Fire Games (The Men 0f Fire Beach Book 1)

by Lorana Hoopes

“Yeah, there were two leather straps as if someone had been tied up in there and a blue bowl like a dog dish. Captain Fitzgerald doesn’t believe me that there might be something criminal happening there, so I thought I would take a chance and call you. I know you’re busy and you don’t know me, but -”

  “Are you still at the fire house?” he asked interrupting her.

  “Yeah, I’m on shift until tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay, tell me where the fire was and we’ll go check it out.” Jordan’s gut was rarely wrong and right now it was telling him this might be worth looking into. He wrote down the address Cassidy gave him and hung up the phone after promising to call her with any information.

  “Come on,” he said to Al. “We need to go check out a fire.”

  “A fire?” Confusion colored her expression. “Isn’t that a firefighter’s job?”

  “Yeah, it’s something she said she saw at the fire.”

  Al’s eyebrow lifted. “She? You mean the one you babysat last night? Do you even know anything about her? Maybe this is just an attention getting stunt.”

  Jordan stared at Al. She wasn’t usually one to pass judgment before getting to know someone, and he wondered if her attitude was jealousy of Cassidy’s air time or the time she had spent with him. “Maybe it is, but what if it’s not? What if there’s another missing kid out there somewhere and we don’t investigate it?”

  Al rolled her eyes and sighed, but she grabbed her jacket. “Fine, we’ll go check it out.”

  Though it was clear Al thought Jordan had lost his mind, she followed him to the car, and he filled her in on the way to the apartment complex.

  “Are you sure it’s safe to be here?” Al asked as they stepped over the yellow caution tape and entered the charred building. “Shouldn’t we make sure the structure won’t collapse before we walk about?”

  Al was right. They should have someone with them who could verify the building could sustain their weight, but his intuition was telling him there was no time to waste. “We have to see if Cassidy was right before someone comes back and destroys the evidence.”

  “Okay, but you’re going first.”

  The main floor appeared rather untouched by the fire but Jordan had no idea what the second floor would hold. When they came to the staircase, he placed his foot gingerly on each step waiting for it to fall out from beneath him. Only when it held, did he continue to the next step.

  The second floor was definitely in worse shape. Remains of wall paper curled off the walls looking a little like eerie fingers reaching out to them and the smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air. Cassidy had said it was the apartment farthest back, so he headed that way hoping the floor would remain solid.

  The door to the apartment hung off one hinge and a sea of black swam before them. This had to be where the fire started as it appeared to be the area most badly damaged. He scanned the room as they entered looking for any sign of children that Cassidy might have missed, but she was right. There was nothing. To his left, he saw the remains of a piece of furniture that must have been the couch.

  “Do you want to tell me what we’re looking for?” Al asked as she stepped lightly across the floor.

  “Cassidy said there was a hole in the wall behind the couch and she thinks maybe someone was tied up in it. Someone small.” He let the words hang in the air. “Like a child.”

  Recognition flickered in Al’s eyes as she hurried to his side. “You don’t think the guy we’re looking for lived here, do you?”

  “I think it’s worth investigating.” He stepped behind the couch hoping to see the hole that Cassidy had. The leather straps might have burned in the fire but maybe they could get DNA off the dish. All his hopes, however, were dashed when he saw the wall. The fire had burned the wall behind the couch completely. There were no straps.

  “Do you think she was wrong?” Al asked as she surveyed the scene.

  Jordan shook his head as he crouched down. He didn’t know Cassidy well. It could be that she had an attention-seeking disorder and this was just another effort to fuel her ego, but then why become a firefighter? Yes, it got you attention, but it could also get you killed.

  He pulled his gun from his holster and used the barrel to move the ashes around. Not knowing what else might be in the mess, he didn’t want to take the chance of using his bare hand, but when his gun uncovered a hardened blue puddle, he forsook caution and grabbed the item.

  “What does that look like to you?” he asked as he held the melted plastic up.

