by Multi-Author
“It is unusual,” MacNeill agreed. “It’s rare for a building to combust completely before the fire trucks can get there.”
“The lab tech says they are using both an IRL and an accelerant to increase the speed of combustion. They’re different in every incident, though. Plus, whoever is doing this uses onsite materials to try to disguise the real cause of the fire. In one case, it was stacks of foam patio cushions, and, in another, wicker furniture stored in an empty apartment.”
“Damn.” MacNeill shook his head. “We’re just damn lucky that no one was killed or seriously injured.” Randi nibbled the tip of a pen. “The apartment complexes are scattered all over the city, everywhere except the northwest. Firebugs usually limit their activity to one geographic area.”
“Well, we need to figure something out because all the owners are banging on us to get the reports in so they can file insurance claims. I’m tired of them breathing down our necks and threatening us with lawyers.”
“I’d love to say let’s close this, but I can’t.” Randi sighed. “There’s just so much strange to the whole situation. Dan thinks I’m nuts, too, looking for some kind of conspiracy. He wants to get a profile of the firebug and let his men go to work on it. Go back through their files. They’ve already questioned some suspects, but all of them had verifiable alibis.”
Dan Kessler was the detective from the San Antonio Police Department she’d been paired with since she got her promotion. He’d been assigned to her first couple of cases. When they’d discovered they had a good working rhythm together, MacNeill had reached out to Dan’s lieutenant and asked if it could be a regular thing. So far so good.
“But you think it’s more.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’m crazy, but the back of my neck itches.”
MacNeill gave her a tired smile. “I always pay attention to that kind of an itch. Do what you have to.”
“Like I said, I’m going back to the four sites and going through my entire process all over again. I must be missing something.”
“Well, if it’s there, you’ll find it.” MacNeill stood up. “Be sure to keep me in the loop. I have a nasty feeling our firebug isn’t finished yet.”
“I have that same feeling,” she agreed.
After the captain left, she pulled up the lab reports on her computer and went over each one in great detail. She sensed something sinister underlying the whole thing, something more than just arson for the pure enjoyment of the blaze. She just didn’t know what. They were getting the expected pressure from the corporate reps who wanted to file the insurance claims. Usually, with multiple fires, the pattern and type of accelerants was the same. Firebugs like consistency. Here they were all over the place, but Randi wondered if it was just some smart asshole trying to mess with their minds. She just couldn’t get the proof she needed to call it anything but run-of-the-mill arson.
Run-of-the-mill arson? I must be losing my mind.
She needed to touch base with Dan Kessler, too. He was chasing down sales of the accelerants but, so far, nothing had popped up at him, either.
Randi had the feeling they were missing something, and she didn’t know what it was. It would be great if he could go back to each of the sites with her. He had a very keen eye for things and almost a sixth sense. She had worked several cases with him, and they had developed a comfortable professional relationship with a healthy respect for each other. She suspected he was open to something more personal. He was a very sexy good-looking guy who women fawned over, but that was the sure kiss of death to a professional situation. Wouldn’t that just give the good old boys something to hoot and holler about.
Besides, her heart had never recovered from Noah. She had locked it in a box and thrown away the key, pretty sure she’d never take it out again. She was a one-man woman, and he had been that man. His return here had opened all that pain up again, leaving her struggling to protect herself from more hurt and agony. She could do it. She had to do it.
Meanwhile, she was glad to have the professional partnership with Dan that they’d settled into. He’d been working arson for some time before she came on board, and his experience was always very valuable to her. Maybe he could help her find the answers eluding her, although he seemed just as exasperated by the situation as she was. He was, however, ready to toss her conspiracy theory. He kept reminding her they’d found nothing to support it.
It should be so simple, but it wasn’t. Frustrated, she leaned back in her chair, put her feet in their ankle high, soft leather boots on her desk, and closed her eyes. She hoped by doing so she could clear her brain and some of the pieces of this puzzle would start to make sense.
Instead, an image flashed across her personal video screen of a lean, muscular man with hair the color of rich tobacco and eyes that were pools of melted chocolate. He was naked, his cock rising proudly from that dark nest of curls, and his lips were curved in a hungry smile.
Holy fucking shit!
She sat upright abruptly, her feet slamming to the floor hard enough she nearly fell out of her chair. This could not be happening to her. No, no, no. She had worked hard six years ago to scrub Noah Cutler from her memory cells, but apparently, some of those stubborn babies had retained the imprint of him.
In spite of herself, Randi wondered where Noah was staying. She’d left right after Jimbo hauled out the big birthday cake for Jeff and everyone had sung an off-key and slightly off-color version of the traditional birthday song. Noah had still been there, hanging with some of his old friends. Had he reconnected with some woman? Gone home with her? Had he thought about Randi while he was—
Damn! I need to get a grip on myself.
She needed to focus on the case again and avoid Noah as much as possible. Or at least keep her shield up whenever she happened to run into him. And would she? Run into him? San Antonio was a big city with the ambience of a small town. Everyone seemed to know everyone and connect everywhere somehow. She’d just have to be prepared and deal with it.
