Savage Ice (Ice Breaker Cold Case #10)

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

“He hasn’t done anything!” Avalon felt like an absolute broken record as she paced in front of Detective Lynn Baker’s desk. “I’m telling you, Beau was with me all day! He didn’t?—”

Lynn’s sigh cut through her words. “I know he was with you. Colton Ross said you were present when Beau assaulted him with a knife.”

Her stomach dipped. “That was a misunderstanding.” She’d insisted on going to the police station. Beau had been cuffed right in front of her. Cuffed and pushed into the back of a patrol car. “We were at my house. We thought the arson investigator was an intruder!”

“He wasn’t an intruder. He was a man doing his job. You shouldn’t have been there. Beau shouldn’t have attacked him with a knife.” Lynn’s gaze was steady. “Colton called in the attack the minute Beau left. An APB was put out for Beau, and…here we are.”

At the police station. With Beau being booked and questioned and Avalon about to go out of her head with worry and frustration.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you saw him for what he is?” Lynn asked. The detective winced. “I get it. Truly. You are hardly the first woman to fall for the wrong man.”

“Beau isn’t wrong.”

“From where I am sitting, there is very little that is right about him.” Lynn held up her hand and began ticking off issues. “He was at the prison when the riot went down and an inmate died. Don’t tell me that’s not suspicious. One word from Beau—one whisper—and he probably set the whole thing in motion.”

“No.” Avalon shook her head.

“And do you know how much insurance he has on LeBlanc’s? The man is set to get a windfall.”

“He already has plenty of money. I’ve seen his house.”

“Yeah, well, just where do you think Beau got all his cash? You actually think he earned it the old-fashioned, honest way?” Mocking. “Come on, you are smarter than this.”

“I am smarter than this. You’re right. Smart enough to know Beau didn’t have anything to do with the riot. He was protecting me when chaos reigned at the prison. He protected the DA. Beau carried him out of there when Douglas was attacked.”

Lynn’s brows rose. “He did what?”

“He—”

A knock at the door. Before Lynn could tell the visitor to come in, the door swung open, and Detective Campbell Cunningham popped his head inside. “I’m starting the interrogation. You in, Lynn?” Then his gaze collided with Avalon’s. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m waiting to take Beau home. This is a misunderstanding.”

A sharp bark of laughter escaped the detective. “He’s not going home. He’s going to a cell. Or hell, maybe that is home to him.”

“I get the nickname,” she snapped. “I really get it now.”

“I don’t know what damn nickname you’re talking about. But I’ve got a dead body. I’ve got people who saw Beau’s Jag leaving the scene of the fire today?—”

Her eyes widened. “I was with him! We were just—” She stopped. Right before she accidentally said…We were just planning my first breaking and entering. Nope. That would not be helpful to admit at this point in time.

“You were what?” Campbell pounced.

“I wanted to do a sweep in front of Slater Wade’s house. But we saw the fire, so we went back to my place.”

“Learn to lie better,” Lynn urged her as the detective rose from the seat behind her desk. “Or maybe, learn to hang around with people who don’t make you have to lie in the first place. Now, for the last time, leave the station, Avalon. You aren’t seeing Beau. And, yes, Cam, I am in for the interrogation.”

The interrogation room door opened. Campbell Cunningham entered first. Face looking all intent and angry. Stomping steps. Badass attitude like he was about to do something incredibly important.

Lynn followed. Softer steps. Gaze just as hard. Plenty of suspicion on her face.

But it was just the two of them. No one else. Odd. “I thought my friend was coming,” Beau murmured.

“I told Avalon she wasn’t going to see you.” Lynn pulled out the chair across from him. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough to that woman? You really want to make her an accessory to your crimes?”

“What crimes would those be?” His hands were cuffed in front of him. Overkill, really. “It would be ever so helpful if you spelled them out for me.”

“You assaulted an arson investigator!”

