Chapter 16 Holt #3
“That’s exactly what I told her,” Willa said emphatically. “I know Margo extremely well, and she triple-checks the stoves, the lights, the locks, absolutely everything before she goes home each night. She’s incredibly thorough about security.”
Holt nodded, making another note. “Has anything else happened to Margo recently?”
“Yes,” Willa said grimly. “The same night my tires were slashed, so were hers.”
“Your tires were slashed?” Holt almost choked, his protective instincts immediately on full alert.
“Yes, just a few nights ago,” Willa nodded matter-of-factly.
“I didn’t want to make a big deal about it or worry my family.
Before yesterday’s fire and the accident with Chief Morrison’s head injury, I honestly thought it might just be the usual summer teenage pranks we sometimes see with increased tourism. ”
“And now?” Holt asked, though her expression already suggested she’d changed her assessment.
Willa reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I found this on my windshield this morning.” Before handing it to him, her eyes narrowed seriously. “Please don’t mention this to anyone in my family, especially my mother or Aunt Carmen.”
“Willa...” Holt started to protest.
“Look, I’m trusting you with this because I believe you can really help me solve this case,” Willa said firmly. “Ten years ago, I was never convinced that Gilbert Fry was the arsonist. And everything that’s happening now suggests I might have been correct about that.”
Holt nodded reluctantly. “Okay, I’ll respect your wishes for now. But if this situation starts to escalate beyond what we can handle...”
“Then we can open a full official investigation with proper resources,” Willa agreed, extending the note toward him. “Margo received a very similar note as well.”
Holt paused before taking the note. “Do you have her note too?”
“Not yet, no.” Willa shook her head. “I was planning to stop by Teacups before lunch and collect it from her. Margo also believes that what happened ten years ago was handled incorrectly and that we never caught the real perpetrator.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully.
“She was dating Lieutenant Travis Markham at the time of his death.” Her jaw clenched, and her eyes darkened.
“What worried me about that was that Shaun and Travis weren’t even supposed to be on duty that day.
But there had been an accident the day before, and four of the summer firefighters were booked off. ”
Now Holt really thought this had been planned. “Oh?” He glanced at the files. “That is not in the report.”
“No one thought it relevant at the time,” Willa said. “The accident the other firefighters had was a hit-and-run. They were T-boned on the outskirts of town by a tractor, and the driver of the tractor disappeared.”
“Is there a police report?” Holt asked.
Willa nodded. “There should be. Shaun asked me if I’d mind filling it in, as I was just doing light admin from home for the fire department at the time because my kids and I were all down with a bad summer flu. I wrote out the report for Chief Morrison.”
“So you think that Shaun and Travis were meant to be in that cabin along with Gilbert Fry?” Holt’s heart picked up speed like it always did as he dug into a case.
And this was a case. The more he spoke to Willa, the more convinced he became.
Holt was still a bit vague as to why Tom and Nigel hadn’t seen all this.
He knew Tom, and the man would not have overlooked these details.
“Yes,” Willa said, her eyes darkening some more and looking haunted. “And here is another weird coincidence, and I say coincidence because that’s what both Chief Morrison and Nigel said it was…”
Holt leaned forward. “Which was?”
“All four of the firefighters locked in the cabin with Gilbert Fry,” Willa told Holt, “were the first responders at Cynthia’s accident.”
That information made Holt’s eyebrows shoot up with renewed interest, but before he could respond with follow-up questions, the sharp wail of emergency sirens began blaring throughout the fire station.
The sound of rapid footsteps and urgent voices filled the building as firefighters responded to the call.
“We’ll have to continue this conversation later,” Willa said, immediately shifting into professional mode as she stood and reached for her gear. “I need to respond to this call.”
Holt felt his investigative instincts kicking in. “I’d like to come with you to observe the scene.”
“Director Dillinger, you’re supposed to be on medical leave,” Willa reminded him as she pulled on her protective jacket.
“It’s Holt,” he pointed out before insisting.
“This could be directly related to our investigation.” He held her gaze that looked so familiar to him, as if he’d met her before, and he remembered she’d said the same thing when she’d first met him.
He shook it off. “If there’s a connection to the current pattern, I need to see the scene firsthand. ”
The dispatcher’s voice crackled over the intercom system: “Forest fire reported at Henderson’s Farm.”
Willa’s eyes widened with obvious alarm, and Holt immediately noticed her reaction.
“What is it?” Holt asked, concerned by her expression.
“My mother and Lacey went to Henderson’s this morning,” Willa said, her professional composure cracking slightly. “They planned to shop for fresh produce, pick strawberries, and have a late breakfast at the farm restaurant.”
Holt felt his heart jolt with sudden, intense concern. June was potentially in immediate danger, and every protective instinct he’d ever possessed surged to the surface.
“Now I’m definitely coming with you,” Holt said with absolute finality, already moving toward the exit.