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

by Lorana Hoopes

  His face was pale, but he nodded. She couldn’t imagine how hard this must be on him. If Felicity was the arsonist, it meant not only had she murdered five people but that she’d tried to kill him as well. That had to be hard to swallow.

  Chapter 16

  The ride to Dr. Bloom’s office was quiet, uncomfortable. What would his mother say if she knew he was on his way to pick up his sister on suspicion of murder?

  “What can you tell me about Rachel Hanes?” Bubba asked, trying to get his mind off the task at hand. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew her somehow and that she was important.

  “Um, I don’t know much about her. She’s a little odd, but she stays out of people’s way. She’s been here as long as I can remember, so maybe you crossed paths with her before?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. She doesn’t look familiar to me, but the name does.” He ran again through the list he had started in his head. He didn’t remember saving her, but he certainly didn’t remember every victim’s name from five years ago. Sometimes he never even knew their names. He’d never dated a Rachel, and he was sure he would remember her if he had.

  So, that left high school. Had he known a Rachel in high school? He ran through the names and faces he did remember, but there was no Rachel Hanes. But there had been a Rachel. Rachel….Rachel Jones? He hadn’t known her well, but he remembered the name from a musical program. He’d only ever been to one and only then because his best friend had asked him to go because he was dating one of the actresses. It had turned out to be a nightmare because Daphne had also been in that cast, and she’d been convinced Bubba had been there to see her. It had taken weeks to convince her otherwise. Could it be the same Rachel? Could she and Daphne be in on this together?

  “Do you know if Rachel Hanes is married or was married?”

  “I don’t know for sure, Bubba, but I promise you if Felicity turns out not to be our suspect that we’ll look into her, okay?”

  Bubba nodded, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that held on with claws and wouldn’t let go.

  “You sure you want to come in?” Makenna asked when they reached the office. She turned off the engine and shifted so she was facing him. “You don’t have to.”

  He appreciated her concern, but he had to know. If his sister had really tried to kill him, he needed to be there when she was confronted. “No, I’m good.”

  Concern flashed in Makenna’s eyes, but she nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Bubba’s heart pounded in his chest as they approached the office door. Would Felicity have a cut? Would she try to run? Turn herself in? Questions and scenarios flashed through his mind, but he had no way to prepare for the unknown.

  Makenna pulled open the door and entered first. Bubba almost ran into her when she stopped short in the room. He scanned to see what had made her pause and realized the woman manning the receptionist desk was not his sister, but a petite blond.

  “Can I help you?” she asked when she ended the call she was on and looked up at them.

  “We’re looking for Felicity Fisher,” Makenna said.

  The girl shrugged. “Sorry, she’s not here today. Called in sick. I’m Becky, the temp. Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “Is Dr. Bloom available? You can tell him it’s Captain Drake,” Makenna asked.

  “Her, you mean. Dr. Bloom is a woman.”

  “Of course, my mistake.” Makenna recovered nicely, but Bubba could see that this information had thrown her. It had thrown him too. He wasn’t sure why, but he had also assumed Dr. Bloom was a man.

  “Let me check.” The woman punched a button on the phone and waited. “Dr. Bloom, there’s a Captain Drake and a man here to see you. Do you have a moment?” She looked up at them and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She replaced the phone and motioned them toward the door. “She said to go on in.”

  “Thank you.” As Makenna led the way to the office, Bubba wondered what she had up her sleeves. Was she just hoping to get more information or did she think Felicity might be hiding in Dr. Bloom’s office?

  “Captain Drake, what can I do for you?” Dr. Bloom was a smart looking woman with her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun, and a pair of cat-eyed glasses that accentuated her thin cheekbones. She sat behind her desk, and Bubba found it odd that she didn’t rise to greet them.

  “I was hoping to ask you a few questions about your employee, Felicity Fisher.”

  Dr. Bloom’s eyes shifted to Bubba and a tingle ran down his spine. Why was she looking at him like that? Did he know her? He certainly didn’t remember ever meeting her before.

  “This is my friend and Felicity’s brother, Matt Fisher,” Makenna said.

  “Ah, yes, Felicity told me about your faked death. You know it took quite a toll on her. Losing you.” Her eyes bored into his, and the concern she was projecting felt a lot more like blame to him.

  “I know, but we thought it was the right move at the time,” Bubba said.

  “Fair enough, so how can I help?” She leaned forward and placed her hands on the desk, one on top of the other.

  “Did you speak with Felicity today?” Makenna asked.

  “No, we have a temp agency who fills her spot when she is sick. She must have called them directly.”

  “Is she sick often?”

  “Rarely. She’s very punctual and efficient.”

  “She recently broke up with her boyfriend and he said her behavior had changed recently. Have you noticed anything different lately?”

  Dr. Bloom shrugged. “This can be a challenging job. Felicity has to listen to people in the waiting room and deal with customers on the phone. She handles it well though perhaps she’s been a bit more short tempered than normal.”

  “Does she have access to your files? Her boyfriend also stated she seemed to have knowledge of cases.”

