Melting Point

by Debra Cowan

  “Need to stop by your car and get anything?” he asked as they started for the front door. “Another pair of pants?”

  “Ha ha.”

  “How about dinner? Are you serving from your car tonight?”

  She smiled. “Nope, we’ll have to find something.”

  She was not going to make a big deal out of this. It wasn’t like he’d asked her to make out under the bleachers. He was all business; she was all business.

  She was still telling herself that an hour later as they sat next to the curb down the street from Vail’s duplex. The two-family units took up the first street in this subdivision, and the rest of the neighborhood was composed of single-family housing. Each duplex had its own driveway and a one-car garage. Sitting three house lengths away from the streetlamp’s pool of light, Kiley and Collier had an unimpeded view of the woman’s small, gray brick home.

  His truck was toasty warm, and she felt fatigue creeping over her. Neither of them had said much since eating. Their leftover sandwich and chip bags were stuffed in a sack in the back seat. The air still held a whiff of roast beef and their coffee.

  He was on the phone with the fire chief, one shoulder angled into the corner against his door, one hand draped loosely over the steering wheel. Watching him make the occasional gesture had her mind wandering to the way he’d touched her this morning. And last night.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as he hung up and returned the phone to its mounted holder.

  “Yeah. Chief Wheat just wanted to know how things went at the training center today.” He dragged a hand down his face, his gaze settling on her.

  In the shadows, his green eyes were dark and sultry. Unnerving. Kiley controlled the urge to squirm, but she was helpless to stop the thrill that shot through her under his regard. Sitting in the darkness, in the quiet of his truck, started a slow throb of anticipation in her blood.

  She fought it. She didn’t understand how a Romeo like McClain could get to her, but she couldn’t deny that whatever it was drew her like Eve to the apple. It really torqued her off.

  Searching for something to say, she blurted the first thing that came to mind. “You’re pretty good with kids.”

  “I like ’em.”

  “You want to have some someday?”

  “Yeah.” Broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I don’t know if it will happen.”

  “Why? Don’t think you can settle down with just one woman?”

  Heat flared in his eyes; a tension sprang up between them. “I’m not sure there’s one out there who’ll make me want to.”

  She never should’ve started this line of conversation, but she couldn’t make herself shut up. “I guess you’d have to date a forever-after kind of woman to start with. Not much chance of that, huh?”

  After a slight hesitation, he said, “Never say never.”

  “Don’t have children if fidelity isn’t part of your plan. The kids pay for it.”

  “Are you an expert?”

  She shrugged.

  His gaze pinned her. “What about you? Do you want kids someday?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. If I do, I won’t have any until I’m ready to settle down.”

  “You don’t strike me as the white-picket-fence type, Russell.”

  “I could be, with the right man.”

  “Who’s the right man? The guy you’re seeing now?”

  “I’m not seeing anyone.”

  Collier was silent for a minute, his attention shifting to Vail’s house. “What kind of qualities does the right man have?”

  “Why? You gonna set me up?”

  “C’mon.” His gaze flicked heatedly over her. “Tell me.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, someone who keeps the promises he makes. Who thinks I’m enough woman for him.”

  His gaze did a slow slide down her body that jolted every nerve ending. “I’d say you’re plenty of woman for any man.”

  “I meant,” she said through gritted teeth, “a man who thinks one woman is enough.”

  Not like you, she added silently, hating the way her body went to liquid just because he looked at her.

  “Somebody’s broken a lot of promises to you, Blaze,” he said quietly. “Who was it?”

  The question alone would’ve knocked her for a loop, but combined with the nickname, she was stunned. Blaze? No one had ever called her that. And hearing McClain say it so softly sent a pang of longing through her, though she didn’t know for what.

  Looking into his eyes, she could see he sincerely wanted an answer. What scared the fire out of her was that she wanted to give him one. The same connection she’d felt to him at the dance, the sense that he could see right into her, snapped tight between them. Though delayed, a warning finally blared through her. Things had to stay professional between them, although right now, with her brain in limbo, she couldn’t have said why.

  A tightness stretched across her chest. She tore her gaze from his and struggled to focus on the front of Vail’s house. It took a few seconds for her to register what she saw. A car pulling into the garage. “Oh, look, Vail’s home.”

  Escaping the probing intensity of his gaze, Kiley slid out of his truck and shut her door. Collier followed, his gaze hot on her, but he didn’t speak until they reached Vail’s driveway.

  “I think we should do this together.”

  She knew he meant the interview, but for a heartbeat she wished it were something else. He had worked in the same station house with Vail, and Kiley had interviewed her before.

  “You’re right,” she said. “We both have information on her. With both of us asking questions we’ll be casting a wider net, upping our chances of learning something.”

  He nodded, reaching the small front porch just before she did. Clear yellow light slid across the high slash of a cheekbone, the bluntly squared jaw. He was a gorgeous, solid stretch of man, and every time she was around him, her hormones screeched, “I want some of that.”

