TORCHED (The Wild Flames #2) Read online

  He turned away, leaving her where she stood.

  She watched him walk up to the desk. She had a bad feeling, but she wasn’t sure why. Taking a deep breath for extra courage, she stepped up and stood behind him.

  “You may have a seat. They’ll be with you shortly,” the woman at the front desk said.

  “Thank you.” He turned around, nearly slamming into her.

  “Kevin, don’t do this,” she pleaded.

  He took her hand. They walked to the seats along the wall and sat down before Kevin glanced at her.

  “I’m worried,” she whispered.

  He didn’t seem surprised by her admission.

  “Let’s think about the worst-case scenarios,” he said. “One...they question me about where my brother is. What do I say?”

  “You don’t know,” she replied.

  “Right. I haven’t seen him since the altercation yesterday.”

  She nodded slowly, but then realization sunk in. “The altercation...are you going to tell them what happened?”

  A perplexed expression crossed his face. “I suppose I may have to, but only if I absolutely feel I’ve no choice.”

  She didn’t want him to have to explain the details, but he’d feel obligated to tell the truth. It was the kind of man he was. “Okay. Worst-case scenario number two?” she asked.

  “Two...they ask me if I lied about Jake being with us at the movies.”

  “And what would your answer be?”

  He frowned. She saw the wheels turning in his mind. “Well, there’s only one thing I can say. I simply tell them I felt I did the right thing. I had to protect my brother.” She dropped her gaze from his. That’s why she worried the most. They’d have to confess they lied and nothing good would come of it. “They’ll understand!” He appeared confident but naïve.

  She lifted her head, raising her eyebrow. “You honestly believe you’ll be able to convince them you had no other choice?”

  “I’ll give it my best shot,” he replied.

  “Worst-case scenario number three?” She scrunched her nose up. She glanced around the police station, relieved they were alone.

  “We wind up in jail,” he stated.

  Tara winced. He looked like he was contemplating his options, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything further. She heard the door open and saw Officer Jessup heading their way. It was too late to think about what-if scenarios. She’d have to wait and hope for the best-case scenario...that Jake would be caught and they could put all this behind them.

  ***

  Kevin and Tara rose to their feet as Officer Jessup approached them. “Good afternoon. Thank you for coming in.”

  Did I have a choice? Kevin wanted to blurt out. Instead, he nodded in reply.

  “Mr. Crawford, you can follow me.”

  “Do I need to come?” Tara asked.

  Officer Jessup turned back on her heel and glanced at her. “Not today, Ms. Matthews, but we’ll be sure to let you know if we change our minds.”

  Kevin relaxed slightly. He didn’t want Tara to have to be questioned...again. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and followed Officer Jessup through the double doors. They went down the familiar hallway, and she held back, ushering him into the interrogation room. He took a seat, and was surprised he felt more at ease.

  Officer Jessup sat down in front of him, paperwork in hand.

  “Where’s Officer Grayson?” he asked.

  “Around,” she replied.

  He looked at the mirror and wondered if Officer Grayson was observing him from behind the glass. He pushed the thought out of his mind and turned his attention back to the officer in front of him.

  “Okay, let’s get this started,” he stated, crossing his arms.

  She looked up from where she’d been reading something in her notebook. A look of surprise crowded her face. The notebook dropped to the table and she settled back into her chair. “Fine. Where’s your brother?”

  “I wish I could help you, but your guess is as good as mine.” The police had no idea where he’d gone, which again showed how smart his brother really was.

  She didn’t seem fazed by his answer. She continued, “Last night we received an anonymous phone call placing Jake Crawford as the owner of the evidence. Know anything about it?”

  “Evidence?” He did his best to look stumped.

  She opened her notebook and removed something from inside. Placing it on the table, she pushed it toward him. The picture of Jake’s hat stared back at him. He studied it, although he didn’t need to bother. It was Jake’s. He had the image embedded in his mind. He looked back up at her and shrugged.

  “Do you recognize the hat?” she asked.

  He pondered it, then peered back up at her. “I’ve seen blue baseball caps before.”

  She smiled, and pointed to the picture. “Focus primarily on the initials. JC...doesn’t it seem a bit coincidental?”

  “JC could stand for a lot of things. Doesn’t really prove anything.” Confidence laced his tone. He held his ground and didn’t admit to anything.

  She rolled her eyes, retrieving the picture and placing it back in the notebook. “You weren’t the anonymous caller?”

  He took a deep breath. His mind raced as he considered what he could say without lying. “I don’t know where my brother is,” he said.

  “So you mentioned. Are you going to tell me about the altercation you had?” She pointed to his face, and he locked eyes with her. “That doesn’t look much better today. Who did you get into a fight with?”

  Despite clambering for a way out of telling her the truth, he couldn’t find another answer.

  “Jake,” he mumbled.

  She nodded. “May I ask what it was about? Family squabble? Personal? Or maybe you just found out he’s been murdering people?”

  Kevin’s jaw dropped. “I swear, it wasn’t until the broadcast that I had any idea he killed those people.” As the words rushed out, he couldn’t stop them. He sat back in his chair. It wasn’t his intention to be so vocal, but there was no way of turning back.

