Page 3 of Burn With Me

“No, Dad, no!” I ran toward the house but was pushed back by the searing heat. I looked around for any way to help. He was frantically trying to pull up on the window, but it seemed stuck. He slammed his fists against the glass, but it didn’t break. They always slept with their bedroom door closed, and for the moment, there were no flames inside, but the room was darkening with thick smoke that was looking for a way out, just like my dad.

“Dad!” I ran to the garden, grabbed one of the decorative gnomes, and hurled it at the window. It made contact but didn’t even make a scratch. Frantic, I grabbed another and threw it again like I was trying out for the football team. With a loud grunt, I tossed the next in line, determined that one of them would do the job and save my parents.

“Vi!” My father’s muffled yell hit my ears. I looked up and stared into his eyes. “I love you, Vi.” He covered his mouth and nose with his shirt, the smoke so thick now that I could barely make him out. His hand pressed against the window, and ever so slowly, he disappeared from sight.

“Dad, no!” There were no more statues, so I grabbed a big rock and threw one after another at that stupid window until I couldn’t lift my arm. Not caring, I reached for another when movement caught my attention. I looked up to see a boy, who was about my age, dressed in all black. He had a hood up, hiding his face, but I could feel his stare. As soon as I looked directly at him, he turned and ran.

“Vi, we’re coming.” My head snapped toward the sound of the voice, and I realized that Becky had gone to get her parents. Other neighbors were now jogging my way. I’d been so focused that I hadn’t heard the firetruck until the flashing lights drove up the lane.

“They’re up there.” I pointed to the window as the firefighters ran my way. They reached me and looked up to see where I was pointing when the whole upper floor made a rumbling noise. I screamed as the firefighter jumped on me and took me to the ground covering me with his much larger body a moment before the entire house exploded.

I didn’t realize I was still screaming until Becky grabbed me and shook me. My eyes found hers, tears streaming down both our faces. She wrapped me up in a hug and held me tight as I cried onto her shoulder. I couldn’t restrain my hysterical sobs because I was full of gut-wrenching pain.

“I told them I hated them,” I mumbled. “I didn’t hate them. They died thinking I hated them.”

Violet

Present Day

As I marched down the long hallway, my heels clicked on the stark white tile. Those working in the offices I passed by looked up and then ducked their heads once more. Some things never changed, while others drastically did. I was still at the top of my game when it came to making people around me uncomfortable.

Not bothering with pleasantries like knocking, I pushed open the closed door and stepped into my boss’s office. He was on the phone, but I was on a mission. The thick folder I now held, which I’d been collecting items for over the years, slammed loudly on his desk as I smacked it down.

His eyes narrowed as he glared up at me, but I wasn’t about to back down. Glancing around the room, I gazed at the awards and photographs lining his walls. I’d lost count of how many times I’d seen the same pictures or skimmed over his many accolades.

“I’m sorry, but I will have to call you back,” Mitch said as he glared at me. He put the phone down on his desk with a thud. “Gee, Violet, come on in? Interrupt my important call, why don’t you? Don’t bother to apologize as usual,” he fumed, but I ignored him.

“The window was sealed with some sort of sticky substance. Why was that not in the original investigation report?” I poked at the file.

“Are we on this again?” Mitch leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I told you I’m not stopping until I find out who murdered my parents,” I said, more determined than ever to figure out who had killed them and make them pay by putting them behind bars.

“Violet, they did a full investigation, and no one was ever found or convicted. There was no evidence to pin it on anyone. The investigation is closed and was ruled a cold case until the police gathered more evidence.”

“That’s bullshit. You know that they have stopped looking. They have too many other things ‘on the go’ to be worried about a decade-old, cold case. I’m your best investigator, and I’m telling you that I can find something they didn’t. All I need is access to the evidence for the case. There was so much that was missed. It was like as soon as they discovered the one spot that looked like the ignition area, they stopped looking at anything else.” I followed Mitch as he grabbed his dress blazer and hat, walking out the door into the hall.

“Really? Tell me one new thing that you’ve found,” Mitch said.

“I just did. There was a sticky substance found around the windows that was never tested. I would bet my life that it was a glue of some sort. I want the evidence re-tested. Who knows what else I will find? You just need to sign off on it.” I pulled an authorization paper out of the file to hand over to him.

“No.”

“No? What do you mean no?”

“I’m pretty sure the word means the same thing it did when created. No means I’m not signing it.” Mitch pushed his way out the front entrance of the headquarter’s doors.

I followed him like a stalker—I wanted answers.

“Mitch, this is the break I’ve been looking for. I need this tested to prove that I’m right.”

Sighing, Mitch turned toward me after he opened his car door and tossed his briefcase inside. “Violet, it has been nine years. You need to let this go. You’re consumed with finding answers where there are none to be found. Your parent’s house burning down was a tragedy, and I’m sorry for the loss you endured and the fact that you’ve never gotten the closure you need, but it’s time to let it go. It’s time to let them go.”

“I can’t, and if you’d take a look at the notes I made, you’ll see a list of things that were overlooked. Please, sign this, and if it doesn’t work out, I promise that I will give real consideration to letting it go.”

“How many times have I heard that before? No, Vi. I’m done with this. You need to focus on your other cases. If you continue to pursue this, then you will leave me no other choice than to suspend you.”

My mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious. I complete more cases than anyone else.”