  She hadn’t thought about sex this much in two years, but she couldn’t deny she wanted Collier McClain. Thank goodness, some part of her mind still worked. No matter what kind of game they talked, most guys were selfish in bed and out. Probably just one night with Collier would be all it took for her to stop thinking of him as her own personal calendar boy rather than her partner. She might be tempted, but, his reputation aside, she didn’t go for casual sex. And he didn’t go for any other kind.

  He’d been right. Someone had hurt her, and he wanted to know who. Collier couldn’t believe he was disappointed that Kiley hadn’t confided in him. She’d been right not to tell him. Something like that was too personal. Problem was, he wanted to get very personal with her. In every position he could imagine.

  He wanted to get his hands on her soft skin, in her wild hair. He wanted that as much as he wanted to know who’d broken her heart, which threw him. Lust, he could handle. Adding emotion to the mix was something he hadn’t done since Gwen. Wasn’t going to do ever again.

  As they waited at Vail’s front door, he slid a look at Kiley. She was back to cool and professional, which only made him more curious. He did not get it. Was this fascination just an offshoot of wanting her? There was something about her, something that reached down deep inside him to a place no other woman ever had. He should’ve kissed her this morning and gotten her out of his system. All day he’d regretted that he hadn’t. But earlier, just like now, his brain was ordering him to keep his distance.

  He and Russell were partners. Partners only. Forgetting that would be as stupid as walking into a fire without his gear.

  Sherry Vail answered their knock, surprise widening her brown eyes. Collier hadn’t been present at her previous interview. He hadn’t seen her in the five months since she’d been fired, but the curvy blonde looked much the same. She was a beautiful woman who had modeled for a while before going through the fire academy. Thick golden hair slid around her shoulders. The black skirt th
at hit her just above the knee revealed a pair of great-looking legs that had remained covered during her days at Station Two.

  She was a looker, but only a fair firefighter. Her gaze shifted from him to Kiley. “Detective. McClain, I heard you were promoted. The last time Presley’s fire investigator and one of its homicide detectives showed up here, the news was bad.”

  “Afraid it’s bad this time, too, Miss Vail,” Kiley said. “I’ll need to read you your rights, just as I did last time when I was here with Investigator Spencer.”

  Sherry looked from Kiley to Collier, then nodded.

  Once Kiley finished Mirandizing the other woman, she asked, “Did you know Dan Lazano was killed last Friday night?”

  “No.”

  Collier thought the shock on her face looked genuine. “We need to ask you some questions, Sherry.”

  “I’ve been gone since last Wednesday. I don’t see how I can help.”

  “We want to talk to you about the complaint you filed against him.”

  She hesitated, her mouth drawing tight. Despite the wariness in her eyes, she stepped back and opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

  “Thanks.” Kiley stepped inside the small flagstone foyer just ahead of Collier.

  He closed the door, catching a whiff of Russell’s subtle, spicy scent. He’d finally decided it was cinnamon. The whole time they’d been sitting in the truck that scent had teased him.

  His gaze shifted to Vail. “Where were you last Friday night between the hours of ten and midnight?”

  “Is that when Lazano was killed?”

  “Yes.”

  “I was in Denver since last Wednesday, calling on customers.”

  “Where did you stay?” Kiley slid a small notebook from the side pocket of her coat.

  The other woman’s jaw firmed, but she answered. “At the Adam’s Mark, downtown.”

  “Are you still working for the Torch Stop?” Collier knew the business that had been established and was run by former firefighters. Over the years he had bought a couple of replacement parts from them for some of his gear.

  “Yes. I sell parts and accessories for firefighting equipment.”

  “Why don’t you walk us through what led up to your complaint against Lazano?”

  She flicked a glance at Kiley as she moved into a small living area done in green with touches of burgundy and cream. “I’m sure Detective Russell remembers about my sexual harassment complaint against Rex Huffman?”

  “Yes.” Kiley followed the woman, stopping behind a nubby couch the color of moss. “You first met him at a fire call both your stations responded to. He kept asking you out and you repeatedly refused. After a couple of months he started calling you, saying suggestive things.”

  “Suggestive, my butt. They were out-and-out sexual. I told him I didn’t date firefighters. I never had, never would, but he wouldn’t let up. Lazano was one of Huffman’s buddies. After I filed on Rex, Lazano started giving me grief. Screwing with my gear at first, then threatening me.”

  “Physically?” Collier stood at the edge of the room, where the light-toned carpet met the flagstone floor.

  Sherry eased down on the arm of a plaid wing chair adjacent to the couch. “No. Threatening to get me fired. About a week later, drugs were found in my locker. They weren’t mine. I passed a random drug test, but I couldn’t prove they’d been planted. The locks on those lockers are flimsy. Everyone has access to them. Anybody could’ve set me up.”

  “No one ever saw you do drugs?” Kiley asked.

  “No. And they couldn’t prove I ever had, but the amount was such that they said I could’ve been distributing.”

  Kiley glanced at her notebook. “You had other violations on file, didn’t you?”

  Sherry’s mouth tightened. “I was written up for being late a couple of times.”

  And disobeying an order, Collier added silently.

  “They fired me for violating city policy.”

  “So you had more than one reason to dislike Lazano.”

  He watched her face carefully. Vail looked annoyed, but she didn’t appear to be hiding anything.

