Familiar Fire

by Caroline Burnes

  “You harm that dog, and I promise you that I’ll make you wish you were dead.” Jake had grown completely calm—deceptively calm. He stepped forward, softly calling Ouzo to him. “Easy, boy,” he said. “Come on over here.”

  “Jake, be careful.” Kate didn’t have to tell him that if he was within ten feet of the dog and Lyte tossed the flame, Jake and Ouzo would be toast.

  “You haven’t killed anyone. Not yet,” Kate reasoned with Lyte. “Jail time is a lot better than execution.”

  “Yeah, that’s easy for you to say.”

  Jake crept steadily toward the dog.

  Kate’s finger itched on the trigger, but she was afraid if she shot Lyte, even to wound him, that he’d drop the lighter and ignite Ouzo.

  “We managed to get Roy Adams out of your house,” Kate said. She had to keep Lyte’s attention focused on her. She had no idea what Jake had planned, but she imagined that it involved getting Ouzo out of harm’s way. “Give it up, Lyte. There’s no place else to run. Even if you got away from here, we’d find you.”

  “You never found Johnny Goodloe,” Lyte bragged. “He got clean away with the money.”

  The statement was like a slap. “What do you know about Goodloe?” Kate demanded.

  “How do you think I learned about Silver City?” Lyte answered, laughing. “He’s the one who told me about the old mine shafts…” He broke it off.

  “So that’s why you wanted the Double J property. You thought there was gold in the mines. There was never anything there except foolish dreams and the wild imaginings of the two old original prospectors.” Jake was close enough to grasp Ouzo, who was still growling and ready to lunge at Lyte. He put his hand on the dog’s fur and grabbed hold.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. But you’ll never live to enjoy it!” Lyte thrust the lighter forward.

  A gusher of water erupted from the side of the house striking Lyte in the face and extinguishing the flame.

  “Get away from that dog!” Susan Tanner came out from behind the hedges with her water hose blasting.

  Jake saw his opportunity and leaped at Lyte, taking him down with quick efficiency. Kate rushed over and snapped the cuffs on Lyte and Jake hauled him to his feet

  “Put that scoundrel behind bars!” Susan ordered. “How dare he threaten Ouzo!” She bent down to the dog and patted his head. “When I bought this water hose, I intended to use it on the dog,” she told Jake. “But I never dreamed I’d need it to help capture a maniac.” She reached in her pocket and drew out a treat for Ouzo. “Now if you’ll take care of that vermin,” she squirted Lyte in the face again, “I’ll give this fella a good old bath.”

  “It’s a deal,” Jake said.

  JAKE PUSHED Theodore Lyte into the sheriff’s office and stopped at the sight of Mortimer Grell standing pensively at the window. Grell turned to face Jake and Kate, then gave his attention to Lyte.

  “Who are you?” Grell asked in his soft, cultured voice.

  “I’m Theodore Lyte, and I’ve been falsely arrested.” Lyte looked desperately around the room.

  “No, really. Who are you?” Grell asked softly. He went to Kate’s desk and picked up a report. Turning to Kate, he said softly. “Theodore Lyte is dead. It was his body beneath the casino.” He turned back to Lyte. “This man is an imposter.”

  Kate directed Lyte to a chair. “You might as well tell us the truth,” she said. “The entire truth.” What she wanted was information on Johnny Goodloe. Obviously, this man, whoever he was, knew Johnny Goodloe.

  “I want a lawyer.”

  “I think I’ll bring Karen Black from the holding cells,” Jake said. “I believe she’s in more of a mood to strike a bargain with us.”

  At the mention of Karen’s name, the man impersonating Theodore Lyte sagged. “So, you’re on to Karen.” It seemed for a moment that he would talk, but he straightened and glared. “Johnny always said never admit to anything. I’ll die before I say another word.”

  “Then I suppose you’ll die,” Mortimer Grell said softly. “For the murder of Theodore Lyte. He was shot in the chest three times. It seems he was scheduled to take over Lookout Church. Instead, he was killed and this man assumed his identity. The question is why?”

  “You’ll never figure that out,” Lyte snarled.

