Rescued Duty (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #5)

Chapter 27

TWENTY-SEVEN

“ Z ack?” Naya’s expectant voice came over the line, and Zack’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m so glad you called.”

He’d missed her call earlier because he’d just gotten home from meeting with Powells again and had stopped for a quick lunch on the way back.

Her profession was something he could get used to hearing. If she let him, he’d strive to be there for her and provide for her. Although, now was not the time to think futuristically. There were other pressing matters to focus on.

“I just talked with Tucker and found out something that puts a whole new spin on this story.”

His stomach hardened as he pictured Naya talking with Tucker. Zack rolled his shoulders and stood up from his couch. There was nothing between the two anymore. Naya had made that clear.

“Looks like we both have shocking revelations to share.” Zack paced the length of the room but never took his eyes off the box. “Can you swing by my house? There’s something I need to show you.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Great. And Naya?”

“Yeah?”

“Watch your back.”

Zack’s childhood had been uprooted like a baby tree caught in the winds of a storm, and he didn’t know if he wanted to go back and relive those days. The weight of what could be under the latch of that box sat on Zack’s shoulders like a heavy yoke. Did he really want to open it and be transported back to another time and place? On one hand, he ran the risk of remembering too much if the contents held pictures and other keepsakes. The last thing he wanted was a resurgence of jealousy over what other kids had enjoyed with their families that had been taken from Zack too soon.

The next several minutes dragged while Zack waited for Naya to arrive. Thoughts of her being run off the road or tailed plagued him, and although he wanted to do everything he could to protect her, it wasn’t possible. Only the Lord could guard her constantly.

A door slammed shut, and Zack raced onto the front porch before she’d made it halfway up the sidewalk.

Her brow was lined with creases despite her head being held high. Even her hair was done in a half updo, and her pink blouse added vibrancy to her professional attire. But Zack saw past the put-together demeanor. Something was bothering her as much as what he’d discovered had stirred him.

Zack wrapped her in a hug. “Any trouble getting over here?” He leaned back, staring at her face.

“All good for now.” She offered a half-hearted smile. Naya followed him into the living room. “What’s that?” She pointed to the box on the coffee table.

“Powells called me earlier. Said he had a box of my dad’s stuff he’d been given for safekeeping. And after hearing a report of the incident at Ethos and Will’s death from another firefighter, he wanted to rid himself of anything that could be traced back to my dad.” According to Powells, he’d never opened the box to examine the contents, but Zack’s dad had told him it had pertinent information that needed to be kept safe. Now it was Zack’s choice to do with it what he wanted.

Naya sat on the sofa. “Have you opened it?”

“I’m afraid of what might be in there.”

Naya reached out her hand and tugged Zack down next to her. “You told me about the beauty of memories, right?” She turned to face him and laid her hand on his shoulder. “You could remember more good moments so you don’t forget.”

Zack tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a special way with words? Reminding people of the truth.”

“Once or twice.” She smiled. “Whatever’s in that box matters. The contents could help bring closure to their case too. Either way, you’re honoring their lives, Zack.”

He’d been the one to tell Naya to stop investigating leads for the story. And if the box contained vital pieces of information that tied the loose ends together, he’d be bringing her right back into this mess.

Yet she was here, walking alongside him through the reminders of what he’d lost. Zack didn’t want to shut her out. She was a part of his life. And that meant letting her into every part of his world.

If the box held some of the missing puzzle pieces, he would simply turn it over to the police and let them add it to their investigation.

He set the box in his lap and turned the latch.

The ticking of the clock on the wall above him amplified the anticipation. His hands shook while he removed the contents one by one.

Sure enough, a few photos of his dad and mom lay on top. There was one of them holding Zack as a newborn and several of different trips and outings they’d taken over the brief years they’d had together. In each photo, smiling faces stared up at him.

Zack collected the pictures and handed them to Naya.

“Are these your parents?”

“Yeah.” He stared at the picture. The smell of sunscreen and the rumbling of waves took him back to that day on the beach. “Our last family vacation before the fire.”

“Your mom was beautiful.” She held the picture up next to his face. “You look just like your dad.”

“I always admired him.” Zack had wanted to be like his dad when he grew up. A man who loved Jesus and helped people.

“I never knew them, but I’d say you’re carrying on the family name well.” The gentleness of her words worked to smooth away the doubts.

“Thanks.”

Next, he pulled out a folded up piece of old parchment paper. A few yellow stains coated the back, and when Zack unraveled the document, his fingers turned to ice. He stared at an exact replica of the map of Pine Crest Pinnacle that Will had hanging in his hallway. The only difference lay in the red X that marked a location down by the river.

The paper shook in his hand. “Look at this.” He gave Naya the map.

