Chapter 4
Bryn sat in stunned silence, her stomach rolling with waves of nausea. She pressed a hand to her stomach, fighting against the urge to throw up. Someone had set her house on fire. On purpose! No way was this an accident, not after everything else that had transpired throughout the day.
Earlier, she’d viewed Lori’s murder as the worst thing that could have happened, but this fire was a close second.
Not as tragic as losing a life, but still painful.
Everything she owned in the world had been inside her home.
After seeing how much of her house had been engulfed in flames, the fire likely raging for at least an hour or more, she doubted she’d be able to recover anything useful.
The most important items didn’t hold any monetary value.
She grieved over losing her personal things.
Cherished photos of her parents and her brother, Tommy, were likely gone forever.
A fat tear slid down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away, feeling guilty.
She was alive, unlike Lori. Things could be replaced, except for the pictures.
Some of them she had on her phone. She tried to tell herself this wasn’t the end of the world.
Yet a blanket of despair relentlessly engulfed her.
Much like the flames inside her house.
“Please don’t cry.” Micah’s low voice broke into her thoughts. “I’m sure your insurance will cover the repairs.”
Forcing a nod, she sniffled and wiped her eyes.
“I know.” She dully realized there was no point in planning to sell the house now.
She couldn’t sell a burned-out husk of a structure.
Even after the repairs were done, would anyone want to buy it?
She found that difficult to imagine, and another wave of despair hit hard.
Things had gone from bad to worse, and she wasn’t out of danger yet.
“Bryn, please. It’s going to be okay. We’ll be at the rental property soon.” Micah rested his hand on her knee. “We’ll get you new clothes tomorrow morning. As soon as the stores open for the day.”
“That’s fine.” She stared down at her work clothes.
The only clothes she had left in the world.
Too bad she didn’t have a job to wear them to.
Pushing that thought aside, she focused on the immediate issue.
“The gunman must have started the fire, but how did he get to my house so quickly after shooting Lori?”
“That’s a good question.” Micah frowned, his gaze turning thoughtful.
“I’m wondering if he set the fire prior to heading to Lori’s.
Either that or he left the moment he killed Lori and hightailed it to your place to start the blaze.
If so, he must have planned the fire from the very start.
Most people don’t drive around with something flammable to use as an accelerant to start a house on fire. ”
The reality of the situation hit hard. She grasped his hand, suddenly needing a physical connection.
“I’m scared, Micah. I don’t understand what this gunman wants.
I mean, shooting at me is one thing, killing Lori thinking it was me is even worse.
But setting my house on fire when I’m not even home?
What was the point of that? I’m not following the logic of these crimes.
” Other than the fact that someone wanted her dead.
“To destroy evidence.” Micah’s blunt words stole her breath. She hadn’t considered that as the reason for the fire. “But keep in mind we’ve been together this whole time, Bryn. There’s no way the police can accuse you of setting the blaze.”
“Accuse me of doing this?” She stared at him in horror. “Why would they? Why would anyone set fire to their own home?”
He winced. “I didn’t mean it to come out like that. I was thinking about the evidence of gunfire that might be gone now. If there were bullet holes in the house or shell casings, I doubt they’ll be found. That along with the way we left the scene of Lori’s murder without waiting for the police.”
“You think that makes us look guilty.” She didn’t understand any of this. “I guess it does, but I have no reason to harm Lori. And you were the one who pointed out the gunman likely killed her by mistake.”
“Yeah, well, there are a lot of missing pieces to this puzzle.” He gently squeezed her hand. “I don’t want you to worry about it, though. I’ll work through this with Rex once we’ve reached the rental property.”
“Do you think we’ll be safe there?” The question came out before she could stop it. She shivered, even though it wasn’t cold in the car. “It feels as if no matter what we do, the deck is stacked against us.”
“We’ll be safe. Nobody but Rex knows where we’ll be.” He glanced at the rearview mirror. “We’re in the clear.”
“Damien must have taken the money.” She glanced at Micah’s handsome profile. “And someone from the company must think I’m involved. Although I don’t know why killing me changes anything. It won’t bring Damien or the missing money back.”
“No, but I’m starting to think Damien is doing this to make you look guilty. To frame you for the crime.”
