Chapter 5: The Mother Who Watched Me Burn
My mother sank into a chair.
For the first time that evening, she looked smaller than I remembered.
Her carefully styled hair had begun falling loose, and her fingers trembled against the white tablecloth.
“Eleanor,” Aunt Meredith said quietly.
“Tell them.””
Mom looked at her.
“I can't.””
“You can.””
Dad stepped forward.
“Meredith, stop pressuring her.””
My aunt turned.
“Your wife helped disconnect the fire alarms. Your daughters are standing here covered in the consequences of your decisions. I think she's earned the right to speak.””
Dad's jaw tightened.
“Watch your mouth.””
“No, Richard. You watch yours.””
I stood beside the table, staring at the photograph.
My mother had been at the cottage three days before the fire.
She had stood beside a contractor while someone disconnected the alarms.
Then she had watched me recover from burns caused by a fire she had helped make more dangerous.
“Mom,” I said.
She looked up.
“Did you know the alarms were disconnected?””
Her lips trembled.
“Yes.””
The answer was barely audible.
Caleb squeezed my fingers.
I felt my knees weaken.
“Why?””
Mom stared at the table.
“Your father said the system was malfunctioning.””
“That doesn't explain why you signed off on it.””
She looked toward Dad.
He didn't move.
“He said we were going to renovate the cottage,” she continued.
“He didn't want the contractors triggering the alarms while they worked.””
“Then why didn't you reconnect them?””
She began crying.
“Because the contractor said he would do it the following morning.””
I stared at her.
“The fire happened that night.””
“I know.””
“You knew?””
She nodded.
I felt the room around me grow distant.
“You knew I was inside?””
Mom covered her mouth.
“No. I didn't know you were there.””
“Caleb was there.””
She looked at my brother.
“I thought your father had taken him home.””
Caleb's voice was small.
“You didn't check?””
Mom began sobbing.
“I thought you were both safe.””
I pulled my hand away from hers.
“You thought?””
She reached for me.
I stepped backward.
That movement seemed to hurt her more than anything I had said.
“June, sweetheart, please listen.””
I didn't answer.
She wiped her face.
“Your father told me the cottage was empty. He said you girls had gone back to Charlotte with Meredith.””
I turned toward my father.
“Did you tell her that?””
He remained silent.
“Dad?””
He took a long drink from a glass someone had left on the table.
“Your mother doesn't understand the details.””
Mom suddenly looked up.
“Don't.””
He stared at her.
“Eleanor.””
“No. Don't put this on me.””
The guests remained completely silent.
Mom stood.
“You told me the property was empty. You said the electrical work was routine. You told me there was nothing to worry about.””
Dad's voice dropped.
“And you believed me.””
“Because you were my husband!””
“And now you're going to pretend you had nothing to do with it?””
Her face crumpled.
“I didn't know anyone would get hurt.””
I watched them argue.
For years, I had believed my parents were a team.
Dad made the decisions.
Mom kept the family together.
But now I was seeing the truth.
They had been passing responsibility between them for months, each waiting for the other to carry the guilt.
Mark stepped closer.
“Mrs. Hayes, did you sign any authorization forms?””
Mom nodded.
“Two.””
“Where are they?””
“At home.””
“Can you identify the contractor?””
She looked toward the photograph.
“His name was Daniel Price.””
Thomas frowned.
“Daniel Price?””
Dad's eyes snapped toward him.
“You know him?””
Thomas nodded slowly.
“He was the contractor who handled electrical maintenance for my company.””
Aunt Meredith turned.
“What?””
Thomas looked at the transfer record again.
“Daniel was dismissed six months before the fire. He was investigated for falsifying invoices.””
Dad's expression changed.
“That's irrelevant.””
Thomas ignored him.
“Richard, why did you hire someone who had already been dismissed for financial misconduct?””
Dad put down his glass.
“Because I needed the job done.””
“What job?””
Silence.
Then Caleb spoke.
