He nods, glances at Grace, then back at me. “As you know, there’s no evidence anyone was left in the building. But I want you to understand there’s no active investigation into your actions. Your supervising officer agrees there was no ill intent. He believes you heard something.”
Good. The last thing I need right now is for someone to call me fucking crazy.
“Can you describe to us what the voice sounded like?”
“Woman, probably young, but not a child.”
He writes something down before continuing, “Could it have come from a cell phone?”
I’m slightly taken aback by the question. “A cell phone?”
“Or… maybe a television?”
I drag myself back to that night. The fire’s heat seeping into my suit, the pop of wires, the splintering wood, the structure groaning as it cracked. In that chaos, I still hear the voice, over and over, screaming.
“I can’t be certain. It’d be impossible to really distinguish that. I’m sorry.” I pause, then add, “But… is that a possibility?”
If it was a television, and that’s what had me searching, nearly losing my life for, then maybe I should consider early retirement. Possibly even check myself into a mental institution for my own safety.
Ugh…Just the thought.
“We’re exploring all possibilities, Mr. Pierce.” He sighs and sets his pen down. “I can’t speak too much on the investigation, but you’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing. It’s been determined the fire was deliberately set, not caused by an electrical fault or any other accidental source. We’ll keep you updated as much as we legally can.”
I glance at Grace as she gathers her papers. She looks satisfied with that answer, but my head is swimming. Could I have been wrong? Was it just a television?
But another part of me can’t let go of the other option. A cell phone. Why would he even suggest that?
“Thank you, detective.” I stand and reach over the desk, givinghim a handshake.
“I appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Pierce. Have a great rest of your day.”
Exiting the station, I pull out my phone and immediately text Ayden.
Hey sunshine, what’re you up to?
My Sunshine
Hey baby, I’m going over some paperwork from the lawyers
Britt dropped it off and is playing with Clover
I can help go through those with you tomorrow
You don’t need to do it by yourself
I’ve got it Thank you though
It’s a good distraction. I heard back from the Maple Falls Hospital about my application. It wasn’t a no, but a “maybe later”
I understand why
Fuck no, I don’t
I can’t say what I want to do to that ex of yours, can’t have evidence in the event I actually do the thing I want to
Kill Michael.
That’s what I want to do. I want to kill that son of a bitch so goddamn bad.
