Molly Dox - Annie Addison 02 - A Tangled Mess (2 page)

Who was Claude? And where was Charlotte? She wasn’t answering her phone. Annie grew more frustrated by the hour. What was going on? And what was Charlotte afraid of, or who was she afraid of?

Word got out the next day that the house that had gone up in flames and was now an arson investigation. The story plastered across the tiny local newspaper that usually covered events like what band was playing where on the weekend, or when to put out your large trash items for collection. Only now, the meaty-gossipy headline spread the news. “House Burns Down, Arson Investigation Heats Up” the paper blurted.

Arson. What if Charlotte was right? What if it was meant for her? What could she be involved in? She’d never given Annie any hint of concern. She was a sweet woman in her sixties that lived a quiet life. Her kids were across the country and always trying to get her to move to the west coast and into an assisted living facility, not that she was interested. But, Claude? Who was Claude?

Annie pulled into the Starfish Square parking lot and turned off her car. Another day, a few more clients, and then there was not much more going on. Her book was looking sparse, and if she didn’t drum up more business soon, she’d be in trouble. Jamie pulled up alongside her. She had an early appointment for a haircut. Thankfully she’d brought a couple of her clients from her previous employment with her when she transitioned to Annie’s Beachside Beauty shop.

“Hey, Jamie,” she greeted, getting out of her car.

“Morning, Annie,” she said, juggling her bag and a travel mug for her coffee.

The women walked to the shop, neither feeling especially chatty this early.

Annie settled at the front counter and flipped through the book, refreshing herself on the week’s agenda. “It’s looking empty,” she said, not thrilled to admit the change. Of course, the quieter season always slowed down.

“We could do a cut-a-thon or something. Maybe we could do a special event,” Jamie suggested.

“Like for a charity or something?” Annie tilted her head, thinking of options.

“What about that
house. We could help raise money to help them rebuild,” she said.

“I don’t think so,” Annie started. “It looks like arson. The owner may have very well been the one to take it down.”

“Wow, how do they know that already?” Jamie was surprised.

“I’m not sure what they know, but the paper mentioned it was under investigation. They’re bringing in the
state fire marshal and K-9 unit,” Annie answered.

“Wow, for a quiet little town, it’s been a busy and crazy fall. I can’t believe it. First we had a murder and now this.” Jamie shook her head at the absurdity. Nothing happened
there, ever. That they had two things happen so close together had to be a record.

The door’s chime jingled as their first client arrived. “Did you hear?” It wouldn’t be morning without Mrs. Bushmiller rambling on. “Just a little off the top dear, I’m letting the back grow a bit.” She settled into Annie’s chair and spoke non-stop. Annie still felt a small grudge toward the woman, but her money spent as well as anybody else’s, and when it came down to it, she couldn’t pick and choose her customers. “…Anyway, I heard their bringing in the K-9 unit.”

Heard or read the very same article everyone else in town did, Annie thought. “I hope they figure out what happened. I know Charlotte was pretty shaken up that it was so close to her house.”

“Oh, poor sweet, Charlotte; I’d have been a mess if it was so close to me.” Mrs. Bushmiller moved on to two hundred different topics before finally saying good-bye and paying for her haircut.

“That woman can talk,” Jamie said with a laugh.

“You have no idea
!” Annie agreed, shaking her head.

She went to the desk and dialed Charlotte’s number again
; still no answer. She hoped her friend was okay.

Charlotte found what she was looking for. She was safe. Claude was still in prison, just where she’d sent him. Turning him in w
as one of the hardest things she ever had to do, but when she realized what he was involved in, it was the only thing she could do. Her kids never forgave her. After all, he was their father. And yet, how can you allow a sick and twisted man to get away with what he was doing. Charlotte was better off without him. She didn’t tell her kids the entire story. Only enough to help them understand that he was a sick man and needed help.

