Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,33
will want to hear from you.”
“I’ll talk to them today,” Jade replied.
“How about first,” Morgan said, pulling Jade’s wet hair back to form a braid, “you talk to me and explain what happened.”
“There’s not much to tell, really. I woke up and the house was on fire. I tried to get out but it was really smoky.”
“Oh my gosh, really?”
Jade nodded. “It all happened shockingly fast. And then I fell, hit my head, and Matthew just showed up and carried me out.”
“Wow,” Morgan said. “I can’t even be mad at him anymore if he saved your life. But…how did he beat the firefighters there?”
Chief Hank shrugged. “Someone must’ve called it in and he was nearby.”
“I see,” Morgan said. “Chief, did you have the…uh, fire people investigate it yet?”
He laughed. “Yes, the ‘fire people’ are on the case.”
“And?” Morgan crossed her arms. “What happened?”
He rubbed his forehead. “Well, they’re still trying to figure out exactly how it spread.”
“What about how it started?” Morgan asked.
He let out a sigh. “They’re pretty confident that the fire was started intentionally.”
Jade and her mom both gasped.
“What?”
He took a huge bite of muffin before continuing. “Listen, before you get upset, we don’t have the full story yet. But the fire started behind Morgan’s window. There’s evidence of an accelerant.”
Jade’s jaw dropped. “So you mean…someone was trying to kill me?”
“I didn’t say that!” he said. “We don’t have a full idea of what – ”
“I knew it,” her mom said. “I knew that someone was after you.”
Jade felt like she was spinning. She had to set down her coffee mug. “I mean, there could be another explanation, right?”
“This is the explanation!” Morgan said. “This is crazy! We need to move!”
“Well, yes, you’re going to have to move,” Chief Hank said. “Because half of the house burned down.”
Jade rubbed her face. “I’m so sorry Morgan. I’m so sorry that all of your stuff is gone and – ”
Morgan cut her off. “Oh stop it! I don’t care about any of that. I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
Jade smiled at her, but didn’t know what to say.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already got somewhere for you to live.” Chief Hank, mouth full of muffin, cut in. “I happen to be in possession of a modest home on the west side of the island which, until recently, was undergoing renovations. I’m prepared to offer it to you for the low price of zero dollars a month.”
“What!” Jade said. “That’s very generous of you, but we can’t live in your house without paying rent.”
Morgan held up a hand. “Hang on Jade, if Chief wants to help us out, we should let him. He needs to feel useful, you know?”
Chief Hank shot her a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jade’s mom giggled. “Do you mean that a man of a certain age needs to feel – ”
“I am not a man of a ‘certain age,’ ” Chief said, “I just need someone to live there so the squirrels and raccoons don’t take over. And I know how aggressive Morgan can be, so I thought it’d be perfect.”
Morgan sighed. “I do hate squirrels.”
“That would be really nice, until we can find somewhere else to live.” Jade said before shooting Morgan a look. “And we are going to pay rent.”
He shrugged. “You can pay the utilities if you insist. But you’re really doing me a favor. I might sell it eventually, but don’t have the heart to do it yet.”
Morgan stuck her hand out. “You drive a tough bargain Chief, but you’ve got a deal.”
Jade laughed. “I guess I don’t have a say in this?”
“No,” they both responded.
“Okay then.”
Her mom shooed them into the dining room for breakfast. Jade did as she was told, quietly amused by Morgan continuing to bargain with Chief Hank about what was included with their new rental. Morgan seemed to think that access to the boat went along with the house, which Chief Hank was vehemently denying.
Jade didn’t have much to add – she was too overwhelmed to joke around. The thought of moving, contacting her insurance, getting a new computer for work…it seemed like so much.
But, at the same time, it was easier to focus on those tasks than the possibility that someone was trying to kill her.
Chapter 13
After the breakfast feast, Morgan volunteered to go back to the house with Chief to see if anything in her room was salvageable. She also promised Jade that she’d handle telling their landlord the bad news.
“I hope you girls had rental insurance,”