Scroll down for more titles by Amaris Ricci
DeCarla Walters will be married in an hour. Problem is she is locked in a sound proof cellar, put there by her twin sister, DeCori who is in love with her fianc? - Jaime Beckles. The only way out is to burn the place down - from the inside. She fills an old bath tub with water and lets it overflow, then she lights the place up. When it gets too hot she submerges herself in the water and prays.
Excerpt:
A call comes through to the Worthing fire station and the only truck available is dispatched within 5 minutes. Fire Chief Dorian Hayde was sitting in his office when the call came through and when the truck was leaving he was on it as well. The truck blares the siren and bobs and weaves through traffic to Rendezvous Ridge. The caller had reported that smoke was seen coming from the basement. Dorian busted through the front door and called out in case anyone was at home. He followed the smoke and in a few minutes he felt the heat from the fire. His men were behind him with the hose and he told them to stand back while he busted down the door. He made a mental note that the door had been locked with a dead bolt. The fire wasn't as bad as they had thought but when he saw the woman floating in the tub, the hairs on the back of his head stood up.
"S**t, someone's in here, get that fire out and call an ambulance."
Dorian grabs the female who looks as if she is asleep but then he saw a few bubbles just before he yanked her from the tub. She doesn't cough or sputter. He runs upstairs with her to the living room as the fire is almost out. While putting her on the floor she lets out a breath and stares up at him.
"Tell them I'm dead. Please." She whispers
He sees the fervent plead in her eyes as she closes them and reverts back to the dead look.
Going against everything he knows about people, his line of work and life as a whole, he wraps her up in a blanket and takes her outside to the ambulance which was just pulling up. Fortunately for him and her, the ambulance driver was a good friend. Dorian places her on the gurney and nods to Andy.
"Hey Chief what's up?"
"She isn't dead, I have a funny feeling some one tried to kill her, the lock on the door to the basement where we found her looked brand new and it was locked from the outside. She was holding her breath underwater when I got there, seems she lit the fire 'cause there was no way she could have gotten out. Take my keys, switch from the ambulance to my car, drop her off at my house, I will call Mark at the hospital and see how we are going to play this out. As well as Mason, he is gonna have my hide for this stunt."
"Jesus, you are usually right about these things, I will help out as much as I can, keep your cell on incase I need you."
"Thanks bud."
The ambulance tore out of the neighbourhood as people gathered around. Dorian rubbed the back of his head and hoped to God he was right about the situation. He went back inside as the fellas were coming up.
"Boss, this looks fishy, is she dead?"
"To us no, to the news yes she is. I have a bad feeling. Did you find the source of the fire?"
"Yeah, I'm positive she used kerosene on a rag and some matches and just dropped it in a bin full of paper. The guys are behind you whatever you do."
"I'm on my way to see the Commissioner, I have to get to him before this hits the news. Finish up here, do not speak to anyone about this okay!"
"Sure boss." The fellas turned to make sure they documented everything and as the police took over, the left and headed back to the station.
"Mason, Hayde here. Can you see me now? I'm outside your building."
"Come on up and come right through."
"Little brother what did you do now that you needed to see me so urgently?"
"I just came from a fire in Rendezvous Ridge, we found a woman floating in a bathtub but when I took her out she pleaded with me to tell people she was dead. My gut tells me she is scared and someone tried to kill her, I sent Andy to my house with her but I need you to cover this for me."
"I need to talk to her as soon as I can and determine what we do next. The press will want answers."
"That's why I came to you first, I'm on my way home now, wanna' follow me?"
"Is she pretty?"
"Yes but that's not why I'm doing this. If you had seen the way she was floating in that tub, from the way the fire was when we got there she is either a diver or a syncronised swimmer. I know she's in trouble bro."
"Okay let's go see this beauty that has you willing to risk 20 years in the fire department."
The Hayde brothers drove to Dorian's house in Chelsea Road. It was late in the evening and outside was a bit dark and the house was set far back from the road and not many people were out. The house was in darkness. Dorian located his spare key and unlocked the front door.
Dorian switched on the lights and he saw a head pull back from the door way.
"It's okay you can come out."
"I wasn't sure who it was." She looked like she had a shower and she was wearing Dorian's sweats and t-shirt.
"I put my clothes in the dryer, these were the only things that fit me sorry."
"That's fine. I think some introductions are in order. I'm Dorian Hayde, Fire Chief and this is my brother Mason Hayde, Commissioner of Police."
"I'm ...."
"DeCarla Walters." Mason interrupted.
"That's me."
"'The DeCarla Walters?" Dorian voiced.
"One and only. I think you need to see this."
She flicked on the television.
CBC News was on and the first thing they saw was an ambulance driver loading woman covered in a white sheet being loaded into an ambulance. Someone had recorded it with their cell phone. What made the Commissioner sit down was when a woman with the same exact face as the one standing next to them came on, they figured out what was going on.