Linc noted Jayme’s pale face and knew something wasn’t right. “What happened?”
“We need to go to Caitlyn and Annette’s apartment right now.” She slammed the door. “Please, hurry.”
“I need the address.” She rattled it off, and he nodded, familiar with the area. He darted concerned glances at her as they left the parking lot. “I take it your sister isn’t working today?”
“She and Annette called in sick.” Jayme held on to the door handle with tight scarred fingers. “I’m worried about them.”
“Maybe they just took off to play hooky?” Linc kept his tone reassuring, even though he was just as tense as she was.
Jayme released her grip on the door long enough to send a text. He couldn’t read it from this angle, but he noticed the message was in all caps.
He prayed Caitlyn and Annette were safe. That they had indeed decided to do something fun this weekend rather than working. But knowing Jayme’s work ethic, he wasn’t necessarily convinced.
The small apartment building wasn’t far from the veterinary clinic. He barely had the car stopped when Jayme popped out. She raked her gaze over the dozen or so parking spaces, then headed for the door.
He hurried to catch up. “Do you see her car?”
“No.” Jayme pulled out her keys and used one to open the front door. Then she bolted up the stairs to the second-floor apartment. Without knocking, she unlocked the apartment door and barged in.
“Caitlyn? Annette? Are you home?”
Jayme flew through the apartment in record time, returning with a deep frown. “They’re not here. And Caitlyn’s car is gone, but Annette’s is in the lot. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”
“That probably means they’re together in Caitlyn’s car.” He kept his voice as reassuring as possible. “They’re young, Jayme. No reason to assume the worst.”
Jayme spun around and began looking more closely at the papers strewn around the kitchen table. She picked up a flyer and frowned. “Big weekend of music in Nashville.”
Didn’t Nashville always have live music? “Maybe a particular favorite of theirs is playing today.”
Without answering, Jayme spun and disappeared into one of the bedrooms. She returned a few minutes later and sank into one of the kitchen chairs, gazing down at the flyer again. “You might be right about them going to Nashville. Caitlyn’s small pink rolling suitcase is gone.”
“That’s good news.” He crossed over and rested his hand on her shoulder. “I know it probably doesn’t make you happy that she called off work, but it sounds like Caitlyn and Annette are out having fun.”
“I raised her better than that,” she muttered. But then she blew out a heavy sigh and lowered her head to her hands. “I thought the arsonist grabbed her.”
“I know.” He hated feeling so helpless. The sooner he found this particular firebug the better. “I’m sorry you were stressed out.”
After a long moment, she lifted her head and swiped at her eyes. His heart twisted at the glint of tears. “I won’t relax until she responds to my text messages. Which she better do very soon.”
He took Jayme’s hand and gently tugged her to her feet. He drew her into his arms for a hug. “She will.”
To his surprise, Jayme leaned against him. “I’m glad you decided to talk to Caitlyn, or I wouldn’t have known she was gone,” she said in a muffled voice.
He wanted to point out that Caitlyn was an adult but wisely kept silent. He’d only had Melody for two years, but he clearly remembered how fiercely protective he’d felt toward her.
Doubtful those feelings would have changed if his daughter had been able to grow up to become a twenty-two-year-old young woman. If anything, he figured he would have reacted worse than Jayme.
“Do you want to call the police? Ask them to keep an eye out for her car?” He lightly stroked his hand down her back.
“No.” She sniffled and lifted her head to smile wryly. “I don’t think the arsonist would have allowed her the time to pack a pink suitcase. I’m sure she and Annette are in Nashville having fun.”
He stared into her blue eyes, then to her mouth. Even as the tiny voice in the back of his mind warned him of the danger, he lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. Her eyes widened in surprise, but then she reached up and drew him down so they could kiss again.
Sparks flashed as heat sizzled between them. Linc wasn’t sure how it was possible to react so strongly to a woman he barely knew. Especially since he didn’t have room in his heart for anyone but Gina and Melody.
Jayme’s phone buzzed, intruding on their kiss. She quickly stepped back, grabbing for the phone. Then she sighed in relief. “Caitlyn responded.”
