She handed him the document. “He wants more money than the buyers paid for them. What’s he trying to pull?” She sat on the sofa and curled her feet beneath her. “I don’t have that kind of money.”
“Fox must be desperate for money to go this far. He’s not waiting for them to rule the fire arson. He’s pointing the finger at you in hopes that he can get money out of you. He’s hiding something and I’m almost positive he had something to do with the fire, but I’ll have to prove it.”
He looked up and saw her sitting there with her head on her knees, curled up, defeated and alone. He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Cheer up. We’re not done yet.”
She tilted her head to look at him. “What do you mean?”
“I know a lot of people who are arson investigators and I’ll contact a couple to see if I can get some information. People are always destroying stuff to get the insurance. It’s very common and they look for that.”
“And how is that going to help now?”
He kissed her forehead to ease the worry lines. “Inspector Richards said he’s going to have his ruling in a couple of days. I hope by then I can get someone else to look at it.”
She sat up. “Richards will never allow a stranger interfering with his team’s case.”
“We’ll see.”
A smile crossed her face. “You’re devious, but brilliant.”
He pulled out his phone. “I’m going to be on the phone for a while. Do you mind if I use your extra bedroom tonight?” She hesitated with her answer. What she said now she had to be able to handle. “I can go back to the hotel.”
“Oh, no. You’re welcome to the room.” She got to her feet. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He stared after her as she walked upstairs to her bedroom. What had he done now? He hated it when he got different vibes from women. Maybe that was why he was still single. He needed to adjust.
Putting his thoughts aside, he called his friend David Dreyer. He’d worked with him several times on cases and he was an expert arson investigator. “Hey, David. It’s Carter. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure. We just got the kids down for the night. What’s up?”
“How are the kids?”
“Growing like weeds. They are three and five now and hard to keep up with, but you didn’t call about my kids. What’s going on?”
He told him about the fire at the gallery and his suspicions. “I’m afraid they’re going to try to pin this on the gallery owner, noting that she’s the only one who had a motive.”
“Is there any evidence that points to her?”
“The investigator, Frank Richards, is closemouthed and I haven’t seen the file, but he keeps coming back to Ms. Colton, the renter. And Tinsley’s agent is now trying to get as much money as he can. It’s all a little fishy.”
“Do you want me to look at the gallery? And if you do, you know what’s going to happen. The lead investigator will put the skids on quickly.”
“I know.” Carter put the phone on speaker and laid it on the coffee table. “But between the two of us, I feel we have a good chance of convincing him. I just need a little help to point out certain things like the agent’s eagerness for money and how the renter is not in debt like was told to the investigator.”
“Is the owner of the building involved?”
“Well, he owns the building and would stand to gain a big sum of money from the insurance.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know yet, but it’s in a very good location.”
“I do owe you a favor.”
“Yes, you do, but I would never call it in. Do what you feel is right.”
“I can be there in the morning about nine. Have everybody at the table so we can discuss this or argue about it. But first, I’ll have to look at the gallery fire. Has anyone touched anything?”
“Only the firefighters and the investigators.”
“Okay. Can you pick me up at the airport?”
“Sure. No problem.”
He finished his conversation with David, picked up his phone and went to his bedroom. Lila’s bedroom door was closed. She was upset about everything that was coming down on her, and it was hitting her all at the same time. He would stay as long as he could to help her, but she had to be willing to let him. That might be a big stumbling block.
He took a quick shower and crawled into bed. The thought that she might be crying kept him tossing and turning. From the moonlight shining through his window, he could see a shape in his doorway.
It was Lila.
Lila didn’t know what she was doing. She couldn’t sleep alone tonight. Memories of the hot fire and the smoke filling her nostrils kept spinning in her head, keeping her awake. She just wanted to forget and get lost in something that was real.
“Lila...”
“Yes,” she replied in a hoarse voice. “Are you asleep?” That was such a crazy thing to ask, but it was all she could come up with.
“No.”
