Outback Blaze (7 page)

‘Where were you when you were first notified about the fire?'

Ruby swallowed at the investigator's question, her stomach fluttering with nerves she shouldn't be feeling. Somehow the man sitting in front of her, who'd already asked her a number of questions, had a knack for making her feel like a criminal. Maybe it was simply being questioned in a police station again that gave her the creeps, but the way his eyes bored into her as he fired question after question, made her feel guilty when she wasn't.

I wonder how Mum and Dad are going?
How she wished they could do this together. It was hell not being able to support them, especially as she now understood that simply by their connection with the building, they were all suspects. The thought made her stomach churn and she fought the urge to tell the officer exactly what she thought of that fact.

‘Answer the question please, Miss Jones.'

She straightened in her chair. ‘I'm sorry. I was at the town hall with a number of other locals. We were taking photos for a poster that is going to advertise an event coming up in town.'

‘What event?' he asked sharply.

‘It's called the Undies Run. Participants run around town in their underwear and get sponsors to donate money for the Auxilliary.'

‘I see. How many other people were there?'

She did a mental head count. ‘Nine others.'

‘And did your parents call and tell you their shop was on fire?'

‘No. One of the men at the hall – Adam Burton,' she clarified, ‘smelt smoke. We all went outside. The fire alarms had started blaring and then Drew, I mean, Constable Noble, got a call on his phone. He confirmed there was a fire and told me it was at my parents' shop.'

‘Constable Noble was there?' The investigator raised one eyebrow.

‘Yes. He's going to do the run but wasn't part of the photoshoot.'

Another meaningful nod. Ruby wished she could read the thoughts going through this man's head. ‘Do you know where your parents were prior to the fire?'

Her heart walloped against her chest cavity for no good reason. ‘Yes, they were at home.' And right now she wished she'd been there with them to give them an alibi.

‘Are you sure of that?'

‘Yes,' she said emphatically. ‘They were already in their pajamas when I left and Mum never goes out on Tuesday nights. She watches
The X Factor
religiously.'

‘Did they call you when they found out about the fire?'

‘No.' Ruby realised she had no idea how her parents discovered the fire. She guessed the security company had called them when the alarms went off. ‘I think they were too preoccupied with getting to the shop. They arrived just as I did.'

The investigator said nothing for a few moments. He simply stared at her, making her more irrationally nervous. ‘Okay,' he said after what seemed like an eternity, ‘I understand you are an employee at The Ag Store?'

‘Yes,' she said. ‘I began working for my parents earlier this year.'

‘And do you get along with the other employees?'

‘Of course. Everyone else has worked there for years and they were all very welcoming when I started.'

‘You lived in Perth before?'

She nodded. ‘On the outskirts near Byford.'

‘Why did you return?' he asked, leaning back in his chair.

‘I don't see what that's got to do with anything,' Ruby snapped and immediately wished she hadn't. ‘I broke up with my fiancé. Since I worked for his family and lived with him, I needed a place to stay that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. Coming home seemed the logical thing to do.'

He nodded, seemingly accepting this reason. She tried not to sigh in relief – happy he hadn't delved deeper. She hated going over what had happened with anyone. That time in her life was something she wanted to move on from.

His next few questions seemed more suited to her parents, but not wanting to get him offside, Ruby answered as best she could, telling him who else had keys to the building, how long her parents had owned the business, listing the other employees and as much as she knew about the customers and suppliers. She couldn't tell him about insurance policies but hoped her parents had them up to date.

‘And what about anyone with a grudge against your mother or father?' he asked, changing the direction of the conversation.

‘I can't think of anyone,' she said honestly. ‘They serve the community well, ordering in special products when people need them and always supporting local charities and events. Are you sure it's arson?'

The idea of anyone – even teenagers – in their community being capable of such horrible actions was hard to imagine. And if they didn't catch the culprit, would it happen again?

‘We'll know more once we've been inside.' The investigator leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, folding his hands together. ‘Did you notice anyone suspicious at the scene last night?'

Ruby thought for a moment, pushing aside the memory of the familiar face, and then shook her head. That had been her brain playing nasty tricks. ‘No. I'd guess half the town was there, but they're all just concerned.'

He nodded. ‘What about this fiancé of yours? Any reason he might want to harm your family?'

‘
Ex
-fiancé,' she said quickly and then paused to think. Had his image been an illusion last night? Could Jonas have set fire to her parents' shop? He'd recently been released from prison due to expert lawyers getting him out on a suspended sentence… ‘No, I don't think so. This is not his style.' Reluctantly she explained the circumstances surrounding her and Jonas's break-up. She hated reliving that horror but felt certain he wanted to put it behind him as much as she did. She simply couldn't see how doing something like this would benefit him.

‘Hmm…' The investigator seemed to be thinking over her information. ‘What was his name?'

‘Jonas Vanderbrek.' She tried not to shiver as she said his name, not wanting the investigator to pick up on her discomfort. She convinced herself he wouldn't do something like this – his anger issues were more spur-of-the-moment – and he was too smart to do something this serious, something that would threaten to bring bad publicity to his family's horse stud again. The last thing she needed was policemen showing up at his place, refreshing his anger towards her.

‘Okay, I think we're done for now. But we may need to speak to you again after we've been through the building. You're not planning on going away in the next few days?'

‘No.' Ruby tried to withhold the sigh of relief but she desperately needed to exhale.

Once dismissed she went out into the waiting room at the police station. Her parents had been interviewed and were waiting with their arms wide open. She collapsed into her mum's embrace and felt her dad's big strong arms close around the two of them. ‘Are you okay?' she sniffed, knowing how trying their interviews must have been.

‘We're fine,' her father replied, ‘but your mother is very tired. Do you mind going home with her? I want to go to the shop.'

