Once in a Blue Moon (Silver Society Book 7)

Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

There was smoke everywhere. For a split second, Arnie froze. Then he raced toward the building that had gone up in flames.

   "Arnie, stop!" Melissa cried in alarm as she chased after him.

   "There could be people in there," Arnie protested. "It's an important site. Tourists go there all the time."

   "No one's inside," Aideen said as she joined them. "It's okay, Arn. I don't sense anyone, dead or alive."

    He took a deep breath. "We still need to stop the fire."

   "I've got it. Take Melissa and head to Alex's. I'll meet you guys there."

    Arnie reluctantly left with Melissa. Aideen set to work on taking control of the fire. Soon, she was able to put it out.

    "What happened?" Skip asked as he and Susie arrived at the scene.

   "No idea. When I got here, Arnie was about to run in and play hero," Aideen replied. "It's not arson. Someone did this with magick."

    "Why?" Susie asked. "What's the point?"

    "I think they're trying to harness energy from the fires."

   "I guess Graham's off the hook. He couldn't have done this. He's still in custody," Skip replied.

    "Does that mean you're releasing him?" Aideen asked hopefully. She'd gone to visit him every day that he'd been at the Unit. She had even asked Johnny to take his case. Aideen wasn't sure what it was about Graham that made her keep going back, but that didn't matter. All she knew was talking to him always calmed her down and she wanted to help him.

   "There's an out-of-state warrant for his arrest. He says he's innocent. My guts says he's telling the truth, but we'll need to prove it to clear his name."

"So release him to me," Aideen said suddenly.

"Aideen, you're seventeen. We can't just release a potentially dangerous man into your custody."

"I'll get my mom to agree to it."

"I'm sorry, Aideen, but-"

"I'll take responsibility for him," Johnny said as he and Danny joined them. "He's a good kid, Skip. He shouldn't be stuck in a cell while this gets sorted out."

Aideen looked at Johnny gratefully. "Really?" She asked.

"I'm his lawyer. It's my job to look out for him," Johnny replied.

"Alright. I don't think any judge will deny that you're responsible enough to handle this, Johnny," Skip agreed. "Come to the Unit and we'll start the paperwork."

"So, who's the new suspect if Graham's innocent?" Danny asked.

"We don't have one," Susie admitted.

"Graham says the fires and the lycanthrope hunters always hit a town together. I'm betting they're responsible," Aideen replied.

"We'll look into that," Skip promised.

Aideen glanced at her watch. "Crap... I need to get to Alex's. Call me when you've got Graham settle in, Johnny."

"I will," Johnny replied.

Convinced Graham would be safe, Aideen headed toward Alex's house.

~*~

It almost felt like a normal day. Melissa was perched in Arnie's lap. Upon closer examination, Evan realized Arnie looked haunted, and Melissa was subtly trying to comfort him. Cassandra stood stoically in a corner, watching the room, but her senses seemed to be even more heightened than usual. Cierra was studying, but it looked like she kept rereading the same paragraph over and over again. Jesse was flipping through channels on the television, visibly unable to focus. Evan knew he'd brought the young wererat home to his family, and it was clear he was still shaken up from finding the kid. Dylan was strumming his guitar, a very melancholy melody that fit the mood of the room. Alex was pacing and obviously anxious, but he kept a strong exterior for the sake of the others. Beth and Jade sat beside each other, although neither spoke. Randy was flipping through the sports section of a newspaper, but it was obvious he wasn't actually retaining anything he was reading.