She walked farther into the room and sat on the bed. “I changed my mind.”
“You mean...?”
“Yes.”
He pulled back the comforter and she crawled in. “I’m such a ditz,” she said. “But I can’t get all this stuff out of my mind, and every time I try to go to sleep, I see this fire that’s consuming everything...even me.”
He stroked her hair and she relaxed, leaning on him. “Stop worrying. I told you I’m going to help. I called an old friend who’s going to look at the gallery.” He told her about David Dreyer.
“He’s coming here?”
“Yes. I hope he can bring some new knowledge to the case.”
“Did you get Richards’s permission?”
“Not yet, but I’m hoping he’ll see the good in letting another expert take a look at the case.”
“Oh, Carter, thank you.” She grabbed him around the neck and kissed him. The kisses continued into the night and Lila didn’t even remember falling asleep. She was too excited. Too much in love and... Too much in love? The thought stopped her. She couldn’t be in love. Her emotions were high, and she was just clinging to the only lifeline she had.
The next morning, they were in a rush to go their separate ways. Carter was going to the airport to pick up David, and Lila had to deal with removing the artwork from the safe.
“Remember,” Carter said, going out the door, “don’t schedule the truck until this afternoon. We don’t want anyone stomping around in the gallery until David has a chance to look inside.”
“Got it.”
He gave her a quick kiss and he was gone. David was right on time and they were at Richards’s office before nine o’clock in the morning. Carter had called ahead for an appointment.
“He’s not going to like this,” David said.
“No, he’s not. No one wants to hear they might have missed something. We just have to play it by ear.”
David was in his early forties and had been working arson for about fifteen years, while Richards had been working arson for about thirty. It wasn’t going to play that the younger guy knew more than the older guy. But Carter was hoping that reasoning would go a long way to solving this crime. And he knew it was a crime.
They walked into a sparse office: a desk, filing cabinets and pictures of fires on walls, probably fires that Richards had solved.
They shook hands and introductions were made. Carter and David took seats in metal folding chairs. Carter was glad to see that Richards had a comfortable chair. The city didn’t allow for luxuries and it showed in this small office with scuffed walls and old tile floors.
“What can I do for you guys?”
Carter took a breath, gauging his words carefully. “David has been a friend of mine for a long time and I was hoping that you would allow him to access the fire records and give his opinion.”
Richards leaned back in his chair. “You don’t trust my opinion?”
“Not when you’re pointing the finger at Ms. Colton.”
Richards shook his head as if he finally figured out something. “This has to do with Ms. Colton.” He pointed a finger at David. “She’s hired you, hasn’t she?”
“No, sir. I’ve never met Ms. Colton. I only came to give my opinion because my friend Carter asked me.”
“You guys all stick together, don’t you?”
“I hope you included yourself in the ‘guys’ part because all of us are in this together. We want to catch who did this. We want to make sure that it’s arson and not just a wiring problem. Don’t you want the same thing, Inspector Richards?”
“All right, but I’m going with you. I don’t want you planting things that weren’t there before.”
“I resent that,” David said.
Grabbing his jacket, Richards replied, “And I resent you sticking your nose into my case. I guess we’ll both have to live with it.”
Inspector Richards followed David around like a little puppy while he went through everything. They had put on plastic shoes, a mask and safety covering for protection from the toxins. Carter leaned against his car and watched. Every now and then, David would squat and brush something away with a small brush and take pictures.
At the back right corner of the gallery, David squatted and motioned for Richards to come over. Richards squatted, too, and they talked for a while. Carter figured they’d found something. The two men stood and made their way out of the rubble.
Richards showed him a tiny black wire that had different-colored wires inside it. The whole thing was less than an inch long. It was burned on both ends.
“You know what that is, Finch?”
“I’ve seen a wire like that connected to a detonator.”
“Yep. You’re right. Someone set this fire and I’m opening a full investigation now. We’ll catch who did this. Thanks for your expertise, Mr. Dreyer.”
