Blazing Summer (Darling Investigations Book 2)

by Denise Grover Swank

It was obvious from the look on his face that he didn’t believe me.

  “I swear. I’ve been working on other things.” Okay, it was the same thing, just a different angle than he probably thought . . .

  Luke frowned, then put his hands on my shoulders. “I’m going over to talk to the firefighters. Promise me you’ll stay here and wait until I’m done.”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  The crowd had started moving closer to the fire, so Luke began to push everyone back. Once he made sure we were all a safe distance away, he walked over and started talking to several of the firefighters.

  They had the fire contained within fifteen minutes, and once the flames were extinguished, two firefighters headed for the front door of the thrift store. A few minutes later, they came out of the building and headed straight for the fire chief. They told him something, and his head jerked up. “Montgomery,” he shouted toward Luke.

  Luke perked up, gave me a grim look, then headed for the small group.

  Connor was with his crew about twenty feet away from the building, and he got a wild look in his eyes as he talked to the camera.

  “What’s he sayin’?” I asked a nearby bystander. Her eyes were glued on Connor.

  “I can’t make it out,” she mumbled. “It sounded like he’s sayin’ they found something shoddy.”

  Something shoddy? Connor had totally lost it.

  “They think someone’s inside,” Bill said in a quiet voice behind me.

  I spun around to face him. “What?”

  “Those two firemen went in before they cleared the entire building. When they came out, they went straight for the fire chief—and they called over the chief of police too.”

  I started to protest, but then I realized Connor hadn’t been saying shoddy. He’d been saying body. “But how? The store was abandoned.”

  Tony shrugged. “Maybe it was a homeless person.”

  As far as I knew, Sweet Briar didn’t have a homeless problem, but then, maybe the town did a really good job of hiding it. That meant I hadn’t just seen an arsonist, I’d potentially seen a murderer.

  My head went numb.

  Where was Dixie?

  I pulled up her number and called her, even more worried when the phone went straight to voice mail.

  Anxiety gnawed at the lining of my stomach. Something was really, really wrong. I just didn’t know what yet.

  “Summer,” Bill whispered in my ear, “what’s wrong?”

  “I can’t get ahold of Dixie.”

  Bill frowned. “Maybe she’s in the middle of something.”

  “Her phone went straight to voice mail. That means it’s either turned off or the phone is dead, but I know for a fact she charged it after lunch—I saw her plug it in—and she never turns it off.”

  Luke had been listening to the firefighters for several seconds. One of them reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Luke stiffened and took several seconds to process whatever he’d been told before he broke loose and headed toward the fire engine, the firefighters following him.

  “Something bad’s happening,” I said, feeling like I was about to throw up.

  Luke made a call on his cell phone and talked to whoever was on the other line for nearly a minute while one of the firefighters pulled a pair of fireman overalls off the fire truck and dropped them to the ground. I watched in disbelief as Luke kicked off his shoes and stepped into the overalls and attached boots.

  “Oh, God,” I said in horror. I took an involuntary step forward. “Why’s he goin’ inside that still-smoldering house?”

  “I don’t know,” Bill said, but his camera was lifted to his shoulder. He was recording this, and so was Tony. I suspected Tony had been filming ever since Luke had told me to stay put.

  I called Teddy on my cell, and he answered with a warm hello.

  “Have you talked to Dixie?” I asked, trying to hide my rising hysteria. There was no basis for my fear. I was sure there was a logical explanation for Dixie not responding. But I didn’t like it.

  He paused. “Not since this morning. Why?”

  I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but my words still sounded strangled. “I can’t get ahold of her.”

  “She’s not with you? Why’d you let her out of your sight?” he asked, his voice rising.

  He was right. What had I been thinking? My job had been to watch her and keep her safe, and now she was missing. That was on me. “I’m sorry,” I pushed out in a tight voice. “There’s been another fire, Teddy.”

  “What? Where?”

  “On Pine Street. In the old thrift shop.” I paused. “I think they just found a body.”

  “Stay put, Summer,” he said, sounding panicked. “Just stay put and wait for me. I’m on my way.”

