Black Creek Burning (The Black Creek Series, Book 1) (14 page)

Nathan started to move toward them. "They seem tired. I'll just—"

"Let them figure it out," Amanda interrupted and held up a hand.

Squinting at Andy, Rose responded, "I am making some-fin."

As soon as Andy's hand touched her Duplos, Rose fisted him in the face.

Blood started dripping.

Andy screamed.

Rose crossed her arms, chin tucked.

Nathan let out an, "Oh shit," as he grabbed up Andy and stuffed some paper napkins
under his nose.

The adult chuckling just made Andy cry harder.

"Well, I guess that's our cue to head out. Sorry about the nose, kid," Amanda said
as she rubbed Andy's hair and headed for the front door. "We'll let you care for the
injured while we take the long way around back home. Thanks for the pizza and the
hill."

"She hit me!" Andy said with a little shake of his head as Nathan carried him off
to bed with short legs wrapped around his waist.

"That's true." Nathan checked his nose as he carried him up the stairs. "Looks like
you'll survive."

"She didn't even say sorry!"

Setting him on the end of his bed, he responded, "That's true, too."

"She's supposed to say sorry!"

Nathan pulled the covers down. "You might not want to mention that to her next time
you see her." Pulling the sheets up to Andy's neck, he kissed his forehead. "It seems
telling her what she's supposed to do is how you ended up with a bloody nose in the
first place."

Brie was in Duncan's room. She made sure her niece and nephew had picked up before
they went downstairs and got ready to head back to her house. Framed sketches of a
woman and a man she assumed were Duncan's mother and father hung next to each other
on his wall. The drawings were excellent. The man had Duncan's eyes, a darker brown
than the woman's, and the same color hair. The woman looked more like Andy, she thought.
While Liz's kids trotted down the stairs, Brie stayed. "Is this a drawing of your
parents?"

"Yeah," Duncan said as he closed the sketchpad he'd been working on.

"I lost my parents in an accident, too." She was careful not to look at him and kept
her eyes on the pictures.

"I heard Nathan talking to Officer Dave. He says it wasn't an accident."

So mature for his age. "No. It wasn't an accident. You call Nathan by his first name,"
she said as a statement.

"I always do."

"But Andy doesn't." She turned her eyes to him now and sat down on his floor, leaning
her back against his wall.

"He doesn't remember our mother and father."

"Do you think they would want you to grow up without a dad?"

There was a long silence as Duncan zipped up the case for his chalks and pencils.
He placed the case in the cubby where it belonged in the door of his desk. "They divorced
because of us. Nathan and his wife did."

She didn't argue the point. "He loves you and Andy. He loves being your dad and would
like it if you would let him." She decided to change the subject. "So, Mrs. Whittier
says some kids are poking fun at your sketches. Goes to show how much they know."

"She's dumb." His eyes darted to hers. "Sorry."

"Don't be." She kept her expression purposely casual.

"I don't care what they think anyway." He rolled his shoulders as he pulled his sheets
back.

She walked to him. "I think you should draw some of those monsters you were playing
with at my house. Oh, and their cars. Draw them right on the front of your binders."

When he crawled into bed, she pulled the covers up to his shoulders. And just as Nathan
had done with Andy, she kissed him on the forehead. "My class has recess when yours
eats. I'll stop in at lunch sometime if that's okay with you."

"Sure, that'd be fine." He rolled over but not so far that she couldn't see him squeeze
his eyes tightly.

She flipped the lights off on her way out, leaving the door cracked open. On her way
down she ran her hand across the top of the smooth stair railing.

"Thank you for allowing the unexpected visit." Brie picked up her coat.

"It's too cold and too dark to dredge through the snow back to your house. Take my
truck."

"No. I can... " Brie turned to see the kids struggle to pull on their wet gloves.
"All right. Thank you."

He took her hand and rubbed his rough thumb across her knuckles.

She felt her skin jump several degrees.

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Depends."

"Will you wear your hair down tomorrow?"

She pulled her hand away in a knee-jerk reaction, sighed then responded. "I'll think
about it."

Chapter 12

When the kids woke up, Brie had chocolate chip pancakes and sausage links ready. She
was sipping coffee, listening to her niece and nephew's chatter when her sister walked
in.

"I thought I'd get here before you were up," Liz said to her kids as she kissed each
child on the top of the head. "I knew I wouldn't beat you awake." Liz turned back
to her. "Thanks for keeping them."

"Did you and Tim have a nice time?" She took out a to-go cup for her sister, knowing
Liz wouldn't stay long.

"Very." Liz poured herself a mug and then glanced at her kids. "Are you about done?
You've both got swim lessons today." Liz touched Brie's shoulder and nodded her head
toward the foyer. As the kids ate, Liz guided her by the arm to the front of the house.
"So, listen. I know it's your business if you have a man spend the night at your own
house, and I know you would be discreet... "

"Liz, no. Nathan's not here. His truck is parked out front because I borrowed it."

"I'm talking about Brian who I just saw pulling out of the cul-de-sac."

She paused to think. "Are you sure it was him?"

"White Mazda? Very sure. He didn't come by?"

"Maybe he did and thought the same thing you did when he saw Nathan's truck in my
drive."

