Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
S arah Sloan’s Review
Scoring the position of Sheriff: 5 stars
I’ve waited my whole life to make a difference, to fight for the town that always saw me as a criminal. Yet how can I redeem myself if I cannot stop the arsonist? This job is my dream, but if things don’t turn around soon, it may just turn into a nightmare.
The past moments replayed in Sarah’s mind like an old-time horror show.
She had bolted after the arsonist through the back door, navigating the labyrinth of alleys like a video game action star. She arrived at a courtyard just in time to lock eyes with the disguised man, as the seconds slowed to a crawl. He heaved the torch at a wooded shed and then…
Boom.
Flames crackled a scorched firescape, combustible timber sending caustic heat like a sauna from hell. The world was alive with sparks, flame and heat, spreading in all directions in an unearthly glow. The hissing sparks gifted him the advantage, as he smiled , then pivoted and fled. She lunged to follow, but a moment later, stilled.
She had an instant to make a life-changing decision and took the only possible choice. Instead of following him, she ran to a fire extinguisher and spent precious minutes putting out the fire before it spread to the nearby buildings, in a battle she wasn’t sure she would win. In truth, the fire more burned itself out than surrendered to her efforts, yet at least the danger was vanquished. By the time she threw the empty canister on the ground, the culprit was gone, leaving only the memory of a tall figure clad in black from head to toe, with no clue as to his identity.
She remained alone by the weeping timber. The smoke burned her throat, turning her lungs to sandpaper. Her skin prickled with heat, with a sallow redness to accompany the ringing in her ears. She stayed far enough to avoid any true injury and, thankfully, no one else was there to be hurt. No doubt the arsonist planned the attack with easy escape in mind. Of course, he hadn’t expected her.
She took a step, yet a strange tingling on the back of her neck alerted her to a new visitor. She pivoted to see Cole standing still as a paused movie frame, gazing straight at her, or more accurately, through her. Discomfort slammed into her, stealing the breath already ragged from her fiery work. It was just like the incident in the tree. “Cole?” she called.
He didn’t answer.
Suddenly his expression changed. He looked straight into her eyes, and his own hardened. He was out of the trance, back to the overprotective man from her past and present. She involuntarily stepped back. “Cole, listen…”
“Get away from there!” At a speed that should’ve been impossible, Cole raced to her, grasped her shoulders, spun her to him. She coughed as he pulled her away from the burnt timber, away from the soot and the ashes and the smoke. He didn’t let her go until they were beyond the remnants’ reach, but even then, he didn’t fully release her. He felt her down, searching for injuries. She batted him away, but he didn’t seem to notice. Finally, relief softened taut features. “You’re all right.”
Do not react to his touches. Do not give in to the sensations. Do not let this man take control. He already wielded far too much power as he ignited heat of an entirely different type. She inhaled an improbable tangle of lingering smoke and heady desire. “I’m fine. You need to stop now. I’m feeling–”
“You’re feeling what?” He edged closer. “What hurts? Should I call for an ambulance?”
An ambulance wasn’t going to fix how she felt. “Nothing hurts, and nothing’s wrong, but there might be if you don’t stop touching me.” She winced at the far too revealing truth, an admission of what this man did to her. Physically, she was well. Mentally and emotionally, she was anything but.
He stepped back without letting go, regarding her with intelligent eyes. As understanding dawned, concern diminished, at least somewhat. Finally, she’d convinced him.
Unfortunately, she’d also admitted exactly what his touches did to her.
Hopefully, the darkness would hide the flush that undoubtedly covered every inch. “I mean it. I’m filthy, but fine.” She moved all her limbs to demonstrate.
Finally, he released her, but he didn’t go far. She rubbed her arms against the chill that emerged after he left, despite the closeness of the smoldering remains. “I didn’t actually touch the fire, and I was careful enough to stay out of the smoke’s path. The only reason I’m so dirty is because there was nowhere for the soot to go in the narrow space.”
He hardened at the sight of the shed behind her. Although it still smoldered, it was clearly out. “What happened?” His tone was even, his face expressionless, but she knew him well enough to realize it was a facade. Once the immediate concern was over, the suspicion would come. A singular question burned:
Did he believe she was the arsonist?
In the past, she would’ve led with a denial, hope he would somehow realize matters weren’t as they appeared. No more. If he wanted to accuse her of something, she would fight back. “I saw a man from the bathroom window carrying a lit torch.”
“A man?” Cole pivoted, assessing the surroundings. Even that little admission was surprising. So he actually believed her, at least enough to investigate. “Where is he?”
“He’s gone,” Sarah admitted. “Once he set the shed on fire, I couldn’t leave. It’s lucky we increased the amount of fire extinguishers since the fires began. I found one just over there.”
