beach--”
Harding held up his hand. “The girl says it was consensual. And honestly, the less we know about your sex life, the happier all of us are going to be.”
“Just avoid beaches with cameras in the future,” Griswold added. “Good Lord, Spiffy, your mother saw those pictures. She was ready to come in here and tear your head off for being so damn stupid. Only reason she’s not here right now is that I fed her some line about you needing a superior officer down here overseeing the case. When she finds out I lied to her . . .” His voice trailed off and he shuddered, obviously unhappy about incurring the wrath of Suzanne Jackson.
Sean signed the forms that Harding put in front of him and put his things back in his pockets. He stared at his badge for a long moment before carefully putting it away. “So what do we do now?” he asked.
“We go back to the station and try to figure out who our firebug is.” Griswold clapped him on the shoulder and turned toward the exit. “That last fire was definitely arson, and it’s a whole different ballgame now that a building has been destroyed. He’s escalating.”
“Might want to go out the back way,” Harding called after them. “Buncha Hollywood people out front trying to get pictures. I thought I was going to have to send an armed escort out there for Maggie, but she’s not as helpless as she seems.”
That’s not the only way Maggie isn’t what she seems , Sean thought. “I’m sure she had them eating right out of her hand,” he said bitterly.
“Well, no, she didn’t. That’s what was so odd. She looked about ready to cry, but all of a sudden just shot through the crowd like a bat outta hell. She flagged down one of your guys and jumped in his truck.”
“’One of my guys’?” Griswold frowned.
“Yeah, the Connor kid. You know, the one with the fancy green truck that’s about to be repo’d. He was across the street, at the gas station.”
Sean looked back and forth from Harding to Griswold. “Chief . . . wasn’t Tim just talking about getting a huge check this quarter because of all the grass fires?”
“Yep. Funny thing, he was also the first on scene at the structure fire last night.”
“Come to think of it, he’s been the first on scene at a lot of grass fires lately.” Sean didn’t like the direction his thoughts had taken. “Dan, what could you see what Tim was buying at the gas station?”
Harding thought about it. “Let’s not jump the gun here,” he said, after a moment. “Tim’s got that big place over on Phoenix Road, with a lot of grass to mow. He may have been buying gas for his mower or tractor. But yeah, he was putting a couple of gas cans behind the seat.”
“You think he might be our firebug?” Sean asked.
“I think he’s a pretty strong suspect,” Griswold told him. “Wouldn’t be the first time a firefighter crossed the line. Can’t hurt to go have a little chat with him, right, Dan?”
“Chief, he’s . . . got Maggie.”
“Which is why you’re not going with us,” Harding said firmly. “You’re going to go home and wait to hear from one of us. I don’t want you anywhere near that girl until all of this mess is cleared up.”
Sean knew both men well enough to know that it was useless to protest. He nodded and watched them leave together before making his way toward the back door of the police station. His truck was there, having been towed to the police lot during the investigation. The thought left him shaking his head, wondering how he had been so oblivious to the woman hiding out in the back of his truck that night.
He slid into the seat and leaned his head back against the headrest for a moment, remembering. He’d been so exhausted that he could hardly think straight, and he’d dismissed the open tailgate as his own mistake. He had even looked under the tonneau cover with his flashlight without noticing her.
His thoughts were interrupted by the high-pitched tones that
Harding held up his hand. “The girl says it was consensual. And honestly, the less we know about your sex life, the happier all of us are going to be.”
“Just avoid beaches with cameras in the future,” Griswold added. “Good Lord, Spiffy, your mother saw those pictures. She was ready to come in here and tear your head off for being so damn stupid. Only reason she’s not here right now is that I fed her some line about you needing a superior officer down here overseeing the case. When she finds out I lied to her . . .” His voice trailed off and he shuddered, obviously unhappy about incurring the wrath of Suzanne Jackson.
Sean signed the forms that Harding put in front of him and put his things back in his pockets. He stared at his badge for a long moment before carefully putting it away. “So what do we do now?” he asked.
“We go back to the station and try to figure out who our firebug is.” Griswold clapped him on the shoulder and turned toward the exit. “That last fire was definitely arson, and it’s a whole different ballgame now that a building has been destroyed. He’s escalating.”
“Might want to go out the back way,” Harding called after them. “Buncha Hollywood people out front trying to get pictures. I thought I was going to have to send an armed escort out there for Maggie, but she’s not as helpless as she seems.”
That’s not the only way Maggie isn’t what she seems , Sean thought. “I’m sure she had them eating right out of her hand,” he said bitterly.
“Well, no, she didn’t. That’s what was so odd. She looked about ready to cry, but all of a sudden just shot through the crowd like a bat outta hell. She flagged down one of your guys and jumped in his truck.”
“’One of my guys’?” Griswold frowned.
“Yeah, the Connor kid. You know, the one with the fancy green truck that’s about to be repo’d. He was across the street, at the gas station.”
Sean looked back and forth from Harding to Griswold. “Chief . . . wasn’t Tim just talking about getting a huge check this quarter because of all the grass fires?”
“Yep. Funny thing, he was also the first on scene at the structure fire last night.”
“Come to think of it, he’s been the first on scene at a lot of grass fires lately.” Sean didn’t like the direction his thoughts had taken. “Dan, what could you see what Tim was buying at the gas station?”
Harding thought about it. “Let’s not jump the gun here,” he said, after a moment. “Tim’s got that big place over on Phoenix Road, with a lot of grass to mow. He may have been buying gas for his mower or tractor. But yeah, he was putting a couple of gas cans behind the seat.”
“You think he might be our firebug?” Sean asked.
“I think he’s a pretty strong suspect,” Griswold told him. “Wouldn’t be the first time a firefighter crossed the line. Can’t hurt to go have a little chat with him, right, Dan?”
“Chief, he’s . . . got Maggie.”
“Which is why you’re not going with us,” Harding said firmly. “You’re going to go home and wait to hear from one of us. I don’t want you anywhere near that girl until all of this mess is cleared up.”
Sean knew both men well enough to know that it was useless to protest. He nodded and watched them leave together before making his way toward the back door of the police station. His truck was there, having been towed to the police lot during the investigation. The thought left him shaking his head, wondering how he had been so oblivious to the woman hiding out in the back of his truck that night.
He slid into the seat and leaned his head back against the headrest for a moment, remembering. He’d been so exhausted that he could hardly think straight, and he’d dismissed the open tailgate as his own mistake. He had even looked under the tonneau cover with his flashlight without noticing her.
His thoughts were interrupted by the high-pitched tones that
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