Safe From the Dark (7 page)

“Come
on!”

Evie
yanked off her wet hoodie and wrapped it around Deirdre, practically dragging
her toward the stairs. Deirdre took one look at the flaming bannister, the
staircase now smoldering, and panicked.

“I
can’t!”

“You
have to!”

Deirdre
struggled as Evie tried to force her down the stairs. Dammit, the woman was
stronger than she looked. Evie finally shook her, hard.

“Do
you want to die in here?!?”

Terrified,
Deirdre shook her head.

Evie
coughed and started down first, keeping a tight grip on Deirdre’s arm.

“Just
follow me and we’ll be okay.”

Suddenly,
the house
groaned
, and the heat seemed to increase as something
crashed
above them, letting loose a shower of sparks.

Deirdre
screamed.

“Move!”

Evie
propelled Deirdre down the stairs as the house started to collapse, the heat
and smoke intense. She couldn’t see the door. Something heavy and hot glanced
off her
wounded shoulder, setting off a blinding wave of agony. Deirdre
clutched Evie, terrified, and Evie started to panic herself, because
she
still couldn’t see the door.

S
uddenly, Evie ran headfirst into
a wall
.
It had to be a wall, but then the wall
moved,
and strong
arms gripped the two women, pulling them toward the light and air outside. Barely
clear of the house, Deirdre dropped into a dramatic faint, leaving the
firefighter to catch her. Gulping air, Evie stumbled forward a few steps,
dropped to her hands and knees, and promptly threw up.

COLIN
SLAMMED THE DOOR of his truck and grimly made his way toward the collection of
ambulances and fire trucks in the clearing in front of Deirdre’s house. The
fire was well contained, but a team of firefighters still worked to put it out
completely. The air was acrid with smoke and burned wood. The call from Tom had
prepared him, but he still felt uneasy and upset enough to tear someone’s head
off, his composure shredded by the spike of adrenaline and fear.

He
spotted Deirdre immediately and relaxed a fraction. Wrapped in a blanket,
sitting on a gurney, she was busy making a huge fuss as an EMT bandaged a
bloody gash on her shapely thigh. Colin scanned the area and was unprepared for
the wave of relief that swamped him when he saw Evie, one hip propped against
the back bumper of an ambulance as she held an oxygen mask over her face and
nodded at whatever firefighter Matt Harris was saying. His stomach tight, Colin
hurried over.

“Evie.”

“Hey,
Colin.” Matt held out a hand, engulfing his own in a firm shake. The guy was a
former All State linebacker, and a blond giant of a man, but with the gentlest
of blue eyes. Colin was pretty sure Grace had a thing for him, the way she
tightened up whenever their paths crossed, but she would rather die than admit
it.

“So,
seven o’clock tomorrow night, Evie?” Matt’s smile was warm as Evie nodded.

As
soon as he was out of earshot, Colin pounced, crowding her against the
ambulance door.

“You
nearly get yourself killed and now you have a date?”

“He
asked me out to dinner. What’s the big fucking deal?”

“The
big fucking deal is that you ran into a burning house tonight, Evie! Do you
know how stupid that was?”

“There
wasn’t time to wait for the cavalry!” Evie jerked the oxygen mask away from her
face to glare at him without impediment. She was chewing a piece of gum, close
enough that he could smell the mint on her breath.

“You
could have waited.” He was frustrated and unaware that he was holding her arms,
his thumbs rubbing gentle circles into her soft skin.

“And
your girlfriend could have burned to a crispy marshmallow by the time the
firefighters arrived.”

“She’s
not my girlfriend. Shit, that’s not the point.”

Their
eyes were locked, and he saw her breath hitch as he raised one knuckle to trace
the line of her jaw with the back of his fingers.
So soft.

“I’m
glad you’re okay.” He didn't mean to say that out loud.

“Me
too.” The words were whispered, and the slight tremble of her lush lower lip
set off an answering tremor low in his gut. He leaned in.
Just a quick
taste.

