by Nancy Mehl
Sam’s face went white. “Tuck, you know better than that.”
Kaely couldn’t stay quiet another moment. “Where were you last night?” she asked Sam. “About an hour before the fire started?”
He stared at her like he’d never seen her before. His shock was genuine, Kaely was certain of it.
“I . . . I was at the station. I was on shift and I was tired. Went upstairs and took a nap. The guys at the station will tell you the same thing.”
Tuck nodded. “We’ll check that out. Thanks.” Then he reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. After a few clicks, he handed it to Sam. Sam reached out and took the phone. He pressed his fingers on the screen and then stared at the video.
A few seconds later, his face went slack, and the machine attached to him began to beep loudly. The phone slid from Sam’s hand onto the bed as he slumped back on his pillows. Tuck grabbed the phone before it fell off the edge of the bed and then leaned over the distressed firefighter.
“Sam? Sam, are you okay?”
A nurse came running into the room. She quickly glanced at the machine next to Sam’s bed. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but you need to leave. Now.”
“Is he going to be all right?” Tuck asked.
“I mean it,” the nurse said again. Her gaze swung to Kaely. “Will you help your friend out of here?”
Kaely went over to Tuck. “Come on. We’ll wait outside. I’m sure Sam will be fine.” She tugged on his arm. “Let’s go.”
Although the chief didn’t move at first, he finally looked at Kaely and nodded. She led him out the door and into the hall. They saw Dr. Price hurrying toward them. He didn’t say anything before rushing into the hospital room and closing the door behind him.
“He was just shocked, Tuck,” Kaely said. “He’ll be okay.”
Tuck went over to a line of chairs next to the wall and seemed to almost collapse, as if he had no strength in his legs. “He was beyond shocked,” he said, his voice shaking. “He was wounded by even the suggestion that he could do something like this. I just hurt one of my best friends.” He took several quick breaths. Kaely was about to ask a nurse to check him out when his dark eyes locked on hers. “I need to tell you something. It’s going to sound unbelievable and it probably is, but it’s been bothering me ever since we got that letter.”
Kaely sat down next to him.
“Sam Lucas couldn’t walk away from a fire even if he wanted to. He’s a firefighter through and through. His father used to be the fire chief in Darkwater. It’s in his genes.”
“Okay,” Kaely said slowly.
Tuck took another deep breath and let it out slowly. Finally, he said, “I’m beginning to wonder if the man in that video is Sam’s brother.”
Kaely was prepared for almost anything but this. “Surely you’re not serious.”
“I know it sounds impossible, but I can’t quit thinking about it. I need you to help me prove it—or disprove it.”
“Let me get this straight,” Kaely said. “You actually believe that Sam’s dead brother is setting these fires?”
Tuck shook his head. “I know how it sounds. But you know that house on Mayfield? The one that didn’t have a space heater? You wondered why the arsonist cared so much about that house?”
Kaely nodded.
“The teenager who wasn’t home was a twin.”
Kaely couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could someone as smart as Tuck allow himself to be convinced that Sam’s brother was running around setting fires?
“Did you know that the cause of the fire that killed Sam’s family was a space heater?”
Kaely nodded. “Sam mentioned that. I agree that these are disturbing coincidences, but I don’t think . . .”
He held his hand up. “I didn’t say anything earlier because . . . well, because it sounds so ludicrous.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a pacifying gesture. “Some kids in school used to taunt Sam’s brother with the same nursery rhyme that was in that letter.”
“Why?”
“Sam’s brother’s name was Jack.”
twenty-five
After finding out that Sam had stabilized, Kaely made arrangements for her and Noah to have dinner with Tuck. Then she dropped Noah off at the motel and headed back to her mother’s house. She didn’t tell Noah that Tuck thought Sam’s long-deceased brother was their arsonist.
When Kaely walked into the house, she found Marcie in the living room, watching a soap opera. Jason was in the kitchen, cleaning up from breakfast.
“How’d it go last night?” he asked when she came in.