“Good.” His voice was strained, his breathing irregular from the impact of their brief kiss. He hoped she didn’t notice, glad to note Jayme was intent on texting her sister back. He took the opportunity to pull himself together.
His attempt to be supportive had backfired. This—whatever had transpired between them—couldn’t happen again. It wouldn’t be fair to lead Jayme on when he had no intention of going down the relationship road.
“She apologized and said they went to a music festival in Nashville. She said she’d fill me in on all the details when she gets back.” Jayme smiled wanly. “I’m so relieved she and Annette are okay. Thanks for keeping me grounded through this.”
“You’re welcome.” He edged toward the door. “Let me take you back to my place while I continue my investigation.”
She hesitated, then tipped her head to the side, looking at him thoughtfully. “Actually, how about you drop me off at the food pantry instead?”
“The food pantry?” His gut tightened. “Do you need money? I can help you out . . .”
“No!” Jayme’s cheeks reddened. “I volunteer there on Saturdays. I told them I couldn’t come in, but I don’t want to sit around your house doing nothing. That’s not really my style.”
“Oh, I should have known.” He called himself all kinds of an idiot for jumping to that conclusion. “I—uh, can do that. If that’s what you really want to do.”
She locked the apartment door behind them. “I’m sure it’ll be safe enough. It’s not like I’ll be alone.”
He didn’t love the idea, mostly because the firebug could easily know her regular routine. Then again, he understood her desire to be busy, to do whatever possible to keep her mind off the guy who’d already started two fires.
And likely wasn’t finished yet.
He wondered what this particular arsonist wanted. Not just to start fires, but something more personal. It was as if he or she—although most arsonists were men—was actually taunting Jayme.
“Do you know where the food pantry is?” Jayme’s question pulled him out of his musings.
“Yeah, the firehouse does a big food drive every Thanksgiving.” He glanced at her. “I’m surprised we didn’t meet before now.”
She shrugged. “You probably didn’t notice me.”
He couldn’t imagine that was possible. Granted, he’d been happily married to Gina at the time, but Jayme was incredibly beautiful and surely would have been noticed by the firefighters who were single.
She opened and closed her right hand. “My scars tend to hold some men back. I’ve gotten used to it, but when seen for the first time . . .” She shrugged. “I’ve noticed it’s off-putting.”
“That’s ridiculous.” He had trouble believing any guy could be that shallow. “The scars are barely noticeable.”
She lifted a brow. “You’re being nice, but it’s not necessary. I’ve lived with them for a long time. I’m used to the repulsed looks.”
“Idiots,” he muttered. The drive to the food pantry took another ten minutes, and when he pulled up in front of the place, he was reluctant to let her go. “Will you call me if you need something?”
“Uh, sure.” She appeared flustered at the suggestion, no doubt because of their brief yet potent kiss. “Give me your cell number.”
He recited the information while she plugged it into her phone. Then she called him so that he could add her name and number to his contact list. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”
Jayme hopped out of his vehicle and headed inside. He thought it was honorable of her to spend her Saturday’s volunteering at the food pantry. There was so much about her that he still didn’t know.
When she disappeared from view, he put the vehicle into gear and headed to the police garage where her Ford Fiesta was waiting.
He needed to stay focused on figuring out who was behind these fires and why Jayme had been targeted.
Because he already liked Jayme Weston far too much for his peace of mind.
She never should have kissed him.
Jayme enjoyed helping out at the food pantry, but it wasn’t as if the work was difficult. When she’d arrived, Irene had been surprised but had gratefully left her to take over. Irene was the woman in charge, but Jayme didn’t mind when she’d announced she was leaving. Jayme preferred working alone.
Yet stocking shelves and helping those who came in for food wasn’t enough to keep her mind from ruminating over what had transpired in Caitlyn’s apartment.
She’d kissed Linc. Okay, he’d kissed her first, but that brief taste hadn’t been enough. Oh, no, she’d pulled him down and thrown herself at him. As if she’d never been kissed before in her life.
