CHAPTER ELEVEN
ANGEL’S PIE STAND burned down, and the fire department immediately labeled the incident arson. Pirro stood by Angel as the firefighters questioned her, but she hadn’t seen anything unusual during the day, nor had she been near the pie stand at the time of the fire. Pirro said a silent prayer of thanks nobody had been hurt.
The firemen instructed everyone to clear the area, and Rafe invited Nick, Angel, Pirro and Vivian to come back to his house for a while until everyone had calmed down. Pirro sent Vi along with Angel, promising to meet them there in a little while. He couldn’t stop thinking about the two men who’d approached him to sell hard drugs. Could it be coincidence that bad things were starting to happen now that he’d said no?
He didn’t have to go looking for the men to find out. No sooner had his family driven off than they found him.
“It’s a shame that your daughter’s pie stand burned down,” the blond man said, coming up to Pirro. “She was so proud of how well she was selling and how much everyone loved her apple pies.”
“It’s a good thing she wasn’t in the booth when the fire started,” the other one chimed in. “I heard the firemen say that with the amount of accelerant that was used, the booth went up like that.” He snapped his finger in Pirro’s ear.
“If a fire like that happened at her house, she’d have no chance of getting out,” the blond man—Pirro refused to think of him as a gentleman—said.
Pirro shivered at the implied threat. “What do you want me to do?” he asked, willing to do anything to keep his family safe.
“Talk to your supplier and pave the way for us to meet with him.”
“Okay,” Pirro said, feeling sick as he agreed. But he’d be even sicker if he didn’t. “But I don’t contact him. I just meet him at a set place and time every couple of weeks. I need time.”
A lie that bought him a little time to think, he thought, and his hands were shaking as he shoved them into his front pants pocket.
“It’s beautiful this time of year, so we’re in no rush to get back to the city. As long as you’re telling the truth, and you put things in motion, your beautiful daughter will be safe. Are we in agreement?”
“Yes. But remember one thing. If anything happens to my daughter, you two will be the first ones the cops look at, since you’re two strangers staying under her roof,” Pirro said to the blond man whom Pirro was convinced was the one in charge.
“Don’t worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. But I think you understand what you need to do now.”
The other man slapped Pirro on the back. “Relax, old man. It’s all good. We’re going back to Angel’s. I don’t know about you, but after all the excitement tonight, I can’t wait to get a good night’s sleep.”
The two men bid him goodbye and walked away.
Pirro was sick to his stomach, and he still had to go to Rafe’s. The man was a cop and could spot a lie a mile away. Pirro wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, but he needed to think things through first. Now that he’d agreed to go along with the men’s plan, his family was safe, at least for now. He’d bought himself some time to figure out how to fix the mess he’d gotten himself into.
RAFE’S FAMILY WAS in a panic, and he knew he had to take control. He sent his parents and sisters home, assuring them there was nothing more they could do to help. Then he gathered the more immediate people involved with Angel’s pie stand in his den. As the cop in the family, they looked to him for answers, but he had none.
He glanced around his small den, where the entire clan had congregated, and clapped his hands to shut them all up.
They turned their heads toward him.
“First, I need everyone to stay calm. The fire department and the county police already took Angel’s statement because she owned the booth. They’ll continue the investigation, but I have some questions of my own.” Rafe glanced around the room, and his gaze met Sara’s.
“Let’s start with what we know,” she suggested.
He nodded. “The fire department said it was definitely arson. An accelerant was used.”
As he spoke, Sara marked down notes on a pad she’d grabbed from the kitchen.
“Gasoline,” Nick added. “The chief said the area reeked of it.”
Sara nodded and made another note. “That takes care of what we know about the crime itself.”
“So now we move on to possible intended targets,” Nick said.
Angel stepped forward. “Well, that’s obvious. It was my booth, so it must have been me they were after.”
Nick stepped up and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him for comfort. At least something good was coming out of this nightmare, Rafe thought.
Rafe glanced at his aunt Vi and Pirro, who’d arrived late. His aunt appeared worried and distraught, while Pirro was sweating and pacing beside her.
“Who would want to destroy my booth?” Angel asked. “All I was doing was selling apple pie.”
Rafe didn’t know enough to calm her down just yet, but he had a few more delicate questions that might help him narrow down the scope. “You were also booking reservations. Could someone want to sabotage your business?” Other than his brother, that is, Rafe thought wryly.
Angel shook her head. “Everyone claims to want me to succeed. At least, that’s what they say to my face.” She let out a shaky laugh.
“Except for me.” Nick shocked them all by admitting the truth out loud.
“Nick!” Angel said, horrified.
Nick held up his hands in defensive mode. “Hey, I’m just stating the obvious before someone else does.” Nick met Rafe’s knowing gaze. “I was the one who said I was against the B-and-B venture.”
To Nick’s credit, he sounded ashamed.
“But you wouldn’t burn down the booth!” Angel stepped up, defending her husband. “And you were with me during the entire dance.”
“I agree with Angel. Nick’s not a suspect,” Rafe said. “Who else in the family might have someone with a grudge against them?”
Angel stepped forward once more. “Not that I want to be the target, but if the fire was aimed at the family or the business, wouldn’t the person have hit the spice booth, not the pie stand?”
“Depends on how obvious they wanted to be. Sometimes someone who has an agenda will start small, with a warning, as opposed to hitting the main target,” Sara explained.