Flames of the Fire

By Rebecca Lange

She was a fierce spitfire and would protect her family with her life.

 

Her heart raced and she kept staring at the burning building before her. Pure Panic caused her heart to beat faster and Joy ran closer, yelling her sister's name. She heard a toddler crying somewhere and after what seemed like forever, her sister's voice. Joy's heart sank. Alice was still in the house. Where was her sister's husband? Why had the house caught fire? One look was enough. It wouldn't take long before the entire building collapsed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca Lange Books
• Release date: May 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9781957089416

Rebecca Lange

Rebecca ist die Mama von zwei Söhnen (17 und 19 Jahre alt), ist seit über 20 Jahren mit ihrem Ehemann verheiratet und lebt zurzeit in Utah. Sie ist in Deutschland geboren und aufgewachsen, dann aber in die USA ausgewandert, nachdem sie ihren Ehemann auf einer Hochzeit in Schottland kennengelernt hat. Sie ist ein Mitglied der Kirche Jesus Christus der Heiligen der letzten Tage und liebt ihren himmlischen Vater und Erlöser Jesus Christus. Sie spricht fließend Deutsch und Englisch und hat sich selber herausgefordert, indem sie bewusst entschied, ihre Bücher erst einmal in Englisch zu schreiben, anstatt in ihrer Muttersprache. Aber das soll sich nun ändern. Sie hat sich mit einer erfolgreichen Autorin aus Irland zusammengetan, die Rebeccas Bücher jetzt ins Deutsche, Italienische und Spanische übersetzen lässt.  Zurzeit arbeitet Rebecca an einem spannenden Western, der zuerst in Deutsch erhältlich sein wird.

Book preview

1

A Blazing Fire

Flames and smoke rose high into the air, making it easy for Joy to see the fire even from miles away. She had just come over the hill, but the smell of smoke caused her to look around at once. She gasped in horror when she realized that the strong-smelling dark clouds came from the house of her sister and brother-in-law. Her heart just about stopped, but she kicked her horse’s sides and dashed toward the burning home.

As soon as she was close enough, Joy dismounted and ran over to the homestead. Everything appeared to be in flames already. She coughed violently, calling frantically for her sister Alice between coughing. Where was she? Where were her nieces and brother-in-law? Tears shot into Joy’s eyes, but she swallowed them bravely. There was no time to cry. She had to find her loved ones.

The crackling of the burning wood, made it difficult for her to hear anything. She saw a shovel and axe next to the fence not far from where she stood. Joy grabbed the shovel and began smashing in the windows of the building. She kept repeating her sister’s name as loud as she could in hopes Alice could hear her, but her heart nearly stopped when she saw a lifeless body on the kitchen floor.

In an attempt to get closer, Joy used the shovel to pull boards and broken window pieces out of the way, but the unbearable heat, caused her to back off. Joy had seen, though, that the body was of a man. Her brother-in-law was dead.

She instantly knew she wouldn’t be able to get into the house this way. Perhaps she had more luck by using the window of the washroom that was behind the bedroom. She dropped the shovel and ran around the house to get to the other side. Coughing fits caused Joy to slow down, but the panic she felt kept her going.

As soon as Joy reached the window, she began knocking against it in an urgency that would alarm anyone.

Alice, she called out and was getting hysterical. Are you in there? Please say something. She was about to break in the window, when someone opened it from the inside. Relieved, Joy reached through the opening and pulled her sister into a firm embrace. The two children were crying.

You need to get out of here at once.

Alice shook her head. John is somewhere inside the house, we need to find him.

Instead of saying something in return, Joy shook her head, and ordered her sister to hand her the children. Alice lifted her two-months-old baby, and Joy pulled the infant tight against her chest before sprinting across the farmyard until she reached the pond near the house. She put the baby gently on the ground and into the grass, and ran back to the house to help assist her sister with the other child.

Once they reached the pond, they all dropped to the ground. The children cried, and Alice and Joy coughed their lungs out. While they were trying to catch their breath, the house collapsed. Alice screamed out in pain before jumping to her feet and rushing toward the building, clearly wanting to rescue her husband. Joy followed her, clasped her arm and pulled her back.

Alice resisted her sister heavily, but Joy was unyielding, pulled the other woman closer and took Alice’s head in her hands.