She never mentioned Claude again after that. In fact, she re-invented a fake name for her ex-husband. It was easier than trying to explain why your ex-husband was behind bars. She knew it was the right thing to do, to turn him in. When she stumbled onto his secret life…Charlotte shuddered. It’s in the past. After poking around, she found that Claude was still safely locked behind bars, with no chance for early parole. Easing her mind, she paid her children a visit. Years had passed, and as time wore on, they’d accepted what happened when she finally came clean about what she’d found. They understood, but had a hard time seeing their father as the monster he was. They only remembered a doting father.

Charlotte felt bad lying to Annie of all people. They shared so many secrets, but when it came to her husband, she said she was widowed and even changed Claude’s name. Only it slipped out after the fire…but at least the fire wasn’t for her. Charlotte could breathe again. After seeing her grown children in California, she boarded a plane and headed back to her life in New Jersey. She liked it on the little island. She’d been there for so long now, it felt like home. She’d hate it if she had to leave.

  ***

When Gordon Frasier came to town, things weren’t the same as how he’d left them. First, he had to stay at one of the few hotels still open, since his house had burned down. Secondly, they wanted him to come in for questioning. Not an easy task when he was in Florida. He arranged to fly back to New Jersey within a few days. He’d been visiting his mother in the warmer Sunshine State now that summers back in the northeast were over.

On getting the news that his vacation home had burned down, Gordon didn’t know whether to be relieved or horrified. His grandfather had built the place, so there was nostalgia, but he wasn’t a very good builder. There was faulty wiring and too many things to fix over the years. While it looked okay on the outside, it still needed so much work to bring it to where he wanted, but who had the money or time?

He arranged a four day stay and had an interview first thing the following morning at the local police station. All the years he’d owned that home, and it was the first time he had a run in with the cops. Of course, he understood. When he heard it was arson, it made him look bad, but he had nothing to hide. If they thought he was going to collect some huge insurance policy, the joke was on them. He hadn’t upgraded it in years, and took out only the bare minimum in coverage. He was close to selling, but an empty lot might be worth more than the house itself at this point. It could end up being a good thing in the long run. Either way, he was there. Driving down the main drag toward the hotel, he appreciated that the traffic lights had been turned off for the quieter season. It cut his driving time in half.

He didn’t mean to rear-end the car in front of him, but he was barely paying attention. She stopped short, apparently mentioning some turtle she didn’t want to run over. Gordon sighed and called the police to file a report. Great, cops, two days in a row. He’d gone this long in his life without incident, now he’d be a regular at the police station.

Nobody was hurt and the turtle made it safely across the road. It didn’t lighten Gordon’s mood any and he had the mind to go kick the turtle, but thought better of it. It wasn’t the turtle’s fault that this house had burned down. He should still be in Florida. He’d been gaining ground with his mother’s neighbor, a very friendly blonde woman who over bleached and wore clothing two sizes too small for her voluptuous body. So what if she was old enough to be his mother’s age. He wasn’t choosy at this point in his life. He just wanted some action.

Sleazy
. Some might call him that, but what did they know. He was simply a lonely man looking for a little loving. When your options run out and there are slim pickings, you choose the bruised fruit if you can.

  ***

Annie’s luck wasn’t getting any better. When the man ran into the back of her car, she had to sit and wait for an officer to file a report. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. She’d stopped short for a turtle that was making a slow passage across the road.

When Officer Frisco showed up, she was glad it wasn’t Nick. She wasn’t ready to see him again so soon. If she did, she might cave in to his advances and go on a date, something she wasn’t prepared for yet. It’s just that every time she saw him, she swooned like a school girl.

It wasn’t until they were filling out the report with the officer that Annie realized who had just hit her car. She recognized his name from the newspaper. He was the owner of the arson house. She was itching to sit in on the investigation. Ever since she’d stuck her nose into the previous murder investigation, she had the itch to solve the arson puzzle. It was like something turned on inside of her, a curiosity she didn’t even know existed.

Maybe she could get him talking if she gave it a shot. “Let me make it up to you,” she started. “How about lunch?”