Anger flashed in his eyes, underscored by raw emotion. Yet instead of commenting on how she’d let the culprit get away, he had a far different question. “You saw a man carrying a lit torch and raced after him? Why didn’t you call for backup? I was twenty feet away.”
She hesitated. He was right. She should’ve called him the minute she saw the arsonist. Then maybe the criminal wouldn’t have gotten away. She was just accustomed to doing things on her own. “To be honest, I didn’t think of it. I was so focused on reaching him I forgot you were there.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “So you raced after a dangerous arsonist by yourself, with no thought as to the consequences?”
He had no right to lecture her. “As sheriff, I’m allowed to chase criminals by myself. I was just doing my job.”
“You may be sheriff, but you don’t run the entire police department by yourself,” he argued. “Next time, call for help.”
She looked upward. “As your boss, it’s my right and privilege to give orders, not the other way around. We’re not kids anymore, Cole, with you the son of the sheriff and me the daughter of the–” Bitter memories stole her breath, halting the words and tripping her heart. Breathe. Focus. “Like I said, we’re adults now. Risks are part of the job.”
“But there’s no reason to take unnecessary ones.” He pulled up his sleeves. “After a decade in the military, I understand the chain of command. But when I saw you there…” He paused, shook his head. “In the field, we looked out for each other, and sometimes it didn’t matter who was in charge. I had my soldiers’ backs, and they had mine.” Darkness flashed, vanishing an eyeblink later.
She softened. In their line of work, you had to listen to others, no matter where you ranked. It’s what made the cohesive force that safeguarded everyone. “You’re right.” If he was going to be honest, so could she. “I should’ve asked for help.”
He acknowledged her words with a nod, took a step closer. “Believe me, I know we’re not kids anymore. You’re definitely all grown up.”
The words emerged low and deep, and suddenly they took on a whole new meaning. He took another step toward her, and heat flared anew. She had to say something to break whatever spell he was weaving. “You’re grown up, too.”
It was the wrong thing to say, and the wrong time to say it. He prowled closer, into her space and yet not close enough. She wanted to tell him to stop, but the words wouldn’t come. He moved a hairsbreadth away. “When I saw you standing there, covered in soot…” He reached out, touched her cheek. She let her lashes fall, savoring the feel of his touch. She couldn’t see him, but she could sense him, smell his woodsy scent, feel the heat emanating from his body. “I try so hard to protect you, but you make it impossible.”
Sarah forced her eyes open as warmth spread throughout her. “It’s not your job to keep me safe.”
He towered so high above her, huge compared to her petite frame. “Maybe I want it to be.”
Then somehow she was moving closer, and so was he.
Closer…
And closer…
And closer…
Their lips brushed.
He was fire to her wick, a spark to dynamite, steel hardness to pure softness. She tried to murmur a protest, truly she did, but all logic fled as he plundered and pillaged, coaxing her with soft kisses. Sensual sensation seized every limb, streaking through her blood like lightning. She demanded and yielded, took and surrendered, in a fight for more. Illogical, nonsensical and unwise, yet she was powerless to stop it. The sensations were just too wonderful, too electric, too perfect. She needed them, needed more, needed him .
With a growl of satisfaction, Cole deepened the kiss. He snaked his arms around her, pulling her against his heated form. Still, it wasn’t enough. How far would they go–
“Cole! Sarah!”
Sarah gasped, jerking back. Her foot caught on the curb, and suddenly she was falling, falling, falling… her destination the soot covered ground… until something grasped her, pulled her flush against a wall of steel she knew so well.
And that’s how they found them.
Annie. Andy. Johnny. A dozen more.
They stopped. They stared. Then, they smiled.
Sarah flung herself back, almost falling again, but just managed to stop herself. She breathed a thousand swear words at the rapt attention. How to convince their unwanted audience they hadn’t seen their lover’s embrace? “Everyone move back,” she boomed in her most commanding sheriff voice. “This is a crime scene.”
The people turned to the smoldering shed, which apparently had not been as interesting as what they first witnessed. Smiles turned to frowns, wry bemusement to stark concern. Hopefully, they would forget ever seeing her in Cole’s arms.
“What happened?” Annie cried.
“Are you okay?” Johnny whispered.
“Arson again?” Andy asked sternly.
Sarah nodded. “Someone decided to have more fun with pyrotechnics, but don’t worry, everything’s contained. It’s best for you to return to the restaurant, however. Even though the fire is out, it’s still hot, and we need to survey the scene.”
The people nodded solemnly, as they turned back to the restaurant. A flurry of hushed conversation followed them, as Annie walked over to her. “Are you sure you’re okay, honey? You seem a little flushed.”
“It’s just the heat.” From Cole. “I mean the fire.” From Cole’s touch. “It’s still smoldering.” His eyes, that is. She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. How did you know where to find us?”
“When Cole raced outside, we figured he’d gone to find you,” Annie answered. “We smelled the smoke and thought you might need help.”
