I eyed the still smoldering building in front of me while crews paced around. There was no more work that would be getting done today.
“Can we just get out of here?”
Liv pulled me up into a hug while Mel wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. I hadn’t even realized I’d been shivering after the dump of adrenaline.
“Come on, Garrett is going to take us back to my place,” Liv said. “We’ve got you now.”
“A crime scene?” I wasn’t sure if I heard Patrick right. It had been a few days since the fire, and he came over to Olivia’s to give us the rundown on how the rail house was looking. Apparently, it was a blessing that the old building was made of bricks, the bulk of it all held strong while it was mainly just interior damage we had to worry about.
Which was okay because it all needed to be removed regardless.
The part that didn’t sit well with me is that this wasplanned.
Patrick nodded. “We’re still running the investigation but things should be cleared up in the next day or two so we can get back in there.”
“I had been there all morning and nothing seemed out of place. I didn’t smell gas, there were no obvious fire hazards in the space…” I let my words trail off. Besides the whole damn dilapidated building, but he got the point.
Patrick nodded solemnly. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out right now. We found a jerry can in the trees less than a mile south that we’ll dust for prints. It’s very likely whoever it washad been watching and waiting for you to leave. But Stella, we will figure this out. I promise.”
I could tell Patrick was pissed about what happened, but he held on to hope that we could turn this around. All my friends did, and I was grateful for that.
“What can we do in the meantime?” Melody asked Patrick. Her unwillingness to just sit still and do nothing was a drive I admired, and the reason she had come so far in her life after facing struggles herself. It was inspiring.
Patrick shrugged. “Just hang tight—” The glare Melody shot his way made him stop what he was saying. “Actually, cameras. Security cameras would be a great idea moving forward. You’ll be able to keep an eye on things as the work progresses and know if anyone comes messing around again.
Cameras. That was something obtainable I could do.
“And Stella?” I blinked away the haze at Patrick’s voice, bringing my gaze to his. “Be careful, okay? It seems like this was more targeted to the rail house than it was to you since whoever it was made sure that you were gone first, but it still wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out.”
I nodded, and we said our goodbyes to Patrick as he needed to head back to the station. He and Melody lingered by the door a little longer than usual, but I didn’t blame them. Nothing felt normal right now.
I wished like hell that Calvin was here. I had no idea why he was still avoiding me. But I wasn’t letting his absence stop me from moving forward.
“I’m done sulking,” I declared to the girls as Melody made her way back into Olivia’s living room.
“Oh, Stell, we never thought you were. This is a bullshit situation, and sometimes we need to sit with our feelings before we move forward,” Olivia comforted me.
“Agreed. But we’re here for whatever you need. Let’s find the best damn cameras we can.”
Oh, I planned on it.
“These are like trail cams, so you can secure it to a tree around the property, and it will kick into action any time it senses movement. Solar powered with a backup battery, so you don’t have to worry about anything, also with infrared technology so there’s no flash to disturb the wildlife.”
I wasn’t as worried about wildlife, but I liked the idea that no one would be alerted if they triggered a camera while sneaking up to my rail house again.
Melody had connected us with a friend from Vancouver who sold security systems. Over the video call, Mason explained that he could overnight all the equipment and then talk us through the setup, which all seemed easy with their app.
I agreed on a package of cameras, and the girls and I set off to Simon’s store to get some extra hardware. Mason said everything we needed would be included with the cameras but suggested a few other items we could get locally. Plus, I wanted to make sure I had new locks for the building as soon as we got the doors back up.
As we passed by Vintage Vows on the way to The Tool Box, I noticed it was still closed.
“Where’s Val been the past few days?”
Melody and Olivia both wore matching confused expressions on their faces by my inquiry.
“Her vintage dresses are stunning and I want her involved in the rail house plans, too,” I explained to them, and their eyes softened. They may not have gotten along with Valerie, but my friends were not the type of people to wish bad on anyone.
“Last I heard, she had some sort of family emergency she needed to attend to. Something about her brother? Who knows?” Olivia shrugged.