“Not well.” Kaely had decided to keep most of the information about the failed FBI operation to herself. No reason to upset Jason and her mother with something they couldn’t do anything about. “We’re on hiatus.” She caught Jason’s eye. “I’ll be around more. At least for a while.”
Jason nodded. “Good. We’ve missed you.”
She walked up next to him. “What can I do to help?”
“You must be exhausted. Sit down, and I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”
Kaely plopped down at the kitchen table. She was tired. Inside and out. And grateful that Jason didn’t seem angry with her. “How’s Mom?”
“She did okay last night.”
“Great.” Kaely breathed a sigh of relief.
“So you’ll be here tonight?”
Kaely shook her head. “I’ve got to meet Chief Reynolds around seven. I’m not sure how long we’ll be.”
Jason didn’t say anything, but Kaely saw his body tense.
“I’m sorry, Jason. I really am. I didn’t come here planning to work a case.”
“Two cases, if you count Omaha.”
Kaely clasped her coffee cup as if it were a life preserver. “I know you think I care more about catching this arsonist than I do about you and Mom.” She looked up at him. “It’s not true, Jason. You’re . . . you’re everything to me. My brother. And I love Mom too, no matter how she acts toward me. It’s just . . .” She blinked back tears that sprang from weariness. “This is who I am. I can’t help it.”
Jason hung his head for a moment before saying, “You can help it, Kaely. You just don’t want to.”
She started to protest, but he shook his head. “Get some rest. I’ll be here tonight to take care of Mom.”
“Thanks. You can leave after I get home. I really am sorry.”
“I know you are, Kaely. I just wish . . .” He shook his head. “Never mind. I’m going to check on Mom.” He’d started toward the kitchen door when he stopped and turned back. “I’m trying to be understanding, Kaely. I really am. Just be sure you make the right choices—that you won’t have any regrets if something should happen to Mom. I’m not sure you can handle any more emotional baggage.” His eyes locked on hers. “I’m worried about you, you know. We all have our breaking points.” He stared at her for a moment more before leaving the kitchen.
Kaely wasn’t sure what Jason was trying to say, but she was too tired to do anything about it. She trudged to her room. After changing into her sweats and an old T-shirt, she collapsed on the bed. She was certain she’d fall asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow, but instead she could only stare at the ceiling.
Tuck’s assertion that Jack Lucas could be their arsonist was tickling her mind. It was absurd. But the fire on Mayfield bothered her. Why had the arsonist gone to all of the trouble to actually bring a space heater into the house? Was he trying to re-create a fire that happened almost twenty years ago?
She finally pushed herself up into a sitting position. Then she got up, grabbed the desk chair, and pulled it close to the bed. Kaely grabbed the file from the desk, sat down on the bed, and opened the file on her lap. She took a deep breath and began to talk.
“It’s clear you’re angry about something,” she said, staring at the empty chair a few feet away from her. “This is more than thrill seeking.” She looked down at the file and ran her finger down the page. “For
some reason you have a thing about families. Why?”
She looked up at the chair again. Unfortunately, no one was there. “Maybe you like to start fires so you can save people. Be a champion. Feel like a big man. Is that right, Sam?” Still nothing. Kaely rested her chin in her hand. Exhaustion was beginning to overcome her.
She stared at the empty chair. “Okay, let’s try this. Years ago your house burned down. You lost your entire family. Somehow you survived.” Something vile slithered through Kaely’s thoughts. She gulped involuntarily. “You hated your family,” she whispered. “You started that fire. You wanted to kill everyone, but your brother wasn’t there. He ruined your plan. Now you’re back to finish the job, but first you want to destroy Sam’s reputation. Make it seem as if he’s the one setting these fires.”
As she watched, a body tried to form in the chair, but it faded away. Kaely sighed. Had to be because she wasn’t convinced their UNSUB could be Jack. There was something missing, she could feel it. What was it?
She got up and put the file away. It was too early. She wasn’t ready.
