14
Sly wasn’t alone. Dawson watched as the police chief got out of the patrol car, too. Dawson hadn’t had a lot of direct contact with Chief Thomas, but he was leery of the entire Silver Springs police force. When his parents were murdered, they’d focused on him right away, wouldn’t believe a single thing he said. He’d never been treated worse, especially at such a terrible time.
Why did you kill them? What kind of a man takes a hatchet to his own parents? They didn’t have to take in your worthless ass, you know. They did it out of the kindness of their hearts, and this is how you repay them? The detective who’d been given the case had kept him shut up in a cold, uncomfortable interrogation room, drilling him with those questions, as well as many others, for twelve hours—until he’d grown so weary of trying to fend off each new attempt to trick him into incriminating himself that he’d asked for an attorney. He’d made that choice not long before dinnertime the day after his parents were killed. He’d been at the station the whole day, had had no sleep, but it didn’t matter that he’d tried to work with them for so long. In their eyes, asking for representation only confirmed his guilt. And all of this had been going on while the real culprit got away.
“Thank goodness,” Sadie murmured.
“Thank goodness?” he repeated as the two men came toward the house. What did she have to thank goodness about right now?
“Chief Thomas is with him,” she explained.
Apparently, she was even more afraid of Sly, and what he might do, than Dawson had realized. But he couldn’t blame her. They both believed her ex was the one who set the blaze that’d very likely destroyed everything she owned. What regular arsonist would make so much noise, wait for confirmation that she was up—so she could get herself and Jayden out of the house—and then run away?
How he could do such a thing was another issue entirely. What if she hadn’t smelled the smoke? What if she’d gone back to bed or tried to get their things out first? Or the fire caused an explosion he hadn’t anticipated? How could Sly take the risk of killing the woman he supposedly loved and his own child?
He could do it because he’d rather her die, rather Sadie and Jayden both die, than let her follow through with the divorce, which revealed just how proud, arrogant and determined he was. His police uniform meant nothing. He was not one of the “good” guys. But after what Dawson had been through, it was tough for him to look at any law enforcement in a positive light. He’d seen the system up close, had learned that justice didn’t always prevail and even trained officers stretched the law to accomplish what they hoped to accomplish. They could be as small-minded and prejudiced as the general public, maybe more so.
The knock that sounded came off brisk and purposeful. Sadie moved to answer the door; she knew it was for her. But Dawson caught her arm and held her in place for a second to indicate that he would handle this. This was his home. He needed to establish the fact that nothing would happen here of which he didn’t approve. He had rights as a property owner. Remaining in charge, letting Sly and his fellow officers know that he would not tolerate another abuse of power, could be the only way to maintain some vestige of control over what was happening.
He took his time turning on the lights so they’d think they were dragging him out of bed—and that he hadn’t anticipated this all along.
When he swung open the door, he didn’t greet them or invite them in. He saw no point in the usual courtesies. He was beyond that sort of thing with Sly and the Silver Springs Police Department. They would never be friends.
“We’re looking for Sadie Harris,” Chief Thomas announced as a chill wind whipped at his hair and clothes and flooded into the house. “Don’t suppose you know where she is.”
Sly glared at him, so Dawson glared right back. He wanted to be sure Sly knew he wasn’t going to forget what’d happened in the street in front of Sadie’s house.
“I do.” Dawson spoke to the police chief but only after he felt he’d made it clear to Sly that he would not be intimidated. “She and Jayden are here.”
Sly opened his mouth to speak, but Chief Thomas lifted a hand to indicate he not get involved at this point. “Will you please let her know we’re here? We’d like to speak to her.”
“No problem.” Leaving them standing on the stoop in the cold, Dawson shut the door. “You ready for this?” he whispered.
“Do I have any choice?” she replied.
“I can send them away, tell them to come back tomorrow.”
