Flames Of Deceit

by Carol Hutchens

  “You know that sounds insane, right? What are the chances of finding a plastic disc after that fire?” Jake’s brows arched.

  “I know it sounds crazy.” Mia shrugged, searching for words to assure him of her sanity. “I have to work with what clues I’ve got. Isn’t that part of your job? You go with the evidence? I think Leigh Anne hid a disc drive in that courtroom during the hearing. Finding those files is the only way I can prove my brother is innocent.”

  “What makes you so certain he is?”

  Could he read her mind? Had her eyes twitched or her ears wiggled? What could she say?

  “He’s my brother. I love him. He won election by public opinion, you know.” She glared at Jake as if he had said she had an ugly baby. “Phil loves his wife and kids. He’s honest and can’t be bought. Leigh Anne Saddler works for a drug company worth big bucks--”

  “Whoa,” Jake stared through the dim light from the dash, “what does the drug company have to do with this complaint against your brother? Other than that’s how he met the model?”

  “Phil is campaigning against big business, pharmaceutical companies, specifically. He wants to lower cost of prescription drugs. I think Leigh Anne’s company tried to buy him off and he refused.”

  Air hissed through his teeth as Jake shook his head. “I should have known.”

  “What?” Mia’s word ended in a squeal as Jake sent the vehicle into a sliding U-turn. At least, she hoped he was in control of the lurching vehicle. “Where did you learn to drive? Reruns of the Rockford Files?”

  There was that word, again. Files. Heart racing, she gripped the edge of the seat, and held on tight. Jake drove the car bumping and bucking across the median, banging her head against the roof of the car. “Ouch.”

  He cursed under his breath as the car jumped over the grassy strip between the four-lane highway. “Try to do one good deed—”

  Mia’s head banged the roof again. “Owww, Will you slow down? We’ll get a ticket.”

  Pushing the gas pedal to the floor, Jake sent the small car rocketing back toward town. He did not understand the blind devotion and faith Mia had in her brother. Growing up in foster homes, he couldn’t imagine that trust. The closest he had ever come to having a real family had been his short marriage to Sara.

  And look how that turned out.

  He’d put training before Sara’s wishes and betrayed her. She wanted a family weekend. He wanted to attend a weekend of training session. If he’d shown his wife the unquestioning devotion Mia had for her brother, a drunk driver might not have had a chance to kill his wife and son.

  Since the fateful night he’d lost everything he loved, he’d lived to protect and assert justice for all. By focusing his efforts, he worked to save others. Staring at the road illuminated by the car’s headlights, he realized he admired Mia’s belief in family. That was the one thing he had always dreamed of, having a family of his own.

  After events with Sara and his son, he knew firsthand the pain of loss. That explained his strong reaction to Mia. He wanted to spare her the pain he had experienced.

  He hadn’t listened to his wife, but her death had taught him a hard lesson. He had listened to Mia. Heard every word, even the ones she left unspoken. He couldn’t turn away and leave her in danger.

  Now that someone had gone to the trouble to slash his tires, he suspected there was more involved with Mia’s search than hidden files about a terminated pregnancy.

  When she mentioned the drug company, she confirmed his suspicion.

  Chapter 4

  Moments later the car stopped bucking and swaying. Mia peeped out of one eye and saw they were on asphalt, headed back toward town. Did Jake believe her? Warm fuzzes fluttered in her stomach as she considered the possibility. Just that fast, her situation got worse. Having Jake believe her meant she couldn’t keep secrets from him. “Will you slow down?”

  “Tell me the truth.”

  “Why don’t you believe me?”

  “Because you’re saying you put your life at risk to save your brother’s political career. Who would do that? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “How could I know someone would set fire to the courthouse while I was inside?”

  Jake shook his head. “You mentioned your boss’s reaction if he spotted your name in the paper. If you’d been arrested, your name would appear in the paper.”

  “I didn’t plan on getting caught.”

  “Like I said, makes no sense.”

  Darkness closed in on her. Regret and a rush of other emotions reached out of the black night, adding to the ache in her heart, to the loneliness surrounding her since her father died.

  “It does if you’ve played the cow’s tail all your life.” Lips clamped tight, she clutched her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead. Why had she said that?

  Dropping speed below ninety, Jake glanced in her direction. “Cow’s tail? What does that mean? You grew up on a farm?”

  “Could you slow down? Deer cause lots of accidents on this road, you know.”

  Jake eased back to eighty. “Talk to me.”

  Mia expelled a sigh. She had brought this on herself, but why now. Why reveal her darkest emotions to this man. In the short time since they met, she’d learned enough about him to admire Jake. But her last words had ruined her chance of improving his impression of her. Why had she spewed off about her issues with sibling rivalry, making her look silly?

  Mulling over options as dark shadows along the road flashed by, she finally decided the truth was all that would work and heaved a sign. Once she started revealing details, where would it end? What did she know about Jake? Had he come from a loving family, the whole Walton scenario, or would his instincts as a judge dig deeper? Would he question her lack of details? Or suspect her of hiding the truth.

  The truth.

