A Hope City Duet

by Kris Michaels

  “And yet, YouTube flagged several of your videos.”

  Sean observed as the goofy expression fled John’s face, replaced by anger. “I was stunned. I mean, their standards are fairly opaque. Hell, they use uneducated workers to trawl through and flag videos without even understanding what they’re watching. They see someone mixing chemicals creating reactions of all types, including fire, and they think it’s wrong or dangerous.”

  “What kind of messages do you get from that channel?” Jonas leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table, and stared at John.

  As though impervious to the detectives’ questions, John continued his excited explanation. “I get lots of questions about what happens when you mix different chemicals or compounds. Lots of kids are looking for great experiments to show their class or maybe for a science project. I never wanted to become a teacher because they don’t make any money. But this way, I’m still teaching. I’m still leading young minds, getting them interested in what they can do with chemicals.”

  “And you were angry when you got a warning from YouTube and some of your videos were flagged.”

  “You’re damn right I was angry. I protested and got some of my fellow YouTube chemists to protest as well. I even encouraged my subscribers to protest.” Shrugging, he added, “But ultimately I didn’t want to lose everything I had worked for, so I pulled down the flagged videos. Pissed me off, but it was better than losing my channel.”

  Sean observed John carefully. “It’s our understanding that you had the nickname Firestarter when you were in college. Doesn’t that seem a little incongruent with someone who sees himself as promoting safety?”

  Blinking, John leaned back in his seat, his head cocked slightly. “Who told you that? That was just a nickname. Hell, everyone I graduated with was an expert in chemistry. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff other people combined to make reactions. We used to have competitions to see who could create the biggest bang, the biggest spark, the biggest fire, the most smoke.” John’s gaze shifted between Sean and Jonas and he licked his lips slowly. “What are these questions really about? Are you looking at me as a suspect?” His voice raised with each word.

  “We’re just looking at all sources where people can learn to set fires using certain chemicals. Have you come across anyone who has shown a particular interest, especially in phosphorus and carbon disulfide?”

  John’s gaze narrowed. “As you’ve looked at my videos, you probably already have the answer to that question. With thousands of subscribers, I get lots of questions. To be honest, I answer very few of them, simply not having the time. And if you’re asking if I have any idea who the serial arsonist is, I’ll tell you ‘no’.” He stood and walked toward the door. “If that’s all, detectives, I have a job to do.”

  Keeping their thoughts to themselves, Sean and Jonas walked back out to the parking lot. Once in his SUV, Sean said, “What do you think?”

  Shaking his head, Jonas sighed. “What’s running through my mind is he’s only one person, but he has eight thousand subscribers and over a million views on his videos. How many of those viewers are secret firestarters themselves, and they’re getting all the information they need right in front of them.”

  “Yeah, I had the same thought.” The weight of the investigation bore down on his shoulders, and Sean cracked his neck back and forth before pulling out into the street.

  Soon, the two were ensconced back in their offices, once more buried under piles of papers. Beth walked in, going directly to their board with the map of Hope City and pushpins indicating the arsons. Sean did a double take as he watched her pull out the small pushpins and replace them with much larger ones decorated with stars.

  “What the hell are you—”

  She laughed and glanced toward Jonas. “Do you want to tell him?”

  Sean shot a look toward his partner, who was slouching in his chair. Leaning back in his own seat, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

  “I need to get new glasses,” Jonas groused. “I made the comment the other day that I couldn’t see the pins from here.”

  Beth finished replacing the pins and put the container of star pins on the tray below the board. “He asked if we could order some, but you know what ordering is like around here. Our budget for office equipment is practically nil. But I remembered my daughter had some at home, and she no longer uses them, so I thought I’d bring them in.”

  Sean looked up at the map, now adorned with large, star-shaped pushpins and shook his head. “You gotta be kidding me. That’s what we need to use now?”

  With her hands on her hips, Beth said, “I don’t want to hear any complaining. Just be glad I brought these instead of the ones that were shaped like unicorn heads.” Still smiling, she walked back to her desk, leaving Sean glaring at Jonas, who refused to meet his partner’s eyes.

  “Perhaps we should have gotten the ones with unicorn heads,” he quipped. “Then maybe we could get some more office supplies.” As he continued staring at the papers on his desk, he occasionally looked toward the board and realized how much easier it was to see the arson sites with the large pins. But he decided to keep that observation to himself.

  Harper’s hands shook with anger as she stared at her phone, attempting to calm herself before dialing Sean’s number. She had walked outside and stood near her car in the parking lot, not wanting her coworkers to overhear.

  Frustrated when his voicemail message reached her ears, she hesitated, wondering if she should wait until she could see him. Filled with irritation, she spoke. “Sean, it’s Harper. When you get this, don’t bother calling me back because I need some time to cool off. I just got a very angry phone call from John. It seems that you now think he might be the arsonist or at least has been training them. He blames me! I didn’t even know he had the nickname Firestarter, and yet he now thinks that I gave you that information. I know you asked about him, but I didn’t even let him know that you’d done that. Now I just feel used, which might seem ridiculous, but it’s what I feel! I don’t expect to be interrogated about my friends. So, like I said, don’t call back. I need a little space to work through my anger.”

