Outback Flames: Australian Rural Romantic Suspense (19 page)

Jordan caught the sight of a
male, approximately fifty to fifty-five years of age, heading away from the
property on foot. He had to reach at least one of the arsonists before they
escaped.

He gave chase.
Adrenaline wired his veins, pumped his blood faster, and sweat poured from his
temples. He was gaining on the man, and when he reached him, he clipped his
side, sending him to the ground.

The man
twisted, grunted and rolled onto his back. His right hand sought his hip, and
Jordan spotted the shiny metal of a handgun. He put out his booted foot, and
pressed it hard against the gun, grinding it into his hip.

'Not in your
life mate.' Jordan reached down, but the man fought back, giving him no option.
Jordan closed his fist, and brought it down hard, collecting his chin, knocking
the wind from him, putting a stop to his retaliation.

Jordan reached
for the gun in his belt, and pulled it out. He checked to ensure that the
safety catch was on and pointed it at the man. Jordan wasn't about to shoot
anyone, let alone kill them. He'd learned a lot in prison; learned that a
little bluff goes a long way.

'Looks like
circumstances have changed. Get on your feet, hands in the air. I won't
hesitate to shoot if I have to.'

The man, who
was wearing a green checked flannelette shirt, scrambled to his feet, and held
his hands high in the air.

'Get walking.
Back to the house.'

As the man
trudged in front of Jordan, he prayed Zoe remained where he told her to stay.
Upon reaching the house, he called out. 'Zoe. Get some rope, and plenty of it.
Don't open the door yet.'

He heard her
call back acknowledging she had heard him. He waited.

'You can't
prove a thing.'

'Wanna bet
mate? Your fingerprints will be all over the place. Over that hopeless
imitation bomb, that you thought would explode on impact, for a start. Is your
name William?'

'Yeah, so
what's it to you?'

'Zoe's
so-called uncle.'

'You think you
know everything.'

'I can surmise
that was her aunt, Shirley Mayberry, running off toward a car hidden
somewhere.'

'You don't know
a bloody thing.'

'The cops will
find out.'

'Jordan. I
have the rope.'

'I want you to
open the door and toss it out. Don't look out, don't do anything more. Close
the door after you toss the rope.' Jordan wasn't going to risk William grabbing
Zoe or his son and using them as a shield.

The door
opened, and a rope landed on the top step, followed by the closing of the door.

'I want you to
pick up that rope William. Walk easy. One wrong move and your legs will be the
first target. I hear getting shot in the leg is mighty painful, especially when
another bullet lodges in your back.'

'You wouldn't
shoot an unarmed man.'

'Try me.'

He walked
slowly, and bent, picking up the rope.

'Pass it
back.'

When he moved
his hand behind him, Jordan grabbed the rope. 'Now lie on the ground. Knees
first. Keep it slow. If you make me jittery the gun is likely to go off.'

William did as
instructed and lay belly down on the ground.

'Hands behind
your back.'

He put his
hands behind him, and Jordan approached. Bending, he kneed him in the back and
held him in place, tucked the gun into his jeans and secured his hands.
Following the long length of rope he tied his feet, making sure he was secure.

Jordan stood.
'You can come out now Zoe. But only as far as the veranda.'

The door
opened, and Zoe stepped out. Jordan noticed the shock over her face when she
spotted William hogtied.

'William.' She
looked at Jordan.

'Yes, you
aunt’s partner. They tried to set the place alight. There's a spot fire Zoe,
could you try and put it out with the hose? It's over that way.' He nodded,
indicating the direction. A movement caught his eye.

'Luke, stay
inside. Go and turn on the tele.'

'What's going
on Dad?'

'I'll tell you
later. This is really important Luke.'

Jordan heard a
reluctant, 'Okay,' and then Luke closed the door.

Smoke billowed
from the side of the house, and he gathered Zoe had the fire under control.
Minutes later when she appeared her face was chalk white with shock.

She walked
over to Jordan. 'I can't believe it. He tried to burn the place down.'

'Your aunt
took off. Well I gathered it was your aunt.'

