The breeze gusting inland from Black Cove pushed the smoke over Portland, but where she stood alongside Alex’s PPD cruiser it didn’t do much to shift the acrid bonfire stench impregnating the air. The fire crews had dampened down the fire, but had been too late to save the building itself. The entire structure containing the District Attorney’s Office and the adjoining law firm premises where Emma Clancy worked was a blackened, crumbling husk, the windows blown out, the roof caved in. Singed timbers jutted skyward, and fallen masonry littered the ground. Blackened furniture lay in piles where the firefighters had dragged it outside so it didn’t feed the conflagration. Runnels of filthy water ran into the kerb, carrying the detritus of ash and cinder. The stink of molten plastic, and something worse, was almost poisonous. The evening was filled with strobing lights, competing flashes from the emergency vehicles and the cameras of journalists who’d descended on the scene en masse. Emergency workers moved back and forward, and a line of police officers and some of Tess’s old work colleagues from the Sheriff’s Department assisted in keeping back the crowd of onlookers. Having driven her to the fire, Alex had gone to assist, though Tess fully expected he’d rather continue searching for Emma.
From what her brother told her, the fire had started hours ago, following a small explosion on the first floor. It was suspected that accelerants must have been present, because the fire spread at an exponential rate, engulfing the building in no time. Two people had perished in the initial explosion, another three receiving severe burns, but most of the other staff and civilian visitors made it outside before the building began collapsing in on them. Nobody was certain how many others might still be inside, and now that the fire had been put out, the firefighters were concentrating their search for victims. Tess watched the crew work their way inside, in full breathing apparatus, and armed with tools and even a thermal camera. From their body language, none among them expected to find any survivors, and Tess wasn’t hopeful either. Only one EMT vehicle sat on standby, but if anyone was carried from that hellish place, she thought it’d be beyond the paramedics’ abilities to bring them back to life.
Counting back the hours, it was now apparent why Tess received no answer when she’d called Clancy’s office while waiting her departure from Newark. She’d been calling while the fire was consuming the structure, so little wonder nobody had picked up. She hoped that Monica Perry had made it out unscathed, then immediately felt guilty that she hadn’t extended the same wish to the as yet unnamed victims. That Emma Clancy was AWOL at the time of the explosion came with mixed emotions. Partly, she was relieved Emma had escaped injury, but it made Tess more concerned for her employer. Even off on some undercover venture, she expected that Emma would have broken silence after this tragedy. Unless she’d no intention of doing so.
Wasn’t it too convenient that Emma’s office had been reduced to ash? Tess had to consider the possibility that there was more to Emma’s disappearance than she first thought. Albert Sower was a powerful man, and his influence ranged far beyond the confines of his cell. What if he had got to Emma somehow, either through threat or reward, and she’d been assisting him in derailing the case against him? It was an absurd notion, but Tess couldn’t deny the fact that Sower’s people had been on to her almost from the moment she first stepped inside Emma’s office. For all she knew, Emma had engaged her while secretly instructed by Sower to hire someone unconnected with his people to trace Crawford Wynne, so that his murderer’s part could remain anonymous during the search. Someone in that office had given the details of her travel plans away, and Emma was the prime suspect.
That’s ridiculous, she warned. That would mean Emma was not only playing her, but that she’d also played Alex, and it was just too far-fetched. Why would she use her boyfriend’s sister when she could hire someone with no connection back to her? No. Emma couldn’t be behind this, it had to be another person in that office, and when she thought about it, she had a suspicion.
Cold shivers racked her. She pulled her jacket closer, holding it tightly with crossed arms. She watched as Alex broke ranks, heading towards her. He’d the same haunted look he’d worn since arriving on her threshold.
‘It’s terrible. Just terrible,’ Tess intoned as he approached her.
Alex raised his brows. ‘Two deceased. Three others with serious burns. It could have been worse.’ He wasn’t being flippant. ‘But, yeah, terrible enough.’
The bitter stench of smoke wafted off Alex as he stepped alongside her. ‘How are you holding up, sis?’
Tess looked at him.
‘You do know why this happened?’ Alex prompted.
He’d told her on the way over from her apartment. While she was in Louisiana, Albert Sower had publicly proclaimed a personal war against his persecutors. Through a hand-written and signed release presented under duress by his defence attorney, who’d since been placed in protective custody, he’d warned what would happen to those who chose to treat him as an enemy. He bragged on how his reach was long, his will strong, and that the fingers of retribution would claw the hearts out of the people of Maine. He sounded insane, but that didn’t mean his promise was less terrifying. However, in some corners, his ranting had been met with derision: how exactly was he a threat while incarcerated awaiting trial? Sower had been quick to respond to those brushing off his threats, and this was the first act of terrorism in the wake of his boast. His reach was extended by proxy. But Tess had already known that. She’d borne witness to what Sower’s people were capable of, and she didn’t believe things would end with the burning of the DA’s office.
‘There’s no doubt Sower was behind this?’ she asked.