"Aunt Brie held hands with Mr. Nathan." Her niece grinned at being the one to say
so.

Liz turned to her daughter. "Really?"

"Tattle." Brie gave her a small push to the side of her head.

"And they're going out together tonight," Liz added, ducking her head close.

"You've all worn out your welcome." Brie handed her sister a cover for her coffee
and helped them out to their car. She could hear them talking as they walked through
the cold.

"And we went sledding. Mr. Nathan's dog is awesome. It pulled us in the sled around
the field; can we get one?" her nephew said all in one breath.

"Talk to your father." Liz lifted a hand. "See you, Brie."

"Thank you," the kids said simultaneously.

* * *

Dave and Nathan arrived early and slid into a booth.

"Who was the neighbor that saw the two suspects?" Nathan didn't waste any time.

"You gonna make me say all this again when she gets here?"

"I don't think Brie needs to hear the parts she already knows." He motioned to the
waitress. "I haven't mentioned the idea that anything might be tied with the arson.
Was it Lucy Melbourne who spotted them?"

"They're not
suspects
. The files don't even read
they
. The neighbor couldn't verify she saw more than one person on the sidewalk. There's
no identity and if there was, they're not suspects, more like a person or persons
we'd like to bring in for questioning. And it's not Melbourne who saw, it was Amanda
Piper, who, if I understand right, is the gal Brie is bringing as her bodyguard against
you tonight."

"I'd tell you to piss off if you weren't helping me. I still might."

Dave looked over Nathan's head. "They're walking in. That Amanda's a looker."

Brie's coat was already tossed over her arm. No purse. She wore loose khaki pants
and a white sweater that buttoned down the front. He'd expected her to wear her hair
up, mostly because he'd asked her not to. A solid punch of lust hit him straight on
at the sight of her wavy brown hair draped over her shoulders and around her face.
He shouldn't have asked her to wear it like that, he decided. He was having enough
trouble with restraint when it was up.

Sliding in next to him, Brie looked over to the bartender and spoke up. "Glass of
Merlot tonight."

"Let me get that." Nathan tried nudging her back out.

She wouldn't budge. "No. I'll buy this first round. Thank you, though. What do you
want, Amanda?"

"Bottle of light for me. I'll get the next one," she said as she slid in next to Dave.
"Wouldn't have recognized you without your uniform."

"Good to see you again." Dave took a long swig from his bottle.

"Is it all right to talk about this in front of Amanda?" Nathan asked.

"Always." Brie smiled toward her friend.

"I need to start by telling you this is unofficial," Dave began. "There cannot be
any kind of an official investigation unless you formally report the incidents. What
we know is that you've had sporadic vandalism over the past few months. Windows shot
out in your classroom." He flipped through a page in his notes. "September 22nd and
December 21st."

"You didn't tell me about your windows at work," Amanda interrupted. "Sorry, sorry.
Pretend I'm not even here."

"What can you tell me about the animals?" Dave asked Brie.

"Animals? What animals? You said tires." Amanda stopped talking when their heads all
turned to her. She made a motion of zipping her lips with her fingers.

Brie shrugged. "It's likely what you just said, 'sporadic vandalism—'"

"If you say
it's just kids
one more time," Nathan interjected, "I'm going to get really pissed off."

Amanda's eyes went from him to Brie and back again several times before pulling her
chin back and shooting her brows up.

Brie turned her face matter-of-factly to cover her nerves. She'd never said the whole
of it out loud before. "The first was a mouse or a mole or something. There was no
head. It was tied to my deck rail by its tail. The next was a snake on my porch. Its
head was smashed, but at least still on its body.

"The last was the day before Christmas Eve, the day Nathan found me putting up lights
for our neighbors. It was morning. I went to start my coffee and saw it lying across
my deck rail. It was a rabbit, cut from head to tail along its belly. It was a mess.
I could hardly tell what it was at first. I just bagged them each time and tossed
them in my garbage."

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, and she realized why she would have nerves.
Dave sat back, clearly waiting to see if she was done. Nathan's face turned all kinds
of red. Amanda's, on the other hand, was paler than her usual pasty white.

"I guess you already know about the windows and tires. So, that's about it."

"It would help if you would write it all down." Dave leaned forward. "Think about
it for a few days, then read what you wrote and add to it if you can. Try to remember
dates, people you saw any time before or after each incident, including the windows.
List family members." He put up a hand when she opened her mouth. "Not that your family
could be involved, but it could be someone they're friends or acquaintances with or
have seen around. If it is just coincidental vandalism... " This time, he held his
hand in front of Nathan. "It won't hurt to write it down. If it's not, the details
will help give a timeline." Dave tucked his notes back into the inside pocket of his
coat, leaned back and took a drink.

"I need a pack of gum. I'm going to run next door." Amanda's voice was shaky. "Be
right back."

"I'll go with you." Dave scooted out with her.

"You okay?" Brie looked at Nathan.

"Aren't I supposed to ask you that?"

"I suppose. How was your day?"

He tucked her hair behind her ear and slid his hand around, cupping the back of her
neck. "Productive. Tile guy finished in the upstairs bathrooms. Heated discussion
with my carpenter about making the master bath bigger for what I have planned for
the vanity. You?"