Fire Storm

by Marlow Kelly

  There was something in the quirk of his lips that suggested he might be on the verge of smiling.

  “Are you enjoying this?” She glanced down.

  His erection pressed against the zipper of his jeans.

  “This is a turn on for you?”

  He shrugged, not bothered by her accusation.

  He shouldn’t find pleasure in her anger. She could feel the slow boil of rage simmering to the surface. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  He held up his hands in a show of submission. “For the record, everything you do turns me on. I can’t help it.” He grinned. “And the idea of you cuffing a suspect—oh man. I could stay up all night fantasizing about that.”

  She smacked his shoulder. “I’m not responsible for your infantile fantasies.” Although, she had daydreamed about cuffing him earlier—not that he needed to know that.

  He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. There was no sign of teasing now just the intensity of his gaze. “Actually, I told Logan the same thing yesterday.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You discussed our sex life with my son?”

  “No, nothing like that. He had a man-to-man chat with me. He wanted to make sure my intentions were pure. I thought he might have mentioned it, but I can see by your reaction he didn’t.”

  When would this role reversal with Logan end? He was worried about her. It should be the other way around. She should be the one questioning his friends, especially given his history of choosing to associate with pond scum. She shook her head. “Not a word.”

  He released her and stepped closer. “I made it very clear that what happens in our relationship is up to you. I know you’re worried we went too fast yesterday. We can slow it down and get to know each other, if that’s what you want.” He tilted his head to the side. “I like your haircut. It suits you.”

  It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, and she went with it, if only because she internally winced at the knowledge that Logan had seen the attraction between her and Tim. “It’s short.”

  “It’s cute and sexy as hell.” He bent his head so his warm breath tickled her ear. “I wonder if it will get spiky when you’re hot and sweaty in bed after we make love.”

  She groaned. The vision of them naked in her bed with the sheets tangled around them was almost too much. She had gone from being mad at him to being aroused in sixty seconds flat. Damn. “I thought you said we could take it slow?”

  He laughed and then said, “And I meant it, but I never said I’d play fair.”

  There was no way she would win this round. He had the advantage because she was compromised by her attraction to him. A strategic withdrawal was probably the best she could do. “I have to go. Mrs. Anderson is waiting for me.”

  “And I have an appointment with a lady who owns acreage on the other side of Hopefalls. She’s thinking of going organic and wants some details on pricing.” He backed up as she opened the car door and climbed in.

  The truth of the matter was she didn’t want to slow things down. Hadn’t they just talked about where and when they would have sex? She’d just been blindsided by his admission that he talked to her son about marriage. The sex she could deal with; the two of them planning her future, without her, was another matter.

  He’d also enjoyed taunting her. Well, two could play at that game. “There is one thing I have to ask before I go,” Dana called through the open window.

  “What?”

  “When you talked to Logan, you said your intentions were pure?”

  He nodded.

  “They better not be too pure. I carry cuffs, and I’m not afraid to use them.”

  He moaned.

  She laughed as she put the car in gear and drove away.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Ethan Moore rode across the bumpy fields of Wind Valley Ranch. There were no vehicles in front of the house and no sign that anyone was home, which was perfect. He’d placed the dripping Ka-Bar knife in a large bag to preserve the blood. Now all he had to do was plant it in Morgan’s house. He couldn’t leave it in an obvious place. Maybe he could put it in a heating vent or the freezer. Yes, the freezer would be perfect. It would look like Morgan had tried to hide it. At the same time, freezing the bloody knife would preserve the blood and prove Morgan had killed Booley.

  He felt as if he’d experienced a hundred orgasms, and in a way, he had. The high he got from a kill was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

  Booley had been something special. Who knew the old man had so much fight in him. It had been a pleasure to slash at him again and again and watch the police chief struggle against the inevitable. His denial had lasted longer than most. He just wasn’t able to wrap his mind around the fact that he had been wrong in his assessment of Ethan. He kept thinking he could win. It wasn’t until the end that his eyes registered the truth—Ethan had been toying with him.

