Framed to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery Book 4) (7 page)

“You don’t know everything that’s going on.” Karen expertly pulled from the spot where she had parallel parked. I wished it was so easy for me. “And you should stop trying to dig it up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know about your visits to Upcycle and Made With Love. If you think you’re going to clear your name by tarnishing someone else’s, it won’t work. I won’t let it.”

I opened my mouth a few times, finding it hard to come up with the right words.

Karen turned onto the main road. “Where are you parked?”

“On the right side, just past the grocery store. I’m not going to let anyone railroad me into a drug charge. No matter what you threaten,” I said.

“I’m not threatening you, I’m just giving you notice.” Karen pulled over, keeping the engine running. “Stop dragging others into your mess.”

There was something going on with Karen and I wanted to know what. She wasn’t overly fond of me—or I her—but we’d never wished ill on each other. There was an intensity in Karen’s eyes and a tightness in her body that told me this was personal to her.

I rifled through my memory for a family connection between Karen and the key players. Just because Karen changed her last name from Pancake to England didn’t make all her family connections disappear. Change of name. Before she married Allan Sullivan, Felicity was a Pancake.

Great. I’d dragged Karen’s cousin into a figurative—and literal—fire. I’d just made the woman in control of dispensing the information in Eden an even bigger enemy.

“Felicity came on her own free will. If you want to help her, find out who’s selling Janie to the kids, and who gave some to Brandon.”

“I’m working on the story. So stay out of my way. If you ruin this for me, I’ll ruin you.”

SEVEN

I rummaged in my kitchen cupboards for something sweet. I’d already tried my old standby comfort food of grilled cheese, and my mind was still stuck on driving by Made With Love or playing tit-for-tat with Karen. Being threatened made me want to delve in deeper, not back off. Fortunately, there was a sliver of common sense in my head screaming neither idea was a good one.

The sound of an engine drew me out of the kitchen and to the front window. Leaning over, I pulled the curtain back a smidge and peered outside. A truck pulled into my driveway, darkness making it hard to tell the color. A feminine figure slipped out from the driver’s seat and hustled toward the front door. Charlotte.

My doorbell chimed, followed by an insistent pounding. I answered the door.

Charlotte tugged me out the door. “Come on.”

I held on to the doorknob. No way was I following Charlotte blindly. “Where and why?”

“Made With Love. An impromptu midnight celebratory bonfire was announced through social media. Hannah snuck out to attend. There’s a reason those kids are heading over there tonight. I want you to take pictures while I get Hannah out of there.”

Chad’s words haunted me. “Perfect timing. Has to be tonight
.
” Was he getting a delivery of Janie tonight? Whatever was planned, I was sure it wasn’t a good idea for unwanted guests to arrive.

“Let me grab my cell. My camera was stolen, so I’ll have to use it.” I ran back into the kitchen, plucking my phone off the counter. “We should probably let the police know.”

“No,” Charlotte said. “I don’t want Hannah getting into trouble.”

“If the drugs are making an appearance tonight, Hannah is already courting trouble. The police can stop it.”

“Hannah will be blamed.”

“Not if she didn’t bring it.”

“Those kids will never turn on Whitney. I know Hannah’s going there to try and get proof that Whitney’s involved. Hannah feels bad that her first attempt landed you in trouble.”

And her second attempt might get her hurt. “Chad Carr is planning something for tonight. I’m not sure what. I only caught the end of a conversation.”

“I’ll take care of him.” Charlotte pushed up the sleeves of her black and gold hoodie.

I was sure she would. Charlotte was the poster child for Mama Bear. She had spent some time in jail after setting her ex-husband’s garbage cans on fire, and was photographed having a knock-down slap fight with a former boyfriend who’d been on
Naked and Afraid
.

From the expression on the man’s face, I think he’d rather have spent another twenty-one days out in the swamps, trying not to be eaten alive by an alligator, than go up against Charlotte again. He did have it coming to him for hitting on Hannah, who’d been almost sixteen at the time. It was amazing how long pictures and stories are stored on the internet.