The poor man had made it clear he wasn’t interested. Had lost his wife and daughter, so she didn’t blame him. She’d always been a loner, had never allowed herself to get close to anyone, except of course to Caitlyn. So why had she acted so out of character?
No clue.
Whatever. She needed to find a way to ignore this weird attraction she felt toward him because she had no doubt the man would break her heart.
If she let him.
“Anything else?” Jayme smiled at the young woman carrying a toddler on her hip and holding another child by the hand.
“No, this is fine, thanks.” The woman turned to leave, and Jayme couldn’t help but wish there was more she could do to help the struggling single mother. The same way Remy Edgar had helped her.
Why not put Caitlyn’s old room to good use? The moment the idea popped into her mind, she felt a surge of excitement.
Yes, that was the answer. She could pay Remy’s generosity forward by helping someone less fortunate. It was about time she let her younger sister move on with her life. The fact that Caitlyn and Annette had blown off work to attend some fall music festival in Nashville was proof her sister was doing just that. After pushing aside the fear, worry, and yeah, annoyance, Jayme was glad her sister was out having fun.
Fun had been in short supply over the past thirteen years. At least for Jayme. She’d sheltered Caitlyn from most of the bad stuff whenever possible. Not all of it, after all, Caitlyn had lived with the Preacher too. But Caitlyn had been nine when they’d escaped, compared to Jayme’s sixteen.
From what Jayme could tell, Caitlyn had been able to repress most of the memories from those awful years. Caitlyn hadn’t been there as long, only two years, which may have helped. Jayme had been there six years, most of the other fosters had come within the next year after her first. At first she’d been thrilled to have other kids living there, thinking their presence would make things better. Only it hadn’t. Instead, the environment had gone from bad to worse. The more kids, the more the Preacher ranted and raved. She’d never understood why he’d brought more kids into his home in the first place. Money, probably, although she felt there was something sick and twisted going on in his mind.
The Preacher had chosen his abuse targets wisely, lashing out at Caitlyn only when the older kids tried to rebel.
His strategy had worked. They’d all grown very protective of Caitlyn. And learned very quickly to toe the line.
Until the night of the fire.
“Miss? Is it okay if I take these?”
Jayme realized another young woman had come into the pantry. Someone she didn’t recognize. “Good morning, my name is Jayme. Of course, help yourself to whatever you need.”
“I’m Renee. There’s a lot of stuff here.” The way the woman glanced around indicated it was her first trip to the pantry.
Jayme came out from behind the counter, smiling gently. “I know, but I promise you can help yourself. There’s no limit as to what you can take. We understand you may have a family at home.”
“I—didn’t expect to see so much variety.” Renee looked younger than Caitlyn, except for her eyes, which had seen far too much. Jayme understood, she’d had the same experiences. She subtly checked for signs of drug use but didn’t see anything obvious like dilated pupils, needle marks, or meth-stained teeth.
“Are you new to the area, Renee?” Jayme kept her question casual, lest she scare her off. Runaways were skittish, trying to avoid unwanted attention.
Renee nodded but moved toward the tall shelf containing canned goods and boxed milk. All food donations were nonperishable, and Jayme often wished she could provide something more nutritious.
When the young woman’s arms were full of canned goods, a jar of peanut butter, and a box of dried milk, Jayme picked up a box and began packing her items. “You still have some room if you need more.”
“I’m fine, but I have to ask, who brings all this food in?”
“Donations are from citizens who live in the area.” Jayme smiled. “We’re open every Saturday, so you’re welcome to come back next weekend.”
“I—thanks.” Renee picked up her box and hurried out.
Jayme thought someone like Renee might be the perfect candidate to stay in Caitlyn’s old room, but she couldn’t even think about that until the stupid arsonist was caught. No sense in putting others in danger because some crazy guy liked setting fires.
The pantry closed at 1:00 p.m., and most of the people who came on a regular basis knew that. By twelve thirty, the place was empty. Jayme went back to straightening the shelves, putting the items that remained in order.