“You’re welcome. I did it for a friend. Most of the time, the evidence is just under the ashes, and most investigators hate digging through that.”
“Well, my boys are going to get a workout and a lesson.”
“You know, Richards, I’ve seen small detonators used before. It’s like a toy. You set the time and then wait for it to explode and it explodes with a burst of fire. Teenagers are known to use them and they are sold by several companies. We tried one time to shut down the sale of these detonators, but we couldn’t get it through Congress. So now the investigators have to deal with them.”
“Thanks for the information. I have to go and call Ms. Colton before she gets here to remove items out of the safe. I don’t want anything touched until this investigation is over, and that’s going to take a while.”
Carter and David shook hands. “Thanks, pal. That was one lucky break.”
“You won’t believe how much evidence is under the ashes. What’s underneath was there before the fire started. It takes a lot of training to figure this out.”
“I’m so glad you decided to come.”
“It seemed important to you.”
Carter shoved his hands into his pockets and thought about that for a minute. Yes, it was important to him. Lila was important to him. “How about if I buy you lunch?”
“Deal. I want to try a Chicago deep-dish pizza.”
“You got it.”
On the way to the nearest pizza place, Carter called Lila. Before he could say anything, her cheery voice came on. “Have you heard?”
“If you’re talking about the full investigation, yes, I heard.”
“Your friend must have found something.”
“Yes, he did. I’ll tell you about it tonight. I just want to make sure you don’t move any art out of the safe.”
“Oh, yes. Richards has already made it clear to me.”
“There will be many eyes looking at the scene and they will find something to connect someone to that fire.”
“But not me.”
“But not you.”
“I’m on my way to see my brother about Fox’s claim and see what he can do. I’ll see you later. Give David a hug for me and tell him thanks.”
“I already have.” It was good to hear her so happy and to be a part of it. How long could he stay here?
Lila took the elevator up to the third floor, where Myles’s office was located. He had his own clients, his own space, and that wasn’t enough. He wanted to make partner, to make more money, and he said it was all for his wife, Faith, and four-year-old son, Jackson. He worked all the time to impress his bosses, but he didn’t impress the woman he loved. She’d taken all she could take and left him. Faith had said what good was marriage when you never saw your husband. Lila tried not to get entangled in their problems, but she loved them and it was hard to keep her mouth shut.
She opened the door that had her brother’s name on it. Inside was Ellen, his secretary and receptionist, sitting at a desk wearing an unwavering smile.
“I’d like to see my brother for a minute,” she said to Ellen.
She pushed her tortoiseshell glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Faith is in there now.”
Oh, great. They were talking. She’d wait and come back a little later. As she turned, Myles’s door opened and Faith backed out, waving to someone inside. “Mommy will be back. Bye.”
Myles and Faith had been in love since high school. She was the beautiful redhead every boy wanted, but she’d wanted only Myles. How could such a good marriage go so wrong?
“Oh, Lila.” Faith held a hand to her chest. “You startled me.”
They hugged. “It’s good to see you,” Lila said. “We need to stay more in touch.”
“Yeah, but that’s hard when Myles is being a jerk.”
“You’ll work this out,” Lila told her. “You love each other.”
Faith looked away. “Sometimes I wonder. Myles hardly ever sees Jackson, and when he does have him, he takes him to your mother’s and she takes care of him. So what’s the point of Myles having days with Jackson?”
“Oh, Faith, I’m sorry.”
“I have a dental appointment in fifteen minutes, and my mom has a migraine and there was nowhere else to leave Jackson, so I brought him here. Myles threw a fit, but I had no choice. I really have to go.” She gave Lila another hug. “Let’s do lunch sometime and you can listen to me gripe some more.”
Faith rushed out the door and Lila took a deep breath. She had no qualms about just walking in on Myles. She had a few things to say to him and he was going to listen.
Myles was at his desk on his laptop and Jackson was throwing a red ball. When Jackson saw her, he ran into her. “Li.” He hadn’t put her name together yet and she was fine being Li.
