Outback Blaze Read Online Free PDF

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    He clapped a hand on her father’s shoulder. ‘I’m sorry for your loss. The firefighters are doing an amazing job and although it might not look like it, they’ve got the fire under control. Ryan said he’s confident they’ll have it out in a couple of hours.’
    â€˜And when can we go in?’ asked Robert. ‘See what’s left?’
    Drew glanced towards the shop. ‘That’s not for me to say. Once the guys have extinguished the flames, we’ll need to inspect the building and if it looks suspicious, the arson squad will be called to investigate. My guess is that’s a given. It’s best if we leave the area as untouched as possible until then.’
    Ruby’s mum let out a gut-wrenching sob and Ruby and her dad hugged her again. A pained expression crossed Drew’s face. ‘We’ll be needing to interview you all tonight, but I’ll give you some time to digest all this first.’
    As he made to move away, Ruby let go of her mum and stepped after him. ‘Constable Noble, do you really think this is arson?’
    â€˜Please, call me Drew.’ He glanced over his shoulder at the fire. ‘It’s anyone’s guess at this stage, but yes, I’d put my money on this fire being deliberately lit.’
    Ruby’s hand rushed to her throat and she rocked a little on the spot.
    Drew immediately reached out to steady her. ‘Are you okay?’
    â€˜I’m…’ She tried to catch her breath, work out what the hell she was feeling, find the words to explain. ‘I don’t know.’
    â€˜Here, maybe you should sit?’ Strengthening his grip on her arm, Drew wrapped his other one around her body and led her over to one of the police cars. She found herself leaning into him, hoping some of his strength would transfer to her. He eased her down onto the bonnet and wrapped one hand around the back of her neck, applying gentle pressure. ‘Put your head between your legs and take deep breaths. It’ll help.’
    Although his order was a little gruff she didn’t feel bossed about. She felt looked after and realised she hadn’t flinched at his touch. Her heart raced and she couldn’t tell whether it was due to this or the direness of the situation.
    â€˜Wait there,’ he ordered. Helpless to do anything but, she sat panting on the edge of the bonnet, her head turned away from the fire because she could no longer bear to look. He returned in a flash, offering a bottle of water. Realising she must have dropped the one Simone had given her, Ruby gulped down the water as if her life depended on it. She drank half the bottle but nothing seemed to quench her thirst. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she reached up to wipe it away, but Drew got there first. He pulled what looked to be a hanky out of his jeans’ pocket and patted it against her brow.
    â€˜It’s going to be all right,’ he told her, tenderness both in his voice and his touch. ‘It may seem like a mess now, but you’re safe and that’s all that matters. Nobody’s been hurt.’
    â€˜Yes,’ she spoke with a sob. It was a fight not to cry in front of him but he was being so damn nice and in light of the situation she felt like anything would set her off. ‘ Stuff doesn’t matter but I’ve never seen anything so horrific.’ She looked again at the barely recognisable building, thinking of how her father had only recently laboured over a new coat of paint. ‘I just can’t believe it could be arson. Why would anyone want to do this to my parents?’
    Drew shrugged his wide shoulders, then took the bottle from her, screwed on the lid and placed it on the ground. ‘Don’t beat yourself up worrying about that tonight. Leave the questions to us and just try and calm yourself.’
    From anyone else this advice might have seemed patronising, but Drew’s voice worked like a