Chapter 33
CLOUD YOUR JUDGMENT
“You’re kidding me,” Billy hollered into the phone. “You really think I’d do this to my daughter?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t think that.”
She turned to see Ford sitting on the couch in Blaze’s house. Blaze was at her house, with Gracie sleeping upstairs. It was better to do this away from raised voices.
She knew damn well that Blaze hadn’t wanted to leave her, but it wasn’t as if she was in danger with the sheriff and his ex-military brother helping himself to food in Blaze’s fridge.
She didn’t miss the gun Clay had on him either. Good lord, this was getting out of hand.
But was it really?
She was scared.
Deep down in the marrow of her bones terrified.
Not for herself now, but her daughter.
“Then why are you calling me about it?” Billy yelled.
She held the phone away from her ear and saw Ford lift his eyebrow. Even Clay turned out of the corner of her eye to look at her.
Great way for Blaze’s family to see how much her ex cared about her.
“I’m calling because you need to know. You need to talk to the sheriff. He has some questions to just rule this out.”
“Fuck you, Arden.”
She started to cry. There was no way to stop it. “I don’t need this right now, Billy. Someone is out there trying to frighten me and it’s working. I know you don’t give a shit about me anymore, but now they’ve touched something of our daughter’s. Do you not have a soul?”
“Oh, I’ve got one. And I’m going back to my attorney on this. All this crap that I’m the one she’s afraid of and it’s not me causing problems. It’s you. You’re the one putting her at risk. Maybe it’s your job. We’ve talked about this before.”
The tears didn’t stop. Nor did the guilt.
Before she could say another word, Ford was taking the phone out of her hand.
“This is Sheriff Ford Ridgeway with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Don’t let him say that shit to you,” Clay said.
“What shit is that? Most of the time it’s the only thing that comes out of his mouth.”
“That it’s your fault. You did nothing to have this happen.”
“You don’t know that,” she said, lifting her chin.
Clay smirked. “I know my brother and he’d never get involved with someone who was messed up in something they caused. Whatever is going on isn’t your fault.”
“But it is now that it’s bleeding over to my daughter.
What if Billy can get a judge to lift his supervised visitations?
Or worse yet, say that I am putting my daughter at risk?
” She put her hand to her heart. “I’d never do that, but I’m doubting everything.
I don’t know what to do. She’s been hurt enough in her life. ”
“The first thing you’re going to do is let Blaze stay with you. Either here or your place. I could have you out to the farm where I can watch you in a cabin next to me. You wouldn’t be the first, but I don’t see you doing that, even though your daughter had fun there.”
“No. I can’t uproot her again. There is no way. She won’t understand any of this. I can’t let this touch her.”
Ford hung up and brought her phone back to her. “He’s going to give a statement tomorrow that he has nothing to do with this. He wants his name cleared and the same with Tina.”
“That’s something at least. I don’t really think it’s him. I don’t know about her.”
“It doesn’t help any that you don’t know when it happened, but Tina Morris is ruled out.”
“How?”
“She was out of town for the past five days. She got home about an hour ago. He picked her up at the airport.”
“And we’ve been home over an hour,” Arden said, her shoulders dropping.
“That’s right. So it’s not them. I think we need to go back to your clients. We are missing something,” Ford said.
“I think we need to talk with Blaze,” Clay said. “Can we go back to your place and talk outside?”
“Yeah,” she said. “We can talk in the back. Gracie’s room is in the front, but the windows are shut.”
They left Blaze’s and walked down the backyards, him meeting them outside.
“Did you get anywhere with Billy?” he asked.
Ford shook his head. “No. He’s coming to give a statement tomorrow. Tina is alibied out for the past five days. Arden said Gracie rode her bike while Tina was gone.”
“Then who could it be?”
“Maybe it’s not Arden, but you,” Clay said.
“What?” he asked, looking at his brother. “Why the hell would you say that? None of this has touched me.”
“Talk, Clay,” Ford said.
“None of this started until Arden was at her new job. And not even right away. Look at the timeline of it. The first time, the first note. Like a warning. The first one telling you to be careful of your next steps. The second one saying you didn’t learn, maybe now you would.
This time saying they didn’t want to do it.
That they had no choice. Almost as if they were pushed to go further. ”
“So they want me to stop something,” Arden said, “but I don’t know what.”
“Stop being with Blaze,” Clay said. He looked at Ford. “Tell me I’m right.”
“You’re not wrong. Keep going,” Ford said.
“This is nuts,” Blaze said. “There was no one in my life at all that I’m talking to or interested in. No one until Arden. You can’t tell me I’ve got some stalker who is popping up right now.”
“I can tell you that,” Clay said. “It’s a reach, but it’s a theory we have to consider.”
“None of this makes sense,” Arden said. “Everyone talks so highly of Blaze at work.”
“Anyone talk to you a lot about him?” Ford asked. “More than normal?
“No. The person I talk to the most when I go to the ER is Maddy. When she’s even there.”
“No way it’s Maddy,” Blaze said. “This is ridiculous.”
“Don’t cloud your judgment,” Clay said. “Be open-minded to anything. Maybe it’s not her. I don’t know her.”
“She’s in her late fifties,” he said. “And been a huge support system for me from the day I got there. She was the one who was there for me my second day when it ended horribly. You all remember that.”
“Maybe it’s a mother thing,” Ford said. “Is that possible? She’s watching out for you?”
Blaze was shaking his head. “No. Question her, but you’ll see I’m right.”
“Can she be trusted?” Ford asked.
“With my life. I’m telling you, it’s not her.”
“Then maybe we talk to her and get her opinion on things. She’d know if anyone was talking or thinking in another direction, wouldn’t she?” Ford asked.
He sighed. “It’s not what I want to do, but she would be one to help. Hands down.”
“Do you have her number?” Ford asked. “Could you call her outside of work?”
“I have it,” he said. “I’ll call her now.” The phone rang twice. “Hi, Maddy. It’s Blaze.”
He put her on speaker. “I know who it is. What are you doing calling me on a Sunday night? Can’t wait to see me in the morning? Do you miss me that much?”
The humor came out on the phone. “I do. But I’ve got a problem. Or actually Arden does.”
“What’s going on?” Maddy asked, her voice more serious. “Is everyone okay?”
He lifted his eyebrow at the concern in Maddy’s voice. Arden heard it too. She didn’t want to think it was the older woman either.
Her gut was telling her no way. It couldn’t be anyone who she talked to at work, and she was running them all in her mind.
But then she had to remind herself, she didn’t know any of them that well. Not close enough.
Blaze filled Maddy in on what was going on. All three notes and what happened today.
“Hi, Maddy. This is Ford Ridgeway with the Sheriff’s Department. Is there anyone you could think of who might come after Blaze?”
“Goodness no. I mean everyone flirts with Blaze, but he doesn’t return it. I’ve heard nothing from anyone that would make me think they were stalking him. Least of all evil enough to go after Arden. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure that whoever it might be is realizing that if they hurt her, they hurt me,” he said firmly.
Arden looked at Blaze’s eyes. Dark blue and serious.
He believed exactly what his brothers were saying and the guilt she was feeling over putting her daughter in harm’s way had just been transferred to him.