “Then maybe we should just stand back a bit. Come on, let’s get this thing burning.”

  Waking with the urge to pee, Madelyn stumbled into the bathroom, her way lit by the nightlight plugged next to the counter. Finishing, she washed her hands before making her way back into her room, yawning widely. Her eyes landed on the old digital clock by her bed, discovering it was a few minutes after two o’clock. Hoping she could go back to sleep, she crawled into bed, leaning down to grab the soft blanket lying at her feet. A strange light flickered against the blinds on the window and as she stared, her vision coming into focus, she tried to figure out what she was seeing. Climbing out of bed, she turned on the lamp on the nightstand before moving to the window and lifting one of the slats, peeking through.

  Stunned, she observed flickering from the shed and, trying to see clearer, she grabbed the blind cord and gave it a tug, raising them all the way up so she had a full view of the yard. Flames were beginning to shoot upward from the shed and in the shadows, two figures stood nearby. One grabbed the other and pointed toward the house before they ran into the edge of the woods. By the time she grabbed her phone from the nightstand, she gasped in horror as the flames fully engulfed the shed. Narrow tail lights caught her eye, the left one flickering, shining red in the distance until they were out of sight. Dialing 9-1-1, she reported the fire as she ran down the stairs and out the door.

  The shrill of the fire alarm sounded and Zac was up and out of bed in seconds. Having fallen asleep in his clothes, he moved to the station, calling out instructions to Joe as the fire volunteers on duty climbed into the fire truck.

  Moving his head in circles, he stretched out his tense muscles. A long night just got longer and he feared the arsonist had struck again. Climbing into the ambulance, he pulled out behind the fire truck, the address instantly plugged into their GPS. North Heron County and not Baytown proper. They were the closest station but he knew Adam would have his fire crew and Ann would have their rescue crew there as well. Glad for the backup, he followed his fire truck.

  Suddenly, the familiarity of the street hit him and he glanced down at the address on their screen. That’s where Maddie’s father’s house is. Another glance and the realization that she had called in the alarm had his heartbeat accelerating. Picking up the radio, he called Mitch. “Call out – fire in shed – it’s Lenny’s house and Maddie’s staying there.”

  “Ginny and Burt are on their way. I’ll head out now.” Just before Mitch disconnected, he added, “Stay cool, Zac. Keep your head on straight.”

  Turning onto the street, he could see the flames licking the night sky. Maddie had alerted the dispatcher that the fire was in the shed, which he knew was away from the main house, but his heart still pounded as adrenaline poured through his body.

  The fire truck pulled into position, the volunteers instantly moving to the equipment and water tank as he parked between the shed and the house. Other volunteers, arriving in their personal vehicles from home, drove up as well. Seeing Buster from the Cherrytown station and Tad parking just in front of him, he watched as they moved to the fire trucks. Jumping from the ambulance, he shouted to Joe, “Get over there! I’m going to check on the resident.�
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  Running up the front steps, he tried the doorknob, finding it locked. Pounding on the door gave no response so he leaped off the low porch and ran to the back door, near the kitchen. Hearing the sounds of approaching sirens, he knew the North Heron stations were arriving. As he made his way around the corner he saw the backdoor open. Pushing through with such force the door slammed back, hitting the wall, he raced inside.

  He began shouting her name once more. No response. “Fuck, Maddie…where are you?” He ran through the living room, hitting a spindly table with his boot, hearing the wood splinter as he hurried through. Cursing again, he was struck, not for the first time, with the flammability of the house she was staying in. While he had changed the batteries, and tested the smoke detectors, he knew her house could go up in flames instantly.

  “Maddie!” No response. Running up the stairs, it only took a few seconds to see that she was not there. “Fuck!” The need to see her chased all other thoughts from his mind.

  He ran back down the stairs and out the back door. Turning to the left, he noticed the hose connected to the outside spigot was stretched toward the fire, water spewing on the ground. Oh, fucking hell, no! Reaching down, he twisted the spigot off before running toward the shed, now completely engulfed. His feet followed the path of the hose, his mind warring between anger and fear at what he would find.

  The hose sprayer lay in the grass, but no one was attending it. The firemen were doing their job, their faces lit from the flames, but he did not see her anywhere. Tad drove up and he shouted directions to him as he ran over to Roger. Just about to ask if he had seen the property owner, he glimpsed her standing to the side near Adam. His knees almost gave out from under him, the weight of his relief so intense, but he locked down the emotion and rushed over.

  His fear for her, overwhelming and crushing, had him grabbing her arm and whirling her around, yelling, “What the hell, Maddie?” Before he had a chance to lash out again, her face stopped him cold. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her arms were crossed protectively around her waist as though to ward off the pain of her loss.

  He pulled her into his arms, wrapping her close, cupping the back of her head against his chest. Her body bucked with another sob and he closed his eyes willing his strength to help hold her up. After a moment, he looked over her head toward Adam and mouthed Did she tell you anything? Adam shook his head before walking over to the firemen who had almost doused the flames.

  He stared at the decimated, flattened, scorched earth that used to be the shed, the smoke hissing into the air as the water hit the dying embers. He knew the contents, having taken some furniture there himself, and easily saw it was all gone. Pressing her tighter to him, he recognized she had once more taken a life-hit, drowning in grief before she had a chance to come up for air. And he also knew, it didn’t matter if love scared the shit out of him…he was already gone.

  An hour later, the fire trucks had left and Zac sent the ambulance back to the station. They sat at her kitchen table, which had been cleared off enough for four people to gather around. Madelyn sat with a steaming cup of tea, placed in front of her by Ginny. Mitch and Colt sat opposite her, with Ginny and Lance leaning against the counter as Zac scooted his chair next to hers, their fingers linked on top of the table.