The man looked at the girl. He was annoyed with her and lunch sounded like a lousy idea, but she was kind of attractive, and he had time to kill. Otherwise, he’d just sit in his hotel room watching television all night alone. “Yeah, sure.”

Annie didn’t expect him to agree, and then realized she hoped he didn’t think she was coming onto him. Ugh. Maybe this was a mistake
, but if she could get him talking, maybe she’d learn more about the house. Not like he’d just come out and spill his guts to her, but a few well-placed questions couldn’t hurt.

Driving to the local tavern that was still open in the off-season, the duo sat down awkwardly. Annie started the conversation, playing dumb. “So what brings you to Sandy Beach Island? Most people visit during the summer months.”

“I own here.” His answers were short and to the point.

“I didn’t realize. How long have you been coming here? I rent a place at the other end, down near Barnacle Heights.” She rambled, not sure how to bring up the arson. “And
I have a shop over at Starfish Square. It’s a beauty shop.”

He stared at the woman. She wasn’t half bad. She was better looking than the old, over-bleached woman he was making the moves on in Florida. Maybe things were about to turn
out better for him. He figured he’d play the sympathy card first. “My house burned down,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t even have place to stay. I had to rent at a hotel room, not quite a homelike environment.”

Annie played coy. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear it. Oh, wait…there was a house that caught fire recently. Don’t tell me it was yours?”

“Sadly, yes. My grandfather built it with his bare hands. It held a lot of memories.” She just might go for this sympathy thing after all.

“What a shame. It must have come as a shock.” She watched his face for reactions.

“Not totally,” he said too quickly.

“Really?” He piqued her interest.

“Well, while he was a good builder, he was a lousy electrician. I should have spent more to bring it up to code,” he admitted sheepishly.

“At least you have insurance, right,” she played along. “I can’t imagine starting all over.”

The man made a move and placed his hand over hers on the table. “I appreciate your kindness and company. It’s been traumatic.”

Annie slid her hand out from under the man’s grasp. “I’m sorry for your loss.” She wondered if maybe she was being too friendly too fast. She was picking up the creep vibe.

“I barely have enough insurance to rebuild,” he said. “I wish I had a larger policy.” He reached across the table toward her hand again. “You know, I wouldn’t mind a little extra company later tonight if you wanted to join me.”

“Really?” Annie blurted out. “
I was trying to be nice to you, not sleep with you!”

“Can’t hurt to try,” he said
with a shrug. “Besides, I have a hot little blonde waiting on me in Florida.” He didn’t mention the woman’s advanced age or overdose of wrinkles from the sun. Let the nosy woman believe what she wanted.

“I should go,” Annie
jumped up and tossed a few dollars on the table to cover his lunch. “I’m sorry about the accident. This was a bad idea.”

The man shrugged. His life would be in Florida soon anyway. Once he sold the soon empty lot, he’d take his money and start a new life. He’d grown tired of New Jersey’s high taxes anyway.

When Charlotte finally answered her phone, she calmed Annie down. She’d been talking so fast, and so high-pitched by that point, she needed to convince her she was really okay. “I’ll fill you in when I get home. I’ll be home over the weekend. I just needed to do a few things.”

“Charlotte, why are you dodging
my questions? Is everything okay?” Annie was worried about her friend.

“It’s fine. I think I over reacted. It was right next to my house. I worried over nothing.” She tried to appease the woman.

“Your neighbor is in town. We had a little fender bender and I recognized his name.” She’d never formally met the man before.

“Why is Gordon in town?”

“I think they’re questioning him, since it’s been ruled an arson. Maybe over insurance…” Annie answered.

“Gordon was too cheap to spring for good insurance. He always bragged about how he cut corners with everything. He wasn’t a great neighbor, but I always counted on him leaving once summer was over. I knew I had a bunch of months without him there. Besides, he has this creepy vibe. He was always staring at people walking by, especially younger women walking down the street to get to the beach.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a story for you when you get home. Hurry back, I miss you! How are the kids?” Annie asked.

