The Fount of Dragon Fire

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The narrow beam of Ash's penlight moved across the darkness of the master bedroom as he crept softly inside. Save for the hum of the heaters, the cottage was silent. Camry had gone to bed a few hours ago, shutting the door behind her. Ash had lain awake in the darkness, waiting until he was sure that she had been given enough time to fall asleep.

For someone that Ash was certain was innocent, Camry sure had a lot to hide. He wanted to see why she wasn't staying in the master bedroom. Why would she lie? And, if she hadn't lied, why had she looked so evasive when she answered.

When he walked into the room, his nose was immediately assaulted by the sooty scent of ash and burned wood. He frowned as he swept his penlight across the room. It smelled like there had been a fire in here, rather recently, too. However, he couldn't see a fireplace, and the one in the living room didn't even smell this strongly.

All the furniture was covered in sheets, like the spare bedroom had been. They lacked the thin layer of dust that the ones he had helped remove possessed though. When he touched the one covering the TV, his fingers didn't come away gray.

He turned the light into the room. The blinds were all covering the windows, including the one that had been broken. Camry had cleaned up the glass already, but his light still caught some refraction where she had missed a few shards.

The bedframe had been covered in another large, white sheet. He could tell, even before he grabbed one corner and threw it back, that there wasn't a mattress beneath it. The way the sheets hung into the empty space told him the truth of her words.

Ash frowned into the hole left by the wooden frame. No mattress. No box spring. Just like she had told him. Then why had it seemed like she was lying?

His light moved up across the headboard and he frowned. The wood was discolored, mostly in the center, before becoming the more stained and polished color towards the sides. It looked as though someone had scrubbed away the top layer of it.

There was no doubt in Ash's mind that Camry had been in here. The room wasn't nearly as dusty as it should have been if no one had been inside. Yet, the lack of mattress aligned with her story. Though, he couldn't figure out why it smelled like a fire pit in here.

Pulling the sheet back down into place, Ash left the room a silently as he had come. Before he returned to his room, he took a quick look around from the bedroom to the basement door. He didn't find any flecks of blood or any similar scrubbing of the wooden floor. He couldn't imagine that someone as small as Camry would be able to move Yarrow Norcross' body anyway.

Then again, he had no proof that she was the one who had removed the mattress and disturbed the sheets in the master bedroom. Maybe the killer had done it before she had arrived.

That seemed like a more likely explanation, to his way of thinking. But he couldn't get the look on her face when he had asked out of his mind.

Camry definitely had a secret, and he was determined to find out what it was.

***

Bacon sizzled loudly as Camry placed the thick cuts into the skillet. The fresh scent of coffee filled the air from the half full pot that was percolating happily in the corner. She had the egg carton open and ready for her to crack into the pan, but she wanted to get the bacon started first.

The door to the room Ash was sleeping in was closed tight. She didn't know what time he normally woke up, but she had found herself dithering around for some time after first opening her eyes because she didn't want to disturb him if he was still asleep.