Whoever set the fire was probably long gone. Alex was tempted to follow the trail, but that might obscure potential evidence. Plus, he didn’t want to leave Julia and Calvin unprotected.
He was better with a hose than a gun, but Mitch had taught him how to use one, and he would if he had to.
Moving as fast as he could through the thick snow, he returned to the SUV. Sirens screamed in the background. Julia unlocked the doors, and he jumped into the driver’s seat. She handed him the keys, and he started the engine.
“Where are we going?” Calvin asked.
“I need to make room for the fire trucks, buddy.” He also didn’t want to be so close to the inferno but wouldn’t scare Calvin by sharing that information.
He backed up and parked between two trees. Just as he put the car in park, the fire engine pulled in. He cranked the heat and told them to stay where they were and that he’d send a medic to check on Calvin.
“I’m okay, Mr. Alex,” he said hoarsely. “You saved me.”
Alex finally took a second to look at the boy. Tears streamed down his soot-covered face. “Hey,” he said, ruffling Calvin’s hair. “You were very brave. Thank you for coming to me when I called.”
“I remembered what you said at the fire station. Don’t hide from a fireman.”
“Good job, bud. Be back in a minute.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The dawn light revealed a pile of charred timber. The cabin was built of wood, and the fire engine took so long to arrive that there wasn’t much to be salvaged.
Julia and Calvin had stayed in the car while the firefighters extinguished the fire. Alex was out with the firemen but checked on them periodically. An EMT gave Calvin a once-over. He said Cal appeared unharmed, but suggested a visit to the ER once they returned to the city just to be safe. For once, Julia didn’t balk at the thought of an ER bill. Money wasn’t everything, but it sure made life easier in situations like this.
Mitch and his wife, Maggie, showed up right around the time the firefighters were winding down their operations. They were remarkably calm and level-headed about the whole thing. Maggie approached her with a big bag.
“I brought you some of my winter clothes,” she said. “Alex thought we were about the same size. And we stopped at a twenty-four-hour super mart to pick up some things for Calvin.”
“Thank you for thinking of us,” Julia said, putting on a coat and knit cap.
“No problem,” Maggie said. “I guessed at Cal’s size and figured bigger was better than too small.”
“We’ll make it work,” Julia said.
“All right,” she said. “If you need anything else, I’ll be in our car. My little one’s asleep in her car seat, and I’ve got to keep an eye on her.”
“Stay warm,” Julia said. “And thanks again.”
Maggie had purchased sweats, a coat, and gloves. Julia helped Cal put the sweats over his pajamas, laid him in the back seat, and covered him with the coat. He fell asleep within minutes. She made sure he was comfortable, then left him to go talk to Alex, who stood with his brother.
“You’re certain?” Mitch asked. “The insurance company will want details.”
“Yeah,” Alex said. “The LT is sending back the investigators, but it’s pretty obvious.”
“What’s going on?” Julia asked.
Alex hesitated before huffing out a breath. “Someone set the fire, Julia. I think they were trying to hurt you.”
She gasped. That possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind. They’d been having such a great time, she’d forgotten why they’d come here in the first place. The implication hit home, and tears started flowing. “Oh, God,” she said. “It’s all my fault. Mitch, I’m so sorry.”
“Hey.” Mitch put a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry about the cabin. It’s just stuff. All replaceable. We need to figure out who did this. Alex says you’ve been getting threats online?”
“Yes,” she said. “Well, just the one guy. That’s why we came up here.”
“And the police aren’t being all that helpful?”
“I don’t blame them. I’m sure online threats happen all the time, and they’re probably very busy with actual crime.”
