Isolation by Jones, Nathan (the first e reader .TXT) 📗

much time in their former home. They were too busy hovering around Stanberry like vultures, plotting ways to make everyone's lives miserable.

Ellie nodded. “Well they were at least able to confirm Jay's accusations about the fires in Wensbrook. They snuck in early this morning to give the place a look.”

Nick felt a sinking in his gut. “How bad is it?”

“Worse than what Jay did in Stanberry,” she admitted grimly. “By far. Dozens of houses, and according to Darby's friends they were in the more upscale part of town, and spread to some of the tourism spots along Main Street.”

He bit back a curse, although in a way he felt almost relieved. He might have suspected Chet and Ben, but he didn't think they'd go that far.

Which meant it couldn't have been them, didn't it?

Nick's relief was short-lived when he realized that Ellie was watching him closely. He tensed as she continued quietly. “There's only so many people it could've been, and unless they're crazy those people would have to be Zolos survivors. I've been working with Starr, Johnny, and Betty, asking around for any information about suspicious activity in your camp that night.”

That was news to him, and not good news. “But not me?” he demanded, flushing.

“Well considering we've got four eyewitnesses who insist they saw two figures lurking around the gas tanks that night, then they drove off in a pickup truck, we've got some suspicions.”

That reinforced Nick's own suspicions about that night, although he didn't like what she was suggesting. “You think I did this?”

Ellie immediately shook her head. “Of course I don't think you would. But you've got some hotheaded young men in your group.”

Nick took a deep breath. “I don't know who it was, and if I have suspicions I haven't confronted the people in question. Are you trying to find who did it so you can arrest them?” Chet and Ben were working themselves ragged defending the town and helping the sick.

Her eyes narrowed, but she shook her head. “A crime is a crime, even if Jay's been besieging us for weeks and you could argue that hitting him back is part of that war. But for now we're just trying to find answers.”

“Well if I find out anything you'll be the first to know.” He meant that, but he didn't plan to do much digging.

He started to turn away, but Ellie called him back. “One more thing.”

Fantastic. Nick reluctantly faced her again, waiting.

She fidgeted a bit, looking embarrassed. “Look, I didn't mean for that to be a fight. I probably should've given you the good news first, started things off on a more cheerful note.” She smiled wanly. “I've talked it over with Hal . . . since we can't move into Stanberry, and Jay's been quiet for the last few days, and now you know where his camp is, I think it's safe to go ahead with the wedding. We're going to have it tomorrow at noon.”

Oh. Yeah, that probably would've been a better subject to lead off with. Nick forced himself to give her the warmest smile he could manage. “Congratulations! You still want us all from the survivors' camp to try to attend in person?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” Ellie gave him a sincere look. “Thanks, Nick. For everything. It means a lot that you and Tallie will be here for this.”

“I think we could all do with a happy event, with everything we've been through. Give my congratulations to Hal, too. He seems like a good guy.”

“Hey thanks, man, right back at you!” Hal called from behind the berm. Nick heard Ricky and the other kids all laughing.

He shook his head ruefully; there wasn't much privacy in the camp, especially when you were talking to someone at a safe distance. “Well I'm going to go get Tallie and bring her back so you can say goodnight and give her the good news.”

“I can't wait to see her face,” Ellie said. She looked happy, which he was glad for; he genuinely hoped her marriage turned out well. The two deserved that, after everything they'd been through.

Nick waved goodbye and headed for the survivors' camp, feeling a conflicting mix of emotions.

Well, at least someone had found some happiness in all this chaos.

Chapter Six

Nuptials

Ellie squinted into the mirror she'd borrowed, twisting and turning to try to get a view from head to toe.

She'd hoped a bathroom mirror would be big enough, since finding a full-length one on short notice had proved impossible. But this one was proving frustratingly inadequate. Which was just one of the less than ideal things about her wedding day.

The least ideal of which, unfortunately, was her wedding dress. She'd needed to be a bit creative when it came to finding one on short notice; one of Winn's friends had been willing to loan her an older but well cared for white gown, just fancy enough to fit the occasion. But it was embarrassingly loose around the hips and bust, and even after her friends had spent a few hours working on the fit it was still far from flattering.

“Don't worry,” Gen had told her when she expressed her reservations about walking down the aisle in the borrowed dress. “With your figure you can make anything look good.” Her kindly eyes had crinkled with humor. “Besides, any idiot can see Hal's head over heels for you. He'd give you googly eyes even if you came out covered head to toe in cardboard.”

That was all well and good, but as Cara and Linny helped her with the final fitting before her walk down the aisle, she couldn't help but feel like a girl playing dress-up. It wasn't a feeling she'd expected to have in her early 30s.

Hal's mom was either surprisingly perceptive about Ellie's inner thoughts, or she'd been thinking along the same lines, because after stepping back and looking Ellie over with a frown her first words were, “Well, you could always stuff your bra to fill out