When the door opened ten minutes later, she glanced over in surprise as she recognized one of the physical therapy clinic patients step across the threshold. He was roughly in his early sixties and had a deep jagged scar on his face and others along his left arm. She didn’t know the details about his care and treatment as he worked primarily with Sandra during his weekly appointment. “Hi, Mr. Shepard. Can I help you with something?”
“Oh, I just wanted to check the place out. And here.” He crossed over and set two cans of green beans on the counter. “I thought you might be able to use these.”
“Thanks, we are always happy to accept donations.” She thought it was sweet of him to bring in something when his worn clothes indicated he didn’t have money to spare. She took the cans and set them next to the other canned vegetables. “Take a look around, there’s plenty left if you need something in particular.”
“Thank you, Ms. Jayme.” He peered at her through thick glasses and smiled, the deeply grooved scar running down his left cheek meant that only one side of his mouth tipped up. Knowing how people couldn’t look at her scarred hand made her feel bad for the guy who had even more disfiguring scars.
The first time she’d seen him, she’d wondered what had happened to him. Sandra had confided that he’d had several surgeries after a close encounter with a bomb. Even that much was probably breaking privacy laws, so Jayme hadn’t pushed for more. She thought he might be a soldier, but he looked almost too frail for that. The man shuffled over to the shelving units, moving as if he’d broken his hip at some point.
“I’ll take some peanut butter, if that’s okay.” He turned and held the jar in his hand. “I love peanut butter.”
“Who doesn’t?” she asked with a smile. “Of course, help yourself. Have a good day.”
“You too, Ms. Jayme.” He shuffled toward the door. “You too.”
After Mr. Shepard left, she used her phone to call Linc. It felt weird to call him, but she was determined to treat him as a friend, despite the devastating kiss.
“Hi, Jayme, everything okay?”
“Fine. I’m getting ready to close for the day.”
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
“Did you find anything?” She hated to keep asking, but she didn’t want to stay at Linc’s house one moment longer than necessary. She was already dreading the fact that she’d need to spend the rest of the day there.
All that togetherness would wreak havoc on her ability to keep him firmly in the friendship corner of her mind.
“I’ll fill you in later. Give me about fifteen minutes to get there.”
“Okay, thanks.” She disconnected from the call and debated whether or not to head back home. Spending the night in Linc’s guest room had seemed prudent so soon after the car fire.
But now she wondered if doing so was really necessary.
She closed up the pantry at one o’clock sharp, then sent a text to Irene to let her know things had gone well. Irene responded with a smiley face and a heart.
A minute later, Linc’s black SUV pulled into the parking lot. Her heart did a little flip at the sight of him.
Stop it, she chided. He’s not yours, remember?
He pulled up beside her. She opened the door and climbed in. “Hungry? The Red Mill has a special on ribs today.”
“Ah, sure.” She sternly reminded herself his casual invite to share a meal wasn’t a date. “While we eat, you can fill me in on what you’ve learned after investigating the fire that damaged my car.”
“It’s not much,” he warned. “But I found one interesting link between the two fires.”
Only one? She tried not to let her disappointment show. “I guess that’s better than nothing.”
He glanced at her. “It’s a slow process, one that unfortunately can’t be rushed.”
“I know. I guess I’m just impatient to get my life back.” She rubbed her scarred hand. “You know, I’m glad Caitlyn is in Nashville over the weekend. Maybe you’ll catch this guy before she returns.”
“Gee, no pressure,” Linc said dryly.
That made her chuckle. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a pest, but you know.” She waved a hand. “I’m sure you’d like to get this guy behind bars as much as I do.”
“True.” He sent her a sidelong glance. “It’s important that you’re safe, Jayme. I’m worried this guy will strike again.”
“That’s the only reason I agreed to stay in your guest room last night.” She shifted in her seat. “I was hoping you’d found enough that I could return home.”
“Not yet. I know it’s not easy being in a stranger’s house, but humor me for a while longer, okay?”
She nodded because really, it’s not as if she had much of a choice.
Linc parked in the crowded parking lot. The barbequed spare rib special must be a large draw because they had to wait fifteen minutes before they were seated.