Oh, starting with that, were they? “I thought he was an intruder. When he identified himself, I immediately backed off.” Beau shrugged. “Is that it? The big crime? Because I have to say, that was certainly easy to clear up.”

“You forced him to reveal details about the investigation!” Campbell accused.

Beau narrowed his eyes. “Only if by ‘forced’ then you mean…asked him and he overshared? Then, yes. I suppose you could look at it that way.”

“You were interfering in a criminal investigation!”

He’d been trying to hurry along the criminal investigation. “I was escorting my girlfriend to her house.” That was the story they’d given the arson investigator. And someone had certainly been fast at calling the cops.

And getting me locked away.

But hadn’t he suspected—as soon as he saw Colton with that phone on the porch—that this would happen?

Campbell pulled out the chair next to Lynn. The legs screeched over the floor. “Does the name Max Donway mean anything to you?”

“It means zero to me.”

Grunting, Campbell sat in the seat. “You sure about that?”

“If the name is supposed to ring a bell, it doesn’t. Want to clue me in on its significance?” The detectives thought they were grilling him.

He was busy grilling them. No sense wasting a good opportunity for intel.

“Sure, sure, happy to do it.” Campbell watched him like a hawk. “Not too long ago, Lieutenant Wesley Vaughn—you met him before, didn’t you? At the fire that occurred at LeBlanc’s?”

“That name is familiar,” Beau allowed. He watched Campbell just as closely even as he wondered…Who the hell is Max Donway? Just spit out the info already.

“Max Donway was a guard at the McKinley prison.”

Beau did not change expression.

“Believe you were present there today, weren’t you? Terrible thing, that riot.”

“Terrible,” Beau echoed. He didn’t blink.

“Interesting story…”

He was waiting to hear one.

“Seems that Max Donway was one of the guards present in the room when Avalon Trahan had her first chat with Everett Thomas.”

Shit. That was actually interesting. “How do you know that?”

“Because I talked to DA Douglas Baptiste not ten minutes ago and he told me.”

Lynn’s gaze darted between Beau and Campbell.

“Max Donway didn’t show up for work today,” Campbell revealed. “Another interesting element to add to our mix, isn’t it? He’s not at work on the day a group of prisoners magically get out of their cells and kill Everett Thomas.”

“Don’t know that there was magic involved.” Beau could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall. “Don’t remember anyone yelling abracadabra at me.”

Campbell’s eyes narrowed.

“But how about we get back to Lieutenant Wesley Vaughn,” Beau said. Keeping the detective on track was an effort. “I believe you were about to tell me that he did something, ah, not too long ago, I believe it was?”

“He pulled Max Donway’s body from the fire at Slater Wade’s rental house.”

Beau still did not change his expression. Didn’t so much as let his breathing alter.

“Burns were over ninety percent of the prison guard’s body, and he was stone cold dead.”

“With that many burns, I’d actually think he was hell hot.” Mocking words even as his heart seemed to squeeze in his chest.

Campbell leapt right back to his feet. “You sonofabitch! A man is dead.” His eyes blazed. “And I think I’m staring straight at his killer. One remorseless bastard who likes to play with fire.”

Avalon marched past the check-in desk at the police station. Ophelia was supposed to be on her way. They’d talked twice on the phone, and Ophelia had assured her that she would be arriving any moment.

Hurry, please hurry. If Ophelia was really Beau’s lawyer, shouldn’t she be in interrogation with him? How could the cops even talk to Beau without her being present?

Avalon peered through the glass doors but saw no sign of Ophelia. Avalon spun around and collided with?—

The firefighter?

Tall, dark hair. In a blue firefighter’s t-shirt and some kind of blue cargo pants. Shadows lined Lieutenant Wesley Vaughn’s eyes. A smear of ash stained his left cheek.

“Sorry,” she murmured quickly. “I didn’t see you there.”

He swallowed. Nodded.