As Noah got dressed for dinner with Tuck, he wondered what was up. It was obvious something had happened between Tuck, Sam, and Kaely. Kaely’s only explanation was that they’d talk about it tonight. Tuck had mentioned a Mexican place in downtown Darkwater that was popular. Kaely told Noah she’d pick him up and fill him in on the way to the restaurant. Was she going to tell him Sam had admitted to setting the fires?
He tucked in his shirt and stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. He had to admit that Sam didn’t seem like the kind of person who could do something so violent. So destructive. Of course, Noah wasn’t the profiler.
He gazed at himself as if the man in the glass might suddenly have answers to whatever it was that was really bothering him. Seeing Kaely here, trying to deal with her family, made her seem more . . . real. More human. The feelings that flooded him had to be quenched. And he was determined to do it.
Filling his mind with images of Tracy helped. He would never love like that again. Any other relationship would be second rate, and he wasn’t planning to settle. Loving wildly, without limits, could destroy a person. He couldn’t survive losing that kind of love again.
He walked away from the mirror, got his coat, and sat next to the window, watching for Kaely. It had begun to snow again, but it wasn’t supposed to add much to the previous amount.
A few minutes later, Kaely’s SUV pulled into the parking lot and stopped in front of his room. Noah got up, walked out the door, and then made sure it was locked. He got into Kaely’s car, grateful it was already warm.
“What is it you have to tell me about Sam?” he asked, his curiosity aroused. What could she possibly say that she couldn’t have told him earlier?
Kaely was quiet for a moment. “Don’t react until I finish talking. Sometimes you’re . . . very negative.”
Noah looked at her in surprise. “Negative? What do you mean?”
She glanced over at him. “I’m extremely pragmatic, but I’m also open to . . . unusual circumstances. If you don’t entertain the possibility that sometimes things aren’t what they appear to be, you may miss the truth.”
Noah shook his head. “Why don’t you just tell me whatever it is you and Tuck talked about? I’ll keep an open mind.”
Kaely breathed deeply. “Okay. When I first heard this, I dismissed it as a fairy tale. But after thinking about it . . . I don’t know. But here goes. Sam Lucas had a twin brother who died in a fire when they were seventeen—or so everyone thought. Tuck seems to think it’s possible that he’s alive and that he’s setting these fires.”
Noah had to run Kaely’s words over in his mind a couple of times before he could grasp what she was saying. He gaped at her in disbelief. “Are you seriously trying to tell me that Sam’s brother is our arsonist? Really?”
“I know it sounds fanciful, but I can’t ignore the possibility. The fire where the arsonist brought a space heater into the house? Twin teenage boys lived there. The fire that killed Sam’s family was also caused by a space heater. And Sam’s brother? His name was Jack.”
Noah couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had no idea what to say to Kaely. This was insane.
Kaely glanced over at him, but then swung her eyes back to the road. “I guess some kids in school used to tease him, using the words of that old nursery rhyme, ‘Jack be nimble. Jack be quick . . .’” She looked back at him again. “You have to admit it’s fascinating.”
Noah didn’t respond. He was dumbstruck not only by the ridiculousness of her suggestion, but also because it was obvious Kaely was intrigued by the idea.
Had this incredibly brilliant woman finally gone off the deep end?
twenty-six
When they arrived at the restaurant they found Tuck waiting for them. As Noah and Kaely sat down, Kaely noticed Tuck searching Noah’s face for a reaction to his theory. To Noah’s credit, he didn’t show his disdain for the possibility Tuck had presented, even though she knew he didn’t buy it.
After greeting each other, the group was quiet as the waitress took their drink order. When the waitress came back, Kaely and Noah took Tuck’s recommendation and asked for cheese enchiladas with tamales on the side. Kaely ordered guacamole for the table.
“I know you both think I’m crazy,” Tuck said as the waitress walked away. “But every firefighter at our station swears Sam was with them when that last fire was set. That he was upstairs. I stick by my opinion that the video isn’t clear enough for us to be sure.”