  Al’s nose scrunched in disgust. “A mess. What are you doing touching it?”

  “It looks to me like the color of a dog dish, you know the plastic kind you buy at the store.” Okay, so that was a bit of a leap, but he couldn’t think of anything else that would be in the walls and look like this.

  “So, she was right.” Al’s words were soft, breathy.

  “It appears she was. Now, the question is… who lived here?”

  Chapter 7

  “Okay, thanks for letting me know.” Cassidy hung up the phone and sat down on the couch.

  “Was that Jordan?” Bubba looked away from the TV which was playing the latest football game and wiggled his eyebrow at her. He was the only guy in the firehouse she had confided in before going on the show, and sometimes she wished she hadn’t. Now, he seemed determined to make any guy she met a possible love interest.

  Cassidy rolled her eyes to let him know how far off base he was although she couldn’t deny she found Jordan attractive. She definitely hadn’t missed how well his jeans fit his frame when he was crawling under her car or how sexy he looked with his gun drawn as he entered her apartment. “Yes, but it’s not what you think. I asked him to check out the apartment from the fire earlier. He couldn’t find the hole in the wall because the fire damaged it too much, but he did find a lump of melted plastic he thinks might have been the bowl.”

  Bubba let out a low whistle and turned his full attention to her. “So, what’s the next step?”

  “Jordan is checking with the landlord to see who rented the apartment, but I think that will be a dead end. I’m going to check with Ivy to see if I can talk to the woman we rescued. She might be our only hope in finding this guy.” Cassidy picked up the blackened doll she had taken from the apartment and sighed. “And this kid.”

  “She was pretty beat up and had a lot of smoke inhalation. It may be a few days before she can talk.”

  “I know. I just hope it gives us enough time.”

  “Marcel, isn’t it about time to wash the truck?” Captain Fitzgerald’s voice carried in from behind them.

  “Yes, sir, I was just about to do that.” Cassidy stood and tucked the doll behind her back. She’d tried to talk to the captain when they first returned from the fire, but he’d dismissed her concerns. He probably thought she was trying to get out of the work he’d placed on her, and though that wasn’t the case, she hadn’t wanted to argue with him.

  “I’ll talk to you later,” she whispered at Bubba before ducking out of the room. She dropped the doll off on her bunk before heading to the bay. Some little girl was missing that doll, and Cassidy was determined to return it to her.

  As she entered the bay, she hit the button to open the doors. At least it was a nice, warm day. She hated washing the truck when it was cold outside.

  “Oh, hello, I was just about to knock, but I wasn’t sure where the front door was.”

  Cassidy glanced up to see a man standing just outside the bay doors. He was nice looking in the nerdy Clark Kent way with dark hair, glasses, and a suit.

  “Sorry, my car won’t start, and I was hoping someone here might have jumper cables. I’m pretty sure it’s time for a new battery but just haven’t had time you know?” He shrugged and pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose.

  Cassidy sized the guy up. Normally, she would have thought nothing of a request like this. After all, the firehouse was nestled in a housing development, so visitors showed up often
, but the ominous notes were still on her mind and going anywhere alone with a stranger, even one that looked like he couldn’t harm a fly, didn’t seem smart. Plus, the guy seemed vaguely familiar though she couldn’t place where she’d seen him before.

  “Actually, we have something even better. Just let me grab it and let them know where I’m going.” She flashed him a small smile. “I’m supposed to be washing the truck.”

  “Sure, of course, thank you.”

  Cassidy stepped back inside and hastened to the common room where Bubba still sat watching the game. Luca and Deacon had joined him and all three were glued to the screen.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be washing the truck, Marcel?” Luca asked.

  “Yes, and I’m going to start in a minute, but there’s a guy who needs a jump. I just wanted to let someone know where I’d be.” She emphasized the last few words hoping Bubba would catch her drift.