‘There’s no proof yet, but he more or less warned us what was coming. I just bet that he’ll take responsibility for the fire. Considering he has nothing to lose now, he’d be a fool not to.’ Alex shrugged. ‘I hear the son of a bitch is delighted by his new status of most hated man in New England.’
‘Surely there’ll be some sort of concerted response now? Sower’s known accomplices will start being rounded up?’
‘Yeah. There’s an FBI task force on it that’ve been desperate to bring them in since Officer Delaney’s murder. But you know the score, Tess. They can only do so much, and can only bring in so many. We’ve identified the key players, Sower’s lieutenants, but they’ve dropped off the radar these last few days and we’ve no idea where they’re hiding. There are the others, the faceless minions we don’t know about. I’m betting they have their instructions to continue the fight. There’s no doubt that some kind of agenda was put into motion the instant Sower was arrested.’
‘Like the murder of anyone prepared to stand witness against him,’ she said. ‘That would now include me.’
‘I’ll speak with my captain, arrange protection for you.’
Tess shook her head. ‘I’m not afraid.’
‘I’m not challenging your bravery, sis, just your good sense. You should keep your head down until we have everything under control.’
‘You’re beginning to sound like Mom again, Alex.’
‘Occasionally she’s right.’
‘In this case she isn’t.’
Alex faced her, placing his hands on her shoulders. ‘I’m your big brother, Tess, and I’m concerned for your safety because I love you. But I’m also a cop, and I’m more concerned for your safety because there’s a possibility you’ll be hurt, the way I think Emma’s been hurt. I’m terrified for the two of you, but I’m going with my head over my heart here. Work with me on this, or I might be forced to take you into protective custody.’
Tess couldn’t help the smiling. ‘You’re kidding, right?’
‘If I’ve to place you in handcuffs and force you into that car at gun point, I will.’
‘You’d best get your cuffs ready then,’ she warned.
‘Aw, come on, Tess. Don’t make this difficult for me.’
‘You’ve enough on your plate with Emma’s disappearance without worrying about me.’ She peered over at the smouldering ruin again. ‘I can help rather than being a hindrance. Some of those faceless minions you mentioned, well I think I can identify some of them.’
‘Jacky Torrance? You already identified him. But he’s out of the picture. You said it yourself, he’s down in the bayous and his involvement can’t be tied to this. Hell, if anything you’ve given him a goddamn alibi.’
He was correct, but the alibi also tied Torrance to the abduction and murder of Crawford Wynne, and nobody could reasonably deny that they were by order of Albert Sower.
‘There’s nothing to say he’s still in Louisiana. In fact, I want to do some checking, see exactly where the asshole is right now.’
Alex held up his hands. ‘No way. Stay out of this, Tess. Stay safe, for God’s sake.’
‘I intend to. But if I can help keep someone else safe then I also intend doing that, starting with Emma.’
‘I hear you, Tess, but it’s not your responsibility. You’re not a cop now, remember?’
Tess recalled sitting in the coffee shop opposite Charley’s Auto Shop, that first time she’d met Po. Funny, isn’t it? Po had ventured when claiming she’d left her law-enforcement career behind. I was a con. Now I’m an ex-con, and will be for the rest of my days. Is it the same for cops? You’re never anything but?
There’s probably something in it, Tess had admitted then, and she wanted to say the same to Alex now. But claiming as much would evoke the wrong reaction from him. He’d start warning her against taking the law into her own hands, and probably demand that a marked unit be parked outside her home, not to protect her but to ensure she didn’t run off on some crazy vigilante quest.
‘I’m not standing down.’ She touched her brother on the cheek, using her thumb to smudge away a flake of ash. It was an innocuous touch of fondness, because ashes formed a blizzard around them, swept from the ruins by the rising wind. ‘I know you’re thinking of what’s best for me, but you needn’t, Alex. I’m not a helpless girl in need of your protection.’ He stiffened, about to argue, but she patted his cheek. ‘And besides, I have a friend watching my back.’
‘You’re talking about Po? Nicolas “Po’boy” Villere?’
‘I am. Po watched my back while we were in Louisiana, I trust him to watch it now.’
Alex snorted. ‘Don’t you get it, Tess? Po is also a potential victim; he’s as much a target as you are.’
‘Then I’ll watch his back.’ She smiled.
‘Freaking Po’boy Villere! He’s an ex-con, Tess. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s on Sower’s goddamn payroll.’
A twinge of doubt nipped at her. Could Alex be on to something, and the very person she’d laid all her trust in had taken her for a fool? There were instances where Po had given reason to distrust him – that time he was supposed to be at his father’s grave could’ve been a lie: had he secretly kept out of the way until Sower’s people delivered the coordinates to Wynne’s corpse? – and other occasions where he’d steered her down a different track than she might have followed. When she thought about his crazy antics when spotting their tail, had his overreaction been a ploy to keep any association he might have with Sower’s people far from her mind? Did it explain why there was never a direct attack on them – even following their discovery at Rutterman Logistics – and how they’d avoided injury at the hands of Sower’s men because Po was actually one of them?
