Chapter 5
Five
Aubrey pulled into a parking space behind St. Mark’s Community Center. The old church had been converted into a wedding venue that now had a two-year waiting list. She sighed. She would love to get married in the historic place of worship.
Sunlight highlighted the old stained-glass windows depicting the life of Christ. The black metal steeple shimmered, and the white wooden structure welcomed all who passed through the arched door, the church standing open and welcoming as it had for generations.
Aubrey stifled a yawn, her body heavy with fatigue but her nerves humming just beneath the surface. Sleep had eluded her again, sending her into the kitchen sometime after midnight to bake cookies she’d hoped might quiet her racing thoughts. But the silence of the house had only made them louder.
She grabbed the container of fresh oatmeal chocolate chip cookies she’d made this morning as a peace offering for the Renegade Days volunteers.
After yesterday’s excitement, she’d planned to take a personal day to focus solely on making sure everything was ready for tomorrow’s reenactment.
But the search for the downed Marshals prisoner transport refused to stay neatly contained at the office.
Responsibility pulled her in two directions.
The town depended on her presence here, and the unanswered questions about the judge and the plane tugged at her conscience.
Tomorrow was the reenactment, and she needed to make sure everything and everyone was ready, even if the judge wasn’t able to make it.
After that, she could focus back on her work keeping the office running.
She stopped at the door that led to the fellowship hall behind the main church building, bringing the sweet aroma of cookies with her into the building. But the acrid scent of burning gasoline from outside overpowered the baked goods.
A dark cloud obscured the sun on the other side of the structure. Only, it wasn’t a thundercloud. It was a black cloud of smoke coming up from behind the building—over by the front parking lot.
Aubrey threw open the door. “Everybody out—now! There’s a fire out front!”
All activity stopped as the volunteers focused their attention on her.
She waved at the door. “Move quickly!”
The handful of volunteers scrambled for the exit, leaving behind racks of costumes tagged with reenactors’ names. Costumes could be replaced, but not people. Aubrey called emergency services while propping open the door with her hip.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“We have a fire in front of St. Mark’s Community Center.” Volunteers brushed past Aubrey, their wide-eyed gazes filled with panic as they stumbled out of the historic building.
“Is anyone injured?”
“I don’t know. We’re trying to clear the building now, just in case.”
“Get outside and away from the structure. I’m sending fire, police, and medics.”
“Thank you.” Aubrey coughed as the acrid smoke in the air tickled her throat.
“Aubrey!” Jenna grabbed her in a tight hug. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“You too.” She stepped back. “Come on, let’s head over to the rendezvous point.”
Aubrey and Jenna walked across the parking lot and saw the rest of the volunteers standing under a box elder maple. Aubrey looked around. “Is everyone out?”
Jenna began counting heads. “I think everyone is accounted for.”
“What about the costumes?”
“I think as long as the building doesn’t catch fire, we’ll be fine.”
Aubrey sagged against her car. Thank You, God. A black cloud of smoke drifted toward the crowd, and everyone began to cough.
“Get back. Move toward the ballfield behind us!” Aubrey yelled.
Smoke thickened and the wail of sirens could be heard in the distance.
One of the volunteers, an elderly man, ran around from the front of the building, waving his hands. “There’s a car out front, and it’s on fire!”
Aubrey didn’t like the sound of this. She had to make sure no one else was in front. The air was bad enough back here.
She pulled up the front of her T-shirt to cover her mouth and ran across the parking lot, around the community center building.
As she inched closer to the front of the building, the crackle of burning metal and the sharp pop of exploding glass pulled her toward the vehicle engulfed in flames about twenty yards away.
A black sports car with a government license plate on the front.
“No. It can’t be.” A ball of dread traveled up her throat, and she swallowed back her fear. She’d recognize that car and license plate anywhere.
It belonged to Judge Mullinax.
Two fire engines swung into the parking lot in front and pulled to a halt near the fire hydrant.
Firefighters jumped down from every door on the trucks and ran in different directions.
A couple unrolled the hoses attached to the sides of the vehicles.
With practiced motion, they began extinguishing the fire, comforting Aubrey with their professionalism.
Police cruisers pulled over to block off the street, their blue lights flashing, while passersby stopped to watch. The loud diesel engines and shouts from the firefighters filled the air.