  He glanced up and nodded letting her know he had her back and would come to check on her in a few minutes. It wasn’t quite the reaction she had hoped for, but at least it was something.

  She grabbed the battery jumper on her way back to the bay. “Okay, all set. Where’s your car?”

  “Just over here.” The man led the way out of the parking lot and to the right. “Thank you so much. I’m supposed to be on my way to a meeting, and I thought I was going to be late.”

  “Well, this does take about ten minutes to charge the battery. I hope that gives you enough time.”

  He checked his watch which appeared to be a Rolex – the man had money or at least wanted to appear like he did. “It’ll be tight, but I think I can make it. I’m glad it was you I saw first.”

  Cassidy froze as fear washed over her. “I’m sorry?”

  “Oh, you probably don’t remember. You checked the carbon monoxide levels at my friend Brian’s house a month or so ago. I never got your name then, but I wanted to thank you. I had no idea you worked at this station. I’m Scott by the way.” He held out a smooth hand.

  Cassidy looked at it, not sure she wanted to shake it but even less sure she wanted to decline and risk angering him. She remembered this call. A nice house with a group of men watching a football game. One had complained of migraines and an odd smell, so they’d called in the fire department to make sure there was no carbon monoxide leak. It had been a routine call, and the men had all seemed nice and stable. She needed to get ahold of herself. The guy needed a jump. That was it. He’d given no indication of anything else. She was letting her fears control her. “Cassidy,” she said finally shaking his. “This plugs into your cigarette lighter. You do have one, don’t you?”

  “Oh yes, it’s not that new. It’s this one.” He unlocked the door of an older Ford Mustang and held the door open for her. “I probably should upgrade especially with this battery issue, but I just love older Mustangs, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Cassidy wasn’t much of a car girl. As long as it drove, it was good enough for her. “Here, you just plug this in and push the button.” She handed him the device and stepped back. Her fear was probably unfounded, but harmless or not, she’d seen enough movies to know he could slam her with the door and cause some serious damage. Images of Kathy Bates from the old Misery movie flashed through her mind.

  He plugged the charger into the port and flicked the power button before backing out of the car. “So, now we wait?”

  “Yep, now we wait.” The silence settled between them – heavy and uncomfortable. “So, what do you do?” She didn’t need to know his occupation nor did she care, but small talk seemed less awkward than staring at each other in silence for ten minutes. However, she didn’t want to let her guard down and give this guy a chance to overpower her if he did have nefarious intentions, so she leaned against the back door careful to keep a comfortable distance between them without drawing attention.

  “I’m a financial planner. I set up IRAs and things like that. Boring but necessary.” He flashed her a crooked smile and Cassidy returned it, mostly out of habit, but he did have a nice smile and it eased her trepidation a little. “How did you get into firefighting?”

  Cassidy hesitated. Should she tell him? It wasn’t anything too revealing and she couldn’t see the harm in sharing. At least it would help pass the time. “On a bet actually.”

  Scott’s eyes widened behind his glasses revealing eyes the color of a stormy sea. They were the most interesting color Cassidy had ever seen. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I was in college and not sure what I wanted to do. There was this guy on my hockey team who thought women were inferior to men in every way, so he told me I couldn’t make it through the firefighter academy. Not one to let him win, I had to try, and I fell in love with it. Switched my major to fire science, graduated, and here I am.”

  Scott shook his head and grinned. “Well, remind me never to bet you anything. I have a feeling you rarely lose.”

  Cassidy’s smile faltered. Yes, she rarely lost, but she hadn’t always won, and the sting of the one she lost still left its mark. That had been her last boyfriend, David. She’d spied him in a crowded restaurant, and after her friend dared her to ask him out, she had sidled up to his table. He’d been flattered and agreed, and their relationship had progressed quickly. To the point where she’d thought he would propose. She’d already planned the entire day in her head and the kids they would have after. Then, one day, he’d up and left. Said her job took up too much of her time and his secretary held his interest more.

  “Have you had a fire today?” he asked glancing toward the firehouse.