Meanwhile, she sent the lab reports to her tablet, where she also had the photos stored. She picked up her cell and texted Dan that she was going to revisit the sites if he was available, stuffed everything in her messenger bag, and headed out to the parking lot.
* * *
Noah tipped back his bottle of beer, took a swallow, and gave his friend a long look across the booth where they were just finishing a late lunch.
“Okay,” he said, setting the bottle down. “Out with it.”
Jeff gave him a lopsided grin. “Out with what?”
“Whatever you’ve been dying to ask me since I walked in here.” He chuckled. “For a detective, you don’t make a very good interrogator.”
“Not so, my friend.” Jeff took a drink of his own beer. “The hallmark of a good detective is to fix his target with a steely-eyed stare, say nothing, and wait for him to spill his guts.”
Noah burst out laughing. “And does that really work for you?”
“Sometimes. Come on, spill.”
“Spill what?” Noah knew exactly what his friend was waiting for.
“Okay, you want me to put it into words? I saw you and the lovely Randi sneak out of my party. I may have been celebrating, but I’m not blind.” He paused. “Although it didn’t seem like you were gone all that long.”
Noah shrugged. “Just grabbing a quick cup of coffee with an old friend, in a place where the noise was under two hundred decibels.”
“Uh-huh. Tell that to someone who might believe you.” He tapped his chest. “Top detective here, remember?”
“I don’t know what you think you saw. Randi and I were over a long time ago.”
“Not if the look on your face is any indication. Come on, tell papa.”
Noah shrugged. “Nothing to tell. We were done six years ago. Life goes on. End of story. That coffee was just to give us both some closure.”
“Closure? I thought that’s what you got six years ago.�
� He narrowed his eyes. “Or did you somehow fuck up back then and leave a mess.”
God, he hated thinking about what an ass he’d been. Such an egotistically confident jerk, so sure that he knew what was best for both of them. All he’d done was make a mess of everything, a painful fact he’d had to live with ever since then.
He rubbed the bottle back and forth in his palms. “I, uh, might have been a little heavy handed the last night we were together.”
“Heavy handed?” Jeff made a rude sound. “Let me guess. You were so full of yourself with this new job you told her how much she’d love New York, without even giving her a chance to say yes or no. Right?”
“Worse.” Noah hated remembering every agonizing moment of his speech. “I told her women shouldn’t be firefighters and she should stay an EMT so I didn’t have to worry about her.”
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “Are you shitting me? You were actually stupid enough to say that out loud to her?”
“Yeah.” He took another hit of his beer.
“You’re lucky she didn’t cut off your dick and feed it to you in pieces. Damn, Noah. Don’t you know anything about women? Especially a smart cookie like Randi. Half the men in San Antonio would stand in line for her if they thought they had a chance.”
Noah wrinkled his forehead. “What do you mean? She dates, right?” Although, the thought of it made him physically ill.
“If you want to call it that. She goes out now and then, but never more than a couple of times with any one guy. A lot of times she just comes to parties or get-togethers with the guys from her firehouse. Now and then, she shows up with Dan Kessler.”
“Who’s he?” Was this someone she had a relationship with? Damn, he might just get sick.
“Detective on the arson squad. They’ve been sort of partners since she got her promotion.” He laughed at Noah. “You should see the look on your face. I should let you wallow in your misery, but here’s the truth. Dan would be with her in a heartbeat, but it’s strictly professional between them. She made that plain from the very beginning.”
He was just selfish enough to feel a wave of relief. Somehow, he had to figure out how to turn things around with her. Because there was one fact staring him in the face. He wanted Randi Alexander in his life, and he’d do whatever it took to get her there.
“I don’t know how, if we got back together, I could let her go to work every day, knowing the dangers out there.”
Jeff laughed again. “First of all, my friend, if you want this thing to work again with the two of you, get it through your head you don’t let her do anything. She’s a smart, savvy, intelligent woman, and you should respect her for her choices. If you can do that, maybe you have half a chance.”
Noah raked his fingers through his hair. “That’s tough.”
“So is anything worth having.” Jeff took another swallow of beer. “Okay, how about telling me what’s brought you back to San Antonio? I can’t think of anything going on around here that would warrant national coverage. You’ve made quite a name for yourself with the big stories you covered. What on earth brought you back here?”
“Chasing a story. There seems to be a sudden rash of apartment complex fires in this city. Normally, we would bounce this back as being too local to cover. However, two things. First, we got a tip that it’s more than just an insurance scam going on here. Something big is happening, and this may just be the tip of the iceberg. My editor thought, since this is really my hometown, I could dig around and see if this tipster is blowing smoke up our collective asses or if there’s something really going on.”
Jeff’s jaw dropped. “You’re shitting me, right?”
“Not a bit. And you can’t say one damn word to anyone. Not yet.”
“But—”
Noah shook his head. “Not one word. Agreed?”