“The alarm wasn't the only thing they changed.””
Everyone turned toward him.
He had been holding the tablet against his chest again.
“What do you mean, sweetheart?”” I asked.
Caleb looked at the screen.
“When I was in the hospital, I remembered something.””
Dad immediately interrupted.
“He was traumatized. He doesn't know what he's saying.””
Caleb shook his head.
“I remember the smell.””
“What smell?”” Mark asked.
“Gasoline.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Where?””
“Near the hallway.””
My brother swallowed.
“I smelled it before I went to bed. I told Dad, but he said it was paint.””
Dad's face turned red.
“That's enough.””
Caleb continued.
“And I saw Sloane downstairs.””
Sloane's head jerked up.
“Caleb, stop.””
“You were carrying the red container.””
“I told you, I was helping Dad!””
The garden fell silent again.
I looked at my sister.
“Helping him do what?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“You were carrying gasoline.””
“I was moving it!””
“Why?””
“Because Dad told me to!””
Dad stepped toward her.
“Don't.””
Sloane looked at him with wide eyes.
For the first time, I noticed something in her expression that hadn't been there before.
Resentment.
Fear.
And perhaps the realization that he was willing to let her take the fall.
“He told me it was just for the generator,” she whispered.
Dad grabbed her arm.
“Enough!””
She pulled away.
“Stop touching me!””
My mother stared at him.
“Richard, what did you ask her to do?””
He looked around.
“This is ridiculous.””
Sloane shook her head.
“You told me June had taken something from you.””
I frowned.
“What?””
She looked at me.
“You remember the blue folder from Dad's office?””
I shook my head.
“The one with the property papers,” she continued.
“Dad said you had found it.””
“I never went into his office.””
“He said you were going to expose him.””
My father moved toward her again.
“Sloane.””
She ignored him.
“He told me if the cottage burned, the documents would be destroyed.””
A cold sensation spread through my chest.
“What documents?””
Sloane's eyes filled.
“Financial records.””
Thomas looked at Richard.
“Which financial records?””
Dad didn't answer.
Thomas turned toward me.
“June, your father has been involved in several property developments over the last three years. Some of the transactions were questioned by his business partners.””
Dad laughed.
“Now you're inventing a financial scandal?””
“No. I'm explaining why an insured property might have been useful to someone who wanted certain documents destroyed.””
I looked at the photograph again.
The disconnected alarm.
The contractor.
The money.
The gasoline.
The fire.
Everything was beginning to form a picture.
But one piece was missing.
I turned to Sloane.
“You said Dad told you I had taken the folder.””
She nodded.
“Did you believe him?””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
“Why would you believe I would steal from him?””
Her answer came in a whisper.
“Because he showed me a message.””
“What message?””
“He said it came from you.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“What did it say?””
Sloane hesitated.
Then she reached into her small silver purse.
She pulled out a folded sheet of paper.
“I kept it.””
She handed it to me.
The handwriting looked familiar.
It was mine.
Or something very close to mine.
The message read:
If Dad doesn't give me what I want, I'll make sure the cottage is gone before anyone finds out what's inside.
I stared at it.
I had never written those words.
I looked at the signature.
It was almost perfect.
Almost.
Because whoever had copied my handwriting had made one mistake.
A tiny mistake I had been making since childhood.
The way I crossed the letter J.
My name was written in a way I had never written it.
I looked up.
“Sloane, where did you get this?””
“Dad gave it to me.””
I turned toward him.
He was already walking away.
“Richard!”” Thomas called.
Dad stopped near the garden doors.
I held up the paper.
“Who forged my handwriting?””
He turned slowly.
Then he looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Something colder.
“Be careful what you accuse me of, June.””
And then he walked into the house.
But he left his phone on the table.
It was vibrating.
The screen lit up.
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*DANIEL PRICE: THE GIRLS HAVE SEEN THE VIDEO. WE NEED TO TALK.*
