Let's Play a Game

Let's Play a Game (33)

There was only one fire truck once we got back to the house, and I was surprised and also relieved. It meant that the fire was either not that big, or it had already been set out. I was sure hoping for the latter.

We sprinted onto the front lawn where Brianna was standing, talking to a fireman. When she saw her two sons and me, she immediately threw her arms around us and hugged us tightly.

“I’m so glad you three are okay!” Brianna cried, and I felt bad for worrying her. “When Elizabeth called me and told me there was a fire, I thought you three could have been inside! I was so relieved when I found out you three were in the hospital for Kate and her baby!”

I was glad that we were, too. I didn’t know how bad the damage was inside, but at least I knew it wasn’t as bad as my house had been. There was absolutely no damage to the outside of Zach’s house, which was definitely good.

“It was only a quarter of the kitchen,” Brianna sighed, still trying to catch her breath. “Elizabeth was luckily able to get home and call for help before it got out of control. I don’t know what caused the fire just yet, since they’re in there investigating that now.”

My blood ran cold when I saw Officer Lopez and Officer Black make their way out of the house, and I was scared of what they were going to say once they saw me. This was the second time a place I was staying in had caught fire…

“Maxynn,” Officer Black greeted, pronouncing my name like Maxine, just like he always did. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to take you in for some questioning.”

“Excuse me?” I blinked now, not believing that this was actually happening. “And why would you have to do something like that?”

“The fire was caused by the oven being left on,” Officer Black informed me now, and I felt my stomach drop. “We were told that you and your boyfriend here had been baking before you left for the hospital. Since you’ve been a suspect in another fire before, we need you to come with us.”

“No,” both Zach and Brianna spat at the same time, and it seemed to surprise Officer Black more than it surprised me.

Brianna smiled sweetly at the officers, but she could kill someone with that look, and she placed a hand on my shoulder as she said, “You boys won’t be taking Maxynn anywhere. Sorry, Samson, but you’re not going to touch my daughter.”

As much as I found it creepy that she knew Officer Black’s first name, all I could think about right then was how she called me her daughter. Not her daughter-in-law or her son’s fiancée, but her daughter.

And I already felt like a Deveraux.

“I’m sorry, Brianna, but it has to be done,” Officer Black now informed her as he narrowed his eyes. “This girl has been a suspect of a murder before. We don’t know what she’s capable of doing.”

“If I’m a crazy, psychotic murderer, why would I set a house on fire when I knew that no one was inside?” I couldn’t help but snap at him, very pissed that he thought I’d do this to the house of people that had let my father and me in when we had nowhere else to go. 

Both officers had nothing to say to this, and I knew I had got them. If I wanted to kill someone by setting the house on fire, I would have done it when people were actually inside.

“Well, since you have nothing that you’re doing right now, we’re still going to take you in for questioning,” Officer Black snapped now as he took a step toward me and moved his hand to his back pockets for his handcuffs.

Oh, hell no.

“Ethan, don’t you have hockey practice today?” Brianna suddenly asked her younger son, who nodded at his mother as if she was crazy. “Great! Maxynn, why don’t you take him there and keep an eye on him for a little while? I’m sure you’ve got nothing better to do.”