Zoe placed a
hand over her mouth. 'So they're responsible for the fire that killed my
parents.'

Nausea bit at
her insides, ate at the lining of her stomach as emotions and memories of the
night of the fire jumped to the forefront of her mind. Her body rocked
violently.

William
laughed. 'Yeah and you'd pin that on us too. Well let me tell you something
girly. That fire was started with a candle or something. When we came here that
night the god damn place was already up in flames.'

Zoe's chest
tightened. Her mind dug through the dark clouds of her memory as she tried to
recall a candle. She placed a hand to her mouth. 'Oh God no. No.'

'What is it?'

She glared at
Jordan, who stepped closer and slid a hand around her waist. 'Hey.'

'There was...a
candle burning that night. I can't remember...I can't remember.'

'It's okay. It
will all come out soon.'

Sirens blasted
in the distance. Jordan turned in the direction. 'Sounds like the fire brigade
is arriving, along with the sergeant.'

A fire truck,
followed by a police car pulled up on the other side of the fence. Two
firefighters jumped from the truck, one spoke briefly to Jordan while the
sergeant and the constable approached them.

'We got some
of your message Jordan. What's happened?'

Jordan
explained the situation.

'Well I'll be
damned. I think we might have caught our culprit. I'll get a description
circulated. Track down the woman. I'll need a description.' He looked at Zoe,
and she folded her arms over her chest, and nodded.

'Get the grub
out of here constable. He's stinking up the joint.'

Constable
Berry walked up to them. 'Miss Montgomery.' He nodded.

'Hello,
Constable Berry.'

The constable
untied William's legs.

'Get to your feet.'

William
struggled to stand, and the constable pulled him upwards, and nudged him toward
the police car.

'I'd like you
both to come into the station this afternoon. We need to haul your aunt in.
Settle this bloody mess for the last time. Hey Jordan? Get that name of yours
cleared.'

Zoe nodded.
'I'll be there.'

'Me too, Andy.
See you in a few hours. Before you go, William was carrying this.' Jordan
produced the handgun, and with an outstretched arm, he passed it to the
sergeant.

'Rotten from
the inside out.'

'I agree. Let
me know what you find out. This day has been a long time coming.'

'We shouldn't
jump to conclusions, although the facts are piecing together.'

The men shook
hands, and the sergeant headed back to his car.

Jordan spoke
briefly to one of the firefighters and turned as the police vehicle pulled away
from the property. Not long after the fire truck followed.

He glanced at
Zoe and took a few steps toward her. 'Are you okay?'

'Not really.
The candle thing has shaken me up. I think there may have been a candle burning
that night. What if I lit that candle? What if I was the one who burned the
house...and killed my family?' Zoe crossed her arms as cool shivers crawled
over her skin. In the hope of easing her anxiety, she rubbed at her forearms.

'It wasn't
you. Besides, if there was a chance that a candle did start the fire and you
set it alight, it would have been an accident.'

'Accident or
not Jordan, it would still be me. I'd be the one who took my own family away,
the one who destroyed lives.'

'Come on.
You're overreacting. Let your mind settle. Let's wait until the sergeant
questions your aunt and William.' Jordan untangled her arms, and took hold of
one of her hands. 'People will say anything to get themselves out of a jam.
William took a stab.'

After taking a
few steps toward the house, Zoe stopped. 'Oh, and I'm not overreacting. It's
only natural to think through things.'

'Sorry about
that. I know. But let's take one day at a time for now.'

Zoe let out a
deep breath. 'All right, then. Let's go and see how Luke is doing. With all
this commotion he'd be pretty shaken up.'

'He's a tough
kid. You can count on that. Besides, he's probably got his eyes and ears glued
to the television, oblivious to anything that's going on around him.'

***

Zoe and Jordan
sat in the waiting room at the police station. They received a call telling
them her aunt had been apprehended.

 Jordan took
her hand. 'There's no need to worry. It's not you that's done anything wrong.'

'I'm still not
convinced.'

'Let's—'

'Jordan, Zoe.'

