Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
I swore it looked like Betts and I were participating in the Daniel Boone Forest Rally, which was a real fast-paced motorsport event that was held in our own backyard in the summer.
Both of our cars hugged the curves all the way back to the Old Train Station Motel, where in the distance, I could see black billows of smoke rising high into the sky.
My heart pounded and my palms sweated. I prayed not only for everyone to be safe but also for the safety of our amazing national forest along with all the amazing creatures who called it home.
The closer we got, the less dense the smoke was, which told me the fire department and rangers were on the scene.
Betts and I threw our cars into park once we got into the parking lot, and we bolted across the Old Train Station Motel’s side property, where Cascade Trail would help us get to Tex’s faster.
“Slow down,” Betts wheezed, stopping to grab the wooden trail marker to steady herself. “I’m a woman of faith and casseroles, not Cardio Queenie.”
Betts made a very funny joke at a very wrong time.
Smoke drifted through the trees, and the smell scared me the most: burning timber and leaves. There was an echo around the gorge that sounded like helicopter blades rattling through the forest canopy. The sound bounced off cliffs surrounding the trail and just made it all so real.
I ran as fast as I could down Cascade Trail, where the narrow dirt twisted downhill, and roots of trees were dotted all over the path.
I kept my eyes on the smoke and finally made it to Cat Camp Creek Trail, which crossed the Tear Trace Trail.
That would lead me straight to Tex’s forest setup, which was off the beaten path.
Branches whipped against my arms and got caught up in my curly hair. Somewhere nearby, I could hear water rushing over the limestone rocks that lined our creek beds that cut through the gorge.
What was normally a very peaceful trail had now become somewhat of a nightmare in broad daylight.
The closer I got, the more I could see the flames shooting upward from the remains of the large canvas massage tent. Firefighters were doing their best, using a Pulaski, a mcleod, and chainsaws to try not only to stop the fire but to contain it.
The helicopter finally reached the site and started releasing aerial drops of water and what appeared to be some sort of bright-red retardant to slow the fire’s progress.
“Mae!” Tucker yelled from across the area. “You two can’t be down here!”
Before I could answer him, Al came running up next to us.
“What are you two doing here?” he asked but didn’t wait for the answer. “Just stay right here. Do not move, and I mean it, or I’ll arrest you. Better yet”—he waved one of the firefighters over—“you stay here and keep an eye on these two.”
“But…” the young man stammered only to be hushed by Al. “Thanks a lot, ladies.” The firefighter glared at Betts and me and shook his head at us. “I’ve always wanted to work an arson case.”
“Arson?” I asked.
“A sloppy arson case,” he confirmed, folding his arms and taking a stance in which his body language told me he wasn’t going to talk to us. “Used kerosene.”
I watched as the fire was contained to a smoldering, and the afternoon lingered into dusk. Eventually, there was nothing left but the smell of old memories.
“Hey.” Betts reached over. “Are you okay?”
“No.” I shook my head. “All of this brings up the memories of my family.”
“Oh, honey.” Betts curled me into her arms, just like she’d done so many times when something from my past hit me hard.
And just for a few minutes, I allowed myself to grieve not only for Tex and the forest, but also for my lost family, who were killed by an arsonist when I was a child.
“Come on, Mae,” Hank said to encourage me to leave. He’d only been there about forty-five minutes before he seemed to realize I wasn’t going to go unless he hoisted me up on his shoulders to drag me out of there.
So he got Mae duty while Betts headed back home.
“This isn’t doing anyone any good,” Hank told me.
“But don’t you see?” I swallowed back the tears.
“Someone set this on fire. Someone who didn’t want anyone to find their DNA because now Al”—I screamed Al’s name loud enough for him to hear—“thinks Tex did it. Well, how did Tex set his own place on fire when he was sitting in jail for a murder he didn’t commit? ”
“We can address this later when everyone isn’t so hyped up.” Hank tried to keep his voice steady, but I could tell he knew I had a point.
“It sure wasn’t Glenda either!” I yelled so loud that I had to let out a little cough. “Because she’s been keeping vigil at the jail with Granny Agnes.”
“You have a valid point,” Hank told me, which I felt like he was only doing to pacify me. “But it’s not doing anyone any good.”
“You’ve said that, but it sure does feel like it’s doing me good,” I protested and then saw Tucker pick something up from the area where the tent had burned down. “What is that?”
“It could be anything,” Hank said, but both of us watched as Tucker called over Al.
“What is it?” I called over to them and watched as if in slow motion as Tucker released something from his fingers but pinched the end. “Is that a necklace?” I jerked around and looked at Hank. “Is that a necklace?” I asked again, grabbing him by the arm. “Is it?”
“It looks like it is,” Hank said.
“Hank,” I gasped. “Alice Charles lost a necklace and told me to keep an eye out. Well, I’ve kept my eye out,” I whispered and realized Alice Charles had killed Florence Sparks.