Darkness at the Edge of Town (Iris Ballard #2)(103)

Instead of the kiss I expected, wanted, he simply turned his back on me and walked to the house without looking back. After all the torment I’d unintentionally inflicted on him since we met, it was fitting that he left me on the street, teary-eyed and speechless. It’s one thing to suspect it, another thing to hear it at a dinner party; it’s a fucking bomb when it comes from the man himself. I started walking again in the opposite direction because I couldn’t face him yet and didn’t know what else to do.

He was in love with me. And I’d never been more certain I was in love with him. I’d lost count of how many times I wanted to kiss him that day. Then why hadn’t I? Why didn’t I say the words before he walked away? Because I was in shock. Because it was all so complicated. Because we had such history. Because my feelings for him were tied to Hayden. Because it truly felt as if I’d be betraying my husband all over again by moving on with the man I cheated on him with. Because I truly didn’t think I deserved him. Because…I was a coward who didn’t think she deserved to be happy no matter what he said. Because this was the rest of my life. I must have walked a mile playing every angle, weighing every option, and I still had no idea what I’d do next.



I had turned down our block, growing more nauseous with each step, when I saw Luke’s car pull out of the driveway. My heart seized in my chest. Literally. The twenty minutes I was gone was too long. He was leaving. And it was my fault. I’d lost him. What the hell have I done? I wanted to crumple onto the sidewalk. I wanted to chase after him. I wanted to die. Another moment I knew my life had irrevocably changed. “No!” I gasped. I began running toward the house, but the car came my way and slowed down. He rolled down the window.

“Luke, I—”

“Get in. Now,” he said.

“What—”

“Get in!” he ordered, his voice booming.

I suddenly grew terrified for a wholly new reason. I obeyed and before I even got the door shut, he peeled away. He put his cellphone up to his ear. “Yeah, I found her. We’re on our way.”



“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Keep us informed. We’ll be there soon.” He hung up.

“Luke?” I snapped.

“That was Joyce. She tried your cell, but…there was a call to 911. Someone reported a possible rape/murder at a farm near The Apex. The officers watching The Apex had to respond. They got there and discovered it was a false report. When they returned to The Apex…there was smoke. The farmhouse is on fire. That’s all anyone knows right now. Everyone’s on their way—fire department, Hancock…”

I’d stopped comprehending what he was saying after he used the word fire. It was as if I’d left my body. I couldn’t cope. I had to be away. I barely even felt his hand take mine. “Iris? Iris.” Luke squeezed my hand so hard it brought me back. “We don’t know anything right now, okay? We—”

“No, we do,” I said, quickly drifting away again. “I killed them. I killed all those people.”





Chapter 17


We could spot the smoke a mile away. We hadn’t even turned down the dirt road to get to the driveway before we could see the black and gray cloud over the fence and trees, tarnishing the beautiful twilight sky. I’d been numb the whole ride, just staring straight ahead and waiting for Luke to take the intermittent phone calls from the sheriff. Updating us wasn’t high on his list of priorities what with the three-alarm fire and trying to make sense of what had happened. The fire department arrived ten minutes after our call from Joyce. The three fire trucks, all Grey County had, had an uphill battle with no hydrants and a house made entirely of wood. When we pulled up to the now open chain-link gate, all three trucks were spraying the fires of hell. Every inch of that house was engulfed in high flames that singed your skin from fifty yards away. Only about half the house remained standing but consumed in flames. Even before we reached the gate, we could see that smoldering pieces of debris lay scattered like shrapnel. There’d been an explosion.

I could only stare at the carnage, barely breathing. A small blessing because even in the car I could smell it. I’d been to casualty fires only twice, but there was a stench you never forget. Human flesh on fire is equal parts sweet and disgusting. All the first responders had covered their faces with masks, I was sure in part to block that aroma. That scent follows you into your nightmares.

Everyone was too busy to pay us much mind. Agent Carmichael sat in his car half in and half out, with his head hung, as the firemen worked around him. All other officers combed the property for survivors. They never found any, just the livestock. At least he’d spared the animals.



I was in such shock, I didn’t realize we’d stopped or that I was climbing out of Luke’s car or that Luke was suddenly by my side as I sprinted toward Carmichael. The agent continued staring down at his hands, and it wasn’t until I was a few feet away from him that I realized he held something in them. A piece of paper in an evidence bag.

“Agent Carmichael,” Luke said.

The man gazed up, his face as blank as mine. He was in shock too. “What are you doing here?” he asked, emotionless.

“What’s going on? What do we know?” Luke asked, going into default mode, all business.