The sergeant
approached. 'Jordan. It's good to see you.'

'Hi Andy.' The
men shook hands.

'Hello Zoe.
How are you feeling now?'

'Not too bad,
thanks.'

'Come on. I've
got a heck of a lot to go through.'

Jordan took
Zoe's hand, gave it a squeeze as they followed the sergeant into his office.

'Take a seat.
Take a seat.' He pushed papers aside, clearing his desk while they sat down.

He sat
opposite them. 'Well, as I said on the phone, Shirley Mayberry has been
apprehended. She and William Shearer have been taken to Tamworth lock up.'

Zoe nodded in
response.

'All the
evidence we have collected proves they're guilty, although they'll eventually
admit their guilt.'

'So what is my
aunt saying?'

The sergeant's
phone rang. 'Excuse me while I take this.'

'Sergeant
McPherson here. Yeah. When? That's good news. What a load off. When? Okay. I'll
be here.'

He replaced
the receiver, looked up at Zoe, and hesitated. They admit to wanting to harm
your mother. The argument was about money, as we suspected.'

Zoe's heart
hammered non-stop.

'She went to
see your mother three days before the fire. She asked for some money but your
mother apparently had been lending her money for years. There came a time for
your mother to stop. That's when your aunt went on the warpath.'

'So will they
be charged?'

'I said she
admitted to wanting to harm your mother. She hasn't admitted to killing your
family. William acknowledged that your aunt was behind the burning, or
attempted burning of the house, although he hasn't admitted to what his part
actually was at this stage. They are facing several charges; kidnapping is one
of them.'

They weren't
any further on than what Zoe had already known. She crossed one jean clad leg
over the other.

'Evidence
proves they are guilty. We can press charges on what we have. They'll probably
get twenty years. It depends on the judge.'

'Twenty years.
I thought they'd get life.'

'Yeah, well
with a confession they are most likely looking at twenty. Your aunt said
something about a candle burning through the hallway window.'

Zoe nodded.

'They also
have stated the house was in flames when they got there. If that's true the
candle may have been responsible. She changes her story every time.'

Zoe's body
thrummed with nerves. Every muscle she possessed tensed.

'Um. Sometimes
at night, either my mother or I would light a candle and put it on the hallway
stand. It was for Benjamin, just in case he got up at night. But Mum would
always put it out before she went to bed.'

'Did you see a
candle when you went to bed on the night of the fire?'

'Yes. It was
on the hallway stand, like I said.'

'Do you know
who lit it that night?'

Tears filled
Zoe's eyes. She tried blinking them away. 'No. I can't remember.'

'Don't upset
yourself too much over the matter Zoe. It might be only something your aunt has
mentioned to avoid being charged.'

Jordan placed
his hand on her knee. 'Don't blame yourself Zoe. There's no proof in what your
aunt is saying. Look at all the times she's lied to you.'

'Jordan's
correct. When they face a judge I'm certain they'll get what they deserve. Your
aunt and William Shearer are off the street now. They can't harm you any more.'

'Thank heavens
for that.' Zoe expelled a breath, although her body wouldn't stop shaking.

'Give me a
ring, Andy, the moment they break and confess. I don't think it was a candle.
After all the main fire was in the two bedrooms at the far end of the house, on
opposite sides, not further down in the hallway.'

'That's
correct. I'll be sure to ring you the second I find out.'

Jordan stood
and took Zoe's hand as she pushed to her feet.

'Thank you for
helping us, for helping me.' She shook the sergeant's hand.

'As I said
don't worry too much. I'm sure it will all work out. We'll need you to attend
court.'

Zoe's insides
sank. Court. That meant she'd have to face her aunt and William again.
'I...well I really.'

'She'll be
there and I'll be by her side, Andy.'

'Good. I'll
talk to you soon.'

***

On the drive
back to Montagreen Zoe didn't speak much, her mind consumed with the candle,
and the fact that she may have been the culprit all along. She cringed at the
thought. What type of person was she if she allowed that to happen, if she was
careless enough to light the candle in the first place?

'Hey, stop
your mind will you?'