“No, as frightened as I am of the truth, I’d like to hear about the fire—if it’s out, if anything was saved. And if I have to talk to Sly, I might as well get it over with while Chief Thomas is around to keep him in line.”
“Just be aware that Chief Thomas isn’t necessarily your friend,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“His first inclination will be to protect his officer. Any bad behavior on Sly’s part will reflect on him and the department as a whole. So take some time to recall what happened and tell it exactly as it occurred. Keep it simple and don’t deviate from your story no matter what they ask or this could go down as unsolved. I don’t want them to be able to establish any doubt or trip you up.”
Her stomach churned with anxiety as she rubbed her hands on the sweatpants he’d loaned her. “How can they do that when I’m telling the truth?”
He frowned. “All too easily. I was telling the truth, too.”
With a quick nod, she signaled that she understood, and he opened the door, stepping to one side so that she could be seen in the opening, as well.
“Sadie, I’m so glad you’re safe,” Chief Thomas said.
“Thank you.” She hugged herself as she glanced at her ex-husband. The expression on his face seemed to make her even more nervous.
“I hope you’re here with good news,” she told them. “Have they... Have they put out the flames?”
“They have.”
“And?”
“I’m afraid there’s significant damage to the living room and bedroom. What the fire didn’t destroy, the water from the fire hoses might have damaged, so I’m not sure what you’ll be able to salvage from those rooms. But the kitchen, bathroom and laundry areas are all intact.”
“When will I be able to go back?”
“Not for a few days. It’s a toxic mess right now, but if you’ll give me a list, I can have someone grab whatever necessities you need, if they’re still serviceable. Once we’ve finished looking things over, someone will let you know and then you can return and sift through what’s left.”
Dawson could only imagine how hard it had to be for her to hear those words. He’d never forget the night he was released from jail and came home to find the damage that’d confronted him. As if returning to the place where his parents had been murdered wasn’t difficult enough, he’d been greeted by that graffiti: Murderer. The sight of it had felt like a kick in the gut. And then he’d had to walk through the house, through all the trash people had thrown in it, to find the damage to his folks’ pictures and furniture and such.
“How’s Maude’s house?” Sadie asked.
“It’s fine,” Thomas replied. “The fire didn’t reach that far.”
“I’m so glad. And no one was hurt?”
“Not physically, no. Maude will have to file a claim with her homeowner’s insurance, and it’ll take some time to rebuild the place. That can’t be good news to either of you. But things could’ve been worse. I’m proud of our firefighters for putting that fire out as fast as they did. They did a great job.”
What a shame that they’d had to risk their lives in the first place.
“I’m grateful they arrived so quickly,” Sadie said. “Maybe it means I’ll still have some of my belongings.”
The wind howled outside, tossing tree branches against the windows with an eerie scraping sound.
Thomas adjusted his belt. “I hope that’s the case.”
Sadie blew out a sigh. “Thanks. I appreciate the news.”
“No problem,” he said. “And now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hear a bit more about how the fire got started. I know it’s late, and you’ve got to be tired and upset, but I’d rather we have this talk sooner rather than later—while all the details are fresh in your mind.”
“I understand,” she said.
“It’s too windy out here, though,” Thomas told her. “Why don’t you come sit in the car with us?”
Dawson expected her to agree, but she made no move to leave the house. “Since I called Dawson when it happened, and told him all about it, he might have something to contribute,” she replied. “Let’s talk in here.” She looked to Dawson. “Is that okay?”
Dawson thought it was the smartest move she could make. Then they couldn’t isolate and pressure her the way they’d isolated and pressured him a year ago. She wasn’t suspected of a crime like he’d been, but if Sly started the fire, he’d have a vested interest in getting her to say some things and not others, or trying to discredit her story in various places.
Silently applauding her, Dawson moved out of the way so they could come in out of the cold. “Of course.”
