Page 19 of Ink and Ashes

Colson shakes his head. “Just that you had a feeling a fire would happen yesterday, but when I questioned him further, he said I should suck it up and talk to you. So that’s what I’m doing.”

I pull my lip between my teeth, unsure whether or not to share everything I’ve found or not. But I need Colson on my side. The only way to get him there is by sharing what I know.

I start by telling him the same things I told Dom, about the weather records and area covered. I explain that every fire so far has happened within a 2,000-hectare radius, with Ember Grove dead centre.

“The first three fires and then fire number eight were all zombie fires,” I add.

Colson’s brow raises at my use of firefighter lingo, but I ignore it.

“Dom confirmed that. We also visited the scene of the fourth fire, but Dom wasn’t able to find the cause of that one.”

“Nothing?”

I shake my head.

His jaw flexes before he speaks again. “Okay. Then what’s the pattern with the timeline?”

I exhale deeply. “Each fire that’s spanned more than a hectare has occurred the same number of days after the previous, plus one day.”

His brows pull together. “Wait, what?”

I shake my head. It sounds confusing as hell trying to explain it, so I spin around in the chair to pull my laptop out of my bag.

“Hold on. I’ll show you.”

Setting it on the desk, I open it to the folder of all the evidence I’ve collected.

After navigating to the timeline I created, I hold my laptop out Colson.

He takes it from me and stands from the bed, leaning against the desk while he reads.

The knot between his brows is prominent as he examines the dates on the page.

“The fire yesterday may not have been a wildfire, but it does follow the pattern,” I add, because it’s not currently listed. “Well, date-wise anyway. I’m guessing it was smaller than a hectare, so I’m not sure what to make of that yet.”

“How have I not realized this before now?” he asks, more to himself than me. “Better yet, how has no one else noticed it either?”

I shrug. “It took me a while too, because it’s not an obvious pattern.

And you guys have been busy actually fighting the fires.

It makes sense that you wouldn’t have a record of the exact dates, especially since no one suspected anything until I came around,” I say, though he isn’t really listening.

Instead, he hands my laptop back to me and pulls a binder down off the shelf. Flipping it open, he starts shifting through all the pages .

I’m nosy, so I ask, “What are you looking for?”

“My reports.” He pulls eight pieces of paper from the binder, double checking the dates on each of them. When he realizes they align with the dates on the screen in front of me, he drops the pages to the desk, his shoulders falling.

“Colson?” I ask softly, placing my hand on top of his on the desk. The moment our fingers touch, he rips his away, glancing up at me with a fire in his eyes that rivals the fires this town has been facing.

“I don’t know what this proves,” he bites out, stabbing his pointer finger onto the stack of papers. “How do you account for the first three fires? And fire number eight? Those don’t align with this timeline. And if it is an arsonist, why would they switch to a structure fire for this last one?”

He shoots the questions at me one after another, but I maintain my composure.

“The first three fires and number eight also spanned less than a hectare. Like I said, all the bigger ones have fit with the timeline. That has to mean something.” I shake my head.

“I don’t know why they would switch to a structure fire for this last one.

Maybe it was an attempt to throw me off their trail. ”

“Or it could all just be one big coincidence.”

I freeze, my jaw hanging open as I stare at him.

I thought this would finally be what I needed to get him on my side, but he’s still arguing it. I don’t have the energy to try to convince him anymore. Maybe it would be better coming from Dom.

I pack up my laptop and stand from the desk, then attempt to leave his office.

Except before I can, he blocks my path. “Where are you going? We aren’t done.”

“Yes, we are.” I stand tall, not willing to back down.

“You know, I thought when you called me here it was because you were finally willing to hear me out. But you clearly have no actual interest in what I have to say, so I’m leaving before I waste more breath trying to get you to believe what I already know you won’t.

I thought having some actual evidence would do the trick, but you’re refuting even that, so I give up.

I’ll let Dom do the convincing from now on. ”

Colson stares at me slack-jawed as I maneuver my way around him, making sure not a single part of me touches him as I do. He doesn’t bother stopping me this time, so I open the door and leave without another word.