“It’s still best if we call the police, let them know what’s up,” I said.

“They’re monitoring social media. If they want to come, they’ll come. You don’t need to be a reason for them to show up.”

“A reason?”

“If you’re there, Detective Roget and Steve Davis will arrive to help you.” A twinge of bitterness entered her voice.

“And that’s a bad thing? Helping?”

“Helping you, not everyone else.”

I locked my door then followed Charlotte to her truck.

“Ted and Steve wouldn’t frame someone for me.”

“I’m not saying that, but they’ll dig until they find out the truth. And I’ll go to jail again to keep Hannah out. I’ve done it before.”

I remained quiet as Charlotte unburdened herself on the drive to Made With Love.

“Hannah started the fire at her dad’s place. I lied for her.”

I should’ve guessed last year there was something scandalous in Hannah’s past to have Charlotte move in the middle of her daughter’s junior year in high school. Most families would wait until graduation.

“Her dad had no problem with her visiting him whenever she wanted, until his young girlfriend moved in. She was only a few years older than Hannah. After that, Hannah had to get permission to stop by and see him, and he quit paying child support because the girlfriend convinced him I was using the money for my truck payment. The night of the fire was Hannah’s birthday. Her dad was supposed to take her out to dinner. Instead, he told her he was taking out the girlfriend that night because she was feeling sad.”

My mouth remained closed. The last thing I wanted to do was react in a way that silenced Charlotte.

“She was devastated and acted out. She thought they had already left when she set the cans on fire. Her dad called the police.”

“If they saw Hannah set the fire, how did you get arrested for it?”

“I agreed to confess to it. The girlfriend changed her story, saying it was possible she really saw me because Hannah and I look alike from a distance. It worked out better for them. I lost my job, so we had to move. Now she wouldn’t have to share any more of the deadbeat’s time.”

A deep blare, like a foghorn, sounded from behind us. I looked out the back window. A fire truck bore down on us. Charlotte moved to the far right, the truck whizzing past us at almost the same speed as the red swirling lights.

“You don’t think…” Charlotte choked out the words, all color drained from her face.

She must think her daughter got into an accident or was responsible for a fire. I squeezed her hand. “I’m sure she’s okay. It’s probably another poorly planned bonfire. The team needs to find a better way to show school spirit.”

After last night’s uncontrolled bonfire that destroyed Lake’s florist business and damaged Clive Murphy’s pawn shop, Chief Moore might be able to get somewhere with Coach Rutherford and Principal Hanover to stop the tradition. And it might make it a little harder for the teens to buy the synthetic marijuana.

When we turned down the road leading to Made With Love, my breath caught in my throat. Every fire truck owned by Eden, and possibly ones from the neighboring counties, lined the road. Charlotte slowed the car, inching past the emergency vehicles and the burned timber that had once been Made With Love.

“Oh my God.” Charlotte slammed the truck to a stop. “I’m going to find my daughter.”

“They weren’t in there.” Bile snaked up my throat. I slid out of the truck. Charlotte had already disappeared into the darkness.

The scent of smoke clung to the air, filling my lungs and setting off a coughing fit. Everything smelled burnt. Not the good burn like a blackened marshmallow, but one of destruction.

Crime scene tape created a forty-foot perimeter around the entire store. The giant square was working to keep the arriving lookie loos away from the burnt building. Lights from the cruisers and the fire trucks flashed red on everything and everyone. I spotted Officer Mitchell talking to Chief Moore. A small movement to the right side of the burnt-to-a-crisp building caught my attention.

I squinted, straining my eyes to make out if the shape blending into and then out of the small grouping of trees was a shadow cast by the lights or something more. I leaned toward it, certain I’d spotted someone poking around back there. Tucking my chin to my chest, I slowly backed away from the fire scene.