It’s too late, Alice. He didn’t make it. Joy continued to fight her own tears, but her sister burst into sobs. Joy tried to comfort her, but there were no words that would heal her sister’s heart. She led her back to the children, reaching for a handkerchief in her pocket, and handed it to her sister.

While Alice attempted to soothe the children, despite sobbing herself, Joy jumped back to her feet. Her brother-in-law should have listened to her father. He had advised John not to build a home so far away from town and that it was safer to stay closer to them, but the young man had not listened.

She shook her head in frustration and pain. The fire made no sense. Yes, it was pretty dry, but there was no reason for a house to go up in flames without a reason. It was still warm enough that they didn’t need to use the fireplace, and Joy knew how careful her sister was regarding the stove. She never left it unattended. There was no dry grass or trees directly around the house, which should have kept the building extra safe.

She suddenly remembered the note in her pocket. Her father had given it to her with the instruction to take it to John. She was about to reach for it, when movement on the side of the barn caught her eye.

Her heart beat like a drum, when she saw a person going slowly around the building, pouring something in the dry grass in front of it. Joy didn’t have to see it up close to know what the person was doing.

Hey, she shouted, causing the person to look up startled for a split-second before the individual continued their task even faster. Stop that right now!

Joy began running toward the barn, but stopped when she reached her horse. She opened the saddlebag and pulled out her father’s revolver the moment, the stranger lit a lamp and threw it into the hay inside the barn. Joy gasped. The barn was on fire at once, and everyone could hear the distressed neighing of the horses.

Despite being utterly exhausted, Joy ran over to the burning building, opened the door and quickly freed the frightened animals. Only then did she think about her own safety and retreated, before she looked for the person who had started the fire.

The stranger had reached what appeared to be their own horse, mounted it and was about to escape, when Joy lifted the weapon, pointed it and shot. A loud, painful gasp echoed through the air before the person fell to the side and crashed to the ground.

Joy sprinted after the intruder and forcefully turned the stranger on the back. Her eyes grew wide. This was a woman.

Joy stared at her in plain disbelief. The woman, moaned and coughed, but her eyes were closed.

Her face was dirty and under the cowboy hat, Joy saw a strand of unwashed blonde hair.

Who are you? Why did you start this fire?

Despite the pain the woman had to be in, caused by the bullet buried in her shoulder, she chuckled gleefully.

None of your damn business.

It is my business, Joy shouted back. You killed my brother-in-law.

So what? the woman mumbled, her voice full of disdain. We all die at one point, and some die sooner than others. She coughed and moaned again, but looked Joy straight in the eye when she continued.

Especially filthy lawyers like John Haven. Be grateful his pretty wife and the children are not dead ...yet.

Despite Joy being a petite young lady, that last comment put her in a rage. She grabbed the woman by her shirt, pulled her to her feet and slammed her against a fence post.

You disgusting piece of prairie coal, she spat out and slammed the woman again, not caring that she was yelping in pain. I swear you’ll pay for this.

The woman just scoffed, but collapsed suddenly, most likely due to the loss of blood. Joy couldn’t hold her up, and let her drop to the ground before taking a rope that was tied to the saddle of the woman’s horse, and quickly bound her hands and feet together.

Once the woman was tied up, she rushed back to her sister. The coughing took away her air to breathe, and dizziness caused her to stumble, while blackness began to close in on her. Before she had reached Alice and her nieces, her legs gave out and everything went black.

It was as if her name were called from far away. Joy fought against the drowsiness, but another coughing fit, finally made her open her eyes and look up. Alice was leaning over her, sobbing uncontrollably, with her beautiful baby girl in her arms, and her almost two-year-old stepdaughter clinging to her side.

What happened? Joy lifted herself slowly, but as soon as she saw the burning building, everything came back. She fiercely embraced her sister and comforted her until the tears stopped. Annie was crying too, and Joy gently stroked her niece’s hair.

Looking around again, Joy was close to tears herself. Why had that woman tried to murder her sister and nieces? Why had she set the farm on fire?

The woman stirred, but didn’t seem to be awake. Once again, she remembered the note. Had her father known something horrible was about to happen?

Sudden fear struck her. What if this was planned for her parents as well, and they were also in danger? She jumped to her feet, startling her sister and the children.

We need to get back to town instantly. She scanned the area, but the two horses from her brother-in-law had run off. Only her horse and the horse of the woman were still around.

Alice must have heard the urgency in her sister’s voice, and quickly hurried after her older sister.

