In Love with a Stranger

by Rose von Barnsley

  I patted him up and down. He didn’t even look singed, he just smelled really smoky. I didn’t care. I hugged him hard, hiding my face in his shirt, never wanting to let him go.

  “Where’s Duncan?” I felt horrible that I hadn’t even thought about him. It was Ophelia who brought him up.

  “He’s still in with the doctor,” Carter answered, looking over at me nervously. “He broke his arm, when he fell off of the back stairs.”

  I finally took a moment and saw that Carter had his arm and hand bandaged. William had on a long-sleeved white shirt. I took notice of a burn mark on his sleeve and realized there was a white bandage hidden underneath it, visible through the hole in his shirt. “William…” I was so pained. I had done this.

  “I’m fine, so is Carter, so is Duncan. We’re going to be fine.”

  “No, this is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”

  “Excuse me,” a large man in a fireman’s uniform interrupted my breakdown, “Are you the victims of the fire at the bookstore?”

  “Yes, this is Hannah Madison, the owner of Madison Books,” William introduced me.

  “I’m the fire marshal investigating this case. Ms. Madison, were you aware of the men’s presence in your building this evening?”

  “Yes, it was William’s bachelor party…” I broke down in tears.

  “Did anyone else know of this party or who’d be in attendance?” he asked.

  Carter shrugged. “It wasn’t a secret, but there was only the three of us in attendance. The girls knew about it, and they were out with Hannah.”

  The man frowned. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but the cause of the fire was an electronically-lit accelerant. The device can be used from a distance, and I only caught it because there were other things pointing to arson. The building had been inspected last month and passed with no problems. It was noted that the back staircase was rusted, but could hold the appropriate weight.

  “The fire shouldn’t have spread so fast. The sprinkler system had also been turned off. Since the men have said they didn’t hear the alarms go off downstairs, that leads me to believe they were disarmed. The external wire from the alarm system that would’ve called out once the alarms went off was cut. Do you know of anyone who’d want to burn your store down? Is there anyone you can think of who’d benefit from it?”

  “Dad,” Camille whispered.

  We all looked at her shocked. When I glanced back at William, he was scowling.

  “Could you elaborate, Miss…?”

  “Greyson, Camille Greyson. My father is against their relationship and had a fit when he found out William was moving to the states. Hannah’s shop was here. William could change jobs easier than she could move a whole well-established shop.”

  “Could I please get his full name and address?” he asked with his pen at the ready. Camille rattled it off, and the man looked up. “He lives in England?” The man didn’t sound too happy.

  “Yes,” William answered and still hadn’t lost his scowl.

  “Has anyone spoken to him or know of his current whereabouts?”

  “I talked with my mum a little before the party. Dad was with her and throwing a fit in the background. They were at their home in London. I’d called the house phone,” William offered.

  The man’s frown deepened. “Have there been any suspicious people lurking around?”

  “Marvin is a creepy lurker,” Ophelia supplied, but I knew it couldn’t have been Marvin.

  “He’s creepy, but I don’t think he’d burn down the store,” I defended.

  “He was outside of it earlier that evening.” All eyes shot to William.

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “Stuart, my private investigator, had followed him there. He was hanging out in front of the shop. Stuart let me know, and I was worried he was looking for you, so I told Stuart to keep an eye on you instead of Marvin. I knew you wouldn’t give Stuart the slip.”

  “Why exactly did you hire a private investigator? Had he threatened someone recently?” the fire marshal asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. He wouldn’t burn down the store. He buys his manga there. He can’t get it anywhere else,” I said, shaking my head.

  “I suspected he was a stalker. He comes into the shop frequently and makes Hannah uncomfortable.” William sounded like he didn’t believe Marvin had done it, either. I was pretty sure he thought it was his father.

  “How did he make her feel uncomfortable?” the fire marshal asked.

  “He’s just weird, awkward and has a creepy smile. He asked me out once, when I first opened the store a few years ago. I told him no, but he’s never given me any trouble. He’s always polite…creepy, but polite.”

  “Do you know his full name, maybe an address?” he asked me.

  “It would’ve been in my records, but those are gone.” I started crying again.

  William hugged me a little tighter. “I can get it for you. Stuart will have it on file. I don’t think it was him, but he might’ve seen who did set the fire.” I was surprised William was defending Marvin, when before, he’d been so worried about him that he’d called in an investigator. It just didn’t make sense.

  “We’d ordered pizza, too, maybe that guy saw something,” Carter offered. It was the closest we were going to get to a lead.

  ~*~

  The store was a total loss. We went to look at it to see if there was anything salvageable, but there wasn’t anything more than a few brick walls and ash left. The fire investigator really had his work cut out for him. He must’ve been really good to deduce that it’d been arson just by looking at the remaining walls and ash. I guess he’d been on the scene when the fire had still been in progress, though, and could’ve done some deductive reasoning then.

  “You bitched about this place not having any storage, now aren’t you glad it didn’t?” Ophelia pointed out. It was true. We didn’t have much space in our little two-bedroom apartment, so Ophelia let me “rent” out a room at her place. It was technically my old bedroom and had a daybed in it for when Penelope went to stay with Aunty Ophelia. It was where all of my mementos, photo albums, important documents, and Penelope’s baby keepsakes were stored. I was so glad they were somewhere safe.