As brief as they were, her doubts about Po shamed her, and she turned her anger on Alex. ‘He isn’t. And don’t dare say anything like that again. If you knew him the way I do, you’d understand how stupid that accusation sounds.’
Alex kneaded his forehead. ‘It’s a possibility …’
‘Only if you are on Sower’s payroll too.’ Tess pushed a finger in her brother’s chest. ‘You were the one that sent me to Po, remember? Oh, I know that accusation sounds ridiculous, but so does yours. You trusted Po was a decent man then, so what has changed? Don’t tell me it’s because I like him? That’s the kind of protection I don’t need, from anyone. And I certainly don’t need relationship advice from my big brother.’ She gave him her sternest look. ‘When exactly were you planning on telling me you were sleeping with my boss?’
Alex glanced around wildly, but Tess had already checked. Nobody was in earshot. She touched a finger to the side of her nose. ‘Your secret’s safe,’ she said, softening now they’d cleared up their disagreement, ‘so you can keep your personal business to yourself. I’ll do the same with mine.’
Alex laughed in defeat. ‘And you accused me of sounding like Mom. That’s why you two don’t get along. You’re too alike. Stubbornness must be a family trait on the female side.’
‘Don’t forget we also got the good-looking genes, unlike you, Monkey Boy,’ Tess mugged at him. When he grinned she leaned in and hugged him again. ‘But I still love you.’
‘Love you too, sis.’
There was a distant roar. From the burnt-out building a cloud of oily smoke plumed skyward. The blizzard of ash intensified. The crowd stirred in response, pushing and shoving for a closer look. There was a larger drama going on than their little family ones. ‘You should get over there and help out,’ Tess suggested. ‘It looks like they need all the hands they can get.’
Alex watched his colleagues forcing back the ghoulish onlookers. ‘They’ve got it under control. I should take you home again.’
‘I called Po like you said. He’s coming here. He’ll give me a ride back.’
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Po arrived. His choice of chariot was the 1968 Ford Mustang Tess had seen Charley working on that first day at the auto shop. It didn’t surprise her that the muscle car belonged to Po; it suited him and explained his derision at driving something as mundane and utilitarian as a minivan.
‘Man, who’s he trying to impress?’ Alex grunted. ‘Does he think he’s goddamn Bullitt?’
‘I don’t think he’s trying to impress anyone, just making a point.’ Tess waved at him as Po brought the souped-up car to a halt with a throaty rumble of the engine. Po flicked a salute for them both.
‘Sheesh, give me a break,’ Alex muttered. But he began backpedalling. He raised forked fingers to his eyes, then pointed them at Tess. ‘I’ll be watching.’
Tess offered a single finger. ‘Watch this.’
They both chuckled in good humour.
‘That’s your brother, right?’ Po said as she approached the car.
‘Yes. That’s Alex.’
‘I recognize him now. He came around the shop looking for stolen cars one time.’
‘Did he find any?’
Po only smirked. Adroitly he changed the subject. ‘You guys look alike.’
There was no denying the family resemblance. If Tess was six inches taller, stockier built, and had a wider chin, she’d pass as Alex’s identical twin. Their obvious difference – discounting their genders – was the colour of their eyes. Tess would love Alex’s startling pale blue eyes, inherited from their dad, instead of the brown ones she’d gotten stuck with from their mom.
When Tess didn’t comment, Po switched his attention to the activity around the law offices. ‘I was worried about Charley getting drunk and burning down the shop while we were away, seems my concern was misdirected. This is Sower’s doing, right?’
‘That’s the general consensus.’
‘Charley told me about Sower’s violent rant. He thinks he can terrorize his way out of a life term? Guy’s a fucking psychopath. Uh, excuse my language.’
‘You’re right. He is a fucking psychopath.’
Tess got in the Mustang, taking a moment to admire the plush leather interior, the bucket seats. But she concentrated on the cardboard air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror; it was shaped like a naked woman. ‘Nice touch,’ she said.
‘That’s Charley’s doing. He hung it to take away the smell of smoke.’
The charred smell coming off the burnt building was overpowering. It clung to Tess’s hair and clothing. ‘Maybe I should rub it on me,’ she said.
‘I’ll leave the windows open once we get going. You still want to do this?’
They’d discussed their plan of action on the way back from the airport. Now that Tess had learned that Sower had upped his game, it was time to up theirs. To do that was to follow the only route they had. ‘Let’s go get Jacky Boy,’ she said, convinced that to help Sower’s campaign of terror John Torrance had been summoned back to Maine with his blond friend, and most assuredly with Sower’s pet killer. ‘Hopefully he’ll lead us to Emma in time to save her.’
‘We can only hope,’ Po intoned. A faint smile plucked at his lips, but on noticing her perusal his expression grew unreadable. There had been finality to his words as if he knew something of Emma’s fate that she didn’t. Please let me be wrong, she prayed.