Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,28

at least four feet tall and five feet across – and it would send a big message. Right next to her window, too. It’d be perfect, maybe even wake her up.

Hopefully this would be the last thing he had to do. He looked around one more time to make sure that no one was watching before squatting down and holding a match to the S.

The tip of the wood caught on fire for a moment before fizzling out. He tried three more times with the same result.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.

Luckily, he’d brought some lighter fluid along as a backup plan. He squirted some of it onto the S, then decided that all of the letters could use some – just to get them started. He ended up emptying the entire bottle – better safe than sorry. He couldn’t have any of his fingerprints left behind on the wood or something. That would be bad.

He stood up, this time lighting a match and tossing it onto the wood. Finally, the stupid S caught on fire. The flames moved slowly but surely towards the T.

But maddeningly, the T was an inch too far away to catch the flames. He squatted down to push them together.

Finally, the T caught fire…but so did the bottom of his pants. He must’ve spilled some of the lighter fluid, because the flame was moving fast.

He resisted the urge to scream and smothered the small flame by kicking his leg into the grass in front of him, knocking the O slightly.

Within seconds, all of the wood was completely inflamed – including the parts of the O which were kicked into a nearby shrub.

It happened in an instant – the dry shrub absorbed the flame, almost coaxing it, all the way up the parched branches.

“Not good!” He looked around. There was still no one to be seen, and he didn’t have any way to put out the flames that had spread, engulfing the shrub and licking the side of the house. He stepped back, shielding his eyes from the smoke.

It was moving hot and it was moving fast. Panicked, he took one last look around before running back to his car.

Chapter 11

It was a calm evening on San Juan Island. Matthew had an uneventful night, which was unusual for a Friday. There was normally at least one person doing something stupid enough to warrant his attention.

But not tonight, it seemed. He drove around Friday Harbor a few times before he found himself on the street where Jade lived. He wasn’t sure what possessed him to wander in that direction; he had no reason to be there.

Well actually – that wasn’t completely true. Jade was threatened, blatantly, at the fundraiser. Matthew would’ve felt better if he could’ve stayed behind that night to thoroughly search the area, but it was impossible. Laura was impatient to leave and kept repeating how cold she was. Plus, Jade insisted that it didn’t matter and no threat would stop her. She was quite stoic – it was jarring.

Matthew finally gave up and agreed to leave with Laura when he realized that a search would be futile – it wasn’t like they could see much in the dark and all of the witnesses had already left.

She’d waited until they were driving home to start on him.

“I’m sure the police chief that lives there can figure it out,” she said, arms crossed. “I don’t know why you always have to be the one to save the world. Isn’t it enough that you’re a cop?”

“Well…”

“Oh, so you’re going to have an attitude about it.” She rifled through her purse, forcefully throwing lipstick and gum onto the floor. “I’m just trying to understand why you so desperately need to be a cop. And all the way out here! I mean, it’s not even like things happen on this island. That spray paint looked like it was done by a ten year old. Is that really what you’re here for Matthew?”

He let out a sigh. “Yes, because things like that matter. This might be the third threat against Jade. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

Laura narrowed her eyes. “Oh? Would you say she’s a close friend?”

“Come on Laura, don’t attack me for answering your question. She’s my boss’s stepdaughter. And yes – she’s a friend.”

After a moment, she responded in a small voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just…having a hard time. Moving out here, living by myself. I don’t have any