She walked him to the door and watched as he greeted a female officer who had arrived on the scene.
“It will take a couple of hours for the burnt ground to be cool enough for me to work there, so I’ll start near the cabins when Josh gives the all-clear,” Barry said.
“Thank you.”She sat back at the table as Ethan took eggs out of the fridge.
“Bacon and eggs for breakfast?”
“OK,” she replied, though she wasn’t hungry.
Someone was determined to destroy Lilydale and her chance at a new life.
She had to figure out how to stop them.
***
It was a couple of hours before Josh returned to the house.Chelsea lit candles to counteract the stench of smoke and spent the time scheduling posts for both the Honeybrook Fair and for Lilydale, as well as contacting media outlets to promote the fair, while Ethan chatted to Barry.
“The fire was started by petrol.”Josh sighed.“Any traces of the person have been burned away by the fire.”He looked weary.
“What about by the cottages?”Ethan asked.
“Not a lot there either.Some squashed grass, but not enough to get a footprint from.”
Chelsea smiled.“Thanks for trying.”
After he left, and Barry went to get ready, she turned to Ethan.“Why would someone light the fire on the north-west side of the property and then head east, away from the roads?”It had been bothering her all morning.
He smiled.“Do you think the lake trail is still there?”
“It might be.Aunt Maggie liked her evening walks by the lake.”With it only a twenty-minute walk away, she and Ethan had sometimes slipped away from the garden to swim there with Josh and Lauren.
“I’ll check it out while you and Barry do your social media thing.”
She frowned.“Will you be safe?Maybe you should wait for your friends to arrive.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet, brushing a kiss against her lips with such tenderness she almost forgot what she’d asked him.“I love that you’re concerned, but I’ll be fine.The culprit is long gone and I’ll be careful.”
She couldn’t erase the thought of someone hiding behind a bush ready to attack, though she knew it was highly unlikely.“Take your phone with you,” she ordered.“And tell me if you find anything.”She didn’t want to lose him so soon after he was back in her life.
“Of course.”He kissed her again.“You go slay your videos.You look gorgeous.”
She smiled and ran a hand down the colourful summer dress she’d picked up from the op shop when she’d last gone into town.So much more casual than her usual business attire and it made her feel lighter, more relaxed.More like the Chelsea she could be whenever she was at Lilydale, not the Chelsea trying hard to please everyone.
He strode across the garden towards the cabin and out of view and Chelsea picked up her video camera and phone.She’d made a list of the videos she wanted to take, including some showing the damage from the fire and talking about the vandalism.It was doubtful it would stop Johann if he was responsible, but it felt good to be talking about it.
Chelsea spent the first few hours taking videos and helping Barry, moving the camera when it needed to be moved, carting the clippings to the compost heap, and bringing him drinks and food.They’d agreed he would be the one to do the before and after video reveals of the garden, but she could take photos of the progress.
He worked fast.Far faster than she’d expected, but all she’d had to do was show him which way the paths went and he ripped through it with his whipper-snipper and edger.His colleague, a guy who wasn’t far out of his teenaged years, rode the lawnmower, taking several passes to get the grass low enough.By mid-day, all the paths on the private and cabins side of the garden were clear, and the lawn had been mowed.It wasn’t pretty with the grass yellow and bare in patches, but it was far more accessible and the garden beds had been redefined.
He’d revealed the bones Chelsea was working with.
When Ethan returned, they were filming, so he pointed towards the house.She nodded.There wasn’t much he could do with cameras all around.
As Barry packed up his things, Chelsea said, “Let’s break for lunch.”
“Sounds great.”
Ethan was in the house putting the final touches on a platter of sandwiches.