  How did anyone know what was true? The word truth had such an honorable sound, and held the promise of justice…but what did it really mean? Uncovering the truth about Phil’s private life just skimmed the surface. What about the true reason she was determined to uncover the model’s evidence? Her motives weren’t honorable or just, but something darker…uglier.

  “I doubt my mother would survive if anything happened to my brother.”

  “She’d still have you.”

  “You think that matters?” Mia turned away, wishing she had kept her mouth shut. “It’s not the same.”

  “Why is that?” Jake stole a glance at her rigid profile. He didn’t have a long history with family dynamics. His experience at being part of a real family had ended after four short years of marriage. For those four years, he had basked in feelings of loving and being loved in return.

  Didn’t parents love all of their children, equally? Seeing Mia’s stiff-armed grip on the car’s dash and wide eyes, he eased back on the gas some more. “You don’t think your mother loves you.”

  It wasn’t a question, and the baldly stated words ate at Mia’s brain like drops of acid. She shivered. “It…that’s not…Phil is special, that’s all.”

  “Because he’s a politician?”

  Mia closed her eyes and forced words past clenched teeth. “Because he’s her son.”

  Jake eased the speed back to sixty-five. Curiosity built as he studied Mia’s silhouette. Any person in their right mind should think Mia Clark was special. Little girls were always special. Mothers dressed them in frills and dads spoiled them. What was wrong with Mia’s mother? All children were special.

  “Don’t miss the exit.”

  Jake rolled his eyes, not liking his distraction or the memories of his own child taking control of his head. “When we get to the courthouse, we play by my rules. Understand.”

  “If you think I’m staying in the car, while you go look around, you’re wrong.”

  “Lock the doors if you don’t feel safe sitting in the dark.”

  Mia tore her gaze from the road whizzing past in their headlights and turned a drop-dead glare on him. Not t
hat he bothered to look at her. “I’m going with you.”

  “You’re not authorized—”

  “That maniac slashed your tires. I’m not waiting around for my throat to be his next target.”

  Jake kept his eyes glued to the road. The words, slashed your tires, echoed in his head as did her determined voice. “Don’t make a move unless I say you can.”

  Mia flashed him a grin. “You’re the boss. Don’t forget, that waitress called you a hero.”

  Jake muttered a string of words under his breath. This was why life was less complicated when he wasn’t involved with a woman. He knew Mia was teasing, but the word hero stabbed at his conscience.

  If he had been a hero to his wife and child, he wouldn’t have lost everything he loved.

  Stop. Don’t. Go. There. Another woman’s life depends on your choices. “The traffic circle will be blocked off. I can get in—”

  “...because you’re a fireman? Pretend I’m an inspector—”

  “It’s too dangerous.” Jake’s firm tone filled the darkness.

  “So is waiting in the car for a knife to slit my throat. I need to search for that disc. I’m convinced that’s how Leigh Anne hid the information.”

  Jake glanced in the rearview mirror. A ribbon of light glowed along the eastern skyline. Darkness was their only chance of slipping in undetected. Hell, they probably couldn’t get in the building, anyway. “You won’t find a disc. Even if it didn’t melt, it will look like charred wood and be impossible to detect.”

  “I have to try.” Mia gave him a wide-eyed look. “Your slashed tires prove someone means business. I need that disc to find out why.”

  ***

  Mia gasped at her first glance of the once graceful old courthouse as they reached the center of town. The graying dawn light revealed ruins of the building like a gothic painting.

  “The roof collapsed.” The dead tone of Jake’s voice sounded as he parked behind a line of official vehicles along the street.

  Mia turned to look at him. His words echoed cold with grief in the small car. The mask-like expression on his face made her swallow. Jake looked the way she’d felt when her mother insisted she drop everything and find evidence to clear her brother.

  “Do you think they can save—”

  “Yeah, we’ll rebuild. The courthouse is part of our history.” Jake stepped out of the car and slammed the door, forgetting their mission required stealth.

  Mia scrambled out her side and eased the door shut as she nodded toward satellite trucks parked on the other side of the traffic circle.“How will we avoid the camera crews?”

  “Follow me.” Jake passed his cap to her. “Tuck your hair up. Pull the brim low.”

  Mia did as he said and stuck close to him as a shadow as he approached the building.

  First one firefighter then another called to him.

  “Hey, Jake.”

  “Back to check the damage, Jake?”

  “Didn’t think you’d stay away long, Jake.”

  Mia liked the casual tone and respect she detected in the men’s voices. Much as she hated to admit it, their deference to the man at her side gave her comfort.

  After all, she was heading back in the building where someone had tried to kill her, and Jake had been in the building at the same time. For all she knew, Jake could be the arsonist, or the person who shoved her in the closet.

  That thought almost made her laugh. Jake loved this stately old building. She’d heard the emotion in his voice when he talked about the destruction from the blaze.

  The odor of burned wood and smoke filled her nostrils. Every muscle in her body went rigid. Jake had warned her to stay out of the building, but she needed answers she hoped to find. Still, memory of being trapped and the over-powering stench of smoke almost changed her mind.