  Kate nodded to a deputy. “Put him in isolation and bring Miss Black out. I think she’ll sing a different tune.”

  In a moment the deputy returned with the petite woman. Karen Black looked around the room and saw the truth of the situation on everyone’s face.

  “I don’t have anything to say.”

  “Talk now and I might put in a good word for you at the trial,” Kate said. She held the woman’s gaze with her own. “This is your only chance. It’s now or never.”

  “I didn’t kill the minister,” she said. “That was Harry. He had the whole thing set up before we got together in Vegas. I didn’t know he’d already killed someone.”

  “Harry?” Jake asked.

  “Harry Peebles.” She nodded toward the jail. “That’s his name. He’s no minister and I’m not an interior decorator.”

  “What, exactly, were you up to?” Jake asked.

  She looked around as if she expected deliverance. When she finally accepted no one was going to help her, she sighed. “It was like this. Harry wanted to buy that ranch, the Double J. He’d heard from a buddy of his that the mines held gold. So he came down here and did a little work. He said there was plenty of gold in there, but that guy who owned the property,” she nodded at Jake, “wouldn’t sell it. Some kind of sentimental attachment. Then he heard the church was due for a new minister, and that’s when he hatched the plan. He thought for certain Jake would eventually sell to the church.”

  “He was very wrong about that,” Jake said.

  “So he found out. That’s when he decided to start setting the fires. He burned the Double J first, hoping you’d decide to sell then. When you didn’t, he thought he could force you out of your job. Once you weren’t fire chief anymore, you’d have to sell.”

  Kate went to Jake and grasped his hand. “So very simple, and yet so devious. I’m sorry, Jake.”

  “What’s Roy’s role in this?” Jake asked. The mayor was also locked up in a cell.

  “Nothing, really. He’d overinsured his business, and Harry found out about it. I think he was making Roy help him.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. The whole thing started coming apart. When Harry tried to burn down my business, I knew he’d gone out of control. I knew we were finished. I just didn’t know how to get out. He wouldn’t let me go. He said the same thing would happen to me that happened to Kate’s mother.”

  Jake stepped in front of Kate, as if to protect her from the words.

  Kate walked over to Karen Black. She leaned down. “And what exactly was that?” she asked, her heart pounding.

  “Harry said that Johnny killed her.” Karen realized that she was on treacherous ground. “I don’t know the details. It was a long time ago. But Harry said that Johnny took the money and killed her, but that Johnny was smart enough to leave some cash for the kid. That way, everyone assumed the woman ran off.”

  Kate took a deep breath as she straightened up. “Where is my mother’s body?”

  Karen’s eyes darted around the room. “I don’t know. I swear I don’t He never said. You’ll have to make him tell you. Harry knows. Johnny told him.”

  Jake suddenly caught her shoulder. “This one time, Kate, trust someone else to take care of this.”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay,” she said.

  KATE PLACED THE FLOWERS beside the new marker and stepped back. She read the words again—Anne Mc-Ardle, Beloved Mother Of Kate. Mortimer Grell had taken it upon himself to order the stone and have it installed high on Sentinel Mountain where Johnny Good-loe had buried Anne nearly two decades before.

  Jake looked around. They weren’t far from the mines. It had been several days since Harry Peebles had been unmaske
d, and most of the threads of the case had fallen into place. This last, the formal visit to Anne’s grave, was the hardest.

  “I miss her still,” Kate said.

  Jake put his arm around her. “You always will, Kate. When you love, you love with every bit of your being. But she didn’t abandon you. She was murdered. It’s different, but still very painful.”

  “You had more faith in my mother than I did,” Kate said slowly. “I should have hunted for her. I should have tried to find her. I was so ready to accept that she’d left me.”

  “You were blinded by pain, Kate. You were just a kid.” He pulled her against his chest and held her gently. “You did the best you could at the time. And the hard truth is that nothing you could have done would have changed a thing. Anne would still be dead.”