Crash!
The porch crumbled to the ground
in a shower of sparks, and the pair leapt apart as Deirdre’s wail rang out loud
and clear over the chaos.

“I
think you’re being summoned," Evie murmured, arch.

“Don’t
drive home.” Colin wagged a finger at her, shaken by the brief moment of
insanity. The last thing either of them needed was the sexual zing that seemed
impossible to ignore. He’d have to work harder at keeping his distance.

“Matt’s
going to give me a ride.”

Colin
ignored the lick of annoyance and nodded, then turned to join Deirdre, whose
histrionics were quickly reaching impressive proportions. It was going to be a
long night.

EVIE
THOUGHT SLEEP WOULD be impossible, but for once, her body took over, exhaustion
and injury combining with a crash of adrenaline, and she was out like a light
the moment her head touched the pillow. She slept for nearly twelve hours and
woke to find a host of new aches and bruises to accompany her healing wounds. A
hot shower and some ibuprofen took care of most of the aches, and a cup of
strong coffee dispelled the morning cobwebs. Thus fortified, Evie looked around
the cabin – she should spend the day unpacking and cleaning, using these last
days before she started work to really get settled and back up to full speed.

Ten
minutes later she was in her car, making the short drive to Deirdre's place,
reasoning that she'd have plenty of time to play house later.

Pulling
up in the driveway, Evie was unsurprised to see Tony, who was chatting with a young
deputy with shocking red hair, his badge pinned proudly to his shirt. That must
be Zeke, Evie supposed. He looked to be about twenty, pale and a little jumpy.

She
took in the charred remains of the house as she stepped out of her car, and
noted that a single fire truck remained, parked behind Tony's jeep, emblazoned
with a Bright's Ferry Sheriff's Department logo. Luckily, Deirdre's red SUV was
the only casualty from the night before, a victim of flaming debris, its roof
crushed under a hefty chunk of burned wood.

Tony
was impassive as he turned to face her.

“You’re
not inspiring me with a lot of confidence, Asher. No brownie points for nearly
getting yourself killed before your first day.”

“I
assessed the situation and did what was necessary to protect a civilian life.”

Tony
folded his arms, grim.

“But
you’re right. I should have waited for backup,” Evie conceded.

 “Yes,
you should have. That being said, your quick thinking saved Ms. Small’s life. So
why don’t we call this one a draw, and you promise to keep the heroics to a
minimum? They always lead to me filling out mountains of paperwork.”

“I’ll
try to restrain myself.” Evie grinned, and held out a hand to Zeke, who shook
it vigorously.

“Nice
to meet you, Miz Asher.”

“Call
me Evie.”

“Zeke,
why don’t you go follow up with Deirdre, see if she has anything to add to her
statement.”

Zeke
gulped.

“Yes,
sir.”

As
he scurried away, Evie shook her head.

“She’s
going to eat him alive.”

“The
kid’s got to toughen up. Besides, she’s over at Colin’s place. I’m sure he’s
got her under control.”

The
flare of irritation was unwelcome and disconcerting, and Evie turned to examine
the soggy remains of the house.

“Did
they figure out what started it?” she asked.

“Didn’t
I tell you to take a few days off?”

“I
am!” Evie protested, but it was weak.

“Look,
things are gonna get really busy around here in a couple of weeks during the
Harvest Festival, and I’ll need you at your fighting weight. You don’t have
anything to prove.”

The
words hung in the air between them. She
did
have something to prove. She
had
everything
to prove – that she could start over in Bright’s Ferry,
that she was a good cop, that she could make up for the mistakes of her past. The
longing that flooded her was almost palpable in the morning chill, and Tony
must have felt it, because he sighed in resignation.

Evie
pressed her advantage.

“Was
it the boiler? Bad wiring?”

“Sure,
if someone poured gasoline over the fuse box and set the wires on fire.”