It got darker the farther away I walked from the remains of Made With Love. The smoke smell lessened, making it easier to breathe. I focused on the movement near a grouping of trees. Were some teens hiding, afraid to come out after another bonfire destroyed a building, or was my imagination creating something from the night and white wisps of smoke?

My arm was snagged and I was whipped around.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The lights from the emergency vehicles allowed me to see Officer Mitchell’s fierce look in full ominous view. The man looked even scarier with his expression highlighted by the rotating red lights.

“I saw the fire truck heading this way.” I made up the half-truth on the fly, feeling a twinge of guilt immediately.

“How would you know it was headed this way?” Mitchell still held my arm, his other hand resting on his handcuffs.

“It’s really easy to follow a fire truck with flashing lights at night,” I said. “Besides, the football team posted all over social media that they were having a midnight celebration bonfire near Made With Love. It was easy to put two and two together and come up with this location.”

“Of course you’d know where the kids were hanging out. I bet you’re bringing some party supplies for them.” Mitchell twisted my arm, bringing it behind my back. “How about we go search your car?”

Which was at my house. I just talked myself into a huge mess. I didn’t want Mitchell knowing I came with Charlotte.

“I didn’t bring those drugs into Polished. The girls did.”

“You mean your friend’s daughter?” Mitchell glanced around. “I think I see her truck. So you both showed up. I wonder what that means.”

“It means she has a teenage daughter. Maybe she wanted to make sure she wasn’t here with the football team.” I struggled to get free.

“You’re blaming those kids?” Mitchell tightened his hold, arcing my arm up higher.

Fear tumbled through me. I hadn’t been this scared of a police officer since an MP banged on my apartment door in Germany. I hadn’t been too thrilled when Ted questioned me after Michael Kane’s murder, but I was never afraid he’d hurt me. This officer I wasn’t so sure about.

“I’ll take it from here, Officer Mitchell.” Ted wore a firefighter’s helmet with the face shield pushed up. Soot dotted his face.

“I bet you will,” Mitchell said.

“I’d release her before you get slapped with an assault charge. The public doesn’t like it when the police manhandle people. Especially women.” Ted rested his hand on Mitchell’s wrist.

“They like it even less when we allow drug dealers to hover around their kids.”

Mitchell reluctantly released my arm.

I stepped back, cradling my arm.

“You all right, Faith?” Ted asked, gaze locked on Mitchell.

“Yes.”

“Taking up with the enemy again, Roget?” Mitchell said. “Hasn’t the chief already warned you about showing your bias?”

“And hasn’t the chief warned you about keeping your temper in check?”

“Officer Mitchell,” Chief Moore’s voice carried over to us. “You’re needed for crowd control.”

More residents had shown up at the scene, straining their necks to see what little remained of Made With Love. Where were Chad and Dawn Carr?

“I’ll start by repeating Mitchell’s question. Why are you over here?”

“Why are you at a fire? Are you volunteering for the squad?” The department had been recruiting lately, but I wouldn’t think Ted would want to take on a high-stress volunteer gig, since he already had a high-pressure job.

“I ask the questions, you answer them.” Ted readjusted the helmet on his head. “Why are you over here?”

I knew when it was time not to push anymore. And if I wanted to get any help from Ted once I found Hannah and Charlotte, I needed to do some cooperating and behave like a law-abiding citizen. “I saw a shadow and wanted to get a better look at what it was. I thought maybe it was the person responsible for the fire. I figured Made With Love didn’t just spontaneously combust.”

“Where did you see someone?”

I waved toward where I’d believed I saw the movement.

“Show me.” Ted took hold of my elbow and turned on a flashlight I hadn’t seen in his hand.

I looked at the ground, trying to avoid tripping over anything in the dark.

“Was the area near the store or farther away?” Ted asked.

“Near the trees on the edge of the property.”

Ted stopped me. “What was the size of the shape?”

I shrugged. “I was too far away. It was just more of a sense of movement, something going in and out of the shadows. Could’ve been the light.”

“Why did you come here tonight?” Ted’s voice hardened.

