"Is Roger okay?" Aunt Thelma asked as she arrived with Diane. Vance and I had left them at the car, and we raced it on foot once we got to Village Square, but it had been no use. Someone had spotted the fire before we did, and the trucks were already at the scene, blocking us from going any farther.
I shook my head because I didn't know. We weren’t allowed anywhere near the fire and so far, we had only seen firefighters run toward the blaze, along with Luke. He was a volunteer firefighter.
A magical rain cloud soon appeared above Village Square and water began to pour down. Vance took off his suit coat and covered my shoulders with it. Together, we all sought shelter under one of the other shop’s porches. Smoke blew through the air, and the rain continued to pound down. I prayed that the fire would be contained and that Roger was safe. The alternative was too horrible to bear.
Just then, an ambulance pulled into the parking lot. The EMTs jumped out and were on the move, running through the cobblestone streets directly toward Roger’s shop. The suspense was killing us, and it only got worse when a second ambulance arrived. We didn't dare ask any questions. I think we were all afraid of what they might say. Instead, we stood there in silence. Aunt Thelma and Clemmie on either side of Diane, holding her up and giving her all their strength.
It felt like ages, but eventually we saw Roger. Diane saw him first. The EMTs wheeled him out. The back of the bed had been elevated, and he had an oxygen mask over his face.
"Roger!" Diane said as she rushed forward. "Thank goodness you're all right!” Diane wept. You could tell she wanted to throw her arms around her husband, but she was afraid to.
"I'd be even better if my shop wasn't on fire and I hadn't taken a beating to the back of the head." Roger closed his eyes in pain.
"Someone attacked you?" Diane said in shock.
"Ma'am, we really must keep moving. Your husband needs to go to the hospital,” the EMT interrupted. It was still raining, and we were thoroughly drenched.
"Right, I'm sorry. I'm coming with you." The EMTs nodded, and the rest of us stood off to the side and let them pass through.
An odd mixture of relief and anger rolled through me. I was so grateful that Roger was safe and yet angered all the same that this had happened to him.
"Did you hear what he said? Someone attacked him," Clemmie said as we walked back to the overhang.
"That probably means it was a shifter. A witch would've just used a spell,” Aunt Thelma whispered. “I hate sounding like that, but we have to look at the evidence.”
"You do make a point," Clemmie agreed.
I wasn’t sure what to think. The entire past twenty-four hours had my head scrambled and my emotions on overload.
For a long time, I felt rooted to the spot and watched the firefighters work. Roger was alive, but someone had tried to kill him, and they definitely had wanted to destroy his shop.
"You know it was Mr. Haggerty's killer, right? Who set the fire,” I clarified.
Vance nodded. "They didn't want any evidence being traced back to them. They probably figured it was only a matter of time before someone made the orchid connection to the poison."
"Which means they got it from Roger’s shop." Whether they purchase it or stole it was yet to be determined. "I know now's not the time, but I want to talk to Roger and see if he remembers selling orchids to anyone else. If the killer knows he can identify him—"
"He’d still be in danger," Vance finish the thought that I was unable to say out loud.
"I think we better call Deputy Jones and give them a heads-up." I know Deputy Lopez said to give her a call if anything came up, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about her yet. I knew Deputy Jones would see to it.
"You're right."
Fire Chief Grady came back through the center of Village Square covered in soot and looking worse for the wear. The once meticulous courtyard was now trampled. Pumpkins had been rolled to the side and plants flattened by the pressure of the fire hose. A minor price to pay to save the rest of the shops.
I wasn't surprised to see the local news van pull in, and out popped reporter Kara Black. She was no Stormy Evans, and that was a good thing. It was never a good thing whenever Witch News Network rolled into town. The cameraman quickly got in position, and the duo was soon reporting live from the scene. Vance and I were sure to keep out of the way as we stood off to the side letting everything sink in.
"Chief Grady!” Kara shouted to get the fireman's attention. "Can you give us a quick update?”
The fire chief was talking to a couple of his men but nodded that he would join her in a moment.
"What can you tell us about the blaze?" Kara asked the moment he joined her.
"The fire’s out, and we managed to contain it to the florist’s shop. There’s a bit of smoke damage to the charmery and cloak shop, but it should be minor.”
Kara volleyed the microphone back and forth. “Do you know how it started?”
"We’re still in the preliminary portion of this investigation. We should know more in the next day or two," Chief Grady replied.
“The damage looks like it’s coming from the back,” Kara pointed out.
“Yes, the fire was primarily in the back of the building. That's where we believe it was initiated."
"Initiated? Does this mean you know what caused the fire?"
“Again, we’ll know more in a few days. If you’ll excuse me.” The fire chief didn’t wait to hear whatever else Kara was going to say.
"If it was in the back, the killer could’ve been trying to destroy the orchids,” I said out loud while trying to picture the layout of Roger’s shop. Like most of the village's shops, the front was retail space, and the back housed inventory and a small office. That gave me an idea. Chief Grady was finishing up with the reporter when I flagged him down.
"Hey, I know you're busy, but I just wanted to let you know that I think this fire ties in with Mr. Haggerty's death."
"The journalist?" Chief Grady asked.
"That's the one. He was poisoned, we think with a flower from Roger’s shop. We know Roger has a camera system—"
"Had a camera system. The security system was ground zero from the blaze."
"Shoot. Okay, thanks.” I turned to Vance after the chief walked away. "The killer was definitely destroying evidence." I sighed in frustration. We had to catch this person, and fast.