He
led her around the side of the collapsed structure to indicate a couple of twisted
metal gas cans. Evie crouched down to examine them.

“So
it’s arson. Too damaged for prints.”

She
wiped smudges of carbon on the back of her jeans.

“Does
Deirdre have any enemies? Maybe there’s a jealous wife who doesn’t like her
toying with her husband?”

Evie
was proud of the fact that she managed to keep the snark out of her voice. Tony
was shaking his head.

“Deirdre
likes a good time, but she keeps her conquests single – married men aren’t her
style.”

Shame
filled Evie at the reminder that she was a living example of a homewrecker,
albeit unintentionally.
Don’t judge.

“She’s
part-owner of a clothing shop on Main Street, pretty popular with the tourists,
though my wife used to say the prices were insane.” Tony cleared his throat and
continued, “Maybe a firebug. I’ll check in with the surrounding towns, see if
they’ve had any similar incidents.”

Evie
nodded, her mind whirling with possibilities.

“Why
don’t you talk to her employees, see if they’ve noticed anything unusual, and
then stop by the station. I’ll need to get your statement, too. For the
record.”

He
grinned, and the expression lit up his face – he really was eye-catching. Evie
was relieved to feel nothing other than a basic appreciation for an attractive
man. No more falling for the boss.

“We’ll
have you done in plenty of time for your date.”

“Shit,
does everyone know?” Evie groused.

“Like
I said, word gets around.”

“It’s
not even really a
date
date. He asked if I wanted to have dinner as a
welcome to town sort of thing, and – ”

“Asher,
relax. Matt’s a good guy. Go on, have fun.”

“I’ll
try.”

DEIRDRE’S
SHOP ON MAIN was lovely, Evie had to admit, chock full of pretty, feminine
things that made her realize that she spent most of her life in jeans, and
actually had nothing to wear for her date tonight.

Not
that it was a date. At least, she didn’t
think
it was a date.

When
Matt had asked her, his smile tentative and sweet, she had been inclined to say
no, but he was nice and cute, and had just saved her life – one dinner couldn't
hurt. Besides, he was humble, hard-working, and low key – the kind of guy she
should be dating. Evie ignored the flash of wicked hazel eyes that popped into
her head. From now on, nothing but wholesome, upstanding, ordinary men.

In
Deirdre’s shop, Evie questioned Jenny Bright and Susan Gunterson, a sweet long-time
couple in their late sixties, and Deirdre’s business partners, who were beside
themselves that anyone would try to hurt Deirdre, but couldn’t offer any new
information. Yes, she was a bit spoiled, but the general consensus was that
Deirdre was harmless.

Jenny
was the great-great-granddaughter of Ellis Bright, the founding father, and the
couple remembered Gram with great affection. Upon learning that Evie had saved
Deirdre’s life, they insisted on helping with her clothing dilemma, waving off
her protests about gifts.

“If
it bothers you, I’m sure we can find something in your price range,” said
Jenny, exchanging a look with Susan.

An
hour later, Evie left the store with a short dress in shimmering blue, matching
wisps of lingerie, and a pair of heels that all cost suspiciously less than
Evie would have thought. She felt a little dazed. Once they got going, the two
shop owners were forces of Nature, heaping dress after dress into her arms to
try on in a whirlwind of fabric and helpful critique. Evie walked back to her
car with advice about makeup and hair ringing in her ears.

By
early afternoon, Evie was fading, and with no new findings, Tony sent her home
with a strict admonishment to take a nap, already. For once, she had no desire
to argue, and a few hours lounging on the couch in front of the fire did
wonders.

After
a quick shower, Evie took the time to blow her hair dry and apply a hint of
makeup to cover the scrapes from last night’s escapade. The whole ritual felt
slightly unfamiliar – she’d never really had time for a boyfriend, and her
relationship with Jack had been secret out of necessity. He’d spent more time
impatiently peeling her out of her uniform than asking her to dress up.