Never Forget The Past (The Men 0f Fire Beach Book 4)

by Lorana Hoopes

  “There’s more,” Kelsey said and pointed to another flag sticking up a few feet away. “We found a rock with blood on it.”

  “Is it enough to process?” Makenna asked.

  “I don’t know, but we’ll sure try. Regardless, if these belong to the arsonist, she’ll probably have a cut somewhere on her. Judging by the distance, I’d say her hand or arm. Maybe even her face if she’s shorter.”

  * * *

  A woman. She had definitely not been expecting that. Female serial killers were rare. Female arsonists even rarer. “We need to go back and look at the last victims again. And Dr. Hayworth. I want everything on him you can find.”

  “What are you thinking?” Bubba asked as he followed her back to the car.

  She stopped and faced him. “Statistically speaking, very few women kill, but those who do generally fall into two categories: killing for lust or visionaries. Since we have both male and female victims, that makes killing for lust less likely which means we are probably looking for a visionary.”

  “What’s a visionary?” Bubba asked.

  “Someone who kills because they think someone told them to or because they see it as getting rid of the scourge of society. Generally, visionaries have had a psychotic break which makes them harder to catch because they lead a normal life the rest of the time. If our killer is a visionary, she could be anyone.”

  “What would cause a psychotic break?”

  “Abuse generally, especially in childhood. Breaks generally form early in life but lay dormant until something triggers them like a death or a-”

  “A breakup?” Bubba asked, interrupting her.

  “Maybe.” She narrowed her eyes at him. Something was clearly on his mind. “Why? What are you thinking?”

  “It’s probably nothing.” His words held a note of dismissal, but the nervous tell of his hand rubbing across his chin told her it might be something. “Felicity came over for dinner the other night, and she just seemed,” he paused as if searching for the right word, “agitated. Plus, remember my mother said she broke up with her boyfriend shortly before the first recent murder. She said they had been together for years.”

  “Okay, but that’s not much to go on,” Makenna said, wondering where this accusal was coming from. Having been falsely accused himself, she couldn’t imagine Bubba doing the same unless there was more he wasn’t telling her. “People break up all the time, and maybe she was agitated about the breakup.”

  “Maybe, but remember how she didn’t come over the night I returned? She also left in a rush the night she came for dinner saying she had something she had to attend to. She’s a receptionist. What work could she have at ten o’clock at night?”

  “What night was that?” Makenna asked.

  “The night the insurance guy was killed.”

  “Okay, that’s a bit of a coincidence, but the fire didn’t start until after midnight, so why would she have to rush out?” Makenna had her reservations about Felicity - she had found it odd that his sister hadn’t come to see him the first night - but she was not about to accuse someone else in Bubba’s family unless the proof was there. So far, there were just some odd coincidences and a general feeling of unease.

  Bubba shrugged and shook his head. His hand ran across his chin again. “I don’t know. To prepare? Plan it out? Maybe these visions come on suddenly and once she gets one, she has to plan her attack right then.”

  “It’s possible.” Makenna chose her words carefully. She didn’t want him to think she was dismissing his concern. “However, that’s a huge accusation to place on your sister.”

  Bubba sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know, but she also had a rough childhood and sometimes when she looks at me, it just feels wrong. I hate saying that about her, especially since she’s family, but if the killer could be anyone, don’t you think we should at least consider the possibility?”

  Makenna stared at him. Did he really think his foster sister could be capable of arson and murder? She couldn’t quite read the emotion on his face, but she thought it appeared to be a sad determination. “You’re right, we’ll look into her, but I want to look into the victims first. And I want to go back over the women. Maybe there was something other than you that tied them all together that we missed.” She desperately hoped there was something they had missed. Swallowing that would be a lot easier than throwing his family into disarray again.

  Half an hour later, they sat at a table with officer Cook who had pulled everything he could find on Dr. Hayworth.

  “You might be right, Captain. Dr. Hayworth has some interesting discrepancies between what he charged clients and what he billed to insurance companies. If the companies don’t know already, they’ll probably be opening an investigation into him soon.”

  “Wasn’t the insurance guy doing a similar thing?” Bubba asked.

  Makenna nodded as she thought back over the scene. “Yeah, he was intercepting checks and telling clients they were denied. Is there any evidence of Peter overcharging clients? We know his ex-girlfriend Skye said he cheated on her, and his mother said he was asking for money.”

  “Nothing yet, but we’re still looking. However, it was his shop. He could have charged people extra and few would realize it.”

  “Okay, and how about the women?”

  Officer Cook shook his head. “I’m not finding anything with money issues or relationship issues with the women. Is it possible we’re looking at a copycat?”

  Copycat murders happened, but Makenna had a hard time believing they would happen in this small town. They were already dealing with an insanely rare situation. “I won’t discount that possibility, but I think it’s much more likely that our woman is a visionary who is getting dreams or messages to kill certain people.”

  She turned to Bubba. “I still think you’re the link for the first round, and if so, we could be looking for someone who was interested in you. Maybe someone you turned down or possibly you didn’t even know was interested.”