Joy held the baby while Alice mounted the horse, and then handed the two girls to their mom. As Alice tried to seat herself more comfortably, her sleeves rolled up a little, revealing some ugly dark bruises. She quickly pulled the sleeves back down, but Joy had seen it and pulled it up again.

How did you get these bruises, Alice? Did John do this to you?

It was an accident. He was stressed and grabbed my arms a little harder than usual. Alice had tears in her eyes now, but despite Joy wanting to hear more about it, they had to return to town at once.

We’ll talk about this later. She sprinted over to the other horse and urged the animal to lay on his side, and then pulled the woman across the back. When the horse stood again, Joy pushed the limp body of the woman to the middle of the back of the horse so she was secure, tied the rest of the rope to the saddle and mounted herself. She nodded to her sister, and they were on their way a moment later.

Dark smoke clouds were rising into the air and Joy was ready to pass out. Alice must have seen it as well, but did not argue when Joy told her to stop at the café and go inside.

As soon as her sister had dismounted, and the little ones were safe with her, Joy dashed toward her parent’s house just outside of town. Her heart beat so fast, she felt like fainting again, but held on to the reigns and saddle for dear life.

She reached her home and jumped off her horse, sprinting toward the burning building. Several men of the town were already attempting to put out the fire. Before Joy had reached the house, it collapsed with a loud noise, causing the young woman to scream in pain.

Ma, Pa, noooooo! She was about to continue to run closer to the collapsed building, when two arms came around her, and she was stopped and pulled back. Joy resisted with everything she got, trying her hardest to get out of his hold, but he was unyielding until she broke down crying. He pulled her tight against his chest, just holding her close.

Dave, there is... a deep voice called out, and Joy recognized him as the deputy sheriff and John’s brother. Despite the sheriff not saying anything in return, he must have made eye contact because the young deputy turned around at once.

It was a while before Joy was able to calm down again. The man holding her led her a little away, so the burning house, now in a massive pile, was not in her view anymore. When she looked up, he gave her a sad smile.

Hey, will someone get me off this damn horse?

Joy froze in horror when she heard the ice-cold voice of the woman. She had completely forgotten about her, but now every inch of her erupted in a fury. She freed herself from the arms of the man holding her and closed the distance between her and the animal in a second. The pain she felt gave her superhuman strength, and she pulled the woman off the animal and let her fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Not realizing what she was doing, Joy grabbed her by her shirt once more, slamming her head into the dirt over and over again.

Why? Why did you do this? What is your problem with my family? Her rage was unstoppable now, and she started to choke the other woman, who was gasping for air. The men around watched Joy in complete shock before the sheriff stepped closer and pulled Joy away from the tied-up woman.

Let me go. She did it, she did it, she called out, fighting him with everything she had. He must have realized that her body had gone into a fit of rage, and so he wrapped his muscular arms around her, just holding her, while soothingly speaking to her. It took a while, but after several minutes, Joy started to calm down.

You need to make her talk, Dave. She is behind it, she stammered. Tears were still glistening in her eyes, but she had herself under control again.

I’m sorry about your parents, Joy. We heard an explosion, then several others and by the time we got here, everything was in flames. Someone must have thrown dynamite into the house.

Joy gasped in horror. I just don’t understand, she cried out. John and Alice’s house burned down too, and the woman over there started it. I saw how she set the barn on fire.

David Baker’s expression changed to shock, and Alice’s brother-in-law Matt stepped closer.

What? Is everyone all right?

Joy shook her head. I was able to get Alice and the girls out, but John was already dead when I got there. I am so sorry. Maybe if I had gotten there earlier...

No, don’t even go there, Joy. You are not to blame.

But Matt’s brother, she tried again and looked over to him. Matt shook his head, his expression frozen to stone, even though he was now trembling a little.

David turned Joy’s face back so she had to look at him. We will get to the bottom of this. If we have to torture that woman to make her talk, we will. Nobody will murder members of our community and get away with it. He clenched his fists as he said it, his entire body tensing up. They messed with the wrong town and will pay.

Matt, and a few men, took the strange woman to a prison cell before David called the doctor over. He gave Joy another firm hug before allowing the physician to guide Joy to his clinic.

David and Joy’s father Max had been best friends for as long as she could remember. He used to be the sheriff in Sacramento, but when Max moved his family to the small town, he followed.

Joy loved David like a second father. He had been the one who taught her how to shoot a gun when they moved to Auburn and was always there for them.

