fire district targeted.
Those facts suggested a motive. Someone laid off in the consolidations, angry enough to be their firebug, might be using fires at the edge of the district line to prove the closed stations needed reopening. And given the location of the fires…it was probably someone from Cassie’s old company. If that was what she suspected, Jack couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep quiet.
Cassie wouldn’t be able to ignore her suspicion. But what would she do if she didn’t tell either him or Cole? If she tried to confront the person herself…the thought was horrifying.
Jack found himself backtracking on the decision he had just made. He needed her to tell one of them. He had to at least keep her from trying to act on her own.
Stalling for time, he pulled over the other chair and picked up her tennis shoes. Her pale blue socks were banded with a dark line of ash. “Would you like me to get you a clean pair of socks?”
It tugged a smile from her as she wiggled her toes. “No, but thanks for asking.”
He picked apart the knots in her laces, slipped on her tennis shoes, and then retied them.
“Jack.” He looked up. She leaned forward and rested her right hand against his cheek, holding his gaze. “Thanks.”
He leaned his cheek into that touch, surprised she would offer it but charmed by it and the smile. Cassie, you’re making me feel like a heel because this isn’t over. “You’re welcome.”
She moved her hand to his shoulder and used him as leverage to push to her feet. “Cole is going to be annoyed with you.”
The decision already made, Jack could afford to be philosophical about it. “What else is new?”
“Tell him to call me.”
“I will.”
She laughed at his immediate agreement.
He’d take her home. It might be easier to have the discussion outside of this place.
They walked through the district building and back to the bays. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the empty, cavernous room. Jack grabbed his jacket and a spare one for Cassie. It wasn’t quite as large as Cole’s but it still swallowed her.
“We’ll take my car.” He tugged out his own keys. “Do you have someone who can work at the store for you tomorrow so you can sleep in?”
“Linda covers for me fifteen hours a week. She was already planning to open up in the morning.”
Jack held his car door for her. There was a high-pitched squeak as she started to sit down and they both froze.
“Sorry.” Embarrassed, Jack reached over her for the rubber cat toy he’d meant to give Kate that had fallen between the front seats.
He waited until Cassie was settled and had fastened her seat belt before he circled the car and slid in behind the wheel. He turned up the heat to the point he would bake but where Cassie might be comfortable, then turned on the scanner.
“What happened to J. J.?”
The small, white lifelike mouse had been a practical joke from Bruce. It had traversed the district showing up in various people’s sleeping bags until finally taking up residence on Jack’s dashboard tucked between the radio and the scanner. “Lisa borrowed it last week to surprise Quinn.”
“How is your sister?”
Lisa was still getting over her too-close brush with a man who had killed more people than the authorities would probably ever be able to discover. “Falling in love smoothes over a lot of stress.”
U.S. Marshal Quinn Diamond was the last person Jack would have expected Lisa to fall in love with, but it had developed into a great match. Quinn would keep Lisa out of trouble, or at least be there to get her out of it.
Silence descended as he drove Cassie home and Jack didn’t try to break it. If he was going to get her to change her mind and realize she had no choice but to trust him and tell him, giving Cassie time to think was to his advantage. Silence forced her to rethink options.
He had such a good evening visiting Cassie at her store. To have the day end like this… Jack hated having
Those facts suggested a motive. Someone laid off in the consolidations, angry enough to be their firebug, might be using fires at the edge of the district line to prove the closed stations needed reopening. And given the location of the fires…it was probably someone from Cassie’s old company. If that was what she suspected, Jack couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep quiet.
Cassie wouldn’t be able to ignore her suspicion. But what would she do if she didn’t tell either him or Cole? If she tried to confront the person herself…the thought was horrifying.
Jack found himself backtracking on the decision he had just made. He needed her to tell one of them. He had to at least keep her from trying to act on her own.
Stalling for time, he pulled over the other chair and picked up her tennis shoes. Her pale blue socks were banded with a dark line of ash. “Would you like me to get you a clean pair of socks?”
It tugged a smile from her as she wiggled her toes. “No, but thanks for asking.”
He picked apart the knots in her laces, slipped on her tennis shoes, and then retied them.
“Jack.” He looked up. She leaned forward and rested her right hand against his cheek, holding his gaze. “Thanks.”
He leaned his cheek into that touch, surprised she would offer it but charmed by it and the smile. Cassie, you’re making me feel like a heel because this isn’t over. “You’re welcome.”
She moved her hand to his shoulder and used him as leverage to push to her feet. “Cole is going to be annoyed with you.”
The decision already made, Jack could afford to be philosophical about it. “What else is new?”
“Tell him to call me.”
“I will.”
She laughed at his immediate agreement.
He’d take her home. It might be easier to have the discussion outside of this place.
They walked through the district building and back to the bays. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the empty, cavernous room. Jack grabbed his jacket and a spare one for Cassie. It wasn’t quite as large as Cole’s but it still swallowed her.
“We’ll take my car.” He tugged out his own keys. “Do you have someone who can work at the store for you tomorrow so you can sleep in?”
“Linda covers for me fifteen hours a week. She was already planning to open up in the morning.”
Jack held his car door for her. There was a high-pitched squeak as she started to sit down and they both froze.
“Sorry.” Embarrassed, Jack reached over her for the rubber cat toy he’d meant to give Kate that had fallen between the front seats.
He waited until Cassie was settled and had fastened her seat belt before he circled the car and slid in behind the wheel. He turned up the heat to the point he would bake but where Cassie might be comfortable, then turned on the scanner.
“What happened to J. J.?”
The small, white lifelike mouse had been a practical joke from Bruce. It had traversed the district showing up in various people’s sleeping bags until finally taking up residence on Jack’s dashboard tucked between the radio and the scanner. “Lisa borrowed it last week to surprise Quinn.”
“How is your sister?”
Lisa was still getting over her too-close brush with a man who had killed more people than the authorities would probably ever be able to discover. “Falling in love smoothes over a lot of stress.”
U.S. Marshal Quinn Diamond was the last person Jack would have expected Lisa to fall in love with, but it had developed into a great match. Quinn would keep Lisa out of trouble, or at least be there to get her out of it.
Silence descended as he drove Cassie home and Jack didn’t try to break it. If he was going to get her to change her mind and realize she had no choice but to trust him and tell him, giving Cassie time to think was to his advantage. Silence forced her to rethink options.
He had such a good evening visiting Cassie at her store. To have the day end like this… Jack hated having
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