  She wrote down some notes, but her eyes remained fixated on him. After several minutes, she put down her pencil.

  “So, clearly you do recognize the hat and it belongs to your brother. Right?”

  He nodded slowly, looking down at the table. There was no avoiding the heat now. He was in deep shit and this time, he doubted whether he could dig himself out of the stack of lies that were now about to collapse on top of him and then bite him hard in the ass.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” she said, picking up her pencil and taking a few more notes. “But I have to ask you one more thing.”

  Kevin waited. Everything swirled around in his mind and he couldn’t put two thoughts together.

  “When questioned earlier last month, you stated Jake was with you and your girlfriend at the movies. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” he replied. It was as obvious as daylight where the conversation would go next.

  “Yet, if the murders are connected...and it’s pretty much a definite they are, then how could Jake have been at the movies with you, when Amy Watters was murdered at the same time?”

  He heaved a sigh. Officer Jessup’s eyes never swayed from his.

  “You have to do what you have to do. I felt I needed to protect my brother.”

  “So, in other words, you and your girlfriend lied to the police?” she shouted impatiently, standing abruptly from her chair and slamming her fists down on the table. “Do you understand that what you did is called obstruction of justice at best, and in the worst case, you and your girlfriend could both be charged with accessory to murder?”

  He was well aware of it, but he couldn’t do anything about it. It was over and done with, and now, Officer Jessup looked as if she’d gone off the deep end. Her eyes bulged out of her head, and her face was so red she could have blown a gasket. It wasn’t long before they heard a knock from the other side of the glass. Officer Jessup
straightened and walked out of the room.

  Chapter 3

  Within a couple of minutes, Officer Jessup re-entered with Officer Grayson at her side. They sat facing Kevin, and this time, Officer Grayson took the lead.

  “Mr. Crawford,” he started. “Let’s get this straight. You and your girlfriend took it upon yourselves to lie to us about your brother’s whereabouts when Amy Watters was murdered, and now you’re ready to come clean?”

  “Keep Tara out of this,” he said.

  Both officers widened their eyes in surprise.

  “You might want to watch that tone, young man,” Grayson warned. “She would be just as responsible for her false statement as you are.”

  He looked away from Jessup’s prying eyes. “Maybe we weren’t exactly truthful, but isn’t it more important to find Jake? I felt I needed to look after my younger brother. I honestly didn’t believe he could do something so...so violent. And he looked into my eyes and swore he was innocent. So I believed him, and tried to protect him. Was it wrong? Yes, I won’t deny it and say it wasn’t, but I can’t go back and change what I did for him. If you feel you need to prosecute me, then I can’t stop you. However, I think we can all agree finding my brother and stopping him from murdering again is the most important thing to do.”

  Kevin studied their faces to see if they would remotely relate to what he’d said. Officer Grayson seemed to draw a blank, and Officer Jessup still looked like she might vault over the table and put Kevin in a headlock.

  “I gather you have no intentions of skipping town,” Grayson continued.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he answered.

  Jessup stood up from her chair. “Good. Because this isn’t the last time we will have to talk. We’ll contact you when we have more questions.”

  “I’ve no doubt,” he answered, pushing his chair back to stand. They shook hands, and Officer Jessup led him to the door.

  “I know my way out, Officers,” he informed them.

  Jessup stood back as Kevin walked down the hallway. He couldn’t feel totally relieved, because it wasn’t over yet. He went back through the double doors and saw Tara jump to her feet. She rushed to his side.

  “So, what happened?” she whispered.

  “Let’s get out of here.” He needed to be alone with her and the sooner they could get out of the police station, the better.

  ***

  Tara didn’t know where they were going, until they turned down Kevin’s road. “What are you going to tell your parents?” she asked.

  “I have to tell them the truth.”

  She could tell he dreaded having to face them. She reached across and touched his hand as they drove the rest of the way in silence. When they turned into his driveway, she noticed his parents’ car was gone.

  “Doesn’t look like you’ll have to talk to them right away.”

  “They’re out again,” he mumbled. He turned to her when he parked. “I can either take you home or you can stay here for a little while.”

  For a moment, she was petrified. What if Jake came back to the house? What would happen? Then she reminded herself it would probably be the last place Jake would visit. He was a fugitive and he’d expect the police to monitor his home in case he returned. Plus, she didn’t really want to go home.

  “Let’s stay here. At least for a little while.”

  He smiled, but it was weak. They got out of the car and headed up to the front door. He had not talked much about the interrogation, only mentioning they needed to stay in town. She had expected he would be pensive. She didn’t want to pry. It was best to be supportive and let him talk if he needed to.

  He held the door open for her, and she entered the house. It seemed eerily quiet. They both took off their coats, while he looked around the foyer. He then reached for her hand and led her up the stairs, neither one saying a word. When they arrived at Jake’s bedroom, he stopped. They walked into the room to discover drawers had been left open. His brother had departed in a hurry.

  “Do you think...” she began, but her words halted when Kevin opened the closet. It was empty, without a single piece of clothing left behind. Jake had definitely taken off. She approached Kevin with caution.

