Wilde Fire (Forever Wilde 3)

“Yes, ma’am.”

I wondered if I was going to be reprimanded for defying the chief and entering the premises or if he’d give me a little leeway since it had been my childhood home.

We sat down in a small meeting room with a table and four chairs in it. There was a window that looked out on the main engine parked in its bay, but Teri immediately closed the blinds to give us privacy.

“Let’s start with the incident at Mrs. Walker’s house the other day. Can you tell me what you found?”

I described arriving at the house and making a quick trip inside to find the shoes in Tisha’s closet before locking the house back up and noticing the smoke smell.

“And how did you know from what direction the smoke was coming?” she asked, pen poised over her notebook page.

“I could smell what direction it was coming from, and when I turned my head that way, I saw a thin plume of smoke coming from around the back of the house.”

“When you approached the property that day, did you notice anything out of ordinary? Any vehicles or people you weren’t expecting?”

I opened my mouth to tell her no when I remembered wondering why John’s car was at his parents’ house.

“I don’t think it’s important, but I did notice that John Walker’s vehicle was at the main ranch house. I assumed he’d stopped by to see his parents. But, no, I didn’t see any vehicles or people near Jolie’s place.”

“Do you know this John Walker?”

“Yes, ma’am. He’s the brother-in-law of the woman who lives in the house where the fire happened. He’s Sheriff Walker’s younger brother.”

She was all business as she asked the questions, and I realized she was probably the closest thing to unbiased as we could get on this. That was a good thing.

Wasn’t it?

“And what kind of relationship does John Walker have with Jolie Walker? Do you know?”

“I… I… Surely, John didn’t set a small fire behind his sister-in-law’s house,” I said. “Why would he do something like that? It doesn’t make any sense.”

She stopped writing and looked at me with that smile that said, I’m the one asking questions here.

“I don’t know their relationship besides being in-laws. That day was the first I’ve seen John in over ten years,” I explained.

“And what is your relationship with the homeowner, Jolie Walker?”

I blinked at her.

Well, that was complicated, wasn’t it?

“I’m… I’m dating her ex-husband?”

Again with the smile. “Is that a question, Lieutenant?”

“No. Sheriff Walker and I are in a committed relationship,” I said more firmly.

“And Jolie?” she asked.

“Um… we’re… we get along fine. We see each other about once a week when she brings her daughter to my family’s ranch and rides horses with Sheriff Walker and me.”

“Would you say you’re friends?”

“Not really. More like acquaintances, I guess.”

Teri made several notes in her book before looking back up at me. “According to witnesses, you appeared on scene within seconds of the first responders last night. How did you discover that your parents’ house was on fire?”

That was an easy one.

“I couldn’t sleep so I got up to check on one of the horses in the barn. She’d been acting a little off earlier when I’d fed and watered her, and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t showing signs of colic. I smelled smoke in the air and worried there was an incident the chief might need my help with.”

“How did you determine where it was coming from?”

“I went back to my cabin and turned on the emergency band.”

“And still got there that quickly?”

“I live on the same property. Well, I mean… my parents’ house is… was on the edge of Wilde ranch property, and I live in a cabin on the ranch.”

“Who was the last person to enter your parents’ home?”

“I don’t know. Presumably the arsonist,” I said, getting annoyed. Why did I feel like a suspect suddenly?

Teri’s head popped up. “What makes you say this blaze was set on purpose Lieutenant Wilde?”

Fuck.

“Ah, because I’m being questioned by an arson investigator, for one,” I said with a little too much sarcasm. “Because I can’t, for the life of me, think of any other reason a fire started on that property. The power wasn’t on. The gas was cut off. The sun doesn’t reach any part of the house long enough to heat things up. You tell me, Teri. Was it arson?”

She ignored my question. Not rudely, really, just professionally.

“According to the after-incident reports, you put on turnout gear and went into the dwelling.”

Uh-oh.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Can you tell me why you broke protocol and entered an unsafe situation in which there was no human rescue or recovery needed?”

I swallowed. “It… it was my childhood home, ma’am. I wanted to grab a couple of items of significant sentimental importance.”

“Such as?” She was still taking notes.