“And if I’m dead, he can point the finger at me as the real culprit?” She didn’t want to admit it made sense. “But how does burning my house factor in?”
“I would think his goal would be to hide all the evidence of both the embezzlement and his attempt to shoot you.” He glanced at her. “If he’s the gunman,” he added. “For all we know, he hired someone to go after you.”
“Why wait twenty-four hours to come after me?” That was the part that didn’t make any sense.
“He went missing on Thursday. Richard reported him officially missing today, on Friday. It was only after I spent hours being questioned by the police that I headed home and didn’t get there until much later than usual. ”
“I’m not sure. Could be Damien expected you to get home earlier. You mentioned that you smelled something that made you stop and back out of the house. Did the scent remind you of Damien?”
“No. I smelled a hint of cigarettes mixed with body odor.” She wrinkled her nose. “It was not familiar. To be honest, if I had recognized Damien’s scent, I probably would have gone in to talk to him. To ask what was going on.”
“That’s interesting.” Micah’s gaze turned thoughtful. “If Damien hired someone to shoot you, he screwed up by letting you escape. Maybe that was part of the reason he set your house on fire.”
“Maybe.” It was a reasonable theory. She tried not to dwell on the loss of her photographs.
Crying wouldn’t change anything. After losing Tommy, she’d sought solace in attending church.
She’d enjoyed the sense of community there, and the pastor’s sermons had drawn her in. She had so much to be grateful for.
Lost photographs wouldn’t change the memories in her heart.
Closing her eyes, she brought the images to mind. Her family’s smiling faces as she graduated from high school and college. Tommy’s arm thrown around her shoulders as he hugged her.
Tommy in uniform after joining the army. He wasn’t supposed to smile, but his eyes had crinkled at the corners as if he were holding back a grin.
She missed him. Missed her parents. She’d never felt so alone as she did now. Even with Micah sitting beside her.
“Are you okay?” Micah’s question made her realize she’d been squeezing his hand during the onslaught of memories.
“Yes. Fine.” She forced herself to relax her fingers. Micah was her tether in the storm, and she was grateful to have his help. Yet she couldn’t allow herself to get too attached. Once the danger was over, he’d go back to his life.
While she attempted to rebuild the wreckage of hers.
Micah felt awful about what Bryn was going through. First the shooting, then Lori’s murder, and now this. She was clearly hanging on by a thread, and he was at a loss for words that would make her feel any better.
She’d lost her home. Her personal items. He found it hard to imagine how she was holding herself together.
His heart ached for her. Yet he knew he couldn’t let his emotions get in the way of keeping her safe. Whoever was behind these attacks had come too far to go away quietly. This guy, likely Damien, would not stop until he’d killed her.
Something Micah would not allow to happen.
Not for the first time, he considered buying fake passports and taking Bryn out of the country. If she disappeared, much like Damien, she couldn’t be killed.
And from what he could tell, there was nothing holding her back. Certainly nothing keeping her in Madison, Wisconsin.
He’d give up his life to ensure her safety. Yet even as he considered contacting Di to see if she had any input as to where they could get fake passports, he sensed Bryn wouldn’t agree to the plan.
He couldn’t do anything about that yet tonight, so he pushed the possibility aside to focus on driving. When he passed a grocery store that still had lights on inside, he slowed and made an abrupt turn.
He hadn’t anticipated any stores would be open this late. Most of them ended the late hours during the pandemic. But they needed food, and maybe they could even find some clothing for Bryn.
“Are we shopping?” She looked at the store in confusion.
“Yep. We’ll get the necessities like coffee and breakfast food.” He pulled into a parking space and grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe we’ll find shoes and socks for you.”
“I doubt it. Socks maybe, but not shoes.” She stared down at her feet for a moment, then pushed her door open. “I’ll be fine.”
The way she walked indicated her feet still hurt. He would have offered to have her stay in the car, but he didn’t know what she liked to eat. The store didn’t accept credit cards, but that was okay. He’d stopped at a cash machine prior to heading out to meet Bryn.
She was right in that they only had socks. He picked out the warmest pair and held them up. “Will these work?”
“Sure.” She shrugged. “They won’t fit inside my shoes, but that’s okay.”