Chapter 36
Autumn
It takes a long time for things to settle down.
The police come, and then the county’s fire-investigation unit.
They ask us a million questions. Tucker tries to retrieve security footage for them, only to discover that the camera in the kitchen hadn’t recorded any footage the whole day.
The investigators said it wasn’t clear whether the camera hadn’t been hooked up properly or whether it had been disabled.
I turn to Tucker, expecting him to leap in with a growl to inform them that he would have installed those cameras incorrectly over someone’s dead, cold body.
His face is still and as pale as milk.
And of course it is. This is a man who blames himself for a woman’s death on his watch. And someone just implied that he might have made a mistake that could have cost mine.
No way.
“Tucker installed those cameras himself,” I say firmly. “He has years of experience with executive protection and security. There’s no way he screwed up. Someone messed with them. It was sabotage.”
“Do you have some reason to believe someone would try to sabotage you?”
Hanna looks at Tucker. Tucker looks at Hanna.
I can guess what they’re thinking. As much as they suspect Blue Iron, there’s still absolutely no link between the company and the sabotage, and they don’t want to go around throwing out accusations.
Tentatively, Hanna says, “There’s some reason to believe that this relates to my grandfather’s will… ”
When she’s finished telling the story—including the fact that Blue Iron stands to gain from the Hott family’s failures—the lead investigator acknowledges that the circumstances sound suspicious. But she doesn’t seem convinced.
“Right now, it looks like the fire started because the air fryer was left on and there was cooking oil pooled beneath the basket.”
“My people would never—”
“No one ever thinks their people would,” the fire investigator says gently. “But we’ll continue investigating as long as we think we might be able to find some evidence of sabotage.” She sighs. “The bad news is that arson cases have a low solve rate… We’re at around seventeen percent.”
“Seventeen percent?” Hanna demands.
“We’ll do our best,” she says.
As soon as the investigator is out of earshot, Hanna says, “It was fucking sabotage.”
Tucker is silent. Something goes cold in my stomach at the sight of him, so still and pale.
“We can’t let them win,” she says. “Whoever it was. We have to have the wedding. Is your sister still here?”
“She’s over there, with the rest of my family.”
They insisted none of them were going back to their rooms until I could.
They’re grouped around a tree a short distance away.
I’m glad to see that they’re chatting and laughing, not standing all cowed and terrified.
So far, I don’t think any of them have heard a hint that this is anything other than an unfortunately timed kitchen fire. I’d like to keep it that way.
“Can we leave the sabotage out of this? I don’t want Summer to be scared for me.”
“I won’t say anything,” Hanna says. “Summer?”
Summer and Jane trot back over to us.
“I’m going to make this wedding happen,” Hanna says.
“Forget my wedding!” Summer says. She turns to me. “All I care about is that you’re okay!”
“I’m fine,” I say. “I’m more fine with the idea of you actually getting married tomorrow, on schedule—if you feel like you still want to do that.”
My sister looks at Jane. “What do you think, hon?”
“I want to marry you, babe,” she says. “I’ve wanted to marry you since the day I met you.”
A smile tips the corners of Summer’s mouth. She turns to me again. “And you’re sure?”
“One hundred percent positive.”
Summer gives me a huge hug. Then she turns to Jane and throws her arms around her, planting a kiss on her mouth. “Let’s get married!” she says.
She and Jane both turn to look at the blackened barn. “But where?” Summer asks Hanna.
“I’ll call around and see if I can find another venue.”
“You’d do that for us?”
“Of course,” she says. “I promised you a wedding. I’m not going to let a little nuisance fire get in the way of that.”
“What are the chances of that in the middle of the height of wedding season?” I ask her.
Hanna shrugs. “We’ll find something,” she says.
“You’re the best!” Summer says, face all lit up.
She and Jane beam at each other. I can feel their joy in my own chest. It mutes the fear I felt when Hanna and I were trying to find a way out of the barn.
And it helps cancel out how much I hated the panicked, trapped look on Tucker’s face when the investigators implied that he might have put me at risk.
But it doesn’t erase it completely.
There’s still a small, cold lump in my gut.