“You might be seeing what you want to see,” Kaely said, feeling the need to play devil’s advocate. Her practical side was at war with the part of her brain that wanted to accept the possibility.
“I don’t believe that,” Tuck said.
“Did anyone actually see him upstairs?” Noah asked.
Tuck grunted. “Well, no. We don’t usually stare at each other when we’re sleeping.”
Kaely and Noah glanced at each other.
“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t there,” Tuck insisted, noticing their skepticism.
“But no one can prove it, Tuck,” Noah said. “Is it impossible he could have snuck out, set the fire, and been back in time for the call to come in?”
Tuck glared at them. “It is possible? No. Because Sam isn’t your guy.”
They weren’t getting anywhere. Kaely looked out the window next to their booth. The snow was getting heavier. One of the staff had started a fire in the fireplace across from them. The ambience was so relaxing that it eventually helped to calm the atmosphere. Kaely noticed Noah’s shoulders loosen up. Of course, the margarita he’d ordered might have helped as well. Kaely stuck with iced tea. She didn’t drink. Didn’t like anything that made her feel like she was giving up a measure of control.
“I know you think I’m crazy,” Tuck said, “but I talked to Josh about Jack. He and I went to the medical examiner’s office this afternoon. He’s new to Darkwater and didn’t know about the fire. He went through the files and found the information about the Lucas family.” Tuck shrugged. “According to the ME, everything checked out. Although Jack’s corpse was burned beyond recognition, he was officially identified through dental records. And there was a bracelet on his wrist. Jack loved that bracelet. Never took it off.”
“So that’s it,” Kaely said. She felt a sense of disappointment—and something else. A personal alarm going off inside her. That alarm had served her well. Why was it alerting her now? Something was wrong somewhere. What was it?
Tuck took a sip of his drink. “Look, I may not be trained in all the latest FBI procedures, but I know people. Sam didn’t start those fires. You can choose to dismiss my opinion, but I’m right about this. I’m convinced with every bone in my body that something was wrong with Jack Lucas’s autopsy. No matter what some new ME says.”
“So you believe the remains identified as Jack Lucas belonged to someone else?” Noah asked. “I can’t imagine a medic
al examiner allowing a mistake like that. Besides, if it wasn’t Jack, who was it?”
“I don’t know, but we need to keep following this lead until it’s proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jack Lucas is dead.”
“Have you gone back over all the fires?” Kaely asked. “Can you prove where Sam was when they were set?”
Tuck shook his head. “This is a volunteer fire department. We all have other lives. Jobs. None of us hangs around the fire station all the time. Since Sam lives alone, proving where he was is almost impossible. I’m sure there are times he can’t account for. Just like the rest of us.”
“You should at least talk to his staff at the clinic. Check out his alibis.”
“His alibis?” Tuck’s face flushed red with anger. “As far as I’m concerned, Sam doesn’t need an alibi.”
Kaely caught Noah’s eye. Tuck’s unbridled loyalty to Sam made him useless to them. Noah and Kaely needed him to be objective, but it seemed that wasn’t possible.
“Okay,” Kaely said. “If we pursue the theory that Jack Lucas is alive, then Sheriff Brotton needs to check missing persons during the time the fire happened. See if anyone disappeared. They found a body in that fire. If it wasn’t Jack, who was it?”
Noah made a sound and Kaely glanced over at him. He was staring at her like she’d lost her mind.
“Just covering all the bases,” she told him. “Seems to me it’s the logical thing to do.”
“Logical,” Noah said under his breath. “None of this is logical.”
Tuck looked back and forth between Kaely and Noah. “Look, I know you think I’m crazy. Maybe I am. I don’t know anymore. But unless I personally see Sam Lucas set a fire, I won’t change my mind. I’m sorry if that upsets you. I appreciate everything you’re trying to do for us. I truly do.”
Kaely sighed in frustration. She needed more resources than she had now. If only someone in ViCAP could check for similar cases. She could also request that they run a timeline from NCIC for every time law enforcement ran a check on any suspect they had and any vehicles he had access to.