  “What?” Cassidy shook her head to clear the painful memory from the past. “Yeah, we had one this morning. A fire at an apartment complex.”

  “Oh, dear. I hope no one was hurt.”

  Something in his tone bothered Cassidy though she couldn’t place her finger on what. She glanced at her watch. The charger still needed another few minutes. “I don’t think so, but I was only on one floor, and our paramedics handle injuries more than we do.”

  Scott nodded and glanced at the firehouse again. “Well, it sounds very exciting anyway. I bet it keeps you busy.”

  Cassidy watched his gaze slide to her left hand. Was he searching for a ring? Was this guy her stalker after all? How much had she shared? Too much? Suddenly, her heart began to pound in her chest. He’d made no move toward her, but if he did, could she run fast enough? Could she overpower him? She hated this feeling, this fear that every man she met might be out to harm her. Would she face this the rest of her life?

  “Yep, a firefighter’s life is busy. Pretty much work and sleep.”

  “That’s too bad,” he said holding her gaze. Could he see her fear? “There’s more to life than work and sleep.”

  From inside the car, she heard the timer ding, and a feeling of relief washed over her. “Looks like you’re all done. Why don’t you try to start the car?”

  Cassidy took a step back as Scott stepped toward her and then leaned into the car. The engine fired to life and he smiled at her. “What do you know? Thank you for your help.”

  “Sure. If you could just pull that machine out, I can put it back and you can be on your way.” Cassidy tried to keep her tone even.

  Scott leaned back into the car and then held out the starter machine. “Here you go. It was nice to meet you again. You’re a lifesaver.”

  “It’s what I do,” Cassidy said with a forced smile. She took the machine and stepped back again, putting more distance between herself and Scott, but she didn’t move any farther until he got in the car and drove away. Only then, did her breathing return to normal and her heartbeat begin to slow. She had to find out who her stalker was. There was no way she could keep living like this.

  * * *

  “Dang it,” Jordan hissed in frustration as the computer came up empty again. He’d gotten the name of the renter from the landlord who’d confirmed he had rented to a single man, but so far that name had done nothing for the case.
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br />   “No luck?” Al asked.

  “None. Whoever rented that apartment is a ghost. There’s a million Michael Simmons, but no one with the matching social the landlord gave us, and the social is actually registered to a guy who died five years ago.”

  “Were there any cameras in the apartment?” Stone asked as he paced the room like a caged tiger. The movement raised the tension in the room which was already thick. The kids had been gone too long and they all knew the statistics, but none of them were willing to give up.

  “No, it was too old,” Al supplied. “None across the street either.”

  “Do we have anything else to go on?” The frustration created a hard edge in Stone’s voice.

  “There might have been a witness. Cassidy said they dragged one woman from the scene. I’m waiting to hear from her.”

  “Let’s hope she knows something,” Stone said as he scraped his knuckles across his stubbled cheeks. Usually clean shaven, the scruff accentuated his stress. “I feel like the trail is going cold and I don’t like that. Not ever, but especially not when kids are involved.” The slam of his office door punctuated his agitation.

  “Cassidy, huh? Is there something going on between you two?” Al made the words sound innocent, but Jordan could tell from the sideways glance she shot him that there was more than idle curiosity behind the question.

  “Not like that. She’s a part of the case, that’s all.” But was that all? He couldn’t deny there was something attractive about Cassidy, but no, the last woman he had opened his heart to had left him at the altar. He wasn’t going to go down that path again any time soon.

  “Okay, if you say so. Hey, you want to grab some dinner?” Al’s abrupt shift took Jordan by surprise and he blinked at her a moment before he could form words.

  “I can’t,” he said with a sigh. “I promised Graham I would help with the restaurant tonight. He wants to clear out all the old furniture and the monstrosity of a bar so we can start looking at interior designs.” Although Jordan knew with Graham in charge there would be much less decision making and more informing of what the choice would be.