  He parked the ATV. Tonight, when the job was done, he’d sit in his hotel room and go over every detail. He never kept mementos. To do so would be foolish. He was the only person who knew how many people he’d killed, and he wanted to keep it that way.

  He grabbed the blade from the bag and stomped up the steps, not bothering to be quiet. He tested the door—unlocked—and took a step inside.

  “Who the fuck are you?” A Native American sat at the kitchen table, a Glock 19 handgun aimed at Ethan’s chest.

  “I’m-I’m—” Shit, think, think. “I’m a friend. Morgan said I could use his bathroom to wash up after hunting.”

  “You’ve got about five seconds to get out of here before I kill you.” He stared at Ethan as he sat straight-backed in the chair. His hard, unblinking dark eyes showed no sign of hesitation or uncertainty. His hand was steady, no nervous tremor, and his breathing was calm and regular.

  Ethan had no doubt this man would put a bullet in him. He put his hands up. The action made the blood from the knife drip down his arm. “I’m going. I don’t mean any harm. He backed out, closing the door after him.

  He headed back toward Molly’s Mountain. What the fuck was he going to do now? He could drive away and then backtrack and try to kill the bastard. No, that would raise more questions. The idea was to blame Morgan for Booley’s death, get rid of him that way, but that was shot to hell. He tried to remember everything he had seen in the kitchen. The man, the gun, and the phone on the table. The gun wasn’t the biggest problem. It was the damn phone. Whoever that guy was, he’d probably called for backup the moment he’d seen Ethan driving across the field, which meant help was on the way. Booley’s body was lying up in North’s shack on Molly’s Mountain, waiting to be discovered. There was no way he could plant the evidence on Morgan. Thank God, he had a plan B ready to go.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Finn placed his coffee and the bag containing a Rueben sandwich and a cookie on his desk. It had been a long, hard morning, maybe the longest of his career. When he added it to the nightmare he’d faced yesterday afternoon after interviewing Ackerman, he figured he was due a pay raise.

  “How did it go?” Kennedy asked, glancing up from her computer screen.

  “I would rather face a thousand ax-murderers than go back there again.”

  “Stop being so melodramatic. It was only the county records office.”

  “Records before 1984 are not computerized. I had to search through hundreds of documents.”

  Kennedy swiveled in her seat to face him. “Did you find anything?”

  “I found the original deed for North’s property dated first September 1898. But that was as far as I got. It’s like the lawyer said, the land could’ve been divided and split since then. I need to go through Ben’s genealogy and work up a family tree. Then I’ll have an idea who to look for.”

  “Did you get the deed Mayor Harris sold to Third Estate Mining?”

  “Yes.”

  “Great, I got a copy of Ben North’s handwriting from his lawyer. We’ll send them to the Questioned Documents U
nit at Quantico.” She pointed to an evidence bag.

  Finn filled out a label. “It’ll be interesting to see the results.”

  “Do you think Harris tricked Ben out of his mineral rights?” Kennedy used her thumb and forefinger to twirl her pen.

  “Or faked the documents. Either way, he must think it’s a lock. Ben’s elderly with no money. How does he prove they’d been stolen? You heard Millar—once the Eminent Domain process starts, it’s impossible to stop.” He snapped on a pair of latex gloves. He’d sealed the papers in a bag the moment he’d found them at the Elkhead County Records Office, but he liked to ensure all procedures were followed to prevent contamination.

  He placed the suspect deed into the secure courier package. “So all Ackerman has to do is legally buy the mineral rights from Harris and start the process. It didn’t matter how much money North gave his lawyer. The chances of him winning were slim. The only thing they didn’t count on was someone killing North.”

  Kennedy fixed her astute gaze on him. “You really don’t think Ackerman or Harris killed him?”

  “I think they’re capable of it. I just don’t think North’s death was in their best interest.” Finn sealed the envelope.