  Bubba cocked an eyebrow at her. “No offense, but that makes it a pretty impossible list. I can give you the names of the few women I dated, even the ones who I thought were interested that I turned down, but if I didn’t know they liked me then, I certainly won’t have any idea now.”

  “That is true. We’ll start with what we do know and work backwards from there.”

  “We better get some coffee then,” Bubba said with a smile. “I have a feeling this might be a long day.”

  Chapter 15

  Bubba kept his eyes peeled for Rachel as they walked to the coffee shop. He still couldn’t place how he knew her, but the vibe she had given off the first day combined with the fact that she appeared to be following him made her a woman he wanted a word with.

  Unfortunately, she didn’t materialize before they reached the shop. Nor did she appear to be inside. Daphne was though, and her face lit up when her eyes landed on Bubba.

  “Matt Fisher, back for more?”

  “Hey, Daphne.” He didn’t know why her uber chipper attitude affected him the way it did. Perhaps it was just because she still looked at him the way she had in high school - like she was already picking out curtains and china patterns for their life together - and he didn’t want to do anything to make her think there was a future there.

  “You want the same coffee you had the other day?”

  “You remember what I drank?” He turned slightly to catch Makenna’s eye. Was she hearing this?

  “Of course I do.” She flashed him another wide, flirtatious smile.

  “I, uh, think I’ll just have an Americano today.”

  “With two sugars?” she asked, unfazed by his order change.

  “Yeah, how did you know that?”

  “That’s what you drank in high school, Matt. I told you, I remember everything.” Her smile was still bright, but for a moment, he thought he saw her eyes flicker. Change. As if for just an instant, something dark crossed her mind.

  “Right, o
f course.” He grabbed his wallet to pay for the drink, but as she rang up the order, he noticed the bandage on her hand. “What happened to your hand, Daphne?”

  “Oh, this? Burned it on the coffee machine this morning,” she said with a laugh. “I’m such a klutz sometimes.”

  He did remember Daphne being klutzy occasionally in high school except when she was cheering or performing on stage which he always found odd. She could trip over a speck of dirt in the hallway, but when pom poms were in her hands or lights were on her, she seemed to have the focus of a surgeon. Still, was she telling the truth? He couldn’t imagine Daphne hurting anyone, but it was odd that her hand was injured the night after someone bled on a rock at a crime scene. He wondered if Felicity would have a cut? Or Rachel?

  Shaking his head, he handed over his money and shuffled down to the end of the counter to wait for his drink. He had to stop thinking about Felicity like a suspect. She was probably completely innocent and he was simply chasing shadows that didn’t exist.

  As he waited for his drink and for Makenna, he scanned the room again. He felt eyes on him, and there by the door, he saw her. Rachel. The mystery woman. His eyes widened, but before he could move, she bolted out the door.

  “Where are you going?” Makenna called after him as he made his way through the crowded tables to the door.

  “Be right back.” He pushed open the door and scanned the area. To the left were the other businesses but no sign of the woman. He turned right, but it too was void of people. It was like she had vanished into thin air. Where could she have gone?

  With a sigh, he returned to the shop. Makenna stood at the end of the counter with two drinks in her hands. “What was that about?” she asked, holding out his cup.

  Bubba glanced back at Daphne who appeared engaged with a customer. She probably wasn’t listening, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He shook his head and whispered softly, “Not here. Come on.”

  She followed him out of the shop and to a bench a few feet away. “You want to tell me what happened in there?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I’m going crazy. First there was Daphne who still seems obsessed with me, and for a moment, I thought I saw something in her eyes. Something strange. ” He wasn’t sure he could put into words the exact feeling. “Plus, did you notice her bandage?”

  “I did, but she said she burned it on the coffee machine.”

  “Maybe she did, but you have to admit, the timing is odd. Then there was that woman, Rachel, but when she saw me, she ran out of the shop. When I got outside, she was nowhere to be seen.”

  Makenna placed a hand on his arm. “First off, you aren’t going crazy. This case has us all tied in knots, and this new information is a lot to process.”

  He glanced down at her hand on his skin and then back to her eyes. The desire to kiss her burned within him again, but she’d said they had to remain professional. Easy to say but much harder to do. How long had it been since a woman had ignited these feelings in him? But were they real? Or did they simply feel real because of this crazy situation? And even if they were real, what then? He didn’t plan to stay here once this case was complete. His life was back in Fire Beach. And did he think she would come back with him? Her life was obviously here. He supposed they could do a long-distance relationship, but he’d been alone for so long that he didn’t want to be with someone and not be able to see her. No, kissing her would be a bad idea. He knew that, but then why did he keep thinking about it?

  “You’re right. I don’t know how you do this every day.”

  Makenna chuckled. “Well, not every day is like this thankfully. Most days, I’m issuing traffic tickets or breaking up fights after a football game or at The Hop. I don’t think I’d want to do this every day, but I think you might be onto something. I do want to talk to Daphne and Rachel.”

  “And Felicity,” Bubba added. He still couldn’t get the uncomfortable dinner out of his mind.

  Makenna removed her hand, and Bubba immediately missed the warmth. “Tell me more about Felicity,” she said as they stood and began walking back toward the station. “I don’t know her well.”