Charlotte clucked.
“Pushy as ever! They are convinced it’s a sign I should move out there. I like the east coast better. I’ll be back soon. I’ve got my freedom in New Jersey. If I give in and move to California, they’ll tuck me into an old age home and never look back. Old age, my foot. Sixties. Don’t people realize it’s not as old as it used to be? I’ve got a good twenty years left in me, and I don’t plan on spending it all at Bingo. Not that I don’t like Bingo, but you know what I mean.”

Annie laughed, grateful her friend was okay. “Hurry home, and oh yeah, who is Claude?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later.” She said her good-byes and hung up the phone.

***

When the second house caught fire, people were talking. Fires were a rare occurrence on the island, unless it was some overzealous barbecue that was too enthusiastic with their grilling. So for two houses to go up in flames, down to their core and foundation within two weeks of each other, it became the talk of the town. People were paying closer attention. Again, a vacant house, thankfully, meaning that the summer renters were gone and nobody was inside to get hurt. How does a vacant house to up in flames, when nobody is around it? Faulty wiring was ruled out of the first house, and people were pretty sure it would be ruled out in this one too. It smelled of arson again, but nobody would know for certain until they started the investigation.

Somebody was lighting fires and causing way more damage tha
n people could afford to have. What if they struck again?

Annie turned as the bell jingled on her shop door. “Charlotte!” She ran to greet her friend, glad to have her home again.

“I’ve missed you too. Hey, what’s this I hear there was another fire?” Annie only had one appointment left. They decided they’d grab a bite to eat when Annie finished for the day and catch up. Charlotte promised to fill in the missing details, if Annie promised to fill her in on everything she learned about the fires so far.

“I’ll be out of here in the next hour. I have one quick cut left to do, and he should be here soon.” She glanced at her watch.

“Great, I’ll meet you over at Uncle Buck’s.” She waved to her friend and headed out the door.

When the salt and pepper haired man walked into her shop, Annie couldn’t help noticing how attractive he was. It was a shame Charlotte had just left, she’d have enjoyed the view.  “You must be Ian,” she said extending her hand.

“I am.” He shook her hand with a firm handshake, always a good sign of character. He was confident in himself, not wishy-washy, or that’s what Annie’s dad had taught her about handshakes. “I’m glad you could take me on short notice.”

“Sure,
it’s no problem at all.” She was surprised he didn’t opt for the barber shop, but was glad for another new customer.

“I’m new in town, so I’m still learning where everything is. I was glad to find you still open. I didn’t realize half the town slumbered through winter.” He had a soft accent.

“You’re not from around here?” She picked up the clippers and added the guard number he’d requested.

“No, Ma’am. I just came in from South Carolina
not too long ago. I took one of the paid positions with the fire department,” he answered. “I was looking for a change, and took the first offer I got. So here I am.”

“You weren’t happy in South Carolina?”
Annie quizzed, making small talk.

“I was for a while
, but you know, you grow restless. Just some personal stuff, it was the right decision for me.” He wasn’t saying much more.

“So you’re working at our fire department now? I’m glad they’ve taken on a few paid members. I know most are volunteers, but the island goes bare in the winter, and it’s good to know there are a few people who will still be here to respond…not that it helped much lately.” She didn’t mean it to come out that way.

“Ah, you heard. Yeah, two burned to the ground. That was some kind of heat. No normal house fire burns that hot that it twists steel and metal, and cooks the ground. Somebody is dousing them with chemicals to burn hotter. They know what they’re doing.” He stopped. “I’ve probably said too much. I shouldn’t be talking about these things. That’s what the investigation is for.”

“I didn’t mean to pry, I’m sorry.
So, how do you like New Jersey so far?” Annie changed the topic.

“It’s colder, but thankfully we’ve had some warm days of late. I’m still adjusting, but it seems a nice enough area.” He sat as she finished with the buzzers.

“So what do you do for fun?” He seemed like a friendly guy. She was glad he’d stopped by.

