Brave The Storm (Storm Warning Series Book 6)
Page 16
Lucas put his hand on his arm. “I’m sorry about that. Thank God you returned home in time to save your life and your home.”
“Appreciate that, man.” Looking at the charred mess in front of him, he understood how easily that could have been him. “What have you found out about Butler? I have a sneaking suspicion he has something to do with this.”
“According to his family he didn’t come into town until yesterday, well after Theo’s house went up. Also, his mom was expecting him.”
He wrinkled his brow. “Why?”
“It’s her birthday. He never misses it. Also, it appears him and Rhonda have split and he’s looking to relocate.”
“Here?” David asked, disbelief in his voice.
Lucas shrugged.
“Well,” Theo said. “He’s not welcome.”
David’s mouth tightened. “He knows that damn well, but I guess he just doesn’t care. Going to Olivia’s house last night? That was a direct slap in your face the son of a bitch.” David glared at Lucas. “You should’ve let me beat the hell out of him years ago.”
“We can’t go around acting like that,” Lucas admonished. “He’d have filed a lawsuit so fast our heads would have spun. And wouldn’t the Council have loved that?”
“He’s still a royal ass in my opinion,” David grumbled.
“We all agree on that,” Theo said. “But we don’t know if he plans to stay in Rainwater. There’s no job for him here.”
“Not at the fire station there isn’t,” he added. “I want his ass out of town, now.”
“By the way, Griff,” Theo said. “Kelley called me this morning about his suspension. I want you to know I’m behind you all the way.”
“What suspension?” Lucas asked.
“Kelley didn’t respond to this fire. Didn’t even call me to explain why. Showed up at the station yesterday and acted all pissed that he was even expected to show.”
“He knows better than that,” David said. “No wonder you didn’t offer him the job, Dad.”
“Yeah, I knew from the beginning he wasn’t the man for the job. Hell, he’s lucky to still be on the force.”
They all turned when Goldman pulled up in his tan sedan. He got out slowly and paused for a moment to take in the damage. “Damn, this doesn’t look good, Theo.”
“You’re damn straight it doesn’t.”
Goldman put on his hard hat, slipped on his blue latex gloves and stomped into his rubber boots. “Well, let me take a look. You all wait out here. I won’t be long.”
They watched as the Fire Marshall moved toward the house. Before entering, he paused and turned toward him. “Is it safe?”
“It’s a little dicey in a few places. Watch your step.”
“I wonder what he’ll find,” Lucas said. “If this is arson the town’s in serious trouble.”
He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Let’s wait until we get all the evidence, then we’ll figure out what to do next.”
“Let’s start by running Butler out of town,” David suggested, arms crossed.
“He might already be gone for all we know,” Lucas reminded him. “If he’s looking to relocate, I’m sure he’ll look for greener pastures than Rainwater. He knows how the residents feel about him.”
The wait seemed endless, but eventually Goldman came out of the structure and stood before them. “It doesn’t look good. Right off the bat, I can’t say it was arson. I need more time. Also, the point of ignition is highly suspicious. Not your usual run of the mill place I’d look for a fire to start.”
“So where do we stand?” he asked. “And did you have a chance to go by the Switzer place?”
“Right now, I need more manpower,” Goldman said, holding up his index finger. “In order to, one, determine if all of these fires were arson.” He lifted another finger. “And two, if they were all set by the same person. I need time and boots on the ground. I did stop by the Switzer house and yes, that blaze was deliberately set.”
“So, it is arson?”
“Maybe,” Goldman said, shaking his head. “Or it could be a couple of kids out playing with matches. Either way, I’ll find out.”
“Tell me one thing,” he said. “How knowledgeable is the person who torched the Hollins’ place?”
“All arsonists are pretty clever when it comes to this stuff. They wouldn’t be setting fires if they didn’t know what they were doing.”
“Is it possible a fireman set these blazes?” Theo looked at him askance at that question, but he offered no apologies. They had to be thorough and it was no secret firemen knew more about fires than anyone else.
Goldman shook his head. “I don’t know enough yet. There’s a lot to take into consideration. I won’t know more until later. Also, if it’s okay, I’d like to stop by your house and see what happened there.”
“David and I were there first thing this morning,” Lucas said. “The back door was jimmied. All the evidence leads to someone wanting to blow up his house.”
“Okay, but I still want to see it. Do you have security cameras?” Goldman asked.
“No,” he shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Olivia does,” David said, excitement in his voice. “I made her get them installed.”
“Can they see into my yard?” he queried.
David closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, she can’t see in your yard, but she can see around that side of your house. We might get something off that.”
“He’s right,” Lucas said. “It’s worth a shot.”
* * *
By the end of her shift, Olivia was relieved that she hadn’t heard about anything else happening in Rainwater. Griff had called earlier to tell her what Goldman said, but nothing was concrete yet. So, they agreed to meet at the motel when they got off work. It wasn’t safe to stay at home until they had this thing solved.