  Kate thought back through the years. She’d been so young, so terribly wounded. Now Jake had given her a new view of herself. She was a grown woman now, one who could, and would, handle this new information with strength and pride and with love for her mother. She eased out of the shelter of Jake’s arms. “If Johnny Goodloe is alive, he’s going to pay for this. I have the training and the skill, and I’m going after him.” She put her hand against Jake’s heart and felt the solid beat “And I have you to help me.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Alexis held the pen in her right hand and signed the legal document with a flourish. “That pile of rubble is yours. May it bring you happiness.”

  “You’re too kind,” Kate answered, picking up the paper. They were in the sheriff’s office, and Alexis had just signed over the deed to what was left of the Golden Nugget.

  “This closes the door on the arsons of Gilpin County,” Jake said, his hand lightly rubbing Kate’s back. “Who would have thought that Theodore Lyte would have burned down half the town trying to get me fired as fire chief so I’d have to sell the Double J to him.” He shook his head. “Well, the last few days have been hard, but it’s done. We can look to the future now.”

  Kate had traced Johnny Goodloe to Birmingham, Alabama where he’d opened a sporting goods store and was living the good life. But not for long. Alabama authorities picked him up without a hassle, and he was in the process of being extradited to Colorado for the murder of Anne McArdle.

  “With my mother’s murderer behind bars, maybe I can accept the past,” Kate said, a wistful tone in her voice. “I’m going to take what’s left of the old opera house and open that community theater.” Once Alexis had cooled down, she was more than willing to make an equitable agreement concerning the Golden Nugget. Kate looked around the room at the deputies and firemen, the townspeople who had come to mean so much to her, and she knew that coming back to Gilpin County had been the smartest move of her life.

  Roy Adams stood up. He was out on bond, but Kate had spoken to the judge in his behalf. “You all know I’m not proud of what I did to Kate, but I honestly was trying to protect her. I knew Lyte, or Harry Peebles, rather, was going to try again to kill her—he’d already tried it once in the Golden Nugget. And you know that he’d manipulated me into a position where I thought I was going to sell my land for a fortune to the DDC. I didn’t go to Kate with what I knew because I was greedy. But when I thought he was going to hurt her, I did what I thought would keep her safe for a few hours. I never even considered that the old mines were dangerous.”

  Jake put one hand on Roy’s shoulder and another on Kate’s. “It was Lyte who attacked Kate in the Golden Nugget, and he also nearly killed Alexis.” He grinned in response to the blonde’s scowl. “Have a glass of champagne, Alexis, and celebrate with us. You’re out from under the Golden Nugget and you escaped without singeing a single hair on your head.”

  Alexis pulled the veil of her sophisticated green straw hat over her eyes.

  “What about the mines?” Roy asked. “Lyte was positive there was gold there.”

  Jake shook his head. “The cave-in was extensive. To reopen the mines we’d have to start from scratch.” He waited until everyone was watching him. His gaze was only on Kate. “And that’s what I’ve decided to do. Maybe there is something in there. I’ve always felt the Double J was special. So did my dad. We just never considered that it might be precious metals.”

  “Meow!”

  From the desk Familiar demanded the attention of the room. When everyone was watching he nuzzled around on the desk, then hopped over to Jake. He dropped the nugget on the floor at Jake’s feet.

  “What in the—” Jake started.

  “It’s one of the rocks Familiar put in my pocket when I was in the mine.” Kate picked it up and handed it to Mortimer Grell. “What do you think?”

  Grell examined the rock, brushing it until the gold in it gleamed. “I’m a coroner, not a geologist, but this looks like gold,” he said.

  Everyone in the room, except Alexis, applauded. She stood up. “This is nothing but a cheerleader session. I’m going to get my things and head for the airport. I’ve had enough of this goody-goody crowd.”

  “Bye!” Susan Tanner said. “Have a nice life. Don’t let the doorknob hit you in the—Can I have a little more champagne?” She held up her glass.

  Alexis exited the room amid general laughter from those who had gathered. It was a celebration of sorts. Karen Black had turned state’s evidence against Theodore Lyte, her romantic partner in crime. Her evidence was enough to put the pretend minister behind bars for the rest of his natural life. And Karen, too, would serve time for her part in the arsons.