  Willy had shown up, along with a couple of deputy sheriffs. They were stringing crime scene tape from one side of the street to the other to keep the crowd back. Luke was now wearing the firefighter pants, and he started to put on the jacket.

  “What’s he doin’?” I asked, trying not to sound hysterical.

  “Summer,” Bill said, grabbing my shoulder with one hand and turning me to face him. He tilted the camera so it pointed to the street. “Why are you so freaked out?”

  “Luke’s goin’ into that burning building.”

  “It’s not burning anymore,” Tony said. “It’s just smoking now. It’s bound to be mostly safe or they wouldn’t let him go in. Besides, it’s a small town. I suspect he’s helped put out a fire or two.”

  “Why’s he going inside in the first place?”

  Tony leaned into my ear. “To look at the body.”

  I gasped, feeling light-headed. Bill lowered the camera to his side and put his hand on my back, lightly rubbing back and forth. When Luke put on his helmet, the only way I could distinguish him from the other guys was a streak of blue on his pants.

  The two firemen led Luke and the fire chief into the building while Willy and one of the sheriff’s deputies got the crowd moved back and the crime scene tape firmly in place. Two more sheriff’s deputies arrived at the opposite end of the street and headed straight for Connor and his crew, who had a direct shot inside the shop. One of the deputies moved Connor and the rest to the opposite end of the street, and the other worked on setting up crime scene tape on his end.

  I understood their need to keep us back, but I couldn’t see inside, which meant I had no idea what Luke was up to. Without thinking, I lifted the crime scene tape and ducked underneath, intent on getting a better look.

  Willy saw me and hurried over. “You need to get behind the crime scene tape, Summer,” he said in a gentle tone, one that set off alarm bells in my head.

  I jerked my arm away from him. “Why are you bein’ so nice?”

  His eyes widened like he was a paparazzo caught in a house’s floodlights at 3:00 a.m. “What are you talkin’ about? I’m always nice to you.”

  “Except when you tried to arrest me for being a Peeping Tom in April.”

  He gave me a sheepish grin, then glanced over his shoulder with a worried look.

  “What’s goin’ on, Willy?”

  A deputy walked over, and before he even reached us, I steeled my back.

  “Causing trouble, Ms. Butler?” Deputy Ryan Dixon asked with a hint of contempt.

  The contempt was mutual. This idiot had accused me of moving Otto Olson’s body to the lake so I could pretend to find him in order to boost ratings for my show. He’d actually believed I’d given myself a concussion for authenticity.

  I lifted my chin and gave him my best haughty stare. “I was the one who called this fire in.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted it. The interest that sparked in his eyes confirmed it had been a mistake. For all I knew, he’d accuse me of setting the fire for the show.

  Just like we’d speculated about Connor.

  “Ms. Butler, you need to get back. This is a crime scene, and you don’t have permission to be on this side of the tape
.” Then he gave me a glare. “Whether you called it in or not.”

  I moved back to the other side but stood at the very edge of the tape, trying to figure out why I was so panicky. Bill was right—this was likely not the first time Luke had gone into a building damaged by fire. But my inability to reach Dixie was worrying me.

  Firefighters started to emerge from the building, and I held my breath until I saw a figure with a blue streak on the leg of his pants.

  Relief swept through me as I placed a hand over my racing heart. Luke, at least, was okay.

  But he seemed like a man with a purpose as he ripped off his air mask and headed for the fire truck. I watched in horror as he jerked off his helmet, squatted next to the engine’s back wheel, and promptly threw up.

  “He saw something,” Bill said.

  “Or someone,” Chuck said.

  What could have upset him like that? Someone who’d been caught in a fire would be in terrible shape, and Luke took the safety of his citizens seriously, but he’d seen bodies before . . . When he glanced over, his gaze held mine for a couple of seconds, the world fell away, and an awful certainty filled me.

  “Dixie.”

  “What about her?” Bill asked, but the tightness at the end of his sentence hinted that he knew exactly what I meant.