Sly wasn’t pleased by his ex-wife’s response. He lagged behind on the stoop for so long Dawson almost wondered if he’d refuse to come in. But he didn’t want to be left out, or he wouldn’t be here. He seemed to realize that if he didn’t go with the flow, the conversation would proceed without him. Chief Thomas seemed somewhat indifferent to his displeasure—or at least undeterred by it. He’d already stepped inside, so Sly followed suit just before Dawson closed the door.
“Have a seat.” Sadie took charge. Dawson refused to offer them anything, but the fact that she seemed so comfortable in his house—or maybe it was that she was wearing his clothes—further agitated her soon-to-be ex. As Sly brushed past, he hit Dawson’s shoulder with his own, hard enough to knock Dawson back a step, so Dawson immediately shoved him against the wall. The exchange would’ve erupted in a fight, except the police chief whipped around and grabbed Sly, yanking him out of reach and standing between them.
“We’ll have none of that!” he snapped.
“This is ridiculous,” Sly grumbled. “Why are we doing this here? Let’s grab Sadie and figure out what happened at my place, without this bastard.”
“That’s up to Sadie.” Chief Thomas looked to her. “Given Dawson’s history with this town, and how my officers feel about him, maybe we’d be better off—”
“No,” she broke in. “I’m not leaving here. Jayden’s asleep, and after what we’ve both been through, I don’t see any reason to wake him.”
Chief Thomas smoothed down his hair, which was still ruffled from the wind outside. “That’s understandable.” He arched an eyebrow at Sly as he gestured toward the couch. “Sit down.”
Although Sly obeyed, he did so grudgingly. And he kept glowering at Sadie as if she’d betrayed him personally. Dawson considered that hugely ironic, given what they believed he’d done.
“What happened tonight?” Thomas asked, withdrawing a small notebook from his shirt pocket. “I’ll take a few notes, if that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay,” she said. “There’s just not a lot to tell. Someone set fire to my house. It’s that simple.”
“Do you have any idea who?”
When she hesitated, Dawson thought she might accuse Sly, as she’d done earlier, but she didn’t. “No.”
“You didn’t see anything that might help identify the perpetrator?” Thomas asked. “Hear anything?”
The dark circles under Sadie’s eyes seemed more pronounced than before. Besides the shock of having so recently escaped a burning house, it was nearly four in the morning and she hadn’t gotten any sleep. “I heard some rustling outside. I tried to convince myself it was nothing. Houses have...settling noises and such.”
“How do you know it wasn’t a settling noise?”
“Because it turned out to be more than a little rustling.”
Dawson couldn’t help studying Sly while Sadie spoke. Her ex wasn’t expressing any concern. Was he too angry to feel concern? Or did he already know what happened—as they suspected?
“What was the sound like?”
“Someone banging on the side of the house. My bedroom window looks out on the back, not the side, but when I got up, I spotted a man standing in the yard looking at me.”
“How close was he?”
“About twenty feet from my window.”
“Did you recognize him?”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “I can’t say for sure. He was tall and slender, I know that.”
“What was he wearing?”
“Jeans and a black sweatshirt.”
“Did you see his face?”
“No, it was too deeply shadowed. He had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up.”
“What was he doing?”
She lifted Dawson’s sweats so they wouldn’t drag as she walked over to the chair across from the couch. “Just standing there, staring at me,” she said as she perched on the edge of it.
“Did he come any closer? Yell anything? Make any gestures?”
“No. Once he saw me looking at him, he just turned, hopped the fence and ran down the alley.”
“What kind of shoes was he wearing?”
“I didn’t notice,” she replied. “I was so freaked out to have a man in my yard in the middle of the night, especially a man in a black hoodie, that I panicked and nearly screamed. I was just trying to get a grip and calm down when I smelled smoke and realized the house was on fire.”
“You’re convinced it was the man you saw who started the fire?”
“Who else could it be? The fire started on that side—the side where I’d also heard the rustling and banging.”
“I see.” He took a moment to jot that down. Then he said, “Do you have any known enemies? Anyone who might have a grudge against you or wish you harm?”