  She disconnected, then leaned her back against her car, dropped her chin and stared at her feet for a moment. A cool wind sliced between the cars in the parking lot and she shivered. She was so upset when she got John’s call she had rushed outside, forgetting her jacket. Shoving her phone back into her pocket, she headed back inside her office.

  28

  Harper was halfway through her second glass of wine when she heard a knock on the door. She had come home from work, changed into comfortable clothes, nuked leftover Chinese, and poured a large glass of wine. Her head ached as well as her heart, and she second-guessed the angry voicemail she left for Sean.

  She thought about ignoring the knock, not in the mood to talk to Daniel. Another rap sounded, and she sighed heavily. She pushed herself off the sofa and walked to the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Throwing open the door, she was shocked to see Sean standing there.

  His hands were jammed down into his pockets, his always-neat hair was ruffled, and his expression was guarded.

  “I… I thought you were Daniel. Who buzzed you up?”

  “Daniel was just leaving when I came to the building. He let me in.”

  They stood and stared at each other for a moment. If she thought her heart hurt earlier when she was drowning her irritation in her wine, it was nothing compared to what she felt staring at his face.

  “Can I come in?”

  She stepped back and waved her hand toward the living room, closing the door behind him. Turning, she said, “Sean—”

  “Harper—”

  They spoke at the same time, then both stopped. He hesitated, so she moved into the kitchen. “I was having a glass of wine. Would you like something to drink?”

  “I’ll take a beer, thank you.”

  She grabbed a beer and handed it to him as she passed
by on her way to the living room. She plopped onto the sofa again and watched as he walked past the chair and sat on the sofa. Not too close so that she felt crowded but not far away. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers, massaging the tension. He seemed to be waiting now, so she stepped into the breach.

  “I shouldn’t have made that phone call, Sean. I was angry, and that’s never the right time to try to talk to someone.”

  “I disagree, babe. If you’re feeling it, I want to know.”

  She gave her head a quick shake. “My parents never argued in front of me or my brother. I’m sure they disagreed, but I was never around people who fought. They always told me to wait until the heat of anger had passed before trying to deal with something.”

  He leaned forward and set his beer on the coffee table. “Harper, I’m not going to argue with how your parents raised you, but I can tell you that I was raised in a loud family that could argue without being vicious and you always knew you were loved. So, like I said, I don’t want you to hide things. If you’re upset, let me know. If something has happened to upset you, I want to know that too.”

  His words were not what she expected, and she held his gaze, uncertain what to say next.

  “Sweetheart, I’m very sorry that John called you and took his frustrations out on you because that’s exactly what he did. Your name was not mentioned. There was no reason for him to assume that you had anything to do with my interview with him today.”

  “But Sean, this is John. Geeky, goofy John. Why is he a suspect?”

  “I never called him a suspect. That was from him.”

  She snapped her mouth shut, the new information sinking in, but Sean was not finished.

  “You know that in an investigation we have to look at everything. We run down a lot of rabbit holes just looking to get that one clue. And just because we know someone or we think they aren’t guilty is no reason for us to ignore looking at the evidence.” He leaned forward and held her gaze, adding, “Just like when you get a claim for a fire and it turns out someone in the family set it. You hate it. It’s hard. But you’ve got to look at the evidence.”

  She dropped her chin and sighed. Guilt weighed heavily knowing he was right. Lifting her head, she held his gaze. “I owe you an apology, Sean. I should never have taken this out on you. I admit that it was upsetting to get John’s phone call today, but you’re right. You have to look at everything.”

  Before she knew what was happening, her wine glass was out of her hand and on the coffee table, and she was gently lifted and pulled across his lap. With his arms banded around her, he kissed her lightly.

  She pulled back, pressing her palms against his chest to give a slight separation. “Sean, it’s important that I know you accept my apology. I’m sorry I got angry before thinking it through or talking it over with you.”

  “Apology is already accepted, babe.”

  Her lips curved, remembering something he once told her. I was taught that a heartfelt apology should always be accepted. If not, then it reflects on me, not the other person. He smiled in return and she was sure he had the same memory.

  Sliding her hands from his chest to around his neck, she pulled him close. Then she discovered something she had always read about. Makeup sex was wonderful.

  The Celtic Cock Pub was hopping as Harper pushed her way through the crowd. For the past week, she and Sean had rarely gone out, preferring to spend their time alone together. They spent most nights at her place because of Smokey, but Daniel had always come through by checking on her cat when they spent the night at Sean’s house.

  There had been no other big meals with all of his family, but she had managed to have coffee with Sharon and Tara one morning and lunch with Erin. Caitlyn was a schoolteacher and her days were full, but Harper had promised Sean’s youngest sister that they would get together soon.