Jeff sighed and nodded. “Agreed. At least for the moment. Now, spill it. At least you can pick my brain.”
Noah rubbed his jaw. “Yeah, I was hoping you’d say that. There’s just one problem.”
Jeff lifted an eyebrow. “And that would be?”
“I want you to see if you’ve got any influence in the fire department to get Randi pulled off her current investigation. I’m pretty damn sure the string of apartment complex fires she’s looking into are the work of my target. And he’s not ready to stop here. That means she could be in a lot more danger than just getting burned by a fire or hit by falling beams.”
Jeff threw back his head and laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I don’t see what the fuck is so funny.” Noah was getting annoyed with his friend.
“Okay, for the moment, we’ll leave out the fact you wanted her to pull up stakes and follow you to New York without even the prospect of a job.”
“But—”
Jeff held up his hand. “Not done. You just got through telling me Randi kicked you to the curb because you were all macho about her becoming a firefighter and being in danger. If you ever have a hope of getting back together with her, getting her pulled off a case isn’t the route you want to take.” He studied Noah across the table. “You do want to get her back, right? Or am I misreading your body language?”
Noah shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. He had buried the situation with Randi as deep in his mind as he could, not that it had done him much good. But seeing her brought all his feelings back again, his love for her and his deep-seated need to be with her. A need he’d fought for six years only to have it blossom to full strength the moment he laid eyes on her.
“Let’s just say I made a big mistake six years ago and move on, okay?”
“We can move on, but I’m telling you this one thing. You can worry about her all you want. That’s part of the deal. But you can’t control her. If you love and respect her, you have to let her do her thing, just like you do yours. That’s all the advice I’m giving you because, other than that, I’m not touching the situation with Randi with a ten-foot pole. Now. Tell me about this so-called theory.”
“You won’t like this, either.”
“I get there’s a lot today I won’t like. Get to the point before I dump this beer on you.”
“Okay, okay.” He pulled out his cell and scrolled to the Notes app. “The source on this is very convoluted, but it was passed along to New York because the snitch was afraid if it went to any media in San Antonio, it would be swept under the table.”
“I don’t think I like where this is going,” Jeff told hm. “Why not just go to the SAPD if whoever this is has valid information?”
“You won’t like this either.”
“Spit it out, Noah.” Jeff’s eyes flashed with controlled anger. “Did he say the cops are crooked? That maybe one of us is setting the fires? For what reason? What’s the point?”
“He says a cop has found them the arsonist to do it.” God, he hated even saying the words. “With a cop to manipulate the investigation, the whole thing is a piece of cake.”
Jeff banged his fist on the table. When the waitress hurried over to see if anything was wrong, he apologized and waved her off.
“Did this fine upstanding source of yours happen to say why?”
“Money. A lot of it.”
“There would have to be,” Jeff snapped. “I can’t see a cop going off the rails just for a cut of the insurance money.”
“So then, what’s the purpose of these fires if not just for the insurance? Besides, if these complexes are all owned by one company, isn’t that suspicious? Wouldn’t Randi and Dan get onto that immediately?”
Noah nodded. “That’s another wrinkle in the sheets. Each complex is owned by a separate corporation, with a separate board of directors, and separate bank accounts. I need to dig into the money trail and also see if I can unravel the corporate structure. I did some preliminary research before I left New York. These companies are owned by other companies owned by other companies and…. Well, you get the point.”
“Damn.” Jeff scrubbed his hand over his face. “It makes me sick to hear this. Bad enough people were endangered by the fires, but to think a cop is involved….” He shook his head. “So, what do you think is the plan?”
“Don’t know. That’s one of the things I’ll be digging around for.”
Jeff was silent for a long time. “I can’t just sit still on this one, Noah. You can’t ask me to. I have an obligation as a cop.”
“Right now, you don’t even know who you’d be investigating or have any evidence, right? And I don’t want to tip anyone off until I have more evidence.” Noah fiddled with his beer bottle. Here came the hard part. “I don’t want to go to Randi on this, for obvious reasons. But if you can get me copies of this Dan Kessler’s reports, it would be a huge help. I still have sources here in the city.”
Jeff leaned forward on his elbows. “On one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“That you keep me in the loop. I understand where you’re coming from,” he added quickly as Noah opened his mouth to protest. “Much as I hate doing it this way, I will keep every bit of it to myself until we have concrete proof of who’s doing this. Just don’t get yourself killed doing something us cops are better suited for.”
“Unless it’s the cop who happens to be involved,” Noah pointed out.
They were both silent for long moments after that. Finally, Jeff signaled the waitress to bring the check.
“By the way,” he said, “if you aren’t doing anything tonight, like hooking up with a hot date, I’m having a few people over to my townhouse to watch the Texans and the Cowboys. Want in?”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks for that. No hookup. I’d just be watching the game alone in my hotel room, or the bar. What can I bring?”
“We never seem to have enough beer. Game starts at seven, but everyone usually starts straggling in around six thirty.”
