Chapter Twenty-four
Unfortunately, the peace and quiet didn’t last through the night.
Roman bolted upright in the bed and in the scramble to grab his phone, accidentally knocked it off the bedside table. Thankfully the screen lit up and he was able to snatch it off the floor and silence the damn thing.
Shaking his head to clear the sleep from his brain, he scrolled on the screen and saw there was a missed call from Kevin Latterly. It was five in the morning. Something bad was going down.
His mind immediately fixed on his parents. Had one of them fallen down the stairs or, God forbid, had a heart attack? He’d talked to his mom yesterday morning and everything had been fine then.
“What is it?” Mia’s voice was urgent and as he turned, she flicked on the bedside lamp. Her hair was mussed and her eyes big and filled with dread.
“Don’t know yet. Let me hit Kevin back.”
He put the call through and his ex-partner answered on the first ring. “Sorry, man. I know it’s early, but I thought you should know there was a fire in your office. Emmett was on duty at the station, and he tipped me off.”
Roman’s breath whooshed out in relief. Not his parents at least so that was good.
“Was anyone hurt?” he asked.
“Nope. The building was empty. A couple of Gino’s bakers noticed it when they arrived to get the bread rising or whatever they do at the butt crack of dawn. They saw the smoke and called it in.”
“That’s good. How much damage?”
“Emmett said the fire looked like it originated in a trash can by your desk. The desk is toast, man. I’d say same goes for your computer gear. I think a bunch of your files might’ve bought it too. Otherwise just plenty of smoke damage. Gino’s is basically fine, though they obviously won’t be opening for a bit until the Fire Marshall assesses the building.”
“Shit.” Roman scrubbed a hand over his face. “Well, it could’ve been worse, I guess. Thanks for letting me know. I’m going to head over there and see what’s what.” He paused while his brain clicked into gear. “Wait. Was there any sign of forced entry?”
“Not that I heard … are you saying you think this was arson?”
“I don’t know. But how does a fire start in a trash can? I’ve barely even used the thing lately. I was there yesterday but I’ve mostly been in the field this week. In fact, I remember dumping it out a couple of days ago. Now we’re talking about an empty trash can catching on fire.”
“That sounds plenty suspicious. Let’s see what the fire guys say today. If it still looks wonky, I’ll ask the Lieutenant to put me on the case. Could be your new best friend, Eliza Wentworth, had something to do with it.”
“Appreciate it, man. Later.”
“Is it bad?” Mia asked.
“Not too bad. But it’s going to be a huge hassle, from the sounds of it. I have decent insurance so it should cover the laptop and stuff. Still, fuck it. I hope to God Gino doesn’t kick me out of the building.”
Mia swung her legs to the floor and stood. “We should get down there. See what’s going on.”
***
There were two fire trucks and a dozen or so men at the building housing Roman’s office. It was six o’clock by the time they got there, and that meant all the early morning exercisers, dog walkers, and Bean Time customers also stood on the sidewalk gawking at the spectacle.
Although there was no smoke coming from the building, the air smelt burnt. One of the firemen was up on a ladder and spraying water in through the window. Others were traipsing in and out of the building carrying equipment.
The men and one woman moved quickly and efficiently with no sense of panic. Roman and Mia approached the closest fire wagon.
“Is Grant Field here?” Roman asked one of the firemen.
“Yep. On scene. I can’t let you up there right now until he gives the okay,” he said.
“Hey, Roman. Mia.”
They turned and found Gino Gazzola, owner of Gino’s Bakery and the building.
“Sorry about this. Are all your people okay?”
Gino pressed his hands together as though in prayer. “Everyone’s fine. An hour or so later, though, and who knows.”
“I heard it was one of your guys who called it in.” Roman paused and glanced over at the building. “Hey, you have this place wired, right? Why didn’t the alarm go off?”
“That’s a good question. I’ll be asking First Defense about that myself. They’re happy enough to take my premiums but the one and only time I’ve needed their service to work it was a total failure,” Gino said.
Gino wandered off, his cell phone attached to his ear, and they hung around in front of the building for another hour or so. Mia went to Bean Time and picked up coffee to support them through the wait. It was buzzing inside the café and the only thing everyone was talking about was the fire.
“Hey, Mia. Tough morning, huh?” Gail said after punching in the order. “People are saying it was a bomb or something.”
“No bomb. At least not from what I’ve heard.”
“That’s good, I guess. Bummer about Gino’s bakery being closed. I heard up to a week before they reopen. I don’t know if I can go that long without my rosemary bread.”
“It sucks.”
By the time she walked back down the street there was only one fire truck remaining at the curb. All the hoses had been put away although the team were still in and out of the building doing whatever needed to be done in the aftermath of a fire.
Roman stood talking to a tall man with thin sandy hair and a mustache. She handed Roman his coffee.