  At this Makenna finally seemed to find the chink in the doctor’s stoic demeanor, and her laid back attitude disappeared. “No, I do all my notations online. She would have no reason to know anything about my cases unless the clients told her themselves. I’m assuming you’re not just here about that though, am I right?”

  “No, I’m afraid Felicity is a person of interest in a current case.”

  A person of interest was putting it mildly in Bubba’s mind. She was their number one suspect, but perhaps Makenna was downplaying it for a reason.

  “You think she’s the arsonist?” The doctor shook her head slowly as if she were considering this option for the first time. “She does have some of the markers: abuse in her past, a recent trigger, but I think you’re wrong about Felicity. I don’t know why she was in my files, but I don’t believe she’s your arsonist.”

  “With all due respect, ma’am, that’s for me to determine. Do you have Felicity’s current address?”

  “Of course.” The doctor turned to her computer and tapped a few keys, but Bubba noticed she only used her left hand. Strange. Someone who typed as much as she claimed to surely didn’t chicken peck the notes. Perhaps she used voice to text? “Her address is 1214 Sway Ave. She’s not your killer though.”

  “I hope you’re right. Thank you.” Makenna nodded at the doctor and led the way out of the office.

  Bubba followed, wanting to hear her take on what had just happened, but he held his question until they were back in her car. “Did Dr. Bloom seem a little off to you?”

  Makenna shook her head. “Off how?”

  “I don’t know. The way she looked at me, the fact that she only typed with one hand. What kind of a doctor only uses one hand to type? Did you see her right hand at all?”

  “She placed both hands on the desk,” Makenna said.

  “Yes, but she had the left over the right.”

  “Bubba, I think you’re hoping to find something that proves it’s not Felicity, but blaming Dr. Bloom is a bit of a stretch. What’s the motive? She’s a psychiatrist who helps people.”

  “Maybe they were all c
lients. Did you look into that?” He didn’t want Felicity to be the arsonist, but that wasn’t what this was about. Something about Dr. Bloom had seemed wrong to him. Maybe it was just them showing up unannounced and maybe it was learning about Felicity. But maybe it was something more.

  Makenna opened her mouth and then sighed before speaking. “Okay, we didn’t look into counseling. We can check that. After we talk to Felicity.”

  “The doctor seemed certain Felicity isn’t the suspect. She’s a psychiatrist. Wouldn’t she know?”

  “It’s possible, but she’s not her psychiatrist, Bubba. She’s Felicity’s boss which means she has a different relationship with her.”

  “So, what now?”

  “Now, we go to Felicity’s house and hope we can find her before anyone else ends up dead.”

  * * *

  She paced around the room, trying to calm her rage. Failure was not an option and yet she had failed. Again. She pulled out the pictures of her victims, landing on Matt Fisher. This was his fault. His appearance in town had thrown her off her game. He was not supposed to have survived. No one was supposed to survive. So, the only thing to do was get rid of him. Then she would see clearly again.

  But how? How could she take out Matt when he was always with Captain Drake? The station? They were bound to be spending time together there, but could she set the station on fire? The station would have surveillance cameras. If she did this, she would have to leave town, which meant she might not be able to finish the Dr. Hayworth mission.

  “What do I do?” she asked aloud. The voice had been curiously silent today. Was he angry that she failed?

  “Let it go,” the wimpy voice whispered.

  “Shut up,” she yelled at the voice. “You are a coward. You are worthless.”

  The voice stilled, and while she felt satisfaction at that, she still wasn’t getting the orders she needed. But that was okay. She could wait. If she’d learned nothing else over the years, she had learned patience, and she could wait. But not here. She couldn’t think with the two men smiling at her. Mocking her failure. She had to get out and clear her head. Then he would tell her what to do. She was sure of it.

  * * *

  Makenna wished she had the words to say to Bubba as they drove to Felicity’s house, but what did you say to someone when you were about to arrest his sister?

  “You don’t have to go in with me,” Makenna said when she pulled the car to a stop in front of the small rambler. “I could leave you here and get her without you.”

  Bubba shook his head, but his eyes remained fixed out the window. “No, if she is responsible, I want to be there. In some weird way, I feel like I owe her, like I failed her somehow.”

  Makenna touched his arm and waited to speak until he turned to face her. “You did not fail her, Bubba. If she is the arsonist, her parents failed her long before she ever met you.”

  He squeezed her hand and held her gaze a moment. “Thank you.”

  His touch sent a tremor down her spine, and her throat dried up as if she’d swallowed a cotton ball by mistake. “You’re welcome,” she said softly, pushing the words past the cotton. “I guess we better go.” It wasn’t what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him she enjoyed his company, that she hoped they could have a future, that she didn’t want to be just friends. However, now was not the time. It could wait until they found the killer.

  He let go of her hand, and with great reluctance, she dropped her hand from his arm and opened her car door.

  The house was dark as they approached, and Makenna wondered briefly if they were walking into a trap. Would Felicity lure them here and then set her own house on fire? Makenna’s hand touched the butt of her gun, but it wouldn’t be much help against a fire.