  Bubba sighed as he thought of where to begin. “My mom and dad felt a calling to help kids after my brother and sister and I graduated from high school, but they were older, and they knew they couldn’t handle small children, so they took in teenagers. Most of the kids didn’t last long because by high school, they are generally either too messed up to want a home or they’re so independent that they go off on their own as soon as they can.

  “Felicity was different. She wanted a home. Evidently, her father had been an alcoholic and beat her and her mother when she was young. Her mother eventually turned to drugs, and her father was killed in a bar fight. She went from one foster home to another until she landed with us.

  “She was quiet at first, and because I was older and out of the house, we weren’t that close. But when Jacob and Rebecca moved away, I spent more time with her. Still, something was always off. Once or twice, I brought a woman home to meet my parents, and Felicity would issue snide remarks about them under her breath. It almost felt as if she had a crush on me, but maybe she was just looking out for me. Those women didn’t last, obviously.”

  Makenna shook her head as if wanting to make sure he understood. “It wouldn’t be the first time a foster kid has developed a misplaced attraction for a sibling. A lot of them mistake romantic feelings for security, which is what they’re really craving. Still, given where we’re at, it’s worth looking into. You said she just broke up with a boyfriend too?”

  Bubba nodded. “Yeah, her boyfriend, Roger. She doesn’t seem especially torn up about it either which I find odd because Mom said they were together for years.”

  “Maybe we should talk to Roger.”

  Bubba nodded. He’d like to meet the man who had dated Felicity himself, see what kind of person he was.

  * * *

  It took a stop at Bubba’s parents’ house to find out who Roger was. Even in this small town, Makenna didn’t know everyone’s name. Roger turned out to be Roger Ellison who ran the only bed and breakfast in town.

  “Felicity? Why are you asking about Felicity?” he asked as he placed the breakfast dishes in the sink.

  Makenna looked to Bubba. She wasn’t sure just coming out with their suspicions would be the smartest way to handle this. Bubba, thankfully, seemed to understand and took the lead.

  “She’s my sister. I’m not sure we ever met, but I’m Matt Fisher.”

  Roger turned to face them, his eyes wide. “I thought you were dead. That’s what Felicity told me.”

  “We needed people to think that,” Makenna said, stepping in. “I’m sure you must have heard about the recent fires.”

  “Yep, kinda hard to miss that.” Roger turned back to the sink and turned on the faucet. “Especially in a town of this size.”

  “Well, we had a similar string of arsons five years ago. Matt here was one of the victims, but he managed to get away. However, to test a theory, we let everyone believe he died.”

  Roger shut off the water and turned back to them, leaning against the sink. “I assume your theory turned out to be true?”

  “It did. Until the fires started again. I asked Matt to come back to help.” Makenna was having a hard time reading Roger. Was he guarded because of his feelings for Felicity or was he hiding something?

  “I know I’ve been away from Felicity for several years, but she seems off. We were hoping that maybe you could fill us in on her behavior the last few years you were together and why it ended,” Bubba said stepping in.

  Roger folded his arms across his chest and sighed. “I’m not sure anything I have to say will help you, but I’ll try. Felicity and I met about six months after your “death.” I guess I moved to town a month or so after the fires ended, and I worked at a crisis hotline in the evenings while I was getting this place ready. Felicity was grieving and became a regular caller. It’s not generally reco
mmended to meet the people you talk to on the phone, but she begged me. I said no at first, but after about a month of phone calls, it appeared she really needed a friend, so we agreed to meet at a coffee shop.

  “It was sort of attraction at first meet, I guess you could say. Though I think some of that was because we had shared so much over the phone. Anyway, we started dating, and for a time, everything was great. But then, about a month ago, something changed. She began talking about all the people who came into the office and how she wished she could help them. I think she was reading the doctor’s notes on them because she had way too much information.”

  “Wait,” Makenna interrupted him as puzzle pieces began turning in her head, “doesn’t she work for a local doctor?”

  “Yep, Dr. Bloom, the psychiatrist. She’s the receptionist there. Now, maybe these people were sharing while they waited for their appointment, but I don’t think so. When I asked her about it, she got defensive and told me to mind my own business. It just went downhill from there, and I finally had to call it off for my own sanity.”

  Makenna exchanged a glance with Bubba. She didn’t want to think his sister could be the arsonist, but she now had motive, odd behavior, and a troubling history.

  Roger caught the look and shifted his eyes from Makenna to Bubba. “Is she okay? I mean I couldn’t take the negativity, but I still care about her, you know? I know she had it rough growing up.”

  “We’re going to find out, Roger,” Makenna said, putting out her hand. “Thank you for your help.”

  He shook it, but his eyes were on Bubba. “I wish I could do more.”

  “Thank you, you’ve helped a lot.”

  Makenna knew those words were hard for Bubba to say. She thanked Roger again and led the way out of the house. When the front door closed behind them, and she was confident they were out of earshot, she turned to Bubba. “I think you’re right. We need to question Felicity.” Her list of suspects was growing, but Felicity was at the top of the list right now.