Chapter 5
Chapter 6 E than was the first to break the silence. “My money’s still on an arsonist doing this,” he said even though he knew that the new, adjunct member of the team vehemently disagreed with this theory. Kansas thought about holding her tongue. She was, after all, the outsider here, and arguing was not the way to become part of the team. She’d stated her point of view and should just let it go at that. But she’d never been one to merely go with the flow. It just wasn’t part of her nature. The words seemed to come out almost of their own accord. “Where’s the profit to be gained from burning down a church and an abused-women’s shelter that’s already pretty run-down?” she challenged. “Real estate,” Ethan argued. “The places aren’t worth anything as they are, and there might be little or no insurance on the structures, so there’s definitely not enough money to rebuild. That would make whoever owns the property willing and maybe eager to sell.” He shrugged. “Maybe they feel that they can
Chapter 6
Chapter 7 “I s it okay to pull over somewhere and eat this, or do we have to ingest lunch while en route to the next destination?” Ethan asked dryly, driving away from the fast-food restaurant’s take-out window. The bag with their lunches was resting precariously against his thigh while the two containers of economy-sized sodas were nestled in the vehicle’s cup holders. The plastic lids that covered the containers looked far from secure. Amused rather than annoyed by the detective’s sarcasm, Kansas answered, “It’s okay to pull over. I just meant that going inside a restaurant is usually a full-hour proposition, especially at this time of day. And if we’re going to spend time together, I’d rather it was at one of the sites where the fires took place.” Driving to a relatively empty corner of the parking lot that accommodated seven different fast-food establishments, Ethan pulled up the parking brake. He rolled down his window and shut off the engine. Glancing inside the oversized paper b
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 T hey were getting nowhere. Five days of diligently combing through ashes, testimonies and the arrest records of felons who had a penchant for playing with fire hadn’t brought them to any new conclusions, other than to reinforce what they already knew: that there were some very strange sociopaths walking the earth. Their lack of headway wasn’t for lack of tips. What they did lack for, however, were tips that didn’t take them on elaborate wild-goose chases. With a frustrated sigh, Ethan leaned back in his chair. He rocked slightly as he stared off into space. The lack of progress was getting to him. The latest “person of interest” he was looking into turned out to have been in jail when the fire spree initially started. Which brought them back to square one. Again. “I’m beginning to feel like a dog chasing his own tail,” he said out loud, not bothering to hide his disgust. Kansas looked up from the computer screen she’d been reading. “I’d pay to see that,” she volunteered. Clo
Chapter 8
Chapter 9 “W hat are you doing?” Kansas asked in surprise. On her feet, she’d picked up the first box of tapes that Dax had gotten for her to review. Braced for hours of incredible boredom, she was about to head to the small, windowless room where a monitor, coupled with a VCR, was housed. Her question, and the surprise that had prompted it, was directed toward Ethan, who had just picked up one of the other boxes and was walking behind her. “Following you,” he said simply. She immediately took that to mean that he thought she needed help transporting the tapes. It was inherently against her nature to allow anyone to think she wasn’t capable of taking care of herself in any fashion. Kansas lifted her chin. He was beginning to recognize that as one of her defensive moves. He really needed to find a way to get her to be more trusting, Ethan thought. “I can carry them.” “I’m sure you can,” he told her in an easygoing voice, but he couldn’t help adding, “Probably with one hand tied behind y
Chapter 9
Chapter 10 H er statement had gotten all four detectives to sit up and stare at her. Frustration and exhaustion were temporarily ousted. “Do you know what you’re saying?” Dax asked her incredulously. Kansas nodded grimly. “I know exactly what I’m saying. But what other avenues are open to us?” She didn’t want to think this way, but it had been a process of elimination. “The way I see it, it has to be one of the firefighters.” What she was suggesting was something no one wanted to think about or seriously consider. “This is your own house you’re pointing a finger at,” Dax reminded her, clearly trying to wrap his mind around what she was saying. The anguish was evident in her voice as she answered him. “Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think that I wish there was some other answer?” “What makes you think this is the answer?” Dax persisted. Telling him it was a feeling in her gut would only have the detectives quickly dismissing the idea. As far as they were concerned, she was the “
Chapter 10