She started to step out of his way but stopped. “Is everything okay?” Because he looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“I like saving people. That’s why I do the job. To save. To help.” His voice came out so hoarse. As if he’d been screaming. Or battling a fire. “I don’t like pulling the dead from the rubble. They stay with you. You never, ever forget them.” A long exhale. “I-I was giving my statement to Detective Cunningham. I need to go.”

And she was still blocking his path. “Someone died today?”

He nodded. “So many burns…” A shake of his head. “I have to get back to my station. Need to check on my crew.”

She eased out of his path. But even as Wesley hurried out of the station, Royal was there. He stepped to the side and frowned at the firefighter. Wesley didn’t even look twice at him.

Avalon bolted through the door and met Royal on the station’s steps.

“That man looked like the grim reaper.” Royal peered after Wesley. “Never a good look.”

“The cops have Beau in custody.”

“That would be why I got the Code Avalon.” He extended his hand to her. “We need to get the hell out this place.”

“Uh, no. We need to get the hell back in there.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the station. “And we need to help Beau!”

High heels clicked on the steps. “That’s why I’m here!” Ophelia waved as she hurried toward them.

Lane shadowed her steps.

“They won’t stop me from seeing Beau.” Ophelia’s voice was slightly breathless. “I can do this scene in my sleep. I’ll have him out of here in no time. Provided he doesn’t say some asshole comment, piss off the cops even more, and screw us all to hell and back before I can get in there to shut him up.”

“It’s a mistake.” They all needed to understand this. “They’re charging him with assault. Saying that he attacked an arson investigator.”

“Did he?” Lane asked. He stood just behind Ophelia.

“A mistake,” she repeated. How many times would she have to say that? Mistake. Misunderstanding. Dammit. “We didn’t know who the guy was. As soon as Colton?—”

“Colton Ross?” Ophelia practically jumped at her.

“Yes, Colton Ross. As soon as he identified himself as an arson investigator, Beau lowered his knife.”

Royal squeezed his eyes shut. “Of course, he’d have a knife. He always has one.”

“They’re interrogating him now, aren’t they?” Ophelia’s gaze snapped toward the station’s doors. “Lane, come on! We need to be in there.”

“Uh, I need to be in there, too.” Avalon needed to be at Beau’s side.

Royal’s eyes opened. “A Code Avalon means I am supposed to get you to someplace safe. I’m supposed to stay as your guard until Beau can come to your side. I’ll go out on a limb and say, I don’t think he believes just hanging out at the police station is the place you should be right now.”

Sympathy darkened Ophelia’s gaze as she studied Avalon. “You will not be able to help him here, but I can. I’ll get him free as fast as possible, and then he will come to you.” Her lips thinned. “Colton Ross once served on the New Orleans FD. Lane and I haven’t been able to dig much, but pulling up his background was easy enough. The guy was in New Orleans, and now he’s just succeeded in getting Beau locked up here in Savannah. Beau is locked up, and as far as Colton knows, you are on your own, Avalon.”

“She’s not,” Royal said at once. “Consider me her human shield.” His hand was still up. Waiting for Avalon.

“I will get Beau out of here,” Ophelia promised. “Trust me.”

Avalon nodded. “He said to trust you.” Her gaze darted to Lane. Then to Royal. “All of you.”

“If you trust him,” Royal did not lower his hand, “then trust us.”

No part of her wanted to leave that station. But she wasn’t the one who could help Beau. Not then. “Get him out,” she told Ophelia.

A grim nod. “I will. But in order to do that, he will need to know you’re safe. If he’s crazy with worry for you, the man is going to be even more difficult to handle than normal. And that’s saying a lot.”

“Code Avalon,” Royal murmured.

Avalon finally took his offered hand. “By the way, when this mess is over, we are having a serious talk about your extracurriculars.”

His brows flew up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever. Consider yourself warned. The party is over.”

Sighing, he curled his fingers around hers. “Beau never mentioned you were such a buzzkill.”