Again, Dawson could see her deliberating on whether or not to voice her suspicions, but habit—and fear—got in the way.
“She has no enemies,” Sly said, speaking for her. “Like I told you on the way over, I’d know if there was someone she didn’t get along with. Whoever set that fire has to be this guy right here.” He pointed at Dawson. “He’s the only thing that’s changed in this town over the past couple of weeks. And we already know what he’s capable of.”
Dawson wasn’t surprised by the accusation; he’d been anticipating it. Now that he was out of jail, he was the town bogeyman. Even Sadie had tried to keep him away from the fire, knowing he’d likely get blamed if someone saw him at the scene. “And what would be my motivation for that?” he asked calmly.
“Maybe you like her. Maybe letting her move out here under the guise of trying to help her is your way of getting her into your bed.”
Sadie started to say something, but Dawson overrode her. “Sadie’s my employee,” he said. “There’s nothing more between us.”
“Let’s face it,” Sly said. “You didn’t like the way I reacted to her working here, so you did it to get the best of me.”
Dawson chuckled at that. “Nice try. I admit I have no affinity for you. But this time I do have an airtight alibi. I was at the bar when the fire broke out and didn’t drive to Sadie’s until she called me. Several people saw me, one of whom was the bartender. I paid my bill after she called. The fire was already going by then.”
“No one’s accusing you,” Chief Thomas said. “Officer Harris is going through an emotional time right now, but he will behave more professionally in the future, right, Officer Harris?”
Sly’s nostrils flared, but his boss glared at him until he recited the desired answer. “Yes.”
“Because we don’t jump to conclusions,” Thomas explained, speaking mostly to Sly as if he were talking to a recalcitrant child. “We’re police officers, which means we investigate and go where the leads take us.”
“What if those leads take you to one of your own?” Dawson asked.
Sadie stiffened at his words. Dawson could sense her tension. But he kept his gaze riveted on Sly. If Sly could throw accusations around, so could he. Maybe it would get Sly to state what he’d been doing when the fire broke out—if he had a solid alibi.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sly jumped to his feet.
“I had nothing to gain by burning Sadie out,” Dawson replied. “You, on the other hand, have been trying desperately to get her to come back to you.”
“How dare you!” Sly charged toward him, but once again Chief Thomas intercepted by jumping up and grabbing the back of his shirt.
“If you value your job, you’ll sit down and shut up!” he snapped. “I only brought you here out of respect for your connection to Sadie. So if you can’t control your temper, I’ll send you to the car, and you can wait there until I come fire your ass. Do you understand?”
Sly’s face flushed red. It galled him to take a dressing-down in their presence. He knew how powerless it made him look, and being perceived as powerful and important, being admired, was what he loved most. Dawson didn’t know him well, but he was willing to bet on that.
“I won’t stand for you, of all people, to ruin my life,” he growled to Dawson and stomped out and slammed the door.
“Forgive Officer Harris,” Chief Thomas said. “He’s an...impassioned person, but he means well.”
“Does he?” Dawson challenged.
Chief Thomas looked him up and down. “He’s never been tried for murder.”
“Well, if you do your job, he’ll soon be tried for arson,” Dawson said. “Or, since two people were in that house when he set the blaze, I’m thinking the charge could be attempted murder, which isn’t too far off.”
Thomas dropped the feigned politeness he’d exhibited so far. “You’d better watch yourself, son,” he said. “I don’t take accusations against my officers lightly.”
“He’s not the one making the accusation,” Sadie said. “I am.”
Thomas studied her more carefully. “You need to be careful, too, Sadie. You’re talking about your husband.”
Her chest lifted as she drew a deep breath. “I’m talking about my ex-husband, the person who’s been stalking me for months.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Chief Thomas said, “If he’s been stalking you for months, why is this the first time I’ve heard about it?”
