Page 21 of Burn With Me

“Tough call. You know the place, how about you choose? I’m sure it’ll be great. I’m not fussy,” I said as the waitress approached the table.

“Good evening, what can I get for you,” she asked, her small tablet ready for the order to be typed in.

“I’ll try the ‘surf and turf’ platter, all the fixings, and a garden salad to start,” I said, and Asher ordered the identical thing and a couple of glasses of wine.

“So tell me, did you already go back to the apartment?”

“Yes, I poked around for a little while before getting ready to come to meet you. The thing is, I didn’t find anything that screamed arson. Don’t get me wrong. It certainly seems like arson in many ways, but I couldn’t find a specific ignition source. The scene is eerie, like the fire simply decided to start everywhere all at once.”

“That certainly is strange. Tell me, why do you want me to take a look? What am I going to find that you wouldn’t have already found,” Asher asked as the waitress set the wine glasses on the table and a basket of fresh bread. “I did a little bit of research on you, and from what I could find, you’re an exemplary investigator. You have closed almost twice as many cases than any of the other investigators.”

I squirmed under the scrutiny of his stare. The fact that he’d spent time looking me up and reading over my accomplishments was flattering and unnerving as hell.

“I was especially impressed with how you closed the Rogers case,” he said. “That case sat open for a few years, and no one had been able to help the police, but you did.”

My gut clenched tight, and I could feel my cheeks warming again. These were conversations I had a million times, yet the way he said it felt much more intimate.

Needing desperately to do something with my hands, I reached for one of the pieces of bread and quickly buttered it. My hands were shaking ever so slightly, and as he watched my hands work, I prayed that he didn’t notice.

“I need fresh eyes on this one. I have a past case that could be clouding my judgment on this one. I don’t like to make assumptions or fast conclusions,” I said and took a bite of the bread.

Asher reached across the table, and I froze. He placed his thumb at the corner of my mouth and gently wiped it.

“A bit of butter.” His tone rumbled throughout my body. But then my eyes went wide as he put that same thumb in his mouth. I almost choked because I forgot how to swallow.

“My apologies, that was very forward of me,” he said, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t sorry at all. In fact, he knew exactly what he was doing to me and was enjoying every second of it.

Sitting the rest of the bread down, I cleared my throat, but I was at a complete loss as to what to say. My brain seemed to have short-circuited and all I could picture was a cartoon character getting zapped by electricity. Well, that’s what I felt like.

“What is this other case you mentioned, the one that is similar?”

Leaning in a little closer so no one overheard, I dropped my voice. “There are similarities to the fire that killed my parents, but just like their case, there wasn’t quite enough to prove that someone had intentionally set the fire. I have no idea if this is the same arsonist. My parents’ death was a while ago, but I need another perspective, someone with no preconceived notions.”

“Basically, you want someone who doesn’t know your story or past to take a look?”

“Exactly. Will you take a look with me?”

Ash sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked out over the ocean. His eyes fixed on something I couldn’t see.

“Alright. I’m not sure how much help I can provide, but I’m off work the next three days, so….”

“Perfect, tomorrow morning it is.” I smiled wide as he lifted an eyebrow at my brazen behavior. “After, I’ll treat you to the best waffles in the state,” I said to sweeten the deal.

“Well, how is a guy to say no to waffles?”

Smiling wide, I laughed and picked up my wine. Holding it out for Asher to clink his glass, he did. Finally, it felt like I was on the right path. What path that was exactly? Well, that still remained to be seen.

Derek

Why didn’t it just simply rain in Florida? From the time I was a child, it was so hot and humid that your clothing stuck to you like you pissed yourself, or it would turn into a torrential downpour that would flood the shit out of everything, and you’d become a drowned rat. This was one of those moments. I stood in the alley across the street from the restaurant and watched. Every so often, people would step out and have a smoke, chat on their cell phones and then head inside.

I’d been following my prey since that morning, determined to finish what I’d started. As soon as I spotted her coming out of the back door with an umbrella in one hand, she began fishing around in her purse for what I knew would be her package of cigarettes.

I began to move.

Her car was parked in the next building over in the car park for all those working within walking distance. Crossing the street, I kept pace behind her as she stepped around puddles, but her running shoes were going to be soaked regardless as the miniature river of rain traveled down the sidewalk.

She opened the door to the car park and shook her umbrella outside the door before disappearing inside. Before the door closed, I got an elbow in the way and slowly eased it open. She would be heading to the fourth floor. The place had been packed when she’d come to work, but now it was as empty as a ghost town.