Best Friend's Ex Box Set

“Well, Rick confessed to everything,” he said. “But he kept telling me to tell you that he never meant to actually burn anything to the ground or kill any horses. He just wanted to create a small fire that spooked them.”

“Because that’s better, somehow?” Tiffany said.

“He said he meant to just open up the stable and scare the horses into fleeing the smoke from the ignited hay, but the fireworks he used accidentally caught the stalls on fire instead. He had brought a gas can, but had decided he didn’t want to go that far. He left the gas can when he panicked and ran, and that is what burned down your barn, Cheyenne. Bill must have seen something happen and decided to check it out for himself, placing him at the scene of the crime.”

Colt squeezed my hand, and my heart still ached. I had figured that if I had answers, I’d feel better. That if I knew exactly what happened, I could find peace.

But all it did was make me feel sick.

“He also admitted to the spiders and the snake, Colt,” the sheriff said. “He said he was also responsible for a flat tire? I guess I didn’t know about that.”

“I woke up one morning, and Cheyenne’s tire was flat. I changed it and thought it was slashed and not punctured, but we didn’t report it. It was well, you know—better than a charred barn.”

I could hear the anger rising in Colt’s voice, and I squeezed his hand to try and calm him down.

“In his defense, he was trying to make sure no one got hurt. It was just supposed to be about scaring Cheyenne,” the sheriff said.

“I don’t give a shit about how you defend him. What I want to know is why,” Tiffany said.

“Apparently, someone contacted him over the internet and offered him a great deal of money to do all this stuff. He said it was all anonymous, and we did confiscate his laptop just to be sure. When we checked his bank records, we found that he’d been paid by some internet service or whatever. It’s a bit over our heads, so we’ll actually need the big guns to help us out.”

“So, that’s good then, right?” I asked.

“Well, the feds aren’t all that interested in some small town rural drama, so until we can convince them to come help, we’re at another impasse.”

“Are you serious?” I exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, he confessed. He’s still gonna get locked up; we just can’t figure out who paid him to do all this to you,” the sheriff said.

“So the brains behind the operation could just hire someone else?” I felt Colt try to squeeze my hand, but all I did was rip it away from him. I knew there had to be a catch—something this damn town wouldn’t be able to do—and I was absolutely irate.

And I was shocked when Colt wasn’t.

“Cheyenne, it’s over. I promise,” Tiffany said.

“No, it’s not! Can’t you guys see that?” I yelled.

“Rick was the one doing it. Even if he was paid—”

“So the person paying him will just find someone else!”

I felt the tears welling up, and my hands began to shake. It was hard to catch my breath, and when I brought my hand up to my face, everyone saw my arm.

Including the sheriff.

“Cheyenne?” the sheriff asked. “What happened to your arm?”

I threw myself back from the table and stormed off. My head was reeling with the information I had just received, and I could feel myself panicking. I heard Tiffany limping up behind me before she threw her arm around me, and that’s when Colt started in telling of the confrontation I’d had with Bill. I didn’t care anymore if he told the whole world. I was so upset and so angry that this incompetent town couldn’t even wrap up this investigation right that I couldn’t see straight.

We did all the fucking work for them, and the first obstacle they encounter they throw in the towel? What the hell?

By the time Tiffany got me to calm down, the sheriff had left. Colt and Michael were talking quietly in the kitchen, and when we walked back in, they turned around.

“So, the sheriff is officially opening an aggression case against Bill,” Colt said.

“Because we don’t have enough to deal with now as it is,” I said.

“Do you trust me?” Colt asked.