  Susan held up her freshly refilled glass. “To Ouzo!”

  The dog sat up long enough to lick her kneecap.

  “To Ouzo!” Everyone chorused.

  “I can’t believe that wicked man was going to hurt Ouzo,” Susan said from the overstuffed chair where she sat, Familiar in her lap and Ouzo at her feet. “Wicked, wicked man. And all along he was involved with Anne’s disappearance.” She smiled at Kate. “I knew your mother wouldn’t have simply walked out on you. Many was the time I wanted to tell you that, but I had no proof. None except what I felt in my heart. Anne loved you more than life itself. And as a surprise, I’ve got something for you.” Susan reached behind her pillow and brought out a large book. “It’s photos of Kitty and Anne and you. From the good old days.”

  Kate blinked back the tears. Now wasn’t the time for grief. This was a party for celebrating. “Thank you, Susan.” She took the book with extreme care and put it on her desk. “I thought I’d lost everything from my past.”

  “Everything except me,” Jake said, stepping beside her so that he could put an arm around her.

  “I have a toast.” Kate held her glass aloft. “To Familiar. No matter what was happening, he kept his head and kept me out of trouble.”

  “To Familiar!” Everyone saluted and drank.

  “And there’s one more toast,” Jake said. He turned to one of the firemen. “Now’s the moment” The fireman stepped out of the room and came back carrying a large flat parcel wrapped in brown paper.

  “This is for you, Kate.”

  She smiled her thanks as she stripped the paper off the gift. With a gasp, she recognized the portrait of her grandmother. Dangling from the top of the frame on a twisted gold chain was the ring Jake had made for her from the Double J brand. “How did—?”

  “I didn’t” Jake pointed at the fireman. “He did. I was so busy making sure you weren’t injured that I never gave the portrait a glance. But young fireman Tate realized that it might be of value and he took it out with him. Ouzo found the ring in the dirt at the Double J.”

  Kate detached the ring, removed it from the chain and carefully slipped it on her finger. The late evening light coming in from the big front window caught the diamonds and sent multihued sparkles around the room. “It’s beautiful, Jake.”

  “A small token of my esteem,” Jake said, bowing gallantly. “I’m glad to see you put it on.”

  She looked up at the hint of mischief in his voice. When he didn’t say anything else
, she turned back to the portrait. An expression of longing crossed her face. “You know, legally, this belongs to Alexis.”

  “Wrong,” Jake said, grinning. “You own the remains of the Golden Nugget. That includes everything left. Now may I make my toast?”

  She lifted her glass.

  Jake stepped up to her and lifted her chin with one gentle finger. “To Sheriff Kate McArdle, my future bride, if she’ll have me. And she can’t say no because the ring is on her finger.”

  Kate’s answer was lost amidst the cheers and applause. Only Jake heard the yes that was spoken very clearly and without the least hesitation.

  AH, TRUE LOVE WINS. It does the old cat ticker good to realize that sometimes even a human can get it right. As for me, I’m ready to go back to Washington. This case has been taxing, and working in this close proximity to a dog has nearly driven me mad. Not to mention that the cuisine out here in the West leaves a lot to be desired. Or maybe it’s just that Kate and Jake have been so busy with each other that they’d failed to take notice of my gourmet needs.

  Then again, perhaps it’s the dog. He is such a common, hairy beast that he’d eat potatoes and pretend they were good. That’s the problem with dog owners. They lose all refinement, all sensitivity, all delicacy of the palate. They become culinary bores. I want a good Washington soirée where the butter flows and the cream drips off every morsel

  Ah, look at that. It’s Jake and Kate and they’re wheeling in a tea cart filled with, my word, with butter-basted chicken livers, crab au gratin, a prime rib, for that Neanderthal dog, no doubt, and little silver goblets of cream.

  Well, maybe I’ll stay another day and make sure this tender young romance stays off the rocks. After all, a human may work from sun to sun, but Familiar’s work is never done.

  eISBN 978-14592-6148-8

  FAMILIAR FIRE

  Copyright © 1998 by Carolyn Haines