Chapter 29
Twenty-nine
It took three weeks for the smoke to clear from Annie’s mind. Three weeks of lying awake in bed, staring at the wall. Three weeks of opening windows and fanning and replaying the moments of terror, stomping out the embers in her mind.
But all at once the clouds parted, and she pulled clean, crisp air into her lungs. She stared at the blackened night sky, littered with millions of burning stars. Each one was a miracle, and she was overwhelmed with gratitude and wonder.
There was a touch of terror staring back at her, too. Life was terrifying. Nearly dying was terrifying, but on the other side of that, it was an improbable miracle that any of them were here. That any of them made it on any given day.
It was the most wonderful miracle, and she wasn’t going to sit idly by, questioning herself, questioning her children, waiting on Roy or anyone ever again.
Annie was going to get answers.
Chief Hank, for all his charms, was a steel trap. He wasn’t giving her any hints about the investigation.
To be fair, there was a lot she wasn’t telling him either, but only because she wasn’t sure of the truth. With her new clarity, Annie was determined to put her fears to rest.
On Saturday morning, she asked her mom to watch the kids and texted Lauren asking for a favor.
Lauren responded quickly. “Sure, anything!”
Annie picked up coffee for them both, then pulled into Lauren’s driveway. She surveyed the house for a second. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, except for the ostentatious Porsche sitting in the sun.
She walked up to the house and just as she reached the front door, it flung open, a mass of a man flying past her, the hood of his sweatshirt over his head.
Annie stood stunned for a second, watching him gallop down the street. She cocked her head to the side. “Alex?”
Annie turned back to the house. Lauren stood in the open doorway. “Did he say where he was going?”
Annie shook her head. “Nope. I assume he’s going for a midday run.” She paused. “In jeans and a hoodie.”
Lauren leaned out, straining her eyes down the road, her brow furrowed. “Who knows? Anyway, sorry about him. Come on in.”
Annie handed Lauren her favorite – a mocha latte – then said hello to the kids. Lauren’s parents were there, her mom washing dishes, her dad doing a craft. It was easy for the two of them to slip into the backyard for some privacy.
They sat in overstuffed chairs on the stone patio. Lauren’s yard was expansive, spanning six acres. There was a beautiful swing set, a playhouse, and a small dirt track where the older kids rode their bikes.
“Is everything okay? You look so serious,” Lauren said.
Annie sat back. She felt serious. “I’m going to ask you a favor, Lauren.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re making me nervous. What is it?”
Annie kept her eyes fixed on her friend. “Tell me how you got the Porsche.”
Immediately, Lauren’s eyes fell. “Annie, I can’t.”
“I need to know who gave it to you and if they had anything to do with the fire.”
Lauren gasped. “Of course not! Why would you think that?” She paused. “At least...I don’t think so. I mean, I would never be involved with that!”
Annie sat, her eyes fixed, her voice silent.
“I can’t talk to you about this,” Lauren said, lowering her voice. “The judge is already getting questions, and everyone at work is nervous.”
Annie raised her coffee to her lips and took a sip.
Lauren went on. “I don’t even know who gave it to me, technically. But I swear, I had nothing to do with the fire. I would never do anything like that. You have to believe me.”
“Was the car a bribe?”
Lauren set her coffee down, eyes wide. “Not exactly.”
“What did they ask you to do?”
She sucked in a big breath. “I got an email. It said they wanted to talk about the case. I thought it was from the other attorney’s office—I didn’t know.
I told them I couldn’t meet in person because my car was in the shop.
” She lowered her voice. “Then this guy showed up after work – he was just there, waiting for me. He was really nice, and he said he knew I was Judge Henly’s clerk. ”
“I don’t understand,” Annie said. “What did it matter? Why didn’t they talk to the judge?”
Her shoulders dropped and she let out a breath. “Because everyone knows Judge Henly is old and waiting for retirement. My job is to research things for him, and most of the time he just agrees with whatever I come up with.”
“I see,” Annie said softly.
“But not always!” Lauren added. “The guy told me if I could make an argument against the fire department, he’d make it worth my while. I didn’t think the judge would actually dismiss the case.”
“I guess you were pretty convincing,” Annie said.
“Annie, you have to believe me. I didn’t think it would blow up like this. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I honestly didn’t think much of it at all.”
Clearly.
Annie set her drink down and leaned forward. “How can you be sure this guy didn’t have something to do with the fire?”
It was best not to tell Lauren she’d seen someone in the parking lot. Better to see what she would reveal.
“Why would they?”
“Because I was asking you questions about it at the fundraiser.” Annie paused. “Did you tell them I was asking about it?”
