Page 28 of Colton’s Inferno

“We have company, Grandpa,” Lucy yelled back. “Aiden Colton came out to look at the fire.”

Her grandfather, red-faced and sweating, appeared on the threshold. “Aiden, good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you as well,” he said.

“So, you got to look around the barn that burned down. Did you find anything?”

Lucy knew exactly what he had found—and none of it was good. Her pulse started to climb. She focused on the scent of bacon. The taste of coffee that clung to her lips. “Let’s eat first,” she said, as her heartbeat slowed. “Then we can talk about the fire.”

Her grandfather took a long slurp of coffee as he dropped into a chair. “A few years back,” he said, speaking to Aiden, “the winter was awful. You probably remember. Snow was up to here.” He lifted his hand to eye level. “I got pneumonia and was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed for days. Then, I was weak as a kitten for a month later. That’s when Lucy and I switched jobs. She started taking care of the animals in the morning and I made breakfast. Now, I don’t mind cooking, but this morning…” He helped himself to a strip of bacon from the plate. Shoving it whole into his mouth, he chewed and swallowed. “This morning, I got my blood pumping. Worked up an appetite, too. I haven’t had this much fun in years.” He picked up the bowl filled with scrambled eggs and handed them to Aiden. “Help yourself. Lucy’s a heck of a cook.”

Aiden scooped fluffy eggs onto his plate. He took two slices of toast and three slices of bacon. He placed all the eggs and bacon onto the toast and took a bite. After chewing and swallowing, he said, “The only thing better than Lucy’s scrambled eggs is her coffee.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Rusty put a serving of eggs and several slices of bacon on a plate. “She gets whole beans and puts them in a grinder. It’s a noisy gadget, but it sure is worth it.”

As her grandfather talked, she realized that he missed having family and friends around, too. They talked about the university’s football team and their new season. Aiden had been a tight end while in high school, no surprise there, and he was friends with the current varsity coach. Grandpa Rusty asked about Aiden’s car. Her grandfather also told him about a mint green vintage car that he’d rebuilt. “It took me years to find all the parts.”

“We used to go to auctions and junkyards, just hoping to find what we needed,” Lucy added. The meal and the conversation were good. But they weren’t enough for her to forget what happened. That someone had locked her in the barn and then set it on fire. That someone had tried to kill her.

“I’d love to see it,” said Aiden.

“We can go outside now,” said Rusty, pushing his plate away.

“Grandpa, Aiden needs to tell you what he found in the barn.” Lucy collected the dishes and rose from her seat. She’d heard it all before. As she scraped the plates and stacked them in the sink, Aiden explained that the fire had been deliberately set and that she had been locked in the back room.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Grandpa Rusty asked.

“I wish it was,” said Aiden. “But it’s not. I told Lucy already, but I’ll tell you now. We will find out who did this and stop them.”

“And if you don’t?” her grandfather asked.

“We will,” said Aiden with such confidence that she believed him.

“What are we supposed to do until then?” asked Grandpa Rusty. “We can’t stay here.”

“We aren’t leaving,” she said. “This is our home.”

“Luce.” Her grandfather rose from his seat and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Someone tried to kill you. That’s serious business.”

“I’m not leaving.” This house was the only place where she truly felt safe.

“I can talk to my brother, Cal. He’s the sheriff. He might be able to increase patrols.” Aiden paused as another thought came to him. “I’m guessing you don’t have any security cameras.”

“No cameras,” said Lucy.

“You might want to consider cameras and a security system if you plan to stay.”

“We’re not going anywhere. There have been members of the Harris family on this land for over a hundred years.” She folded her arms over her chest, in a show of resolve. At the same time, she knew that remaining in the house was a risk.

“Lucy.” Her grandfather used the same tone he did with a skittish horse. “Let’s think this through.”

“It looks like you two have a lot to discuss,” said Aiden, rising from the table. “I’ll be in touch once we hear something from the lab.”

“I can’t thank you enough for everything that you did this morning,” said Rusty. “And last night.”

Lucy still stood at the sink. She gave Aiden a tight smile but said nothing.

“If you think of anything…” Aiden removed a business card from his wallet. Holding it out to Rusty, he said, “Call me. My cell number is on there, too.”