  “I’m so sorry, Kev,” she whispered against his ear.

  He stood motionless, then slowly turned to her. “It’s probably for the best.”

  It was true; with Jake out of town, he would probably be smart enough not to carry out any more murders. Yet, if he was gone, it could cast more suspicion on Kevin and Tara. The cops would assume they knew where Jake was. He closed the closet door.

  “Do you think you should call your parents?” she asked.

  He turned to her and shrugged. “Why spoil their fun? They’ll be back, and we can explain then.” He grabbed her hand again, intertwining his fingers with hers. “I’m glad it’s just the two of us.”

  She smiled. They left Jake’s room, and he closed the door behind him, as if to shut out the memories. She started to lead them downstairs, but he stopped and pulled her toward his room. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “In case my parents come home, I don’t want to be interrupted. I thought we could talk.”

  Talk? The word concerned her. She did want to talk to him, but she worried where the conversation would go.

  “Sure. Sounds great.” She was less than enthusiastic.

  They walked over to the bed and sat down. She felt her pulse quicken.

  “I need to fill you in on what happened at the police station.”

  “You really don’t have to,” she argued.

  “Yes...I do.” His brown eyes seemed to take on a different, darker shade. “It went as we expected. They asked if I knew where Jake was. They asked if I was the anonymous caller.”

  “Did you admit to it?”

  “Not fully,” he answered. “However, by the end of the conversation I think they were well aware it was me. I admitted it was Jake’s hat.”

  She soothingly caressed his hand, thinking about how difficult that must have been for him.

  “I felt I had no other alternative.” He hesitated, looking down at their intertwined fingers. “They inquired about Jake’s initial alibi.”

  “We expected they would ask,” she pointed out. “What did you say?”

  “I told the truth. I explained I wanted to protect Jake, and at the time, I didn’t think he could possibly have anything to do with the murders.”

  She couldn’t believe they’d accept such an answer. “Then what?”

  “Jessup gave me the line about how we could be in serious trouble. I asked them to go easy on us, especially you, and suggested they focus on finding Jake. That’s when they told me we need to stay in town.”

  He looked away from her eyes, but not fast enough for Tara to miss the sadness that suddenly came over him.

  “I love my brother, but I do believe the best thing for him and for us is if he’d just turn himself in...or at least stay away.”

  Tara took in every word as he spoke. She wanted to take away his pain, but she didn’t know how. She reached up and touched his face to lift his gaze back to hers.

  “I’m here for you, Kevin. Don’t forget it.”

  “I know you are,” he said, leaning in and brushing a kiss against her lips. It didn’t last much longer than their previous encounters since hearing the news.

  “You need rest,” she told him. It was the truth, but she felt a heaviness in her chest. She wished they could return to their intimate connection. It just wasn’t there.

  “You’re right.” He kicked his shoes off and then removed his socks. He scooted himself up to the pillow and held out his arm. She stepped out of her slip-on shoes and crawled up to him, cuddling against him.

  His hand rested on her shoulder and she felt his soft breath against her skin. It didn’t take long before she heard the muffled sound of him snoring. She listened for a moment, relieved he could fall asleep so easily. Her eyes closed and she joined hi
m.

  ***

  Kevin jerked out of a nightmare, as Jake’s image faded away. His ragged breathing was intensified by the pounding of his heart. He turned to where Tara was still sleeping. She was tucked in his arms, and looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to move. This madness couldn’t be easy for her, despite her efforts to appear strong.

  He had put her through too much. I should have insisted that you go to Montana without me. If he had just passed his exams, she wouldn’t have had to deal with any of this. Would Jake have gone off the deep end with these murders if they had gone to Montana as planned?

  He leaned down and kissed her forehead, igniting movement beside him. She mumbled something softly, too quiet for him to make out. Her eyes opened and a faint smile crossed her lips.

  “Hello,” she whispered.

  “Hello,” he answered.

  She shifted her body and lifted her head.

  “How’d you sleep?” she asked. Her eyes intently surveyed his.

  The memory of Jake in his dream flashed through his mind. In it, Tara had chosen sides and decided to go with Jake. Kevin knew it would never happen, but his heart still tightened at the idea of Tara being with his brother...or anyone else.

  “Not the greatest,” he admitted. “But I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about you and how I love you so much. Don’t ever forget it, okay?”

  She smiled, and it reached her eyes. “I love you, too, baby.”

  “I want us to get back to our plans before all this chaos began. It won’t be easy, but we have to.”

  There was only one week left before the petting zoo would be closed for the winter. After that time, they wouldn’t have jobs or anything else to keep them from going to Montana.

  She nodded. “I want the same thing.”

  He leaned over and kissed her, gently massaging her shoulder. “I need you,” he whispered softly, intensifying the kiss. His tongue moved in, invading her mouth and grazing over hers. She abruptly pulled from him.

  He stared at her. “Where...” he began, as she rolled off of the bed.

  She walked to the door and closed it.

  “I’m not going anywhere, baby,” she reassured him. “I just want us to have a little privacy in case your parents come home.”