a fight with her husband and needed somewhere to crash until emotions simmered down. You don’t know anything about Jonas or why he set the place on fire. We kept your name out of any discussions we had with the Baysville PD.”
“Got it. I’ll play innocent.”
Acting clueless came easily to me because most of the time I didn’t need to pretend.
“And if anybody mentions the car accident, that’s all it was: an accident.”
“I don’t recall it being anything but.”
He gave my hand one last squeeze, then put the car in gear. “I love you, baby. Let’s go sort this out.”
Nick drove closer to the scene, and I took in the devastation. Flames still licked up the outside of the building from my living room window, resisting the efforts of the firefighters’ hoses. I guess my landlady hadn’t paid much attention to fire safety as she counted her rent dollars every month. Probably every piece of furniture in the place was flammable. As well as the three fire trucks, I counted six police cars and an ambulance plus any number of uniformed men hanging around, watching the building along with a crowd of residents wearing pyjamas and dressing gowns. Heads turned as the Porsche pulled up.
Nick helped me out of the car and tucked me against his side, and his presence gave me the strength to deal with the situation. I spotted Emmy standing with a cop, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her feet firmly on the ground. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost the wig and padding and looked like her normal self again.
We headed in her direction, but before we could reach her, the Dark Lord strode past, eyes fixed on his wife. Emmy flung the blanket at the cop and raced over to him.
“Oh, darling! I’m so sorry. It was such a stupid quarrel, and now look what’s happened. Can you ever forgive me?” She wiped an eye and left a sooty streak down her cheek. “I just want to go home.”
He pulled her against his chest and glared at a cop who dared to look at him. “Of course I forgive you. I want you home more than anything.”
Another policeman stopped beside them, and I noted he didn’t make eye contact. He most likely feared being sucked into hell.
“Sir? Are you her husband?”
“I am.”
“I understand from your wife that you had a fight recently, which…” He checked his notepad, more out of nervousness, it seemed, than a need to jog his memory. “Which resulted in her temporarily moving out.”
“That’s correct. She felt she needed some time alone.”
“Can you tell us what the argument was about, sir?”
“She wanted to redecorate the living room, but I like it the way it is. Looking back, it all seems so trivial. Diamond, we can paint the damn room pink if it means that much to you.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, honey. I overreacted; I can see that now. My life passed before my eyes in there, and it made me realise what’s important. Plus it was that time of the month, and I was being a teensy weensy bit touchy.”
The two cops exchanged a look of understanding, as every man did at the mention of PMS. The taller of the two took a half step back as the Dark Lord focused on him.
“Sir, do you know of any reason why someone would want to harm your wife?” the cop asked.
“Not unless they’ve tried her cooking.”
The officer gave a nervous laugh as Nick pulled me forward. “This is Lara Reynolds. It was her apartment that got burned out.”
I drew on my new-found strength as the cop turned to me, notepad in hand.
“You weren’t home tonight?”
“I’ve been staying with my boyfriend.”
“We’re trying to work out why the place was targeted. Have you gotten into any arguments recently? Received any threats?”
I was about to shake my head when I thought of Billy. Perhaps I could cause just a tiny bit of trouble for the Cooper family? They sure did deserve it. “I had an argument with my ex-boyfriend a few weeks back, and his father said I’d be sorry. He lives in a whole other state, but it’s not difficult to travel, is it?”
Emmy flashed me a grin as the cop scribbled notes.
“Can you give me their details?”
“Sure.” Names, addresses, Billy’s date of birth—I recited them all. I’d have added his GPA, favourite foods, and shoe size if I thought it would help. It just sucked that my efforts would come to nothing