  “I know this is hard,” Mitch began, “but we need to get your statement.”

  Nodding, she cleared her throat, wincing at how sore it was. Taking a sip of the hot tea laced with honey, she said, “I saw a flicker of light when I came back from the bathroom and was curious. There’s just an open field on the next property and I thought maybe I was looking at headlights. When I was a kid, sometimes teens would go there to party and my dad would have to chase them off.” She whispered, “Funny, how that memory has stuck with me.”

  Zac watched, along with the others, as her face softened and her eyes drifted down to her cup. Giving her a moment, he finally squeezed her fingers slightly, holding her gaze when she lifted her eyes to his.

  She blinked then jerked her eyes over to Mitch, blushing. “Sorry, I’m…well, sorry.”

  “No worries, Madelyn,” he assured.

  “Anyway, I saw flames at the shed, but they weren’t big. I mean, the shed just had small flames on one side, but wasn’t engulfed yet.”

  “And you called it in?”

  “Yes,” she nodded, then abruptly shook her head and said, “No.” Seeing the confusion on Mitch and Colt’s faces, she corrected, “I mean, I first raised the blinds to get a better look. It was as though my brain couldn’t process what my eyes had seen.”

  Mitch nodded his understanding, implying she needed to continue.

  “I saw the people and the fire, so I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and dialed 9-1-1.”

  She took a sip of tea, allowing the warm liquid to soothe her throat, missing the incredulous looks from the others.

  Zac’s eyes bugged as his fingers twitched against hers. “People? What people?”

  Her head shot around and she blinked, her face blank. “What?”

  “Maddie, who did you see?” he said, each word emphasized calmly, forcing his voice not to show surprise.

  “Just two people…near the shed. They were just…I don’t know…uh, just standing there.”

  Mitch and Colt leaned forward and, out of her peripheral vision, she noted Ginny and Lance’s bodies had come alert.

  “Men? Women? A couple?” Mitch asked.

  “I…I don’t know. I couldn’t tell. They were mostly in the shadows before they ran.”

  “Ran?” Mitch reiterated. “Ran where?”

  “To a car…or something. When I was calling 9-1-1, I saw red taillights as they drove away.”

  Turning her head toward Zac, he appeared to be barely hanging on, his jaw tense and his mouth in a tight grimace. Swallowing deeply, she said, “They saw me…I think. One of them looked my way and pointed before they ran.”

  “And you went outside with a hose, straight toward them?” Zac bit out, no longer attempting to hold on to his anger.

  She turned to Zac, her eyes wide, both with fear and anger, saying, “I wouldn’t have gone out if they were still there. But they left and I knew the fire trucks were coming.”

  “So, you ran outside to do what, Maddie? Put out a huge-ass fire with a hose?”

  Nodding again, she glanced at the others before returning her gaze to his. “It was his things, Zac. My dad’s things.” Tears filled her eyes as she added, “It didn’t matter that the things in the shed were things I wasn’t going to keep. They were still things that he’d collected. I didn’t reason it through…I just reacted.”

  Tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks again and Zac’s anger melted as he pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her body. His eyes searched Mitch’s over the top of her head, and he nodded slightly, communicating his intent.

  Mitch and Colt stood and she lifted her head, wiping her face. “Thank you,” she whispered, attempting a smile.

  “No thanks needed, Ms. Stevens,” Colt replied easily, his dark eyes warm on her. “I’ll be in touch and, just to let you know, since your property is in North Heron County, my office will be the official station for your investigation. Even though this is not their usual MO, since we have every reason to believe that this is possibly the work of our multi-jurisdiction arsonist, we will be working closely with Chief Evans and the State Police. You can expect to have a number of officials here over the next few days.”

  “Usual MO?” she asked, tilting her head to the side as she accepted the tissue handed to her by Ginny.

  “If this is our arsonist, then this is the first time they have hit a structure that is close to an inhabited home and not abandoned.”

  “Maybe they didn’t know I was here,” she offered, then sucked in her lips. Blowing out her breath, she added, “Or they’re escalating.” Seeing the raised eyebrows of the officers, she explained, “I’m a counselor. I work with youth, but I speciali
ze in addictive behaviors.” Shrugging, she said, “Behaviors like an arsonist would probably escalate over time, just like the addictive behaviors in children and teens.”

  The others nodded their agreement. Mitch asked, “Do you have somewhere to go or someone to call to stay with?”

  “Uh…”

  “You can’t stay here, Ms. Stevens,” Colt advised. “Not if they think you saw them.”

  Her eyes widened and Mitch said, “Tori runs the Sea Glass Inn. I’ll call her and—”

  “I’ve got her.”

  Everyone in the room looked at Zac, including Madelyn. Before she had a chance to respond, he said, “No where she’d be safer tonight than with me in the station apartment. I’ll make sure she’s safe and I can sleep in the bunkroom.”

  “That acceptable to you?” Ginny asked, her assessing stare on Zac while speaking to Madelyn.

  Unable to think of an alternate plan, she simply nodded. “Yes…I’m sure that’ll be fine for tonight and then I can make other arrangements as I figure out what to do.”

  Zac nodded but knew, if it was up to him, her figuring out what to do would involve staying with him for a lot longer than one night.

  20

  Bright light was peeking through the blinds and Madelyn blinked, stretching awake, realizing it was much later than she normally slept. For a few seconds, she tried to figure out where she was before the events of the night came crashing back to her. She could smell the faint the scent of smoke in her hair.

  Abruptly sitting up, she shot her gaze around the small room, finding herself alone. A glance at the pillow next to her showed it was still plumped, no head indentation to indicate Zac had slept with her.

  The full ramifications of what had happened slammed into her, causing her breath to leave her lungs with a whoosh. The fire, the fear, the noise and sights, the interrogation, and then being brought back to the station by Zac.