“Thanks. This is Grant Field. Fire Marshall. My fiancé, Mia Reeves,” Roman said. “Grant thinks it was arson.”
Mia turned to study Grant. “Really? How come?”
“A couple of things. First off, the alarm was compromised. That’s why it didn’t go off. It was someone who knew their way around the system. Also, the trash can looks to have been placed directly under the desk in the well where the chair normally fits. An accelerant was used on the desk itself. It burned way hotter and faster than it should have. Added to that, the filing cabinet was open and empty and what I surmise was the contents of the drawers had been placed on the desk itself.”
“That’s a lot of evidence. Obviously, whoever did it wasn’t trying to hide their intent,” she said.
“You can say that again,” Grant agreed.
“How long until we can get back in there?” Roman asked.
“Probably a day or so. There’s a spot on the floor below the desk that’s destabilized, but otherwise the building is sound,” Grant said.
Roman held out his hand and he and Grant shook. “Thanks, man. I appreciate the intel.”
“Of course. If it were my place, I’d want to know. It looks like you might’ve made an enemy. Maybe consider beefing up things on the home front. I’d hate to be called to your house any time soon.” He paused and pursed his lips. “When are you coming back on the force?”
Roman shrugged. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”
“Shame. Dalton needs good detectives like you. Especially with the way crime’s been ramping up this year.”
Grant walked away shaking his head. Roman and Mia watched him make his way back into the building.
“Okay. Things just got real. We’re both thinking Eliza, right?” Mia said.
“Yeah. Ballsy move on her part.” He yanked out his phone and tapped the screen before holding it up to his ear. “Hey, Kev. Looks like we’ve got a solid arson case over here.”
While Roman and Kevin talked, Mia stepped over to the front door of the building. No one stopped her so she slid inside and wandered through the storefront of the bakery. The usual mouthwatering smells of fresh bread and donuts had been replaced with an acidic burnt tang that hit the back of her throat and made her swallow compulsively.
Looking up, she saw a dark crusty patch on the ceiling over the counter. It was about ten feet long and five or six feet deep. She surmised that was the position of Roman’s desk in the office above and the origin of the fire.
It would obviously need to be fixed and the whole place, including contents, cleaned and aired out. There were probably companies that specialized in dealing with fire damage. Mia wondered if the one-week timeline for reopening was all that realistic. Poor Gino. This was going to be a serious hit to the bottom line.
Outside again, she glanced over the door and noted there was no camera. Bummer. There was, however, one on Treasure Chest two doors down. Roman was still talking to Kevin so she walked briskly around the block to the alley behind the building. No cameras here either.
What the hell was wrong with these people?
She supposed they’d never really needed that much security before now. Well, times were changing, weren’t they.
A narrow glass window beside the door had been smashed. So that was how Eliza—because she couldn’t see anyone else doing this—had gained entry. Were there no security alarms? Or was that all part and parcel of the fire system? Maybe Eliza had taken everything out in one fell swoop.
When Roman approached, she simply lifted her chin at the door and said nothing.
“You didn’t touch anything?” he asked. She arched an eyebrow and he immediately shook his head. “Of course, you didn’t. Kevin’s on his way. He’ll dust it for prints but there’s likely nothing to be found. Whoever did this—”
“You mean Eliza?”
“Normally I like to keep an open mind, but I’ve gotta say I’m leaning all the way over in her direction.” He glanced around then pointed. “At least we have one camera out here.”
“Treasure Chest, right? They also have one on Main Street. The rest of these people need to get with the program.”
“After this, they likely will. I’m going to wait and hang with Kevin. Why don’t you go home? I’ll get someone to give me a ride later,” he said.
Mia spent the rest of the morning sticking to routine while she worked to calm herself.
“I heard all about the fire,” Sheryl said the minute she stepped into the house. “The whole town is buzzing. It’s that damn nuisance woman, isn’t it?”
“We don’t know yet. The police are investigating.”
Sheryl frowned. “People are already whispering it’s arson.”
“That’s what the Fire Marshall ruled. Roman’s working with his old partner on it.”
Sheryl’s wiry grey hair was scraped back into its usual low ponytail and her wrinkled face was, as usual, bare of makeup. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her broad chest.
“That’s some bad business, that is. Anything you need, I’m here for you.”
“I appreciate it. Thanks.”
Mia left Sheryl in the workroom with Tucker, the dachshund, all but sitting in her lap and Layla watching approvingly. Mac and Fifi followed her to the kitchen where she grabbed her phone off the counter and shot off a text to Roman asking for an update.
Kevin and Franco are working the scene. A bunch of prints on the back door but I’m guessing our intruder was gloved up so probably not from them. Office door was breached. Looks like a crowbar or something similar. That’s all so far.
OK. Thanks.