  “Dislike him? I hated him. He got me fired. Am I sorry he’s dead? No. But I didn’t kill him.”

  Kiley flipped back a page in her notes. “When we learned about the complaint you filed against Lazano, we went back a little further in your personnel file. You had a problem with Gary Miller, too.”

  “But I didn’t file anything on Gary.”

  “You talked to your captain about him.”

  “So?” She shifted uneasily on the arm of the chair.

  Collier rubbed at the taut stretch of muscle across his nape. “What was that about?”

  “I complained because he was doing the same thing Lazano was,” she said impatiently. “He and Dan didn’t like that I’d turned Huffman in for being a lech.”

  “Why didn’t you file a complaint against Miller?” Kiley asked.

  The other woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. She looked as though she might not answer. “I thought I should tough it out. I got crap like that from other men when I first started as a firefighter. I really thought it would blow over.”

  Collier remembered the first time Sherry had walked into the station house. He’d noticed her looks, but he hadn’t been interested in hitting on her. A few of the other guys had, though. They wanted her to be a pinup, not a firefighter. Most of them hadn’t given her a chance to prove herself until after a few months.

  “You remember that Miller was our first arson-sniper victim?”

  “Yeah.” She eyed him cautiously.

  Kiley jotted something in her notebook. “Were you friends with Lisa Embry?”

  “We knew each other in high school.” Sherry shrugged. “We didn’t hang out or anything.”

  Collier picked up the thread. As long as he and Russell were here, they should get as much information as possible. “Where were you between the hours of eight and midnight on the night she was killed? December fifth.”

  Her eyes widened. “You can’t think I had anything to do with that!”

  “These are questions we need to ask, Sherry.”

  She stiffened; her face closed up. She looked from him to Kiley. He could practically see her connect the dots. She had a link to three of their victims, three men who had likely cost her a career in firefighting. Did she also have a reason to hate Lisa Embry?

  “I’m tired.” She rose from the arm of the chair. “I told you what I know. I didn’t do anything to any of those jerks. I’m going to tell my lawyer you showed up here. If you want to talk to me again, go through her. Raye Ballinger.”

  Collier wasn’t surprised. Raye had a reputation for handling harassment cases. “You suing the city, Sherry?”

  “I want my job back.” She moved around him to the door and opened it.

  He shared a look with Kiley as they walked out. “All right, then. If we have further questions, we’ll contact Raye.”

  “Fine.” She shut the door.

  Kiley jammed her hands into her coat pockets, tucking her head against the cold as they moved across the frozen yard and toward his truck. Neither one of them spoke until they were inside. He started the engine and flipped on the heater.

  She glanced at him. “Were you surprised to hear that Ballinger’s her attorney?”

  “No.”

  “Neither was I. I’ll call the hotel in Denver to check her alibi.”

  He nodded as he pulled away from the curb, heading back to the hospital for Kiley’s car. “We’ve got a solid tie between her and the three male victims. Do you think she had anything to do with Lisa’s murder?”

  “I don’t know. She was more than willing to talk about the other victims, but she clammed up fast when we asked about Lisa.”

  “She could’ve stopped talking because she really was tired, and that just happened to coincide with when we asked about Lisa.”

  “Yeah, or not. I’m sure you believe in that kind of co
incidence about as much as I do. Both women were at your fire house for a while. Did you ever notice anything going on with the two of them?”

  “Not really.”

  “I think we should keep digging. See if Vail had a connection to Lisa that we haven’t found.”

  “I agree. I can pull her personnel file, and we can go over the people who were interviewed by the police and the OSBI about her when she applied to be a firefighter.”

  The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation assisted with background checks if the fire department asked. Collier knew the police department also used the agency at times. “In the morning I’ll tell Darla to get the file from personnel.”

  “Maybe we’ll get a lead from that.”

  “Even if Vail was out of town the night of Lisa’s murder, she could’ve hired someone to kill her.”

  “Right.”

  Collier turned onto Tenth Street. “Lisa’s the only female victim. She could’ve been murdered just to throw us off the trail.”

  “True,” Kiley murmured, looking out the window.

  About three blocks ahead, he saw the fog-shrouded lights in the hospital parking lot. “I think we should look hard at Sherry. Huffman was last seen with a blond woman who we still haven’t been able to identify. The clerk from that seedy motel couldn’t be sure the woman with Huff wasn’t Vail, even though he thought he’d remember a woman that good-looking.”

  “Could’ve been a prostitute.” Kiley turned toward him, settling one shoulder in the corner. “Or someone wearing a wig.”

  “I’ll go along with the wig theory. I don’t know about the prostitute. There were no signs in Huffman’s autopsy report of his recently having had sex, which could make Vail a good suspect. If Sherry was the woman with him that night, we know she wouldn’t have gone there to sleep with him.”

  “True.” After a minute she said, “Her alibi for that night was that she was in Little Rock, Arkansas, calling on customers. It was solid.”

  “She still could’ve hired a sniper.” Collier pulled in to the hospital parking lot, going slowly over patches of sleet that had refrozen after sunset. He had just guided his truck into the parking space beside Russell’s car when his cell phone rang. He answered, “McClain.”