Chapter 21
Scarlett walked with Ice on her left and Patch on her right. They took their time as the crowd gathered to discuss the tragedy in Serenity.
“Did they find Debbie?” she whispered.
“Yes, they found her an hour ago. Doc said she didn’t suffer.” Patch broke the news gently. “I know it’s not much consolation.”
“I still don’t understand why she went inside. How did she get to the other window?” she asked as they stopped to let the crowd mingle around them.
“People get turned around all the time in a fire. Between the fear for her grandchildren, the smoke, and her age, it’s possible she panicked when you didn’t come out right away. You know as well as I do, when you’re in the situation, a minute can seem like an hour,” Patch said quietly.
“Claire mentioned she got kidnapped. Serenity seems like a nice town. Did it happen here?”
Patch remained silent for a few minutes.
“Yeah. He came here pretending to visit her and took her to Seattle. But it’s not the only violent act we’ve seen in town lately.
Avie, Shadow’s wife, was in the witness protection program.
Her ex-husband found her and killed an older couple in town.
When Tess came to deliver food, he shot her.
Tess can walk for short lengths of time, but she still uses her wheelchair. ”
Scarlett reached out, feeling the edge of his coat. “It must’ve been hard on all of you. The team seems pretty tight.”
“Yes, we are. We have each other’s six. They supported Claire and me once we rescued her. The bastard injected her with some drug, which paralyzed her.”
“Oh, my gosh, how awful and scary,” Scarlett exclaimed.
“It’s nothing compared to what Tess and Taco experienced. They separated for a bit. It went from bad to worse. They eventually found their way back to one another and never take a day for granted,” Patch admitted.
“Oh, wow,” Scarlett murmured.
“I imagine Debbie felt the same way. When Diana died, she struggled, but Edie and Barb supported her. Lizzy and Michael never let the kids forget about their mother. Every year, on Diana’s birthday, they go to a spot on the mountain where the wildflowers grow.
They spread her ashes there. Then, they have a picnic and share the story of how their mom loved them enough to give them a loving home.
When they adopted Caleb and Faith, they took in Debbie, too. ”
Scarlett sniffed. “What a beautiful story.”
“Gah, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I wanted you to know Debbie lived a full, happy life here. Knowing her grandchildren were safe must’ve made her last moments bearable, thanks to you,” Patch said.
“It’s all right,” she assured him. “Can we sit down? I want to focus on people as they walk by. There are too many people here,” she said, letting Ice guide her. “I believe there’s a bench to our left.”
“Are you pretending to be blind?” Patch teased. “How did you know?”
“Candy and I walked the town. I used to glance at a map and recall everything. I guess I’m compensating by knowing this town like the maps,” she explained.
Patch weaved her through the crowd to the bench. Ice sat beside her and leaned against her leg. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the people walking by her.
“I see you’ve got a seeing eye dog and a seeing human. Didn’t your mutt do his job?” Jeremy Stewart snarled.
“Watch it, Jeremy,” Patch demanded. “Don’t you have better things to do?”
Ice stood and let out a low growl. Scarlett immediately gave him the silent signal, not wanting to attract more attention.
“I find it funny how we never dealt with a tragedy this big until Kassie Winters sent her charity cases to work in the community center. How do we know the blind woman didn’t accidentally leave the stove on or cause the fire some other way?” he boasted.
Patch stood, crowding Jeremy. “I suggest you walk away,” he said in a deadly tone. “We don’t need your negativity here. The community lost someone special. If you can’t respect their mourning, leave.”
“Come on, Dad. I need to get the feed for the horses,” Ben said, attempting to convince his father to leave them alone.
“It’s about time they got taken down a peg. Maybe this town will see how destructive having this hospital here has become,” Jeremy continued.
“Dad. The feed store will close if we don’t leave now,” Ben insisted.
Jeremy swiped his hand over his mouth. “I’m coming.”
Patch sat again. “Don’t listen to him. The hospital has tripled the economy here. The veterans and teens have helped build a park, thrown a baby shower for expectant mothers, and Kassie invites everyone to the fall festival and holiday celebrations.”
“You don’t have to stick up for them. Everyone seems nice and supportive. Jeremy seems to be the only…”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s him. He was there before the fire started,” she whispered frantically.
“Are you positive?”
“Yes. I remember smelling his cologne when he interrupted me and Ty at the community center,” she told him.
Patch took out his phone. “We got a positive ID. We’re coming in.”
A half hour later, the team gathered with the local police.
“I’m sorry, Leo. It’s her word against his. Plus, you surveilled him all night. How did he get out to set the fire without you seeing him?” the chief asked.
“I don’t know. The man bitched and moaned to Ben half the night and went to bed. The kid finished his chores in the barn. Saint watched the back, and I took the front,” Leo reported.
“We can talk to him, but I don’t know if it’ll do any good,” Chief Williby advised. “He’s a bitter old man.”
Leo ran his hand through his hair. “Shadow, you and Ragu take the shift tonight. Keep me informed if Stewart farts in his sleep.”
Whiskey, another team member, entered the room. “Boss. We got a problem.”
Leo groaned. “What now?”
“The Pizza Palace called. The hospital cancelled trips into town and they didn’t notice immediately. Someone destroyed all their video games. They used the substance we found in the bread truck.”
Leo glanced at Chief Williby. “The substance contained pesticides. Do you know any farmers who might have any? Maybe it’s enough to get a search warrant. He became hostile with Patch and Scarlett today and has made damning comments about the Winters Foundation. What more do you need?”
Chief Williby sighed. “I’ll go talk to him. In the meantime, I don’t mind you aiding in the investigation but let us handle it.”
Shadow led the man out.
“What do you want us to do, boss?” Knight asked. “Several farmers have pesticides. Jeremy Stewart will argue the fact half the town uses it.”
“We’ll let Williby do his job. In the meantime, we’ll keep our eyes open and stay on the asshole.
Call Doc. I don’t want the teens in town, not even to work.
Let’s ask the veterans to act as our eyes in town.
” Leo frowned. “José and Lucas leave in the morning for basic. I want all of us there to send them off. Taco, call the Seattle SWAT team and see if they have a few spare people to hold the fort down for an hour around seven. I’ll pay them. ”
“Will do, boss.”
“Scarlett, I prefer you stay on the mountain until we get this handled. I know you mentioned something about a friend coming this weekend. It might be a good idea to hold off on her visit. Serenity’s no longer the safe place we love, and I refuse to allow us to lose another family member.”