“I was afraid of what he might do if I reported him. The divorce isn’t final. We’re still fighting over money and custody issues. I knew lodging a complaint against him would only make matters worse. So I tried to convince myself that if I could keep the peace long enough, we’d eventually wade through the divorce and he’d move on, find someone else. I never dreamed the opposite would occur. That he’d only get more fixated on me. That the behavior would escalate. That he’d go so far as to burn me out of my house!”
“These are serious allegations,” Thomas said. “Are you sure you want to make them?”
“I have a little boy to protect, and I may have lost everything I own tonight. I don’t need any more trouble, so I don’t do this lightly. I’m afraid of Sly, Chief Thomas. I need you to know that. I’m not saying I know he’s guilty of setting my house on fire. But I am saying my gut tells me he did it, so please don’t let him be the one to investigate.”
Chief Thomas rubbed his chin for several seconds before responding. “This puts me in a very difficult situation.”
“Because you’re his boss?”
“That and I can’t believe he’d ever go so far as to commit arson. Sure, he acted up a bit tonight. But it’s killing him to lose you. And he’s worried. He feels as if his wife and son are out here alone with a man who hacked his own parents to death. How do you expect him to react?”
Sadie seemed so weary when she answered. “As I keep saying, I’m his ex-wife. That means I can stay where I want. And if he really cared about his son, he’d—” she caught herself and finished with what Dawson figured was a broader statement than she’d originally intended ”—treat us both differently.”
The police chief studied her. “It’s been a hell of a night.”
“That’s why I’m hoping you’ll honor this one request,” she said.
“Dawson has an ax to grind when it comes to the department,” Thomas said. “You realize that.”
“I do. But from what I’ve seen, he’s got good reason.”
The police chief stiffened. “That won’t help, teaming up with a suspected murderer against all the rest of us law-abiding citizens. Now you’re giving Sly some credibility.”
“I have a right to my opinion. Dawson was found innocent. That means, in the eyes of the law, he has the same rights as the rest of us. I think it’s time we consider him innocent until proven guilty.”
“Fine. I’ll put someone else on it,” Thomas snapped and stalked out.
Dawson shoved his hands into his pockets as Sadie closed the door. “Do you think whoever he asks to investigate the fire will be impartial enough to do a decent job?”
“I doubt it. Sly is friends with everyone on the force. He’ll be doing everything he can to poison the minds of those working the case. And let’s face it—even if that weren’t true, the police would rather villainize you than him.”
She seemed so wiped out Dawson couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. He understood that kind of weariness; he’d experienced it. “You shouldn’t have sided with me.”
When she said nothing, simply moved to the window and looked out, presumably at the taillights of the squad car Chief Thomas and Sly were in, Dawson added, “So why’d you do it?”
“I believe you’re innocent,” she said without turning. “That means I had to say it. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t?”
“That’s not a popular position here in Silver Springs.”
Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead to the glass. “Oh well.” She straightened again. “Sometimes, the truth is just the truth.”
He wished he could touch her. He’d had plenty of sexual thoughts where she was concerned, but this was more about comfort. “If Sly set that fire, he could be capable of almost anything. So if it makes any difference, I think you did the right thing telling Thomas about him.”
“Except it might push him further.”
“Or it might be the only thing that keeps him in check.”
She sighed. “I hope it goes that way, but I don’t think it will. I’m pretty sure I just started World War III.”
And she had a child to protect. The odds were stacked against her. But Dawson wasn’t going to let Sly get the best of her, not if he could help it. “Like I said, you can stay here until you get on your feet.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, but he could tell her thoughts were a million miles away. Was she psyching herself up for the battle ahead? Or was she remembering past times when taking a stand had only made her situation worse?
Putting his arm around her, he gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. He didn’t want her to think he was hitting on her; he just didn’t want her to feel so alone. But he wasn’t even sure she noticed. She didn’t react to his touch. She just stood there staring out at the darkness.