“You two are safe.” I turn her toward me and wrap my arms around her. “That’s all that matters.”
Hearing a car, I look over her head, feeling my muscles bunch for a different reason when I see Lisa drive by, her narrowed eyes on us. She’s come by the bar a few times since our last encounter, the one when she told me about stopping Gia when she was out with her grandmother. I couldn’t believe she’d done that. Then again, she’d been doing shit like that since we were fifteen, scaring chicks off, even if they were only friends. I used to think it was cute when she got jealous, but now it’s just fucking annoying. Especially since I want not one goddamn thing to do with her.
I give Gia one more squeeze before I let her go then take her hand and pull her toward the sidewalk, when I see the fire chief pull up in front of the yard and another car park behind him.
“Colton,” Chad, the fire chief, greets as he walks toward us with a clipboard in his hand. I’ve known Chad and his wife most of my life. His wife is a dispatcher for the police station, and they both come in once a week, if not more to kick back and have a beer at the bar.
“How’s it going?” I stick my hand out toward him and he shakes it once firmly.
“All right,” he says, then he looks at Gia who’s standing at my side. “Miss Caro.”
“Hi.” Gia gives his hand a shake then looks over his shoulder when the officer walks up carrying a roll of yellow tape. This one says “Crime Scene,” unlike the tape already across the door with “Caution” stamped on it.
“Nick,” Chad starts, turning toward the man and shaking his hand when he’s close. “Colton, Gia, this is Detective Nick Preston,” he introduces.
“Nice to meet you,” he says, shaking both our hands.
“Nick’s here because of the things I need to discuss with you,” Chad explains, looking at Gia, and my body goes on alert. “We found evidence that the fire was not an accident.”
“What?” Gia whispers, her body rocking back a step.
“The fire spread quickly, from the stove, across the floor, to the back door. We thought there might have been an accelerant used, but didn’t know for sure until the chemical test I got back yesterday confirmed our suspicions.”
“Are you saying it was arson?” I ask, just to make sure I’m hearing him correctly.
“That’s what I’m saying,” he verifies, looking at me.
“But… Grandma, she was there in the kitchen. I found her in the kitchen, on the floor. The stove was on fire,” Gia whispers.
“We understand that, and we also know she has dementia. We did a search, and we couldn’t find the container carrying the accelerant, which leads us to believe that whoever used it took it with them when they left.”
“Someone was in the house?” Gia asks with fear in her voice. “Did they… Did they hurt my grandmother? Is that—”
“We’re still investigating,” Nick cuts her off. “We know from talking to the neighbors that no one saw anything. They didn’t even know the house was on fire until they heard the fire trucks and ambulance. I’ve been to see your grandmother at the hospital, but as you know she’s in no state to make a statement,” Nick continues, and I feel Gia stiffen at my side. Her grandmother hasn’t spoken or even called Gia by her mother’s name, and I know that is worrying her more than anything else.
“So what needs to be done?” I question, and Chad’s face changes in a way that makes me brace.
“I’d like Gia to take a polygraph to clear her name,” Nick says, and my back gets straight.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I bark. “She could have died dragging her grandmother out of that”—I shoot my finger over my shoulder—“goddamn house. She didn’t fucking start the fire.”
“I’ll do it,” Gia inserts, wrapping her hand around my arm, and I look down at her. “I’ll do it. I have nothing to hide.”
“I don’t believe you did it,” Chad conveys softly. “But I want to clear you as a suspect so we can get on with the case and find who did.”
“This is still bullshit,” I growl, still pissed off.
“Watch it, Colton,” Nick warns, and my eyes swing around to meet his.
“You dragging an innocent woman though this bullshit is fucking bullshit,” I repeat, looking him in the eye. “She could have died. Her grandmother could have fucking died.”
“When do I need to take the test?” Gia asks, coming to stand in front of me, pressing her back to my front and forcing me to take a step away from Nick.
“Tomorrow.” Nick pulls his eyes from me to look at her.