She arrived first and decided she needed a short nap because last night Griff had kept her busy—having amazing sex. Just looking at the bed, she ached for him. It seemed her body wasn’t concerned over her heart’s scars. It just wanted him over and over again.
She drifted into a light sleep and was awakened by a pair of hot lips pressed against hers. Opening her eyes, she saw Griff above her, kneeling on the side of the bed. “Mind if I join you?”
“I should say no,” she teased. “It was your idea to spend the night making love.”
“I heard a lot of things coming from you last night, but complaining wasn’t one of them.”
She scooted over and he stretched out beside her. Rather than get physical, within seconds they were both sleeping. An hour later a knock sounded at the door and Griff jumped up, rousing her.
“No one knows we’re here. Strange.” He said aloud, turning to her.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” she shrugged, rubbing her eyes. “Maybe it’s the manager.”
“Hmm.” He walked to the door and asked, “Yeah?”
“It’s me, Lucas. Open up.”
Shaking his head in amusement, he glanced over his shoulder at her and she nodded. He unlocked the door and held it wide for Lucas, who walked in without invitation, looking pleased with himself.
“How did you find us?” she asked. “I thought we covered our tracks pretty good.”
Lucas grinned. “I am the Police Chief. Little gets past me.” He wiggled his brows. “Like the two of you spending the night in a hotel.”
Griff raked his fingers through his hair and let out a deep breath. “Why are you here?” He looked around. “Why didn’t you just call?”
“Because I found out a few things I want to discuss, and I didn’t want to do it over the phone.”
Closing the door and locking it, Griff motioned to one of the chairs. “Have a seat. Let’s hear it.”
She shoved her hair out of her face and scooted to the edge of the bed as Lucas got settled. Luckily, they’d been too tired to do anything or Lucas might’ve shown up at a very inopportune time.
“No,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “I’m fine.”
“So?” Griff asked, standing with his hands on his hips. “What’s this important news you came to tell us about?”
“I found out Clint Butler was fired from his last job as a fireman for Fort Worth. It appears he couldn’t get along with the other men or his boss.”
“Does that surprise you?” Griff asked without censure, honestly curious.
“In a way it does. Butler lived here a long time, and no one suspected he was low enough to do what he did to Olivia.”
Pain stabbed her directly in the chest at the reminder. Walking over, Griff put his arm around her and pulled her against him, comforting her. Having him there helped and, over time, she hoped she wouldn’t feel so exposed and hurt over what Clint had done to her. But she would never forget. No one knew the depths to which Clint had hurt her, humiliated and disgraced her and her whole family. David had good reason to hate him. She certainly did.
But she wanted to move on from that. She didn’t want it to forever be a weight on her life. Gripping Griff’s waist, she nuzzled into his side. With him by her side, she could work to put the past behind her. It was just going to take time.
“Okay, so the guy can run a scam, but how’s that important?” Griff asked.
“He moved to Fort Worth and showed his true colors. It didn’t take them long to figure him out. I wonder why that was,” Lucas explained.
“Perhaps the citizens here weren’t looking for any bad behavior from Butler. Maybe because he held a position of authority, protecting the citizens, people just assumed he was a good guy.”
“No, according to his chief, it was worse than run of the mill bad behavior. He didn’t just show up late or leave a mess in the station. He was accused of walking past a downed fireman during a blaze instead of helping.”
“Hey, now, in a fire, it’s hard to see.” Griff defended Clint, to her surprise. “That could happen to anyone.”
“Even with a mic?” Lucas raised a brow.
Griff rubbed the back of his neck. “Highly unlikely.”
“Also, they’re investigating two fires set there. Believed to have been set by an arsonist.”
“So, we’re coming up with a pattern. His arriving in Rainwater after the first two fires doesn’t clear his name. Could be he has a partner in crime. Did you tell his chief to contact Goldman?”
“Yes, and he and their investigator are meeting as we speak.”
“You really think Clint would do this?” she asked, bewildered at this new information. All signs were pointing to him as a real suspect, but it just didn’t make sense to her. He was a terrible fiancé, as it turned out, but that didn’t have anything to do with who he was as a fireman. If everything they said was true, she really hadn’t known the man at all. “Why? Why would he do this?”
“Why not?” Lucas replied. “He didn’t just leave town. He was run out. Why not do a little damage to the town that turned its back on him?”
“But that was over a year ago. Why would he do something crazy now?”
“Think about it, Olivia,” Griff said. “Your dad retires, and Butler thinks he’s good enough at what he does to get offered the job. But Theo doesn’t reach out to him. Next thing you know, I show up on the scene, your old lover, and get the job right away. Did you ever talk to him about me? About how things ended between us.”
Grimacing apologetically, she answered, “I did.”
Brushing her hair back, he shook his head. “And you should have. My point is, I broke your heart but Theo gave me the job. So why didn’t he offer it to Butler, who used to work with him, even though he did the same thing?”