Chapter 11 “Y ou look like you could use a friend,” Ethan commented as he sank down into his chair across from Kansas. It was the end of yet another grueling day of interviews. For the last two days, he and Kansas had been questioning the firefighters who had been the first responders to each and every fire under investigation. The firefighters who, for the most part, she had once worked with side by side. The interviews, as she’d expected, had not been a walk in the park. At best, the men were resentful and growing steadily more begrudging in their answers. At worst, the responses bordered on being insulting, hostile and verbally abusive. And Kansas, because she was considered one of them—or had been until now—had caught the worst of it. It took her a moment now to realize that O’Brien was talking to her. And then another moment to replay in her head what he’d just said. “I could use a drink,” she countered, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair. Every muscle in her shoulders
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Chapter 12 T he second Kansas stepped across her threshold into her apartment, she felt her adrenaline instantly kicking in. It raced madly to all parts of her at once, sounding a multitude of alarms like so many tiny Paul Reveres riding in the night. Her whole body went on alert—not in waves, but simultaneously. The feeling intensified when she heard the lock click into place as Ethan closed the door behind him. This is it, she thought. Time to fish or cut bait, Beckett. She wanted to fish. Desperately. Damn it, Ethan thought as a warmth undulated through his body, why was he doing this to himself? Why was he testing himself this way? He should have just ushered Kansas in, politely said good-night and then gotten out of there. For every moment he hesitated, every moment that he didn’t do the right thing, it became that much harder for him to walk away. But as much as he wanted her—and until this very moment he had no idea that he could possibly ever want a woman this much—he couldn’t
Chapter 12
Chapter 13 T here had to be something. Something, Kansas insisted silently as she sat at the desk that, after more than a month of being here, she’d begun to regard as her own. She felt as if she’d been reexamining files forever. It was late and everyone on the task force had gone home long ago. She’d even sent away Ethan, who had remained after the others—including the two extra detectives the chief had given them—had left, trying to do what he could to make the tedious process go faster. But another case he’d been working on had required his attention as well, and consequently he’d gotten next to no sleep in over two days. He was beginning to resemble death walking, she’d told him, insisting that he go home. Ethan had finally given in about ninety minutes ago, leaving the precinct after making her promise that she’d only remain another few minutes. A “few minutes” had knitted themselves into an hour, and then more. She was still here. But there was nothing waiting for her at home, an
Chapter 13
Chapter 14 “D o you really think that little of me?” Ethan demanded, his voice controlled, the second she walked in. “So little that you just assume that if I’m with another woman, it has to be something sexual? That I have to be cheating on you?” “No, I don’t think that little of you,” she answered, raising her voice to get him to stop talking
for a moment and listen. “I think that little of me.” He looked at her, confused, so she elaborated. “I’m not exactly the greatest judge of character when it comes to the men in my personal life. I try not to have a personal life because…because…” The words stuck in her throat and her voice trailed off. “Because you’re afraid of making a mistake?” he guessed. She shrugged dismissively, wanting to be done with this line of discussion, and looked away. “Something like that.” Ethan threaded his fingers through her hair, framing her face with his palms and gently forcing her to look at him. When she did, he brought his mouth down to hers and kissed
Chapter 14
Chapter 15 K ansas couldn’t let go of the idea that she was right, that Bonner, or whatever his real name was, was the one who was behind the fires. For a while, as Ethan made love to her, she hadn’t a thought in her head—other than she loved being with this man and making love with him. But now that he was lying beside her, sound asleep, she’d begun to think again. And focus. And maybe, she silently admitted, to obsess. She just couldn’t let go of the idea that she was dead-on about Nathan Bonner. Furthermore, she was afraid that he had a large, packed suitcase somewhere, one he could grab at a moment’s notice and flee. If he hadn’t already. She desperately wanted to look around his house, and, more important, to look around his garage. If she were part of the police force, the way Ethan was, her hands would be tied until that search warrant materialized—and that might never happen. But she wasn’t part of the police force, she thought, becoming steadily more motivated to take action.
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Cavanaugh Reunion Page 18
