Chapter 19
The three women stood, arm in arm on the porch, as firefighters, a few neighbours, and of course Jeff, worked to extinguish any remaining embers. Then, a wet, filthy, and very tired group of men were thanked profusely by Sophie as they prepared the firetruck to leave. The sun was rising in the eastern sky by this time, its golden rays throwing the remaining plumes of smoke into sharp relief.
Only a huge, steaming pile of wet ashes marked the spot where the barn had been. When the truck at last rolled out of the yard, Sophie, followed closely by Annette and Gabrielle, walked out to meet Jeff, whose face was barely recognizable as he turned to face them. Without saying a word, he opened his arms and Sophie sobbed as he folded her within his embrace.
He held her until her crying ceased. Then he bent to look earnestly into her face.
“It’ll be okay,” he said with conviction. “You’ll see. We’ll build it back bigger and better than it was before.”
She managed a feeble smile. “I don’t think so.” She blotted her tears with a sleeve. “Did you know that Annette caught the person responsible for the fire?”
Jeff stepped back to flash a look at Annette, his brows furrowing. “No.”
“It was Rosa. I cannot believe it. ‘Ow did you figure it out?” Sophie looked expectantly at Annette.
“When I was be‘ind the barn with Pearl, I saw someone sneaking away and ‘iding in the bushes to watch the barn burn. The person was wearing a black sweater with an ‘ood. I didn’t know who it was until I tackled them.” She shrugged as though this sort of activity was commonplace for her.
“You tackled Rosa?” Gabrielle asked. Her eyebrows nearly reached her hairline.
Annette nodded.
Gabrielle grabbed Annette by the shoulders and moved so close their noses nearly touched. “You, the sister I’ve known since ‘er birth, who wouldn’t play outside for fear of getting ‘er shoes scuffed or grass stains, or ‘er hair out of place—you physically threw yourself at someone and knocked them to the ground?”
“I suppose so. I wouldn’t ‘ave put it just like that, but yes.”
“I believe it,” Jeff said with a hint of pride in his voice. “Where is Rosa now?”
“She ran,” said Sophie dispiritedly. “And I think you’ll find that her cousin Marcus was in on the scheme too. If he even is her cousin.” Sophie rubbed her temples and drew a deep breath. “The police should be called. I’ll go do that now. Then I think we should try to get some sleep.” With slow steps, Sophie walked back into the house and mounted the stairs. The screen door slammed behind her.
A sudden jolt went through Jeff’s body. He whirled away from them and took a few faltering steps toward the blackened ruins. “Pearl?” he croaked hoarsely. “She was in there. Oh no…”
“She wasn’t,” Annette flew to his side and placed a hand on his arm, looking up into his frightened face. “I went outside as soon as I’d called you. I got into the barn and found a way out the back to set her loose.”
“You what?” he asked incredulously. He grasped her arm, hope brightening his countenance even through the grime. “You’re telling me she’s alive?”
“Yes. I don’t know where she is though since she bolted as soon as I got ‘er out the door, but…”
Jeff didn’t wait to hear more. His strong arms went around her, and she was lifted into the air to be kissed soundly. Oblivious to their surroundings, Annette kissed him back. He tasted of soot, smoke, and sweat. He was filthy and wet from the spraying water, and his hands were black from fighting the dreadful flames. Though she didn’t care about such trivial things. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.
When he finally set her back on her feet, they were alone. “I’m going to look for Pearl,” he said, holding out a hand. “Do you want to join me?”
The pain in her right hand, from wrestling with the hot door handle, was barely noticeable in light of this wonderful development. She held out her left one to his and he held it tight. Her heart surged with a brand-new feeling she couldn’t quite believe. Was she falling in love with this man? How could that happen after less than a week of knowing him? Yet stealing a glance at his profile as they walked through the dewy grass with the first streaks of gold in the sky, she knew it to be true. She loved him.
They found Pearl wandering in a back field and led her back to be put into a corral with food and water. She looked no worse for her terrifying experience, for which Annette was grateful. They walked in silence for the most part, holding hands the whole way. She wasn’t sure what any of this meant, because Jeff appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. Though for the moment she was happy.
Still, so many questions were left unanswered. Who was Rosa and the strange kissing cousin Marcus? Why had they carried out a series of attacks on Sophie’s farm? And did the Danburys still have something to do with it? Until they were all caught Annette knew none of this made sense.
And no one was safe yet either.