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“Willa.”
I pointed at him. “That’s it.”
He cleared his throat. “An investigation like this is hard, especially when it’s one of our own.”
“Yeah.” It was still surreal that Joe’s house had burned to the ground on top of everything else. My brother deserved a break. “Any suspects yet?” I had my assumptions—suspicions—but hadn’t mentioned them to anyone.
Burke pressed his foot into the ground, then rocked it back to the heel. Heel. Toe. Heel. Toe. “They’re . . . uh . . . they’re looking at a couple of possibilities, but it’s hard when everything is ash.”
“Not much to go on. Other than circumstance.”
He rubbed his chin. “Somebody said Joe’s staying with you.”
“He did the night of the fight.”
“And the fire,” Burke added.
“Yeah. And the fire.”
He opened his mouth and closed it a few times. “You sure he was at your place the whole time?”
“I’m sure.” I straightened, narrowing my gaze on my friend. “What are you getting at?”
“They—they found something of Joe’s at the scene.”
“It was his house. I’m sure they found a lot of his things there,” I said, voice rising.
“His lighter. At the point of ignition,” he blurted as if it was painful.
I shot up from the chair, knocking it over. “Are you accusing my brother of setting fire to his own house?”
Joe would not do that. He wasn’t stupid. He knew the risks. Knew how investigations went too.
Burke hung his head. “I’m not.” He lifted his eyes. “But I thought you should know he’s the primary suspect.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Beau
“These flower arrangements would be perfect.”
Mrs. Davenport fingered a rose in the massive arrangement. If they were in the middle of the tables for the reception, no one would be able to see the person across from them. Maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
I made a noncommittal noise.
Father, Alex, and Mr. Davenport were having drinks by the bar, while I was stuck with this woman who had transformed their home into a florist shop. And bakery. And restaurant. There were samples of everything needed for a wedding.
Other than the fact I despised her taste, she may have actually missed her calling.
It didn’t matter whether I preferred the arrangement or not. I wasn’t marrying Alex. Even if I were, I had no say in any of this.
I suddenly realized how Pepper felt when Miss Adeline and I had thrown a million ideas at her for her wedding. She’d been overwhelmed and miserable. Because it was her day. And while we’d had our hearts in the right place, we’d gone overboard.
I needed to make sure I apologized to her.
Funny how it took being in her position to understand how she felt.
Mrs. Davenport grimaced when my phone chimed with a text. I, on the other hand, was more than happy for an excuse to get away from her. Who would’ve thought joining my father at the bar with my not-so-future-husband would be more appealing.