  The more time she spent with Sean, the more she wanted to be with him. He holds my interest and my heart. With texts and phone calls during the day when they could manage them, they spent their dinners at each other’s houses, sometimes talking about work, sometimes talking about anything except work. They discovered they enjoyed the same old British mysteries on TV, and some evenings they piled up quietly on the sofa together reading. But their nights were spent in each other’s arms.

  Sandy had finally put her foot down and said that the two of them needed to join the land of the living again, so Harper and Sean agreed to meet after work at the Pub. She did not see Sean right away, but it was easy to find Sandy, even though she was petite. All she had to do was look for the gathering of men, and sure enough, Sandy was in the middle.

  Pushing her way through the crowd, she greeted Rory and some of the others that she recognized. Rory had saved a barstool for her, knowing that Sean was on his way. Once she was seated next to Sandy, he moved on to hang out with some of the other first responders coming in after their long shifts.

  “Haven’t seen you in a long time, beautiful.”

  Turning, she saw Bill and smiled. “That’s why Sandy dragged me out tonight.”

  “Well, the last I heard you and Detective Fire were still going strong. It wasn’t until I saw him out with someone else last week I figured you two must have finally broken up.”

  Blinking in surprise, she had no time to respond before Sandy turned on her stool and pierced Bill with a pointed look. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Without giving Bill a chance to speak, Harper said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I assure you that Sean and I are still very much together.”

  Bill lifted his hands to the side. “Hey, just telling you what I saw.”

  Shaking her head, she speared him with a glare. “Bill, we’ve been friends for a long time, but what you’re doing now is just plain mean. I work with men, and Sean works with women. So do you, for that matter. I have no idea why you walked in here and tried to instigate trouble, but it’s not going to work. Sean and I are together and staying that way.”

  Bill’s smile dropped from his face as he looked to a point behind her shoulder. Just as she turned to see what he was looking at, arms encircled her, and Sean’s voice whispered in her ear.

  “Thanks, babe. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  She relaxed backward, glad that Sean was there, but stiffened when she heard his voice harden.

  “Bill, never had a problem with you, but if you come to Harper like that again, you and I are going to have trouble.”

  Bill had the grace to blush. “Sorry. I was just fuckin’ with you two.”

  “Fuck with me? I can take it. Fuck with Harper? You’re not gonna like what I dish out, because I’ll fuck back harder.”

  “Got it, got it,” Bill said, raising his hands up in supplication.

  Sandy slapped her hand on the bar and declared, “Okay, drama over. Bill, you owe both of them a drink, and we need to find a table because I want to spend some time with my best friend.”

  Two hours later, Harper and Sean were saying their goodbyes. He had stayed close while she and Sandy gabbed, making sure to keep an eye on their drinks when they went to the ladies' room. Bill had not lasted at their table long, replaced by Rory and Blay. After Harper’s last round of hugs, Sean wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side as they walked out of the Pub. The winter night air had a bite to it.

  Tucked into his side, she hated to bring up anything unpleasant but forged ahead. “I have no idea what was going on with Bill tonight. I’m really sorry about that.”

  “Not your place to apologize for him, Harper. He did see me out with someone, but what he didn’t say was that both Jonas and I met an FBI agent profiler for coffee. Why he would make the leap that I was out on a date with someone, I have no idea.” He gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. “I know he’s your friend, babe, but I won’t put up with anyone trying to come between us.”

  She stopped on the sidewalk, causing him to halt next to her. He looked down, lifting an
eyebrow in question. She reached up and touched his jaw, smoothing her fingers over his skin. “I would never expect you to be anything but who you are. And I agree, no one will come between us.”

  Once inside his SUV, he quickly warmed her seat and chuckled as she snuggled down. Glancing over at him, she said, “I can’t help it… I hate being cold and that’s why I love your SUV. It gets warm so quickly.”

  He reached over and took her hand, linking fingers as he pulled out onto the street. “Then let me get you home, and I’ll warm you up even more.”

  The idea of Sean’s way of warming her caused tingles to move throughout her body. “Is that a promise?”

  “Babe, that’s a guarantee.”

  A grin spread wide on her face as she settled back, watching the nightscape of Hope City move by as, excited about the night to come.

  29

  “Is everything okay, babe?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Harper replied. “I just needed to let you know that Mr. Scheer has asked me to go to a business meeting this evening. He was going to go, but his wife reminded him that their daughter has a piano recital.” She laughed, adding, “He loves his daughter, but I think he would’ve rather gone to this meeting.”

  “How late do you think you’ll be?”

  “The meeting starts at seven, and he said I would be out of there by nine. I just didn’t know which house we were staying at tonight.”

  When she gave him the location of the meeting, he replied, “That’ll actually be closer to my house.”

  “Okay, sweetie, I’ll just head to your house when I’m finished.”

  “Make sure to let me know when you leave.” After gaining her assurance, he disconnected, then looked up to see Jonas smiling at him. “What?”