Page 10 of Ink and Ashes

My shoulders drop in resignation. “I probably shouldn’t even bother trying to talk to anyone else today, should I?”

The laugh escapes her as she links her arm through mine, and I smile at the contact. I’ve never had any real girlfriends, but something about Cassidy makes me wonder if she could be.

“You could try speaking with our chief, but quite frankly, your best bet is to get Colson on your side,” she says as we begin walking toward the app floor.

“The whole team looks up to him, and he’s the one who spends the most time on the scene of the fires.

Once you convince him, I’m sure everyone else will be more willing to hear you out. ”

I roll my eyes, expecting that response. He’s a natural born leader, and everyone seems to do exactly as he says. Which means that, unfortunately for me, I need him on my team.

I just have to figure out how to get him there.

I leave the station with plans to meet up for coffee with Cassidy soon and a determination to convince Colson I’m right. Now, my next task will be talking to people around town to see if any of them can provide more information.

Aside from a few of the firefighters and George at the paper, no one knows about my theory.

A lot of people know I’m looking into the fires, but nothing more.

I’ve been too focused on finding evidence to worry about who suspects could be, because without said evidence, I can’t exactly narrow my list down based on anything more than a gut feeling.

Right now, this entire town is my suspect pool, and until I find a reason to make that number smaller, I’ll be wary around everyone I meet.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to talk to people to see if anyone can help me find something. And that means sharing my theory with them too.

Which is why I finally decide to venture over to Cedar Lane Café. I know from the few times I’ve driven by that it’s a popular spot in town, so I figure I have a good chance of finding at least one person willing to speak with me.

The bell above the door rings upon my entry, and I take a moment to study the space.

It’s quaint and small, with classic cozy café vibes.

There are wooden accents and plants all over the place, and handwritten chalkboard menus above the counter.

It reminds me of my go-to café back home in Toronto, giving me a sense of comfort I haven’t felt since I left.

There’s a steady crowd in here. An elderly couple is seated by the window reading the paper, and a group of women who look to be around my age sits at a table to my left. They shoot glares my way as I walk inside, but I pay them no mind.

I head toward the counter where the rude woman from the farmer’s market is, and I stifle a groan.

“Hi,” I say as I approach her, a smile written clear on my face.

She scoffs. “You again?”

“Me again.” I clear my throat, forcing myself not to snap a snarky remark back at her. My eyes shift to the menu above her head. “May I please get a honey lavender latte and an everything croissant sandwich?” I ask, mustering the kindest voice I possibly can.

She rolls her eyes as she punches my order into the computer. “It’s fifteen dollars.”

My eyes narrow as I glance at the price of the items, and I know she overcharged me. That must be what it costs to be unwanted in this town, so I just take a twenty out of my wallet and hand it to her over the counter.

“Keep the change,” I say with a knowing glance.

She scowls and snatches the bill from my hand. I take that as my cue to move to the other end of the counter to wait.

As I walk past, I notice a man maybe a few years older than me leaning against the wall behind the counter. He has his gaze trained on me, and when our eyes meet, he makes his way over.

“Ruth giving you a hard time?” he asks.

I glance back at the woman who has most certainly given me a hard time during every encounter we’ve had, but I shake my head. “Not at all. She’s lovely,” I force out, getting the feeling this man is her boss.

His eyes narrow as his lips turn up. “She’s a bitch, but I appreciate the effort to convince me otherwise.” He holds his hand out. “Name’s Liam. I own this shop.”

I smile, taking his hand. “Holland. It’s a nice spot.”

“Pretty name for a pretty woman. And thanks.” His eyes rake over me before meeting mine again. “What brings you to town, Holland?”

I swallow. “I’m investigating the wildfires. ”

He hums. “Are you now? Interesting.”

“It is.” My eyes trail over him, assessing him. I notice gauze wrapped around his opposite hand, an alarm going off in my head. “What happened there?”

He holds the hand out. “Oh, burnt myself on some hot water. You know how it is.”

“I don’t, actually.”

He huffs a laugh, thinking I must be joking. I can tell he’s growing uncomfortable, and that only makes me more curious about him.

He’s curious about me too, judging from the next question that falls from his lips. “So, what about the fires are you investigating?”

“The causes.” I lean in close, lowering my voice. “I think there may be arson involved.”

I watch for any sign of guilt, but his face shifts into one of confusion—similar to that of everyone else I’ve spoken to.

“Whoa, arson?” He blows out a breath. “Damn, that’s serious.”

My eyes narrow. “Do you have any ideas about who could be responsible for something like that?”

He swallows, averting his gaze. But before he has a chance to respond, Ruth comes over with my order, smiling shyly at Liam as she reaches past him. He smiles down at her, and I watch their exchange closely. She almost looks afraid of him, which raises the red flags even more.

“Thank you,” I tell her. She scowls in my direction again and makes her way back to the till. I look back at Liam, who studies me with a strange expression on his face.

“If you think of anything that may be worth noting, send me an email.” I pass him a business card over the counter, letting my hand skim against his. “Thanks, Liam,” I say flirtatiously, hoping it’ll help get this guy to let his guard down around me.

His shoulders relax as he meets my gaze, and with a wink, I turn and head toward one of the empty tables in the café.

As I take my seat, I make a mental note to look more into both Liam and Ruth in addition to George.

Statistically speaking, the culprit is unlikely to be Ruth because arsonists are most often men, but I’m not discounting anyone without solid evidence.

Her hatred toward me is uncalled for, and it makes me wonder if she knows something.

Not that she’ll share it with me if she does.

Resigning myself to that, I open my laptop and take a sip of my drink. As soon as my email browser opens, I spot a new message sitting at the top of my inbox. Noticing the email is from Liam, I click on it.

FROM: [email protected]

TO: [email protected]

SUBJECT: Wildfires

You should look into Tony Watkins.

You should also go on a date with me.

Liam

I huff a laugh, hitting the reply symbol and typing a message back.

FROM: [email protected]

TO: [email protected]

RE: SUBJECT: Wildfires

Thanks for the tip, but I have to pass on the date. I have a boyfriend back home. Let me know if you think of anything—or anyone—else.

Best,

Holland Rhodes

Freelance Investigative Journalist

With my mouse hovering over the send button, I glance up to find his eyes trained on me and a smirk on his face.

I click it, and within seconds, his phone pings with the email.

He shifts his gaze toward his phone in his hands, a frown filling his features as he reads.

His jaw clenches, and any hope I had of getting his help vanishes as he turns and walks to the back office without another glance my way.