Phone still in hand, she wandered out to the deck and sat on the glider while she thought some more. What she really wanted to do was get inside Roman’s office, in the quiet, and see if she could pick up a vision of the arsonist. But it’d be crawling with people for the rest of the day. Maybe tonight she and Roman could sneak in and see what was what.
Honestly, what the heck was Eliza hoping to accomplish by setting Roman’s files on fire? Other than the contract Jennifer had signed, there likely wasn’t much of a paper trail on her. And given that it’s the twenty-first century, everyone stored stuff in the cloud these days so torching his laptop was hardly going to wipe out the case notes.
Glancing down to her phone, she brought up Instagram and flicked onto Eliza’s page. This morning she’d posted a picture of a big orange sun rising over the rails of her balcony. The caption read, “A stunning morning with the sun glowing like it’s on fire. I want all my Vibers to take it as a sign that you’re on the right track to manifesting your perfect life. Onwards.”
Wow. Talk about brazen. She was clearly sending a message to her and Roman.
She hoped like hell they found something to implicate Eliza in the fire. It would be great to watch her squirming in the interrogation room. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting when Roman warned of escalation, but it hadn’t been this.
No sooner had she stepped into the house than the driveway sensor pinged from the kitchen counter.
She glanced idly at the monitor, expecting to see a FedEx or UPS truck. Instead, she recognized Brooke’s Prius. She walked briskly to the front door and stood on the stoop watching while her friend parked and got out of the car.
“Hey,” Mia called out.
Brooke stopped short when she saw Mia then slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder and all but jogged up to the front steps.
“Is everything okay? I was so worried about you,” Brooke said, her face creased with concern.
Mia sighed. “Yeah. It was a bummer way to wake up, but they’ve got everything under control.” She stepped back and ushered Brooke inside. “And nobody was hurt, thank God. Do you want a coffee?”
Brooke whirled to face Mia. “What do you mean no one got hurt? Was Roman in danger? Is that why this is happening?”
“No. He wasn’t even there. I promise, he’s a-okay. Come with me, you obviously need some caffeine. I’ve got your favorite hazelnut blend on hand.”
Brooke didn’t say anything else, instead followed Mia to the kitchen and watched while she put the pod in the Keurig and made a cup of fresh coffee. Mia doctored it with almond milk and a scant teaspoon of sugar just the way her friend liked it before handing it over.
“Let’s sit out on the deck. I know it’s already warm, but I want the fresh air. I swear, I can still taste that burnt tang at the back of my throat.”
“Sure. Whatever,” Brooke said. She took a sip of coffee then followed Mia outside and slid in opposite her before setting her mug on the table.
Mia pulled out her phone and checked the time. “It’s almost ten o’clock. Are you playing hooky from the dance studio?”
Brooke shook her head as though trying to clear her scattered thoughts. “Mia, what the hell is going on? Why didn’t you call me with a heads-up? I’m your friend, but not only that, your maid of honor, too. You should’ve reached out.”
Mia’s head tipped while she studied her. “Um … okay … I’m sorry, I guess. But it just happened and I don’t really have much to report at this stage. I was going to check in with you this afternoon once Kevin and Franco had time to process the scene.” She paused and her teeth sunk into her lower lip. “But of course, you’d have heard about it before then. I didn’t even think. God, I’m really sorry.”
Now it was Brooke’s turn to look confused. “What just happened? And why are Kevin and Franco investigating?”
“Because they think it might’ve been arson,” Mia said patiently.
Brooke’s head swiveled side to side then she turned to take in the house. “Did you have a fire here?”
“What? No. I’m talking about Roman’s office in town … but you didn’t know about it, did you?” Mia said. “So, what the hell are you talking about? What should I have told you?”
“Wait. There was a fire at Roman’s office? This morning?” Brooke’s voice got progressively higher.
“Calm down. It’s okay. Like I told you, no one was hurt. Everything’s fine. Well … it will be. Gino’s is closed for a bit, and we’ll have a lot of cleaning to do once the Fire Marshall gives us the go-ahead to get in there. Roman’s worried Gino might kick him out of the building, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes, I guess.”
“And it wasn’t accidental?”
“We think it’s related to our current case, but we can’t prove it … at least not yet .…”
“Wow. How did I not know this?” She swiped a hand across her forehead. “Probably because I had a late start time at the studio so I was happily home on the other side of town enjoying a leisurely morning when the emails starting coming through. Then I panicked and figured you would need me, so I drove here like a bat out of hell.”
“What emails?” Mia asked, while a sense of dread wove through her stomach.
“The ones from Big Top Tent Services and Best Eats Catering doing a follow up on you cancelling their services and reiterating that you forfeited your deposit.” Brooke dug her phone out of her purse, tapped on the screen then handed it to Mia. “It’s right there in black and white. I expected to find you crying your eyes out or wielding a blow torch and turning Roman’s stuff into the biggest bonfire ever while laughing manically. So let me repeat—what the hell’s going on?”