Page 124 of Sweet Ruin

“So, are we agreed?” Mom asked, turning to me once more. “You’ll head back to school tomorrow?”

I let out a sigh. I didn’t want to argue with my mom when she was supposed to be recovering. It was hard to imagine leaving her, but as I looked at my father, I realized I wasn’t the only person she had to lean on anymore.

“Okay, I’ll go back to school. But I want daily updates on how you’re feeling, and I’m coming home if you deteriorate even slightly.”

“I’m only going to be feeling better from here,” Mom replied. “I promise.”

The doorbell rang, and Matthew went to answer it as my Mom groaned.

“That had better not be Norma,” she said. “I told her to give me at least one day at home before she started coddling me.”

“And you expect her to listen?” I asked with a laugh.

Mom gave a weak chuckle. “No, I guess not.”

While Matthew was seeing to the door, Noah entered the room. His hair was damp from his shower, and he was wearing a fitted Henley that molded perfectly to his strong chest. The boy was far too perfect to look at, and when my mom caught me staring at him, there was a knowing look in her eyes. I blushed and glanced away.

Noah took a seat on the couch across from me and gave me an easy smile before he focused on my mom. “Are you settling in okay?” he asked.

She didn’t get a chance to respond as my father returned to the room. There was a man following behind him wearing dark pants and a large jacket with the Rapid Bay Fire Department logo emblazoned on the front.

“This is Captain Paulson,” Matthew said. “He’s been overseeing the fire at the café.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Paulson said as he came to stand before us. He directed most of his attention at my mom as he spoke. “I know you’ve only just left hospital today, Ms. Grace, but I wanted to keep you updated on our investigation into the blaze. We found something today that I thought you should know about.”

My mom seemed to withdraw into herself as she stared up at the captain. She’d seemed so strong until this moment, but now I could see she was struggling. I wondered if seeing the fire official was suddenly making this real for her.

Matthew must have noticed too because he came to sit at her side and wrapped an arm around her before he turned to Captain Paulson once more. “What is it?”

The captain’s face was stoic, and I had a bad feeling whatever he’d found wasn’t good. Why else would he be making a house call on New Year’s Eve? A hint of apprehension flickered across his otherwise composed expression before he answered. “I thought you should know that we discovered evidence an accelerant was used in the fire.”

The room fell deathly silent as we all stared at him.

“What exactly does that mean?” my mom asked.

“It suggests the fire was lit on purpose,” he replied. “That it wasn’t an accident.”

My hand found my mom’s, and we gripped each other tightly while Noah and my dad shared a concerned look.

“You’re sure?” my father asked, looking up at the captain again.

“We are.”

“Why would someone do that?” My mom appeared close to tears as she spoke, and despite all her talk of the fire being freeing, I could finally see just how badly it had upset her. Matthew’s face had paled too, and he rubbed a hand along my mom’s arm.

“We don’t know,” Paulson replied. “But the police will get involved in the investigation now, and hopefully we’ll get some answers for you.”

“Do you have any suspects?” Noah asked. His voice was stern, and his expression was dark. He looked as though he wanted to stalk out into the night and bring whoever had lit the fire to justice himself.

“None so far. We’re still investigating the scene though, and you will be kept in the loop about what we find.”

“Thank you.” My father stood to shake Captain Paulson’s hand. “We really appreciate you coming out on New Year’s Eve to update us.”

The captain dipped his head and said goodbye before showing himself from the house. My father and Noah continued to trade cautious glances once he was gone. Neither of them appeared surprised by the news.

“Why aren’t you both more shocked by this?” I asked, my mind whirring as I tried to figure it out.

They looked at each other again, and my stomach dropped. “Wait, you already thought it was arson?”

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