  Luke stood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then stripped off the oxygen tank and jacket in record time. As he kicked off his pants, Garrett approached him. He put a hand on Luke’s shoulder and leaned into his ear. Luke hung his head and nodded.

  What had Luke found inside that building?

  I couldn’t wait any longer.

  Lifting the crime scene tape again, I ducked underneath it. I heard Bill shouting my name, but it sounded far away. The only thing I could concentrate on was getting to Luke.

  Luke’s gaze jerked up to mine, and the devastation on his face confirmed my worst fears.

  “No . . .”

  I felt a hand grab my arm and tug backward, but my body was deadweight.

  “Get behind the line!” I heard Deputy Dixon shout, but the words were muffled, like I was underwater, and he was above the surface shouting down to me.

  Luke was crossing the distance in bounding steps, the pain on his face morphing to anger as he reached us. He placed his palms on the deputy’s chest and shoved hard.

  Deputy Dixon stumbled backward, then a dark look crossed his face before he lunged at Luke.

  That brought me to my senses. I moved between them, putting a hand on Luke’s chest. “No. Stop. He’s not worth it.”

  The deputy looked ready to hit someone, but one of his fellow deputies grabbed his arm and tugged. “This is personal to him, Dixon. Let it go.”

  The fury in Deputy Dixon’s eyes suggested he wasn’t even close to letting it go—that he wasn’t the type of person who knew how—but he took several steps back and finally spun away.

  Luke’s chest muscles were tight under my hand, but he wrapped an arm around my back and steered me back toward the crowd.

  “It’s her, isn’t it?” I asked, surprised I sounded so calm, like I’d just asked Maybelline to hold the cheese on my burger.

  “Not here, Summer,” Luke said, his voice rough.

  We reached the crime scene tape where Bill and Tony still stood waiting for me. Bill had given up all pretense of filming, but Tony had his camera trained on both of us.

  Luke lifted the tape so I could duck underneath, and he quickly followed. He turned to my crew and said, “We’re going to the police station. You will not be coming.”

  “What’s going on?” Chuck asked, holding the boom mike over our heads. When had he gotten that out? But then why was I surprised? That was his job, and my crew were professionals. I couldn’t begrudge them for trying to do their jobs.

  Luke ignored them, moving me through the crowd at a dizzying speed and then settling me in the front seat of his patrol car.

  “Am I in trouble?” I asked when he got behind the wheel.

  “What? No.” He ran a hand over his face, then reached over and grabbed my hand and squeezed, his eyes filling with tears. “Let’s get to the station.”

  I wanted him to voice my worst fear, but as long as I didn’t ask him, it wouldn’t be true. Dixie wouldn’t be dead.

  No. Dixie wasn’t dead.

  What was Teddy going to say?

  Oh, crap. Teddy. He’d told me to stay put.

  I sent him a quick text telling him to meet me at the police station. Lord only knew what he’d think of that, but there was no gentle way to share my fears with him, and I didn’t want him going to the crime scene.

  We reached the police station within minutes, and I was out of the car before Luke could walk around to get me. The air had grown thin inside the vehicle, and I could barely breathe.

  “It was her, wasn’t it?” I asked, my skin crawling with panic.

  “No.” Luke’s eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “Let’s just go inside, Summer. We’ll talk in there.”

  If it wasn’t her, then why was he so upset? Was he lying to keep me from freaking out?

  Oh, my God.

  No. No. This couldn’t be happening. I rested my hands on my legs and curled over as I took several deep breaths, fighting the panic.

  I heard tires squealing behind me, and a vehicle screeched to a halt.

  “Summer!” Teddy shouted behind me, and I stood upright. He reached me within seconds, grabbing my shoulders. “Where is she?”

  I started to cry. “I don’t know.”

  His eyes were wild with panic. “They said there’s a body. Was she in that fire?”

  “I don’t know.” My body was racked with sobs, and I felt Luke pull me from Teddy’s grasp and haul me to his chest.

  “It wasn’t her,” Luke said. “Let’s go inside.”

  There it was again—the tightness in his voice. He was hiding something big.

  “Where the fuck is my sister, Luke?”