‘Of course.' While she hated the thought of not being there for both her parents, she could do with a shower, another coffee and something to eat. And then there were her horses. If her mother napped, she could go check on them. It was the first morning she could remember where they hadn't been her first point of call after breakfast.

Mike drove them to the site of the fire where the investigators had just returned and were suiting up to go inside the building with Ryan, O'Leary and another local firefighter. Ruby prayed they would find evidence that would help find the culprit quickly – or better still realise it was all a big accident so that they could all begin to get on with the process of rebuilding the shop.

Not sure her father was doing any good hanging around waiting, but failing in convincing him to return home with them to try to rest, she eventually succeeded in drawing her mum away. They arrived home to a doorstep covered in casserole dishes, notes of commiseration and an answering machine overflowing with messages offering support and assistance. As she helped her mum pile the fridge up with the offerings, her heart felt like bursting at the love shown from the local community. Later, Ruby told herself, she'd have to make a list of all these people so they could thank them properly, but that task would have to wait. She made her mother a cup of English Breakfast, herself a strong coffee and then sat down at the kitchen table.

‘I can't believe all this,' Lyn said, lifting the mug to her lips. She took a sip and Ruby noticed her hands were shaking.

‘I know.' She sighed. ‘Just when I think things are looking up, something like this happens.'

‘Oh honey, I'm so sorry you have to go through all this so soon after everything that…that he put you through.' Lyn hadn't been able to bring herself to say Jonas's name for a long time. Her ex-fiancé was the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in her family.

‘Mum. Stop apologising. It's okay. None of this is your fault.' She reached over and took one of her mum's hands in hers. It felt cold and slightly clammy. ‘We just need to get through this together. But we're good at that, aren't we?'

Lyn nodded, no doubt thinking of how they'd come together to drag Ruby out of a very nasty place not too long ago.

‘Look, I've got to go feed my horses,' Ruby said, not wanting her mum to start talking about the past, ‘and I think you should get some rest.'

‘What about you?'

Ruby yawned in response. ‘Me too. I promise I'll be right behind you after I do my chores.'

‘Okay,' Lyn sighed, ‘but you'll come and wake me if there's any news, won't you?'

‘Of course.' Ruby stood, deciding to pour her coffee into a flask and take it out to the paddock.

Her mother stood, pausing to give Ruby a quick hug before taking her tea into her bedroom. Ruby wasn't sure if her mum would be able to sleep but at least she'd get some rest. She felt physically exhausted but her mind refused to shut down.

Changing from her slip-on shoes to her boots at the front door, Ruby hurried towards the paddocks, desperate to see her two horses – Roxie and Riley. The caramel mare and big, dark chocolate brown gelding were pretty much all she'd come away with from her five-year relationship with Jonas.

‘Hey, my lovelies,' she cooed as she arrived at the fence where they were both waiting. ‘Sorry I'm late. Crazy day.' She heaved herself over the fence and wrapped her arms around Riley, relishing his warmth as he nuzzled at her neck. There was nothing in this world more comforting than the affection of animals. Roxie made a disgruntled noise beside them and nosed at Ruby's side. She laughed and switched her attentions to the other horse.

‘Don't be silly, girl, you know I love you both.' Just being around them had taken her stress levels down a good few notches already. They didn't know about the fire, they weren't offering her apologies, looking at her with pity or, worse, as if she'd lit it herself. After checking their water and refilling their food, she asked, ‘How about a groom?' She swore Roxie – who was a real lady and always loved being prettied up – actually smiled. Riley didn't care what he looked like but he loved being brushed.

Decision made, she left the horses eating and went into the shed to get her grooming gear. Just the thought of spending some time running the brush over their beautiful bodies calmed her. As much as she hated the idea that Jonas had gotten off so lightly for hurting her, she couldn't regret the decision she'd made that had allowed her to keep them.

Drew wanted to punch something and he wasn't usually a violent man. Following a laborious night, the day hadn't gotten any better. After being kept well away from all the interviews, he'd had to watch O'Leary and the investigator go into the rubble, hoping against hope that the blokes from Perth knew what to look out for. Although not an arson investigator himself, Drew had been to his fair share of fires in the early years of his career and one of his best mates led the arson squad in Newcastle. Numerous times they'd gotten together to exchange war stories and Drew knew exactly what the investigators would be doing inside that building. He prayed O'Leary wouldn't be getting in the way.

The old sergeant had told Drew to go home and get some rest, since he was back on patrol duty that night, but sleep was the last thing on his mind. Jaxon and Brad had been questioned and then released into their parents' care until the arson squad had made a solid decision about how the fire had started. It frustrated him no end not to be on this investigation but it was clear O'Leary thought him emotionally committed to the boys and wouldn't let him near it.

Dammit, he wasn't emotionally involved; he simply wanted justice where it was deserved. Biding time, he found himself outside Frankie's café. Unable to recall the last time he'd eaten anything apart from a chocolate bar from the station's vending machine, he parked his bike and went inside.

The lunch rush appeared to be over. A waitress was wiping down tables and Frankie stood behind the counter staring at it.

‘You look dead on your feet,' he told her as he approached.

She looked up and half-smiled half-scowled. ‘Gee thanks, but you're right. I
feel
dead on my feet. Still, nothing compared to how the firies or the Joneses must be feeling.' She held up a coffee mug. ‘Caffeine is my drug of choice today. What can I get for you?'

‘Same, please. To take away and make it strong. And…' A yawn bubbled within him as he scanned the display cabinet, ‘is that a birthday cake?'

She nodded. ‘Sure is. I keep one on hand for all those naughty people who forget or remember only at the last moment.'

Cake hadn't been what he had in mind when he entered the café and Lord knew he probably needed something more nutritious…'I'll take it.'