  Her blood pulsed in her ears like a rhythmic beating of a drum, but she forced her breathing to stay even. It wasn’t dark yet. The killer always struck after dark, so surely they would be safe. She hoped they would be safe. She’d promised Bubba’s parents she would protect him, yet here she was dragging him along to danger.

  The porch creaked under her feet, and the hairs on her neck lifted, but then she felt Bubba’s calming presence behind her. He placed a hand on the small of her back, and her heart began to slow. After a deep breath, she pressed the bell. The chime echoed throughout but then silence fell again.

  “Maybe she’s not home?” Bubba asked as the silence drew out.

  “Do you know where she might go?” Makenna didn’t have a warrant, so she couldn’t just bust into the house, and the blinds were pulled, blocking visibility.

  “No, but my parents might.”

  Makenna sighed. “I didn’t want to get your parents involved, but you’re right. They’re probably our best hope.” She just hoped they would talk to her when they found out what she wanted.

  Chapter 17

  Bubba shivered as he opened the car door and stepped out into the cool evening. Night was approaching, sending shadows across the streets, and he felt eyes on him. He looked down the street, but he could see nothing. He must just be on edge.

  There was no need to knock, but Bubba paused a moment at the door anyway. What would his parents say when they told them why they were here? Would this damage the relationship he had just begun to rebuild?

  “You okay?” Makenna asked. She might have said she wanted to remain strictly professional but her eyes brimmed with concern. They would have to revisit this relationship when the killer was safely behind bars.

  “Yeah, just wishing she wasn’t a suspect.”

  “Me too, but it will be all right.” She placed a hand on his arm, and Bubba forced himself to focus on the task at hand and not how much he wanted to kiss Makenna. After, he told himself. When everyone is safe again. Then we can think about the future.

  He pushed the door open, calling for his mother as he stepped over the threshold.

  “Captain Drake, nice to see you again,” his mother said as she rounded the corner, but her tone didn’t match her words. She sounded about as happy to see Makenna as she would be to invite a tax collector in for an audit. Bubba couldn’t blame her. Makenna seemed to bring bad news whenever she showed up around here.

  “You as well, Margaret. Mind if I come in?”

  “Well, you’re here already.” His mother turned and led the way into the living room.

  “Felicity, what are you doing here?” Bubba asked as he rounded the corner and saw his sister curled up on the couch.

  “She’s been here all day,” his mother said as she reached down to touch Felicity’s head. “She called a little after you left this morning. She’s running a fever and needed someone to take care of her, so I brought her here. Why?”

  “We were actually looking for Felicity,” Makenna said. “We need to ask her a few questions.”

  His mother crossed her arms, and her mouth pulled into a tight line. She moved as if to shield Felicity. “Don’t tell me you think Felicity is the arsonist now.”

  Oh no, this was going downhill quickly. He could see the ‘mama bear’ instincts taking over, and he needed to pacify her if they had any hope of getting their questions answered. “There’s some information that needs clarifying, Mom.”

  “I”ll answer their questions,” Felicity said, struggling to sit up a bit.

  Bubba scanned her for any sign of a cut, but he could see nothing. He shot Makenna a look hoping she would notice the same.

  “You don’t have to,” his mother said. “I’m sure Captain Drake knows you have the right to an attorney.”

  “It’s fine, Mom.” Felicity placed a hand on their mother’s arm which seemed to quell her intensity. For the moment at least. Bubba nodded to Makenna. It was now or never.

  Makenna cleared her throat, obviously nervous having to ask these questions in front of their mother. “Felicity, we spoke to Roger earlier, and he said you changed in the last month, grew more negative and began talking about helping the people who came into the office. Can you tell me why the
sudden change?”

  Felicity took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “A month ago, I got a call from a doctor in Richmond. I guess my biological mother ended up there a few years ago. I hadn’t heard anything from her since Child Protective Services pulled me from her house so long ago, but I guess they found her unconscious on a park bench. She never woke up, and this doctor was calling to tell me that she passed away. So yeah, things changed for me a month ago. I had a lot of memories dredged up.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” his mother asked as she sat on the edge of the couch next to Felicity.

  “I didn’t want to bother anybody with it. You all have been so good to me, but when the memories came flooding back, I just felt like I needed to help the people I saw everyday. I mean they come in once a week, and it doesn’t seem as if Dr. Bloom is doing anything for them.

  “Sometimes they would tell me their stories as they waited for their appointment, and sometimes I would hear things as I walked by the room. I didn’t mean to look in their case files, I just thought maybe I could help them if I knew more about their issues. If they had backgrounds like mine.”

  “Felicity, I have to ask, where were you last night?” Makenna still sounded all business, but Bubba could hear the compassion in her voice.

  “I was home all night. Why?”

  “There was another arson last night, and we think the person was injured. Can I see both of your arms?”

  Felicity held her arms up, but there were no cuts, no bandaids. Where did this leave them now?

  “Satisfied?” his mother asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry, but I had to ask. Felicity, I know there is a lot in your past, but I’m sure Dr. Bloom would help you process your feelings or find someone who could help you.”

  “Roger wanted to let you know that he still cares for you as well,” Bubba added. “Maybe if you talk to him, explain things, you guys can work it out.”