  “Where can I reach you, to keep you updated on the case?” the fireman asked.

  I realized I really didn’t know where I’d be.

  “We’re going to Scotland to get married tomorrow.”

  The man glanced at the ashes. “Do you have your passports somewhere safe?”

  “They’re in my laptop case at the hotel.” We’d gone through so much trouble to get everything in order, and it could’ve all been halted by a fire.

  “Yes, we tucked mine in as well, when we put Penelope’s away. Thankfully, I don’t believe we’ll have to postpone the wedding, will we?” he asked the fire marshal.

  “It’s too dark to really dig around in the remains right now, but if you can come by in the morning, I can unlock the site and let you see what you can salvage. When do you plan on leaving for the wedding?”

  “Tomorrow evening, then we’ll be back in two weeks. I can give you our contact information, so you can reach us if there are any developments in the case.” William stepped in and did his best to handle things, while I sat in the back of Ophelia’s car, gazing blankly out at the ash that was once my home and my livelihood. I had nothing now.

  I spent the next morning rummaging through the ash. Shawna showed up to work and was shocked by the mess. She offered to help clean and sift through the wreckage, but I waved her off. I was too emotional and wasn’t sure that I could keep it together for her.

  Marvin showed up and cried out in pain. I thought someone had actually hurt him, but he was physically fine. He looked even less stable than usual. “It’s gone! What happened? How am I going to get my book? I get my book here every Thursday. Your new shipment should be in any moment. I was going to offer to help unload the truck. The store, I need the store! How am I
going to get my book? I buy it every Thursday, EVERY THURSDAY!” He dropped to his hands and knees, like he was struggling to breathe. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, but I was worried he was going to pass out if he didn’t settle down.

  “Marvin, are you going to be alright?”

  He had tears in his eyes when he looked up at me. “Your store…” he whimpered.

  “The bastard set it alight with me in it!” we heard William shout from the other side of what was once my store. “He’s gone too far this time!”

  “It was him, wasn’t it!” Marvin pointed and scowled at William. “He did this again. He hurt you again. He’s a bad man. His family is bad, Hannah. I told you to stay away from him. I knew history would repeat itself. I just knew it!” he punched the air.

  Marvin startled me when he charged at William. “You can’t have her! You’re not good enough and neither is your family full of evil villains! I know they wanted to pay her off like they tried last time. They tried to kill her then, too. Well, it didn’t work last time, and it didn’t work this time, either. I won’t let your family kill her! I stopped it before, and I’m stopping it now!” Marvin shoved his sleeves up his arms and put his fists up.

  William stepped back, looking between me and Marvin, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. “I’m not letting your corrupt British ass hire another person to kill her. We’re going to finish this right here, right now!” Marvin yelled.

  “You knew about her attack?” William asked confused. I was curious about that as well.

  “Who do you think stopped that bastard from killing her? He got what he deserved, and so will you! No one hurts Hannah!”

  If he knew the guy from the first attack, then he might be able to help us locate him again. That guy would probably know something about the fire. “Marvin, you saved me the first time?”

  He blushed a little and then nodded yes. “I’d seen him bugging you a few times. I was trying to get up the courage to step in and tell him to leave you alone. You were getting madder each day, and by the third day, you snapped. You shouted at him, and I knew he was gonna blow. I saw it. I could tell. I’m sorry I didn’t get across the street faster. If I’d just gotten there sooner…”

  I did something I never thought I’d do. I hugged Marvin. I hugged him so tight. I knew he was creepy, but he was my guardian angel, too. “Thank you so much for saving me.”

  He frowned and shrugged. “I still didn’t get there fast enough.” He touched the scar that was on my head, hidden by hair. He’d really been there. He had to have been to know where that scar was.

  We heard some rubble shift, drawing our attention to William again. Marvin glared at him. “He’s not a good man, Hannah. His family is out to get you. He’s not safe. He hurt you. He’s the reason you never went out on dates.”

  “It’s his father who’s out to get me. William isn’t so bad, and his sister is pretty nice, too. I’m gonna be okay, Marvin. Someone burned my store down, but they didn’t’ get me, did they?”

  “No, but they probably wanted to make it so you’d need the money so bad you’d take it instead of him. I heard her, that’s what they want. You’ve got a daughter, Hannah. You can’t trust them with her. What if she’d been in the apartment?”

  “You know about the money?” William asked him.

  If looks could kill, William would be dead. “I know about the money. The guy was shouting at her about it the day he tried to kill her, and I saw that British bitch trounce through here with her disapproving looks. Everyone in the store heard that fight about Hannah taking the money. You’re not worthy of her. Your sick family is so beneath her, and you have the gall to act like she’s something less. Well, she’s not, you are!”

  Thankfully, the delivery truck pulled up, interrupting the mess. Carter said I could have the stuff sent to his home. I had online orders I needed to fill and pre-purchased inventory to sell. Luckily, I had a large internet presence, so I’d be able to float a bit until the insurance money came in. I gave the new address to the driver, but not before I grabbed a box off the truck. It held the latest edition to the series Marvin read.