Since she was still coughing and occasionally gasping for air, Doc Perkins made her breathe in chloroform for a brief moment, to calm down her breathing.

I want you to stay here overnight, Joy. You’ve gone through a lot today, and breathing in smoke is not harmless. I need to keep an eye on you.

What about Alice? I have to look after her and my nieces.

You must rest, the physician responded firmly and raised an eyebrow. I believe Alice is with her mother-in-law right now, and I am sure she’ll look after the girls too.

I was too late, Doc Perkins, Joy suddenly burst out, tears dripping down her cheeks again. If I had hurried, maybe I could have prevented John’s death.

The older man sighed, pulled a chair closer and sat down, taking Joy’s hand into his. Don’t blame yourself for any of this, Joy Collins. Whatever is going on with that woman you tied up, she will have to answer for her involvement in this. You had nothing to do with it, and maybe you, arriving when you did, actually saved your life.

They both turned toward the door when a loud knock indicated the arrival of someone from town. Dr. Perkins stood and opened it. Matt Haven stepped into the room, followed by David Baker and the mayor.

Joy looked up. Did you get anything out of her?

David shook his head. She is not easy to crack. We tried different ways to make her talk, but she refuses to give out any information. All we know is that her name is Brenda Garrett, but who knows if that is even her real name. He breathed through his teeth, but turned to the physician.

Doc Perkins, can you take a look at that woman’s gun wound? I don’t want her to die before we have gotten a confession out of her.

The physician nodded, took his bag, and left the room and building.

How are you doing, Joy? Matt asked now, his eyes resting on her face. She shook her head, quickly closing her eyes so she didn’t have to look at anyone. She tried to keep her tears at bay, but too much had happened that day. Her heart was shattered into pieces.

The three men watched her concerned. Her pale face still had ashes smeared all over, mixed with dirt, tears and sweat. It was clear to them that she was close to a breakdown and had overtly exhausted herself.

Perhaps we should speak outside, the mayor said quietly, but Joy shook her head, not opening her eyes.

No, I want to hear what you have to say.

He sighed, but if he had learned anything about the young woman in the two years they’ve been living there, it was that Joy was fiercely stubborn and would follow them if they were to take the conversation elsewhere. They pulled chairs closer and sat down. The three men understood that she wanted answers and closure.

Have you found out anything?

Not yet, Matt responded with a raspy voice. The fire isn’t out yet. We will look for evidence tomorrow.

Joy, Mayor Hershel said now. David told me that John’s house was also burned down?

She nodded. Yes. I was able to get my sister and her children out, but it was too late for John. She quickly repeated everything that had happened earlier, including what she had seen the woman do.

It was silent for a moment before she heard a chair move and someone getting up. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know that it was Matt who was trying to keep his emotions under control. He had lost his brother after all.

Pa had sent me to John and Alice to deliver this letter, Joy remarked in nearly a whisper and pulled it out of the pocket of her dress and looked up for the first time since the three men entered the room. She made eye contact with David, who gently squeezed her hand before opening the envelope.

John,

Someone is threatening to murder my family. Get yourself and family out of there. Jonas Andrews will hire men to investigate.

Max

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Joy teared up again, but none of that made sense to her. Who would threaten her father with something so dreadful?

Her parents had bought the land in Auburn only two years prior. John and Alice had done the same thing. They had lived in the heart of Sacramento for many years, but wanted to be closer to nature. Since Maxwell Collins traveled a lot for his job, it didn’t matter where they lived.

Max bought land in Auburn, a beautiful little town, and John followed with his family. They quickly fell in love with the area and connected with the people living there immediately. After the sudden death of John and Matt’s father, their mother and Matt also moved to Auburn and opened a small café.

2

Escape Without Confession

Joy shot up to a seating position, startled, when several explosions went off. She smelled smoke and turned as white as a bedsheet. No, it couldn’t be. Not again. She jumped out of her bed and ran to the window. Her heart just about stopped when she saw that the café and bank were on fire. Alice, Annie & Baby Ruth.

Without hesitation, she rushed out of the clinic and over to the burning café. She didn’t care that she was only in a nightgown. All she worried about was her sister and nieces. Before she reached the building, however, she saw that her sister and nieces were outside, along with her sister’s mother-in-law.

Alice was in bad shape. She was utterly hysterical, and it wasn’t until Joy pulled her into her arms, that she began to calm down. Annie and the baby were crying, looking for comfort from their grandma.