“Some teens were coming for a bonfire and—”

“You wanted to talk to them.”

“Actually, I wanted to catch them, or the dealer, with the synthetic marijuana. It’s been made clear that I need more than my word to prove I’m innocent.”

“Stay out of this case. It’s dangerous.”

“I don’t want to go to prison for something I didn’t commit.”

“You won’t. I wouldn’t let it happen. Or Steve.” Ted’s voice changed a fraction when he mentioned Steve. I couldn’t decipher the meaning of the new tone.

My heart dropped. What if the earlier fire had reignited? Felicity and I hadn’t stuck around to make sure all the embers were put out. “How did the fire start?”

“I can’t say. It’s an ongoing investigation.”

A throat cleared from behind us. Wayne Buford, a member of the volunteer fire department, stood behind us, a helmet in his hand. “The fire chief recommends everyone stay out of the building until the inspector clears it in the morning. The tape will remain up, and we’ll help guard the structure.”

“Thanks,” Ted said.

“Do you think the person who did this will come back?” I asked.

“We’re more worried about nosy kids exploring or homeless people deciding it’ll make a good place to sleep for the night,” Wayne said. “No sense in anyone else getting hurt or killed.”

Anyone else? My heart pounded. Was Hannah okay? What about the other teens who had shown up? I started to speak but a rustling sound quieted me. Ted’s right hand rested on the butt of his service revolver. Wayne signaled someone near the structure with his light, then stepped in front of me.

“Go back,” Ted whispered, motioning at me. “Ask the chief to head over here.”

I took a few steps, a wail stopping me in my tracks. Ted directed a light toward the sound.

“I want to find my mom!” Hannah clung to the arm of Daniel Burke. The volunteer firefighter dragged the distraught girl toward us. “She was coming to pick me up.”

“I parked at the far end of the building, near the bonfire,” Daniel said. “I saw the kids were having one tonight and wanted to make sure none were still here. Found her wandering around.”

“I have to find her.” Hannah broke free from Daniel’s hold and ran toward me. “I can’t find my mom.”

I caught her in my arms and held on tight, doing my best to soothe her.

“I need her to come with me.” Ted’s hand rested near his handcuffs.

He thought Hannah set the building on fire. I pulled her into a protective embrace. “There were other kids at the bonfire.”

“I’ll need you to come with me to the station.” Ted attempted to untangle Hannah from my grasp. “There are some questions you need to answer.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Charlotte’s voice emerged from the woods. “I left Hannah at home and came out here. Since you wouldn’t look for the synthetic marijuana, I came here to get it. Someone has to do your job and protect these kids.”

She was lying to Ted. I made a startled sound, earning a shut-the-hell-up look from Charlotte.

“Is that so?” Ted crossed his arms, flicking a gaze in my direction.

Charlotte stood in front of Ted. “Yes, it is.”

“We have been doing our job.” There was a bitter edge to Ted’s voice. “The public interfering is what’s hampering it.”

“Charlotte, don’t,” I said.

Charlotte placed the car keys into Hannah’s hand, sending another warning look my way. “Have someone bring the bike home tomorrow. I rode over on it. Hannah brought Faith here in my truck. The place was burning when I got here. I was the one who called 911.”

The ease Charlotte had in making up a convincing story, giving her a perfect reason for handing over the “bike” keys to Hannah, which I knew were the truck keys, was ingenious and a little unnerving. If Charlotte could lie so smoothly to the police, how much easier could she to me?

“You can explain it all at the station.” Ted took hold of Charlotte’s arm.

Hannah sobbed, falling into my arms.

My heart battled itself over the truth. Charlotte feared Hannah set the fire and was willing to take the blame for her daughter. Should I allow her? I couldn’t. Could I?

“You should get her home.” Daniel turned Hannah and me toward where the truck was parked. “Go on.”

“I’m sorry my daughter dragged you into this, Faith,” Charlotte said. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

I wasn’t so sure about that.