“I like to surf, and I’ve recently taken up kite-surfing. I’m still getting the hang of that.” He didn’t need to say he worked out. She was more than aware based on his build. And being a fireman, being in good shape was a bonus. A little old for her, not that she was interested that way, but she kept thinking about Charlotte’s lack of company.

“I hope you find Sandy Beach Island to your liking.” She made more chit-chat as she finished cleaning him up and then powdered his neck to brush off any tiny hairs that remained behind.

Wrapping up, she thanked him for his patronage and booked him another appointment before closing up shop. The book was bleak and wasn’t worth looking at. The quiet season had been way too quiet this year, and winter would be starting soon.

Annie sent a quick text to Charlotte to let her know she’d be on the way. It only took a few minutes to get there since she was already in the center of town. She recognized Charlotte’s car and went inside to greet her friend.

“So, tell me about what’s going on? Another house?”
Charlotte shook her head, grateful her own home was still standing.

“And you tell me about Claude,” Annie said in return.

Charlotte frowned. She trusted Annie; it’s just that it was a sensitive topic. “Okay, so what do we know so far?”

“They think they were both arson, and the guy who just left my shop is a firefighter. He said something about them burning too hot, so maybe someone doused the places with chemicals or something. The destruction is happening quickly and burning at a higher rate than a traditional house fire, he said.” She filled her in on whatever she could think of. “Oh, and he’s cute, I’m guessing in his fifties, salt and pepper hair, nice build, and…”

“Stop. I get where you’re going with this description, but I’m just not interested.” Charlotte stopped Annie in her tracks.

“Sweetie,
you’ve been alone for so long.”

“I’m still married,” Charlotte finally spit out.
“Well, the divorce has been pending for years. He drags it out, caused problems, and after a while, I just stopped pushing, because every time I’d have my attorney contact his, it became about dragging it out. He didn’t care what it took. He’d refuse to sign, quibble. It got to be expensive.”

“What?” Annie’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean? I thought your husband was gone.”

“He is gone. Only the story is a little different than I first led you to believe.” She grimaced, realizing she was about to share something she’d never shared with a friend before. “The truth is that he’s not dead. He’s in prison.”

“Claude?” The pieces were clicking together.

Charlotte nodded, watching her friend’s reaction.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you lost your husb
and to an illness. You told me-”

“That he was no longer with me. I know. I let you come to your own conclusion. Nobody wants to admit something like what happened. I found a stash
. Annie, it was kiddie porn.” She lowered her head. “I was horrified. I didn’t know what to do. I finally did the only thing I could do. I turned him in. I’m the reason he’s in prison. When the search warrant came through, it was much worse than I realized. He was soliciting to meet people.”

“Wow.” Annie didn’t know what to say. She stared at her friend.

“Now do you see? How do you say something like that, and when is the right time?” She shook her head. “I was afraid he’d be eligible for early parole, but his own stupidity and fighting got time added to his sentence. He’s not due out for a while. I needed to check in with my kids. Part of the reason we have issue is because they know I’m the one who sent him to jail. It was the right thing, and they understand he needs help, but it was still their father and they had a hard time believing it was real. We had a falling out and I gave them space. Now they want me back there, but want to imprison me in an old folk’s home. Yeah, well, that’s how it feels anyway.”

“Oh, Charlotte
, the burden you carry.” She was still trying to wrap her head around the information. It was bigger than both of them.

“Anyway, I was afraid the first fire, being so close
, was meant for me.” She sighed heavily. “But the second house makes me feel more like it was a fluke.”

“Right, but not quite a fluke; somebody knows what they’re doing and
they’re doing a lot of damage.” Annie shook her head. She couldn’t even imagine somebody doing it on purpose, and in such a nice community. It had everyone on edge, wondering if their house might be next. Annie filled Charlotte in on the latest news, about the one homeowner she met, and other small details.

The women filled up on good food and said goodnight. They both hoped sirens wouldn’t but cutting through the night air, alerting them another house was burning down.