“I don’t get any of this,” she said. “I can’t believe it’s Clint.” She glanced between the two men. “I’m not saying I don’t hate the man, because I do. But, before the incident between him and Rhonda, Clint never stepped out of line or gave anyone a reason to question his devotion to me or Rainwater. Was I really that stupid that I didn’t see any of who he really is?”
“Hey,” Griff said softly, but firmly. “No one expected him to do any of what he did. Some people are really good at hiding who they truly are. But that doesn’t mean that’s what happened here. People change, Olivia, sometimes drastically in a short amount of time. It is possible that he realized breaking up with you was the stupidest thing on the planet and my being in the picture now has made him lose it. Made him do crazy things. That doesn’t make you stupid.”
“Griff is right,” Lucas added, catching her attention. “None of this is on you. He fooled all of us, Olivia.”
Biting her lip, she nodded, even though she wasn’t sure what to think.
A few minutes later, Lucas left. Closing the door after him, Griff turned and leaned against it, arms crossed. “What’s on your mind?” he asked, head tilted.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope it isn’t Clint. That would crush my dad, to know he trusted a man capable of destroying his home.”
“I understand,” he nodded. “And we’re nowhere near catching anyone. He’s just a person of interest.”
She let out a breath, too overwhelmed to talk about it anymore. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Let’s go get something to eat. There’s a great steak house not far.”
He motioned for her to precede him out the door but as she walked past, he stopped her. Looking up, she quirked a brow but instead of saying anything, he took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “This is all going to be okay. It’ll be over soon.”
Smiling, she grabbed his wrists and squeezed. “I hope so.”
As they walked out of the hotel and got into the Camaro, she asked, “Griff, do you think we can check out of here and go home tonight?”
He grinned. “You not enjoying yourself?”
“I am very much, but it’s better when things are back to normal.”
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he thought for a moment. “If we’re careful, it should be alright. You want to stay at my house or yours?”
“What?”
Laughing, he turned to her. “I might be willing to go home, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still on guard. Until this is over, I’m sticking to you like glue.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“I won’t risk you getting hurt, Olivia.”
She puffed out her cheeks. “Okay, my house.”
“I’m fine with that. I won’t move anything in. Come morning, I’ll go home to get ready for work. It’ll give me a chance to check on the place, make sure no one is messing with it.”
“Good idea.”
They enjoyed a delicious meal then headed back to Rainwater. Finally feeling more relaxed, they’d just crossed Main Street when the alert came over Griff’s radio and her heart seized up. Here we go again.
Chapter 18
“I’ll drop you off at your house,” Griff told Olivia, speeding up in order to save time.
“Good, I’ll go to the station from there.”
Suddenly, another alarm sounded.
“Two fires?” he asked incredulously. “I’d better contact Denton. We’re going to need help.”
He dropped her off and waited for her to signal her house was clear of the smell of gas then sped to the fire station. Both trucks were backing out. “Where are the fires?” he asked John, who usually worked the nightshift, but it was all hands on deck when a call came in.
“The Hayfield’s place and the hardware store. No information about which is worse. We’re heading to the hardware store and they’re going to the Hayfield’s.”
“Okay, I’ll suit up and join you.”
He hurried getting into his gear and took off immediately for the closest fire, the Hayfield’s. They had a small Cape Cod place with a nice yard and a big garage. They’d lived there e
ver since he could remember. Mr. Hayfield was a great gardener and his wife had been kind to his mother during her cancer treatment.
He pulled up to see Steven helping Mrs. Hayfield down the stairs of the porch while Mr. Hayfield already stood on the sidewalk. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes to put the flame out. He checked on the elderly couple before speeding off to the hardware store.
There, the news wasn’t so good. George Humphries stood outside, fighting back tears as he watched flames engulf his business. His wife Helen clutched his arm, her bottom lip trembling.
He began to head inside with an extra hose—they had to try and save as much as they could—when sirens from outside traveled to his ears. He stepped back out as a fire truck from Denton pulled up and four firemen jumped out.
“Where do you need my guys?” the Lieutenant asked. “We’re here to help.”
“The surrounding buildings. I don’t want this to spread. Keep those hoses down and try to control the neighboring businesses.”
The men took off and before long the flames were under control. Rubbing sweat from his brow, he caught sight of Olivia handing out supplies for both fire departments and making sure George and his wife were comfortable on a park bench across the street.
Heading his way, she shouted, “I’m heading to the Hayfield’s. I’ll check with you later.”
He waved as she took off to offer help to those in need. Looking toward the park, he saw Lucas talking to George. The elderly man had his head in his hands while Lucas patted him on the back. Straightening his spine, he turned back to the damage. Enough was enough. This had to stop.
He went back into the hardware store and tried to find the origin of the fire. It appeared to have happened in the storeroom where no one would notice. Yes, there were several melted and broken containers of cleaning supplies, but they hadn’t started the fire.
He called Cody over. “Do you see anything suspicious about that closet?”
“Are you thinking that’s where the fire started?”