I storm out of the station even more frustrated and determined than I have been, passing a group of the guys sitting around the app floor table playing cards. I fake my best smile for them before continuing down the driveway toward my car.

I don’t know what Colson’s problem is. One minute, he’s threatening to out my lie about my name if I don’t leave, and the next, he’s teasing me about poisoning his coffee and asking me to fill him in on the case.

Just when I think he might be starting to trust me, or at the very least believe me, he flips a switch and we’re back where we started.

Without physical evidence, I have no chance of getting through to him.

On a sigh, I approach my car, catching sight of something sitting on the front windshield. “The fuck?” I pick up my pace, grabbing the piece of paper off my window and reading the note inside.

Stop investigating and leave town before you burn with it

A chill runs up my spine, my heart rate accelerating. Looking around, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. It’s not even six-thirty in the morning, so whoever left this has either memorized my car and just got lucky I was here…or they followed me to the station.

I really hope it wasn’t the latter.

Since the email I received my first week here, I haven’t gotten any other messages in my inbox. But now, notes are being left on my car, which only convinces me further that someone is behind the fires.

Shaking my head, I glance back up at the brick building with EMBER GROVE FIRE DEPARTMENT in bold letters.

I’m tired of trying to get him to believe my theory, but maybe this will be the kind of proof Lieutenant Killjoy needs to take me seriously.

Which is why I march my way back up the driveway and swing open the door. Ethan, Hayden, and two firefighters I have yet to meet are sitting in the same spot I left them five minutes ago.

“Back so soon?” Ethan teases, a smirk on his face. “I knew you couldn’t get enough of me, Rhodes.”

I paste the most flirtatious smile I can muster on my face as I respond, “Keep dreaming, Langley.”

I continue my walk across the app floor into the lobby and head straight for Colson’s quarters. He’s sitting at his desk, and the moment he hears me coming, he huffs, shaking his head. “Look, I don’t have time for?—”

“You still think this isn’t arson?” I interrupt him, slamming the note down on his desk.

His brows furrow as he picks it up. Glancing at me, he unfolds the page. His brows pull even tighter as he reads. Jaw clenched, he asks, “Where did you find this?”

“It was on my car just now. You still wanna argue that someone isn’t setting these fires?”

He tosses the paper back onto his desk. “Anyone could’ve left this. You should report it to PD considering it threatens your safety, but this still isn’t proof that the town has an arsonist.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What do you want me to say, Rhodes? Whoever left it shouldn’t have threatened you, but the note is only saying what the rest of the town is?—”

He cuts himself off, so I fill in the blank myself.

“Thinking. That’s what you were about to say, right? Real nice, Caldwell,” I huff. “I’ll see myself out.”

“Rhodes, wait—” His hand wraps around my arm, spinning me back around to face him.

“I don’t want to hear it.” I tug my arm out of his grasp.

“I get that you don’t like me and don’t want me here.

I don’t know what it is you have against the press, but whatever it is isn’t reason enough for you to be this ignorant toward what’s happening, and it’s definitely not enough to insinuate that I deserve to burn if I don’t quit looking into the fires. ”

“I didn’t mean it like that. You know I didn’t mean it. I just?—”

“I don’t know that, actually, because as you’ve made abundantly clear to me in the past few weeks, I don’t know you or anyone else here.

But that’s not going to stop me. You don’t know me .

I don’t quit. This is not my first threat.

Won’t be my last either. But none of the threats I’ve ever received have stopped me from doing my job.

In fact, they only make me more determined to show the people doubting me just how wrong they are. ”

I take a step forward. “You think you’re the first person to ever stand in my way?

God, no. I’m a big city journalist who’s dealt with big city corruption.

This is nothing but a roadblock in the grand scheme of resistance I’ve faced throughout my career.

But you know what, Lieutenant?” I pause, getting in his face as much as I can with our height difference, even in my four-inch heels.

“Resist all you want. I still always win.”