He’d send this over to Detective Wilcox to investigate. The information was further proof of why the professionals should handle the case and that Naya had been spot on when she’d proposed that his parents’ deaths were connected to the water contamination story.

Naya gasped. Her eyes widened. “This is the same map that was in Will’s house.”

“Bingo.”

“And the river is marked with an X.”

“So the rumors of something being dumped into the river might be true.” Although there was still the question of how it was happening. “If that’s the case, how could it have gone on for so long without anyone growing suspicious?” Zack frowned. “If it started with my parents, then it’s been going on for over twenty years.”

“It’s a slow process,” Naya pulled out her phone. “Read this.”

She handed him the device, and he skimmed the article she had pulled up.

“PFAs are forever chemicals so they are nearly impossible to eradicate from the ground and water supply because they don’t break down. If more PFAs are added to an already contaminated site, they continue to build up.”

Zack said, “And it takes years for people to see the effects on their body until it’s too late and they find themselves battling thyroid diseases or ulcerative colitis.” He scrolled through the long list of health complications the article listed at the end.

“Exactly. If the chemicals have been dumped in increasing quantities and started years ago, no wonder people are now getting sick.”

Zack gave Naya back her phone then turned the map over and read the sentence etched in pen. Rats only go empty’n rivers. “The silly sentence my dad taught me is on here.” Zack read the next line. “Huh. It also says, It’s too important not to tell someone, P. ”

Naya lifted the map and studied it. “You think your dad was trying to tell someone what he knew?”

“There has to be a double meaning to the phrase my dad taught me. Did the investigator on their case know about this years ago?” Zack’s mind spun with questions that seemed to trail off without any answers.

“P…P…” Naya tapped her finger against her chin. “What if Powells was supposed to tell someone?”

“It’s possible. Clearly it didn’t do any good. From what we learned about Powells, he was trying to save his own skin.” Zack leaned forward on the couch, his hands clasped.

“No one must have thought to ask more questions. Or they kept coming to dead ends,” Naya said.

“Which means the method of hiding the activity couldn’t seem totally out of the ordinary.”

“Exactly.” Naya set the map on the table. “Someone would have to know how to get the job done.”

“Without sounding any alarms.”

“Like Sylvia,” Naya mumbled.

“Will’s secret lover?” Zack sat down and leaned forward. “But she’s too young to have played a role in this when my parents were alive.”

“I know.” Naya bit her lip. “Hear me out on this. She’s been advocating with Green Warriors but works at Ethos. Ingram knows her. Tucker confirmed she was the one who put the note on my car.”

“How do you know Tucker was telling the truth?” Zack narrowed his gaze. Based on what she’d shared about this guy before, he didn’t seem to always be on the up and up. And he could have tried to protect himself by finding a scapegoat.

“He described the woman before I even showed him a picture that matched the description. And he seemed nervous to say anything. Like it would put a target on his back.”

That guy needed to get his priorities in check. It’s a good thing Zack hadn’t been around to witness the way Tucker had treated Naya when they’d been a couple.

“That means there’s more than one person involved in this scheme.” Which made sense given the scale of the situation. “Especially if this has been going on for years.”

“How many, though?” Naya sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. “And who’s the driving force behind it all?”

“I don’t know, but Sylvia would have the means to carry out her role in it at the moment,” Zack said. “If she knows Ingram and she was working with Will, the two of them could have easily been behind the current attacks.”

Naya put her hand over her mouth and pulled in a breath. “What if she killed Will?”

“All the more reason to hand everything over to the cops.” Zack held his breath, waiting for the rebuttal. “We have no idea what set off Sylvia enough she murdered him.”

“I forfeited the story.”

Zack wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. “You did?”

She sighed. “I’m sorry for not wanting to see things from your perspective. You and Ingram were right. I was being prideful and thought I had to prove myself. But it’s not worth it when so many people have gotten hurt already.”

“Hey.” Zack held out his hands. Naya placed hers on top of his and they both stood. “You are incredibly talented. The last thing I want is to see that gift go to waste because you got hurt.”

“I know.” Water pooled in Naya’s eyes. “You’re a great guy, Zack. I’m grateful to have you in my life.” She squeezed his hand. “Was there anything else in the box?”

Zack reluctantly pulled away and picked up the wooden container. Nothing else was visible, so he shook it gently. The wood clanked and separated slightly. He took out what had appeared to be the bottom of the box.

“There’s a whole other stack of papers.” Zack pulled out one that was a photocopied page with pictures on it.

Naya leaned over his shoulder. “The sandbags.”

“That’s how they’re dumping the waste.” Zack couldn’t believe it had been that simple. “And I bet the map is the drop-off point.”

Zack pulled out his phone. Time to tell Wilcox what they’d found and get a crew to investigate the pinnacle.

Because Zack had a feeling the truth had been hidden in plain sight the whole time.