  I took out a copy and handed it to Marvin, before I hugged him again. “Thank you, Marvin. I’m so lucky to have you looking out for me.”

  He pouted, his bottom lip sticking out, making him look like a cute toddler. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re a nice person.”

  “Thank you, Marvin. We have the police and fire marshal involved. They’re not getting away with hurting me this time. I’m going to be fine.”

  There was a spark of lightening, and we all looked up at the sky. “It looks like rain.” Marvin frowned at his book. I knew he didn’t want to leave, but he wouldn’t want to get that wet, either. It looked like we’d have to put off searching through the remains until our return from Scotland.

  “You should get going, so your book doesn’t get ruined.”

  He reached for his wallet, but I stopped him. “On the house for my hero. The store’s going to be closed for a while, but I’ll still have stuff available on-line if you need to peruse something.”

  He gave me a soft smile. “Thanks, Hannah.” Another crack of thunder rolled, and he said goodbye, tucking his book into his shirt to keep it safe. Marvin might’ve been creepy, but apparently at one time, he’d been my savior.

  Chapter 20 – All in the Numbers

  HANNAH

  Dealing with the aftermath of the fire was crazy, but Regina, Ophelia and Carter’s mom, pointed out that I was blessed in a lot of ways. My business records, accounting information and files were all backed up on a cloud, and I could access them with my laptop. All of my photos and videos of my friends and family were on it as well. Living in a little apartment with no storage had saved all of my keepsakes and important stuff, since they were stored at Ophelia’s. So, after a morning of crying at Regina’s home, she asked me to name all the things I’d lost that were so important to me.

  When I went to point out my store and its inventory, she said it wasn’t lost, just displaced, and the insurance would replace that. It’d be the same for my furniture and clothes, and all of my physical possession that’d gone up in flames. I was left with no home and no possessions, but she’d made it clear that Penelope and I would always have a home with her family. The important memories were recorded and saved. People moved all the time, leaving behind homes they loved, but they took what was good and meaningful with them. I was blessed to be able to do that as well. I had my family and my memories, and that was the blessing I needed to focus on.

  Penelope was handling the loss of her home and possession alright. We were lucky she’d taken her favorite toys and books to Nana Regina’s house, when she’d gone to spend the night, but I think a lot of her resilience had to do with the way William handled it. He picked her up and told her she was going to be staying with him. Camille left on the night of the fire, heading home to snoop around London to see if she could get some sort of evidence that their father had been involved.

  When we approached the police with our new information about my attack that’d resulted in my memory loss seven years ago, they apologized and said they couldn’t do anything beyond five years after the incident. They were involved with the arson case, though, and they did want to talk to Marvin to see if they could get a lead off of him for the fire.

  According to Brian Stuart, William’s private investigator, Marvin was a creature of habit. He didn’t like his day or schedule interrupted, and he’d only do so for someone or something he liked. I, being the someone, and his books, being the something, that Marvin liked.

  It was decided we’d meet with Marvin at a little diner not far from his work, where he ate lunch every day. William pointed out that the diner was very close to where we had lived when we’d first moved to New York. “Our flat is just around the corner over there. It’s no surprise he saw you out and about. We came here for coffee a few times.”

  “You should wait o
ut here. He was really agitated with you this morning, and I don’t want him to shut down or start a fight with you,” I suggested.

  William and I were with Detective Rogers. “You make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” he told Rogers. “And you,” he pointed at me, “Don’t get the guy’s hopes up. We don’t want him turning into a real stalker.”

  Marvin and his brother were engrossed in a conversation, and we hung back and listened for a moment.

  “…Then I said, ‘Fine, I’ll pay your fee, check’s in the mail, good luck cashing it,’” Norman snapped and then started snickering, “And when I filled out the check, I wrote the sum down in a complex equation. That’s going to give someone a headache. Payback’s a bitch!” They cheered and high-fived each other.

  “Oh, I have a joke, why don’t calculus and alcohol mix?” Marvin asked excitedly.

  His brother put his hand up for a moment, stopping him from giving him the answer, and then he bounced, energized. “Because you don’t drink and derive! Okay, I got one, I got one. What do you get when you cross a mountain climber and a mosquito?”

  Marvin shouted laughing, “Nothing! You know you can't cross a scalar and a vector!”

  “Good morning, boys.” The waitress seemed at ease with the brothers, as she set their drinks in front of them. “What do you get when you add seven Q and three Q,” she asked his brother.

  “Ten Q?”

  “You’re welcome,” she grinned. “I knew I could teach you two some manners.”

  The brothers chuckled politely.

  “It wasn’t that bad. I’m a waitress with a high school education. I should get brownie points for trying.”

  Norman blushed. “Your tip will be squared for effort.” She gave him a flirty grin, and I wondered if she actually liked him.

  She took their orders, and once she was out of earshot, Marvin rolled his eyes. “That was lame.”

  “It was better than yesterday’s, ‘How do you make seven even? You subtract the s,’” Norman snorted.

  “I think she likes you,” Marvin said with an encouraging smile.