David Baker, Matt Haven and several men from town worked tirelessly to put out the fires, but it took them several hours before they succeeded. The café was only a pile of ashes, the bank still stood but was unrecognizable on the inside.

Joy stood there in shock and watched Matt run closer. He called for the sheriff, sharing loudly that the barred window of the prison cell had been busted open and the woman they had arrested the day before had escaped. Joy clenched her fists.

To help Alice calm down, Doc Perkins brought her to his clinic. Reverend Alden’s wife, took it upon herself to take care of the children, so Alice could rest. The Alden’s had several teenage daughters who loved babysitting, so the two children were in good hands.

Joy stepped next to her sister’s mother-in-law and took her hand. I am so sorry, Maureen. I promise once we have access to our parent’s money again, I’ll help pay for the repairs. Anyone could hear that she was close to bursting out in tears, but she forced herself to stay strong.

Maureen stared at her with the same frozen expression Matt had the day before, but eventually found her voice again.

Before we do anything, we need to find the people behind it. Besides, you had nothing to do with this.

But Alice and the girls stayed with you last night. I don’t know what is happening, but someone is clearly trying to get rid of our family and us being here is getting everyone in danger. We’ll leave as soon as the funeral of my parents and John is over.

Before Maureen Haven had the chance to say something in return, David Baker stepped closer. He had heard the rest of the conversation and reached for Joy’s hand to pull her into his arms. As soon as she made eye contact with him, he gave her an understanding smile before his expression was serious again.

Joy, nobody is blaming you or your sister. You belong to this town, community and to the Haven family, and we will not just let you wander off into the dangerous world because someone is targeting you.

We wouldn’t just wander off. You might not recall this, but we have an uncle in Montana, in a small town called Deer Lodge. Uncle Gerald is the mayor there, and Pa’s brother. He is officially our guardian. I won’t be of age for another few months, so we have someone to look out for us.

I can look after you too. Although, not official, I am closest to what you would call a godfather.

I know, but we are not related by blood and can’t just move in with you. Uncle Gerald and Aunt Eliza will take us in. I have fond memories of them from when I was younger.

Deer Lodge is not close. It will take several days for you to get there. Two young women and little children traveling alone by stagecoach? Stagecoaches oftentimes get robbed. There is no way, we will let you do that on your own. Right, Matt? David asked loudly and waved his deputy over before sharing everything Joy had just said to him.

Dave is right, Joy. That would be too dangerous and foolish of us.

We have nothing now, and we won’t become a burden to this wonderful town and the people living here. Besides, until we know why my parents and your brother were murdered, we will not be staying here any longer.

You are not just leaving, Dave insisted and looked at the young woman firmly. Mayor Hershel and Reverend Alden are calling for a town meeting this evening, and we will certainly discuss what is going to happen to you and Alice.

Joy was nervous when she entered the church. She had met with the owner of the bank beforehand, and that conversation had confirmed her worries. They had nothing now and no access to money. The documents her father had kept safe there were all gone, along with many other documents from other town folks. She knew the most important papers were kept in Sacramento at the office of her father’s lawyer, but that was no help to them as of right now.

Because Joy wasn’t of age yet, and her sister was a year younger than her, their uncle would now have access to their father’s bank account, and was the one who would be responsible for the finances from now on. It was a good thing that most of the money was at a bank in Sacramento.

Joy, Doc Perkins said and waved her over and pulled her into a corner before the meeting started. People were still piling into the church, having conversations with each other. The mayor and sheriff had not arrived yet.

After your sister’s breakdown earlier, I examined her. Her body is covered in bruises. Do you know anything about that?

Joy nodded reluctantly. I saw bruises on her arm, after rescuing her and the girls.

Doc Perkins leaned closer, now only whispering. She wouldn’t tell me how she had gotten them, but bruises like that usually only mean one thing. Did John do that to her?

Joy nodded again. She didn’t want to tell me anything either, but I pressured her, and she said he had just been so stressed and had grabbed her more forceful on accident.

The physician scoffed. On accident, right. Did you know he was like that?

Joy shook her head. I did not. He obviously hid it very well. I haven’t spoken to Alice in more detail about it yet, since we had so much going on, but I know she is lying on his behalf. This was not an accident, especially if you say her entire body is covered in bruises. Her fists were clenched, but she saw