Lauren shook her head vigorously. “No, absolutely not. After he dropped off the car, I never spoke to him again. I swear. They wouldn’t have known you were figuring things out. Though now I’m sure everyone will put it together.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
Annie couldn’t say much on that front. Lauren and the judge would both come under a lot of scrutiny, though ultimately, it had been his call to dismiss the case, even if it was done out of laziness.
“So they don’t have any suspects?” Lauren asked.
“They won’t tell me anything,” Annie said. “I just…I had to be sure. I had to talk to you about it.”
Lauren sighed. “That’s fair. I guess I’m a criminal.”
“I didn’t think you were a criminal,” Annie said, chancing a smile. “But, come on, the Porsche is pretty glaring.”
She groaned. “I didn’t get to pick the car. I would’ve asked for a minivan.”
“The dream,” Annie said.
She decided now was not the right time to tell Lauren her own exciting news – Roy had offered to buy Annie a new car. Apparently the guilt associated with Annie almost dying in a fire had inspired more generosity in him.
“Do you hate me now?” Lauren asked, pulling Annie out of her thoughts.
Annie looked at her, surprise in her eyes. “No. I don’t hate you.”
“I didn’t tell you this before,” she shook her head, “I don’t know why. But Roger lost his job and has been out of work for a year. It’s been so stressful and I just wanted a car that was safe for the kids and…”
Tears flooded Lauren’s eyes.
Annie felt her chest constrict. She couldn’t condone what Lauren had done, but she could understand it.
She stood, arms outstretched. Lauren shot to her feet, dashing away a tear on her cheek, and took Annie into an embrace.
“I’m so sorry about everything,” Lauren sobbed. “And I thank God you’re okay.”
Annie squeezed her tight. “Me too.”
Her next stop was Miles’ house. It was time to come clean about all of it, and while she’d told Lauren she wouldn’t rat her out to the police, she’d never said anything about the fire department. They deserved to know forces were working against them.
She parked at home and made the walk to his house. She wanted a moment to admire it before he noticed her, to listen to the birds chirping, the bees buzzing in his perfectly kept flowerbeds, and to admire the blue sky hanging overhead like a portrait of happiness.
The memory of him ripping her away from that fire flashed in her mind. The day she had almost died.
Whatever happened now, nothing could be as bad as that, even if her heart hadn’t gotten the message, pounding away as if locked in a cage.
She knocked on the door. The sound of steps echoed, and then there he was, standing tall and handsome in a blue and black flannel shirt, the top button undone. His face was dark with stubble, more than his usual, and he had bags under his eyes.
“Annie.”
The hard look was gone from his face, replaced with astonishment.
“Hi, Miles. Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
He stepped aside and she walked in, pulling her coat off.
“I need to tell you something,” she said.
The alarm on his face only grew, and he led her to the kitchen. He had a pot of tea brewed and poured a cup for each of them.
They sat at the kitchen table, and she told him everything about Lauren’s car, her own suspicions, and finally the confrontation.
“Do you believe her?” Miles asked.
Annie considered this, watching the steam rise from her mug of tea. “I do. I think she did a dumb thing. But I don’t think she’s a murderer.”
He nodded. “I’m not sure it matters. Everyone’s up in arms about the judge dismissing the case, but what’s done is done. We’ve moved on anyway. We might get some traction now with our new lawsuit.”
Annie was surprised how little he cared about Lauren’s actions – but he was right. They’d already accepted the loss and moved on.
“I’m glad to hear it.” She stood.
He rushed to his feet. “Was there anything else? How are you doing?”
“I’m good.” She paused. “I’m great, actually. But I won’t take any more of your time.”
“It’s nice to see you. I’m glad you’re – ” He paused. “That you’re well.”
This was her chance. For once in her life, Annie wasn’t going to overthink it. She wasn’t going to think at all.
Before she’d come, she didn’t know what she was going to say or do. She only knew she had to see Miles.
Now she was going on instinct. His handsome face was contorted with a politely puzzled expression, and his kind, soft eyes were focused on her. He stood broad-shouldered and tall, gazing down, his hands stuffed into his pockets, like he was holding himself back, like he hadn’t swept her up.
Her hero. Her friend.
The man she would forever be desperately in love with.
“I’ve never properly thanked you.” She stepped closer, breathing in his masculine cologne.
“Uh, you have nothing to – ”
She didn’t wait to hear his excuse again. Annie popped onto her tiptoes and planted her lips onto his.
He startled at first, but Annie kept kissing him, placing one hand on the back of his neck, her other hand around his back.
His muscles relaxed and he leaned into her, a gasp escaping his lips, a smile forming.
Then she broke the kiss, turned, and left.