Aubrey ran back to where Jenna stood with the rest of the volunteers, now along the side of the building. They’d followed her to see the car? She’d have to shout over the noise, or Jenna would never hear her. “I think that’s the judge’s car!”
What if he was in there? She started toward it again.
“Stay back. You can’t go over there.” Jenna tried to drag her away from the burning vehicle.
Aubrey managed to spot a figure in the vehicle and gasped. “There’s someone in the car.” Terror paralyzed her legs. She yelled to the firefighters, “You have to get them out!”
A young police officer came over to them. “Ma’am, you can’t stay here. You both need to move back behind the community center.”
A sob burst through. Oh dear God, no. “Someone is in that car.”
The putrid stench of burning flesh singed her nostrils as the officer forcibly walked her away from the burning car.
Alongside the community center, Aubrey stared at the firefighters and officers as they contained the fire and kept the crowd and reporters away from the scene.
“That’s the judge’s car, Jenna.” And he’d been missing for days. “I’d recognize it anywhere.”
A wave of nausea hit her, and she had to rush over to the shrubs to expel the little bit of breakfast she’d eaten earlier.
Jenna rested a hand on her back. “Here. Take a sip of this.” She handed Aubrey a water bottle.
Aubrey took a swig to rinse out her mouth. “Thanks.” She wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
Jenna wrinkled her nose at the odor hanging over the area and pulled her T-shirt neck up to cover her mouth and nostrils.
“Do they know…?” Aubrey couldn’t voice her fears. This felt like her nightmare was coming back to life in the place she had come to for safety and refuge from the memories. “It’s Stephen’s car, isn’t it?” Every word scratched against her raw throat.
“Yeah. It’s the judge’s car.” Jenna glanced away for a moment. “I recognize it.”
Aubrey’s knees started to give way, and her friend caught her. “They’ll figure it out, Aubrey.” Jenna’s voice gentled, but her grip didn’t as she shook Aubrey hard enough to break through the haze. “You need to focus right now. Keep it together.”
Her eyes unfocused, Aubrey slowly nodded. Jenna helped her sit on the curb, and Aubrey gulped a big lungful of air.
Jenna squatted in front of her, her sooty face filled with concern. “Aubrey, we don’t know if it was him in the car.” Jenna coughed into her hand.
“Who else would it be?”
What would she do without the judge? He was like a second father to her now that they’d lived near each other for six years.
But even before that, he had been guiding her, helping her when no one else had believed she was in danger all those years ago, before her family had gone into WITSEC.
Ashes floated on the breeze and landed on her lap, and she quickly brushed them away.
A shadow loomed over her and she looked up, shielding her eyes as she squinted in the bright light. Unshed tears clouded her vision, but she had no trouble recognizing the man extending a hand to her. “Ethan.”
She hesitated for a moment before grabbing it, letting him help her up. She dusted off some grass clippings from her backside and grimaced. She must look a mess. “Thank you.”
Those deep-blue eyes of his filled with compassion. He nodded once. “You two ladies okay? I can have an EMT check you out.”
She didn’t know what to say.
His gaze lingered on Aubrey. “Let’s get you over to the paramedics, just to be safe.” Ethan waved his hand, and they walked over to the ambulance.
“Riley, can you check out Ms. Stockton?”
“I’m fine, Ethan. Just sucked in a bit of smoke,” Jenna told him.
“Let me check your lungs.” Riley smiled and held out his hand. “Right this way.”
They watched him lead Jenna over to the ambulance. Aubrey rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Why was she so cold in the middle of the day? “I’m not hurt.”
Ethan wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and she jumped. He held up his hands. “It’s just me.”
“Sorry.” She clutched the blanket around herself. “That is the judge’s car, right?”
“We ran the plates, and it matches what he has on file with the DMV.” He didn’t look at her, which wasn’t a good sign.
“There was someone in the car.” She forced herself to look at Ethan, but he was partially turned away. She grabbed his arm. “Tell me the truth.” That came out a little more forceful than she wanted. She loosened her grip as he faced her. “Please, I have to know.”
His jaw tensed as his gaze bored into her. “We’ll have to confirm with DNA testing, but it’s likely it is the judge’s body in the car.”
Aubrey closed her eyes for a moment and felt a tear escape. She inhaled and straightened, forcing herself to accept this news that knocked her world off its axis.
She wiped away the tear and faced Ethan. “Thank you for telling me.”