  “We really should discuss this inside, Teddy.” Luke’s voice broke.

  “No, we’ll discuss this now. Was Dixie caught in this?”

  Luke cupped my cheek and tilted my face up to his. “You can handle this, and I’ll help you. I swear it. Do you trust me?”

  Fresh tears filled my eyes. “It was her. She’s dead, isn’t she?”

  “Summer.” His voice was harsh, and his eyes hardened. “Do you trust me?”

  Why was he asking me that question? But there was no hesitation with my answer. “Yes.”

  Luke shook his head, holding my gaze, then looked up at Teddy. “It wasn’t Dixie. We’re pretty damn sure it was April Jean’s body, but Dixie is the prime suspect.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I was caught between relief and horror.

  “What the hell are you talkin’ about, Montgomery?” Teddy asked in a deadly quiet tone as he took a step toward us. His hands were fisted at his sides.

  Luke angled his body so I was partially behind him. “We should take this inside, Teddy.”

  “Why? So you can get us in there and trick us into helping you build your case against her?”

  “No,” Luke said in a firm tone. “So I can prove she didn’t do it.”

  Teddy shook his head. “I fell for that bullshit once. I’m not doin’ it again.” He reached a hand out for me. “Summer, let’s go.”

  I took a step away from Luke and stood between them. “Wait,” I said, focusing on Luke. “How can you possibly name Dixie as a suspect when you just found April Jean’s body? She was in a fire.” But images of April Jean filled my head—her trailer, her drawings, the encounter between her and the mayor at the police station. I’d seen her just over an hour ago. “How can you be sure it was April Jean?”

  “She was only partially burned. One of the firefighters identified a tattoo on her ankle. They’ll check dental records—and fingerprints if they can get them. They won’t release her name until it’s been confirmed and her grandparents have been notified
, but we’re sure it’s her.”

  “What makes Dixie the number-one suspect?” Teddy demanded in a snotty tone. “The fact that April Jean died in a fire?”

  “I saw the arsonist run out of the building, and he was nearly a foot taller than Dixie,” I protested.

  “I’ll tell you what I know, but I need to go inside and tell Amber I’m leaving for the day,” Luke said. “They’ll lock everything down tight before the media starts circling like vultures.”

  “Why do you keep saying they?” I asked.

  Luke swallowed, then held my gaze. “The fire chief made me call in the sheriff’s department and give them the case. With you here, and Dixie bein’ in the middle of this, the media’s gonna be all over it. I can’t be impartial, and everyone knows it.”

  “So you tossed her to Deputy Dixon?” I asked in disbelief.

  “The sheriff’s department loves Teddy,” Luke said. “They’ll handle this with kid gloves because of him, and they’ll be even more careful than usual since the media will be watching their every move. They won’t make a hasty arrest, but when they do arrest her, it will make big news. Sheriff Bromley’s up for reelection, and he’ll play this case like a fiddle to aid his campaign.” He turned to Teddy. “You know I’m right.”

  “You arrested her for a crime she didn’t commit nine years ago,” Teddy said in a gravelly voice. “How come you’re so sure Dixie didn’t do it this time?”

  “Because April Jean was shot in the head, and Dixie’s not a stone-cold killer,” Luke said.

  I gasped. “Someone shot her?”

  Luke ignored my question as he turned to me. “I’m goin’ inside to talk to Amber, but I want you both to know I’m devoting my full attention to this until we clear her.”

  “Can’t you get in trouble for interfering with the sheriff’s investigation?” I asked. “Last time this happened, they told you in no uncertain terms to back off.”

  “You’re right, but you can work it,” he said. “Teddy can officially hire you to investigate.”

  We’d dealt with the same issue back in April. The sheriff’s department had been in charge of the investigation of Otto Olson’s death, and Luke had gotten called on the carpet for conducting his own inquiries. But private investigators could work active investigations, and Luke had encouraged me to pursue it . . . until my crew and I stumbled upon another body. Not that I’d let Ed Reynolds’s death or Luke Montgomery’s orders stop me. He had to know I’d be even more persistent to save Dixie.