  “So whose idea was it to steal Molly’s Mountain, Ackerman or Harris?”

  He threw his gloves into the garbage. “My money would be on Ackerman. Somehow, he discovered this mineral, coltan, is under Ben’s property. He approaches Paul Harris—”

  “A landman.”

  “Who’s also the mayor of a dying town.” Finn opened his lunch and took a bite of his sandwich.

  “And you think Harris was desperate enough to go along with him? I don’t know about that. I looked into Harris’s background.”

  He swallowed, without tasting, and then said, “What did you find?”

  “Nothing. He’s never been arrested. He has no criminal record. He’s never even had a speeding ticket.”

  “Maybe he got in over his head. We know he’s Lucy’s lover, and Ackerman paid him a fortune for the rights. Sex and money can be a powerful motivator.”

  Finn’s phone played the funky jazz tune. Damn. He had to remember to change his ringtone.

  “Finn.”

  The curtness in Michael’s voice made him snap to attention. “What’s wrong?”

  “Some guy was here. He had a bloody knife. Said he was a friend of Tim’s.”

  “You don’t think he was?”

  “Called him ‘Morgan.’”

  “What were his exact words?” Finn had no doubt Michael would be able to recall the conversation word for word.

  “‘I’m a friend. Morgan said I could use his bathroom to wash up after hunting.’”

  “Shit.” Tim never allowed anyone to call him Morgan. It was Tim, Timothy, or Mr. Morgan, never just Morgan. “Have you called Tim?”

  “He’s next after you.”

  “Okay. I’m on my way.”

  Kennedy stood near the door, waiting. She was armed and wearing her raid jacket.

  “You caught that?” Finn grabbed the car keys.

  “Michael’s in danger?” She swung the office door open, heading to the SUV.

  Finn marched after her. The idea that a man with a bloody knife had turned up at Wind Valley Ranch sent chills through his spine.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Tim grabbed his rifle and his backpack, which contained a new can of bear spray. His Ka-Bar knife, as always, was in its scabbard at his waist.

  “I’m coming with you.” Dana stood at the kitchen door, staring at the drops of blood on the floor.

  “You should wait for—”

  “Who? The police. I am the police. If anything, I’m the one who should be going after this lunatic, not you.” She stood ready, one hand automatically resting on her weapon.

  “You’re out of your jurisdiction,” he countered, hoping she would leave him to pursue the freak who’d showed up at his door.

  “I can make a citizen’s arrest and then take the suspect to the Granite City- Elkhead County police.” She had him there. Not a surprise considering she was trained in law enforcement.

  Tim had stopped at the Hopefalls Police Station after his sales call, hoping to have lunch with her. After Michael phoned to tell him about the man with the bloody knife, they’d rushed to Wind Valley together. His instinct was to shield her, although he doubted she would appreciate that. “I was going to say the FBI. Someone needs to guard Michael.”

  Her brow creased. “Michael? Why would he need protecting? This is about you. This guy knew your name. He came to your house.”

  Michael limped into the kitchen. “She’s right. You need backup. Finn will be here soon.”

  Tim didn’t like the idea of Dana getting caught up in this mess, but she was a cop. Her job was to put herself on the line of fire to safeguard those in her care. If they were to have a future, then he had to learn to deal with that. Finally, he nodded, and grabbed the key for the ATV and then turned to Michael. “What did this guy look like?”

  “I was sitting down so my perspective might be off. He was Caucasian and as tall as you…and slim.”

  Tim remembered stopping to warn the protesters about the bear. “Did he have a beard and a wool cap?”

  “No.” Michael shook his head. “He had no distinguishing features, just the knife.”

  “Who were you picturing?” Dana asked.

  “One of the environmentalists camped at Ben’s gate.” Tim closed his eyes, trying to recall the details of his encounter. “Moore…that was it, Ethan Moore.”

  Dana jotted the name in her notepad. “I think I’ve seen him around town. He was one of the last protesters to leave Molly’s Mountain, and he was at the town hall meeting on Sunday night. Why would he come to your house?”