  Hearing Jake addressed as judge reminded her that he was an officer of the court. A fact she should have considered before she revealed her suspicions to him. Dread washed over her as she stared at the back of his head. What had she done? What if she found the files…and they proved Phil had done something wrong.

  Had her efforts to clear her brother’s name put him in a more precarious position? Would Jake demand a look at the files if she found them?

  Jake turned, noticing she wasn’t behind him. Two loping strides brought him back to her side. “Keep up, Clark, if you want to get inside before the cameras catch you on film.”

  “Don’t use my name. Reporters might hear,” she hissed. When this was over, she intended to get some answers from Jake Stone. Like, why he cared so much about the courthouse, and why he was so rigid. She couldn’t ask now. The acrid stench from the fire stole her breath away.

  The terror of the previous night’s events rushed back, slapping her in the face. Her stomach sloshed. The stench of ashes burned her memory, but her mother’s demands forced her to put one foot in front of the other and follow Jake.

  Once they were inside the door, Jake made a quick inspection of the ceiling and walls on the first floor, and motioned Mia forward. “Where to?”

  Knees wobbly, Mia moved close to his side. “Is it safe?”

  Jake gave her a long searching stare. “Being inside a burned building is never safe, but the damage here is mostly from water. Have you changed your mind?”

  Not wanting to admit the nausea churning in her stomach, Mia shook her head. “Can we get to the records room?”

  “Watch your footing.” Jake picked his way through two doors and slowly inched up the stairs. Some steps were littered with ceiling tiles that had fallen. Stopping in a doorway of the records room, he surveyed the damage, and sent her a look over his shoulder. “I don’t think you’re going to have any luck finding a disc in this room.”

  There was more damage in this room than in the hallway. Tiles from the ceiling formed a soggy heap on top of water-spattered papers littering the floor.

  Overturned file cabinets explained the mass of paper. Water had washed soot and partially burned objects through the gaps in the ceiling.

  Glancing around at knee-deep piles of debris, Mia agreed. Finding evidence in this mess would take a miracle. Breathing through her mouth, to keep out the odor, she studied the destruction and nearly admitted defeat. But she couldn’t quit, now. Someone had almost killed her in an effort to keep her from finding the truth. “I almost died in this room, I can’t give up. I need to check the courtroom.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Mia turned away, not daring to meet his eye. “There’s still a chance the files are hidden in there.”

  She felt Jake’s eyes bore into her back, but after long seconds, he moved past her and picked a path across the hall. “Watch your step.”

  “Will the floor hold us?” Mia froze in place.

  “The fire was on the roof and the third floor. This floor should be safe.”

  “Judge Stone?” A man’s voice called from the direction of the stairs.

  Jake turned toward the sound. “Yes?”

  “It’s not safe for you to be in here. The fire inspector hasn’t arrived yet.”

  Mia stood behind Jake, afraid to move. She was so close to finding answers, please don’t stop us now. She had overcome her fear of returning to the room where she’d been trapped and breathed in the stench of burned wood. She couldn’t stop now.

  “I’ll be careful, Tim. Let me know when the inspector gets here. I want to hear what he thinks started this fire.”

  “Me, too, Judge. Just be careful.”

  As the man’s voice faded away, Mia let go the breath she’d been holding. “I didn’t search the courtroom yesterday. I might have missed something.”

  Jake looked up from the rubble on the floor and frowned at her. “How long were you in the building?”

  Mia shrugged, lowering her eyes to find a place to take her next step. “Thirty minutes, maybe.”

  Remembering he was an officer of the court and could reprimand the security staff, she clamped her lips shut. S
he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble because she was over zealous about clearing her brother.

  “I want to catch the bastard who did this,” Jake snarled, staring around the ruined courtroom.

  Black sludge and dripping water coated everything. The acrid odor of smoke and wet soot filled the air, making it hard to breathe. Nothing in the room had burned, but water and smoke stain covered everything.

  Hearing the pain and anger in Jake’s voice and seeing the damage, Mia’s shoulders slumped. She wanted the arsonist caught, too. And for more reasons than her suspicion that it was the same person who attacked her. “Where would you hide something in this room?”

  “I wouldn’t. And neither would you.”

  Mia arched a brow, studying Jake’s scowling expression. “Why not?”

  “This courtroom is not open to the public. If your girl hid anything in this room, it was while court was in session.”

  Mia opened her mouth, but snapped her lips shut when a scrapping noise echoed loud in the early morning air. Heart hammering in her throat, she turned a startled glance on Jake.

  He motioned her to keep quiet, but the sound wasn’t repeated.

  Pulse racing, Mia shivered. Was the person who slashed the truck tires in the building, waiting for them, ready to slash more than tires this time?

  “Okay, Judge,” she snapped, “where would you hide a small object in this room?”

  Jake paused in middle of the courtroom, and looked around. Wooden benches lay in disarray, some overturned on the floor. “Here”

  If Mia hadn’t been with Jake for hours, his deadly tone would have scared the life out of her, but one look at his rigid jaw and the fists clenched at his sides, showed his reaction to seeing his courtroom in shambles.

  But she fought back the urge to offer a comforting hug. Keeping her distance from Jake was the only way she could protect her tumbling emotions. “Where?”