She picked him up and kissed his cheek. “You’re getting so big.”
He raised his hands above his head. “Tall.”
She kissed his cheek again. “Yes.”
“Wanna play ball?” He still had the ball in his hand and he threw it. The ball hit Myles’s desk and knocked the framed picture of Faith and Jackson to the hardwood floor. The glass broke.
“Jackson!” Myles shouted.
Jackson buried his face into Lila’s neck and Lila wagged a finger at Myles. The wagging finger said more than words to stop.
Myles quickly backpedaled. “It’s okay, Jackson. Daddy is just a little upset.” He tried to take the boy, but he wouldn’t go.
“Li,” he said.
The door burst open and Faith came through it and took Jackson from her while looking directly at Myles. “If you can’t keep your son with a loving heart, then you don’t need to keep him at all.” With those scathing words, she headed out the door.
“Faith...” Myles shouted after her.
She stopped for a moment.
“You know the office is no place for a child. He’s already broken something.”
“Oh, horror of horrors.” She turned on her heel and left.
Lila placed her hands on her hips. “That was lovely to witness. I sincerely hope that you two do not do this all the time in front of Jackson.”
Myles ran his hands over his face. “I do not need you to come down on me today.” He sat at his desk. “Did you come by for a reason?”
She pulled the document out of her purse and placed it in front of him. “I got this by courier and I thought you might be able to help me. I know you’re busy. I know you have family problems, but you’re the only one I know who has this kind of expertise.”
“Mr. Fox, who represents Mr. Tinsley, wants his money fast, but it doesn’t work that way. Have they ruled on what started the fire?”
“No. Due to new information, they’re starting a full investigation and it’s not going to be a right-now type thing. It’s going to take some time and I don’t have that kind of money to pay Mr. Fox and the estate.”
“I’ll draft a letter and get Ellen to send it over to—” He glanced at the top of the paper. “Look at the names on that letterhead.” He paused and she could see the envy in his eyes. His dream was always to be head of a law firm, but it was coming at a cost to his family. One day he would see that.
“I’ll inform them that until there’s a ruling on the fire, no money will be changing hands. If not, I will take it before a judge, and no judge is going to rule on a case when there hasn’t been a ruling on the cause of the fire. That should keep Mr. Fox off your back until you get your money from the insurance.”
“Thank you.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek much as she had Jackson. “That gives me some breathing room. I love you, but I have to run.” At the door, she stopped. “Have you heard anything on the Colton case?”
Myles shook his head. “I had lunch with Heath Colton the other day and he was wondering the same thing. The lawsuit has really put a strain on the family, and I told him as far as myself and my sister were concerned, we didn’t want the money, but no one can change our grandmother’s mind or our father’s. Heath said he understood and I hope he does. I might try talking to Dad again. Hopefully some sort of compromise can be worked out.”
“With our grandmother involved?”
“Yeah. She’s not going to settle for anything less than she thinks she deserves.”
“You know, it’s very hard to imagine our grandfather adding Erik’s and Axel’s names as the heirs since he avoided them all of his life. Carter—that’s the guy who was with me in the gallery when it caught fire—is an expert in forgery and I was just wondering if the will might have been forged.”
“That’s a good thought, but I’m sure the other Coltons have checked into that angle and have done everything possible to prove it a fake.”
“I guess so. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
Myles grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, too. “I have to find Faith and get my son. I won’t be able to get any work done otherwise.”
He stopped long enough to tell Ellen about the broken glass in his office and to get someone to clean it up. They walked together to the elevator.
“By the way, how are you?”
“Nervous about the future. In one blow, my whole life was destroyed. I’m having a hard time dealing with that. But on the other hand, it’s opening up new possibilities for me that I never expected.”
“Does this have anything to do with Carter?” He pushed the elevator button.
She lifted an eyebrow. “It just might.” A soft laugh erupted from her throat, but it didn’t last long. Carter was leaving in a couple of days, and she would find out just how strong she really was.