  “I don’t know, and the guy I’m thinking of has a beard, but he could have shaved.” Tim shook his head. “He struck me as being ex-military. He eyed Michael. Thank God, he’d done some target practice. “Maybe we should wait until Finn arrives.”

  “The asshole headed across the field toward Molly’s Mountain,” Michael said. “He was out of view once he reached the forest.”

  “What if he doubled back and is waiting for us to leave?” Tim reasoned.

  “Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Dana said through clenched teeth.

  Tim inhaled a long, calming breath. “I’m not sure. Michael here is ex-army CID. Someone is trying to kill him. Finn asked me to take care of him for a few days until he could figure something out. I didn’t ask for details.”

  She grabbed the keys from his hand and headed for the ATV. “Okay, it’s need to know. I get it.” She pointed to Tim. “You stay here and keep an eye on him. Booley and the mayor are missing, and I have to go after the man with the knife. I can’t have him running around the county, stabbing people.”

  “I’m coming, too.” Tim snatched the keys from her hand.

  She grabbed them back. “No. Stay here and watch out for your friend. I can handle this.”

  “No one’s saying you can’t, but I can track him. I know the land and I know how to obey orders.”

  “What about Michael?”

  Michael shoved a walkie-talkie into Dana’s hand. “I’ll radio you if there’s a problem. If he comes back, I won’t ask any questions. This time I’ll shoot to kill.”

  Tim stared at Dana. “I’m coming. We can either go together or I’ll trail after you on the other ATV I have in the barn.” The truth was there was no other ATV. He’d sold it a long time ago. He felt a small twinge of guilt about lying to her, but he couldn’t let her go alone. If anything happened, he’d never forgive himself.

  ****

  Dana hopped off the back of Tim’s ATV as they pulled up to the river that marked the divide between Molly’s Mountain and Wind Valley Ranch. Dana had her misgivings about Tim aiding in the pursuit of the suspect. The legal ramifications didn’t bother her. The criminal code stated she could order a person to help in sec
uring a pursuant. No, she was worried about Michael. They had assumed this situation was about Tim, but what if they were wrong? She pushed her doubts aside. Tim was right, she couldn’t track someone through the bush. She needed his help. Once they had the guy with the knife in custody, they would figure out who he was after.

  Tim moved forward, his rifle to his shoulder. Falling back on his Ranger training, he was focused, lethal. He headed toward the off-road vehicle parked nearby. She drew her weapon and followed. There was nothing on the ATV except a smear of blood.

  The rustle of leaves in the trees was deafening as the treetops bent, pushed by the gusts of wind blowing off the Cabinet Mountains. Surprisingly, Dana and Tim were protected from the worst of the squall by the forest.

  Using her smartphone, she snapped some pictures of the blood smear and the off-road vehicle, being sure not to touch. “Why do you think he left this here?”

  Using the strap, Tim slung his rifle over his shoulder and studied the ground. “My guess, he’s heading to Ben’s cabin.” He pointed to a narrow track that started on the other side of the creek and led up the mountainside. “It would be faster to run up the trail than drive to the bridge on the highway.”

  He hunched down to take a closer look. What he saw, she couldn’t say. Maybe there was a blade of grass out of place or a snapped twig, but nothing stood out to her. He pointed to the river, raising his voice to be heard above the wind. “He went across the creek. We’ll have to wade across and pick up his trail on the other side.” He grabbed the bear spray from his pack and glanced at her belt.

  She assumed he was checking to make sure she was armed. She holstered her weapon. “Don’t worry I’m ready.”

  “That won’t take down a bear.” He thrust the can at her. “If we meet one, use this.”

  Dana nodded, clipping it to her belt next to the radio, and then followed him across the waterway. Once they were on the other side, he shrugged into his backpack and snapped the waist belt in place, securing the load. “The tracks lead up towards Ben’s cabin.”