After they placed their order, Linc leaned over the table and dropped his voice. “I can tell you that both the smoke bomb and the car fire were definitely done by the same person.”
“Smoke bomb?” She frowned. “You mean the first one wasn’t a fire?”
“No, it was. The small fire was contained, though. What I found interesting was that the chemicals used were specifically combined in a way to create more smoke than actual fire.”
“Great, I called the fire department for nothing.”
“You absolutely did the right thing,” he corrected. “You had no way of knowing the source of the smoke. Don’t ever hesitate to call the fire department.” He flashed a smile. “You know we firefighters thrive on adrenaline. Even a false alarm is better than sitting around and staring at each other.”
His attempt to make her feel better was sweet. “Okay, so why do you think the smoke bomb and the car fire were similar?”
“Same types of chemicals, only they were constructed in different ways. The car fire was set with an accelerant, which was different, yet other parts of the fire were similar. Including the fact that it was relatively contained.” He stared at her for a long moment. “I’ll be honest, it’s not typical for a firebug to deliberately create a small fire. For them, bigger is always better.”
“You’re the expert,” she agreed. “So basically, this guy is just trying to scare me.”
He shrugged. “I’m not convinced. I hate to say this, but it’s more like he’s toying with you. Taunting you. Trying to knock you off balance, to keep you afraid.”
“Thanks, but I already knew that. I just wish I knew who was responsible.” She toyed with her napkin, then grimaced. “I want it to be Marco Edgar, but you’re probably going to rule him out soon enough.”
“He’s been in LA all week,” Linc admitted. “No way he could have flown from LA to Knoxville and back.”
“I figured.” Marco had been mad at her, upset about some nobody like her getting money from his dad, but starting fires didn’t seem his style.
“He could have hired someone, so he’s not completely off the hook,” Linc said. “Although his being in debt could work against that theory too. If starting these fires doesn’t provide some sort of financial payoff, not sure he’d bother.”
Good thing this wasn’t a date because everything he’d told her so far had been one big Debbie Downer. “So basically, you’re no closer to finding out who did this.”
He winced. “I’ve put the information I’ve gathered from the investigation into a country-wide arson database. If there are similar fires out there, we might get a lead on our firebug.”
Or maybe his arson database would spit out nothing at all.
Their server came with their meals, tangy chicken for her and of course spicy barbecued ribs for Linc. She picked up her fork, then set it down when she saw him bow his head to pray.
Seriously, who did this kind of thing before every single meal? She felt certain he was only doing it because she wasn’t a believer.
“Lord, please bless this food and continue keeping us safe in Your care. We ask for Your guidance as we seek to find those responsible for these fires. Amen.”
She almost asked him to include Caitlyn next time, before remembering the idea of praying wasn’t her deal. Although if she ever would succumb to praying, it would be something she’d do for Caitlyn.
Not for herself.
Silence fell as they dug into their meals. Jayme sipped her water, trying not to notice how enthusiastically Linc enjoyed his ribs.
“You wanna try them?” He grinned. “These ribs are the best in the city.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” She speared a piece of her chicken with a fork. “Mine is really good too.”
Above the din of the packed restaurant, she heard the faint whine of a siren. Curious, she craned her neck to look out the window.
“It’s a fire truck,” Linc said with a frown.
“How do you know?”
“Different sound than a police siren.” He reached for his phone. “No call yet, so it’s probably nothing.”
“Maybe a cat is stuck in a tree.” Her weak attempt at a joke fell flat.
His phone rang, and her stomach tightened as he quickly answered. “Where?” Another pause, then he said, “I’m on my way.”
“It’s a real fire?” she asked, even though the grim expression on his face told the story.
“Yes. We have to go.” He pulled out a wad of cash and left it on the table.
“Go where?” She grabbed her purse and hurried to keep up.
“The physical therapy clinic.” He glanced at her as they jogged toward his car.
The clinic? “They’re not open on Saturdays.”
Linc didn’t reply but drove as quickly as possible to the physical therapy clinic where she worked. Despite preparing herself mentally, she still gasped in horror.
The front window was broken, revealing the interior of the clinic full of flames.