Sarah smiled. The entire town had come to her rescue. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Ignoring the soot, Annie hugged her. “Both your meals are on us, by the way. It’s the least we can do to thank you for keeping our town safe.”
Sarah grimaced. Letting the perpetrator get away didn’t feel like a job well done. “I’m afraid I don’t have time for food right now. Wait, did you say both our meals?” She turned to Cole, who shrugged.
“I’ll bring them in a to-go box, and you can eat them when you get a moment,” Annie’s no-nonsense voice brooked no argument. At Sarah’s nod, she turned and followed the group back around the corner.
Cole leveled his gaze, his expression pensive and probing. Before he could tell her something that would make her 1. Arrest him 2. Kiss him or 3. Arrest and kiss him, she retrieved her cell phone and started to dial. Only he grabbed the phone before she could finish. “Hey! I need to call this in. We can’t investigate the scene until the equipment comes.”
“I already sent a text to give them a heads up. They’re on their way, but in the meantime, we need to talk about it.”
“Talk about what?”
“Sarah...”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Still no.”
“Care to give a longer reason?”
“Sure.” Sarah smiled sweetly. “No way. Now give me back my cell before I have you arrested for grand theft phone.”
“Grand theft phone?” He looked about as intimidated as a house mouse of a calico, but he handed her the device. “You can’t postpone it forever. We eventually need to talk.”
No doubt. “There’s absolutely nothing to talk about. The stress of the situation got to us, and we made a rash decision. Again.”
“You mean again and again.”
And there was a higher than the sky was blue chance it would happen again, but of course she didn’t tell him that. Instead she dialed the switchboard number and filled Zoe in on the details. When she finished, she notched up her chin and turned back to her deputy. From now on, every single word would stay professional. “Zoe is on route. Scott is finishing a call that turned out to be a false alarm and is also coming. They’re bringing the forensic equipment.”
“I thought Donovan was on duty tonight.”
“He called in sick. Zoe covered for him.”
Cole nodded, as he turned his attention to the wreckage. It had stopped smoldering but would be a total loss. He carefully stepped over a fallen beam. “So tell me about this man you saw.”
At least he was indulging her, even if she couldn’t provide much. She recalled the little she had seen. “He was dressed in black from head to toe, including a mask and hood. I’m only guessing he’s a man by his size, but it could also be a very large woman. I could think of a dozen people with the same physique.”
“But most people in Harmony Creek don’t have the character or motive to commit arson.” Cole’s steady regard cast a prickling discomfort. Did he truly believe she was innocent?
She shook her head. “We still haven’t identified a motive. We considered all the usual suspects – kids who get into mischief, small town crooks – and every single one has an alibi for at least one of the incidents. We even asked the nearby towns for their records, but nothing came of it. Whoever it is, they’re not on anybody’s radar.”
“Do you have any video evidence?”
If only. “Nothing useful. We’re not New York City – there aren’t cameras on every lamp post and streetlight. We think the arsonist specifically chooses places that aren’t watched. The incidents all occurred at separate locations owned by different people with no obvious connection, so there doesn’t appear to be a specific target. The damage is usually very minimal, making this shed the greatest monetary loss, by far. There are never any victims or witnesses, and it doesn’t look like he’s trying to hurt anyone. In fact, it’s usually discovered hours later.”
“Maybe it’s just a teenager playing around.” He leveled a hard look. “Sometimes good kids get bad habits.”
She ignored the implications. “Maybe. But it could also be something more serious. Sometimes these things start small, then escalate. That’s why we need to find the man –”
“Or woman.”
“Or woman, who did this. At this point, we’re considering all angles.”
He nodded, paused. “Sarah, listen, about before…”
“You know, I’m suddenly starving.” She cut him off, despite the fact that her stomach wanted anything but food. “Annie said she’d bring our food, but why trouble her? I’ll grab our meals so we can eat before the team gets here.”
He didn’t say anything as she walked away, but the reprieve would be temporary.
He never let a challenge go.
* * * *
“Do I have this right?” Reading from his notes, Scott pointed to a patch of scorched pavement outlined by bright yellow tape. “This is where the suspect threw the torch. Sarah was on the other side and didn’t get a good view of him. Correct?”
Cole nodded, as he glanced at Sarah for the ten-thousandth time, give or take a thousand. She knelt on the ground nearby, taking samples from the asphalt with blue-gloved fingers. They were looking for anything that could identify the perpetuator, but so far they’d come up empty-handed.
Scott sighed, drawing back his attention. “It’s going to be difficult to get this guy. He or she is pretty good at covering his tracks.” His eyes lit as he looked behind Cole. “Hey Donovan, what are you doing here? I thought you were sick.”
“I am,” Donovan rumbled, although his sharp scowl read more angry than sick. “Don’t worry, it’s not contagious, just something I ate. When I heard there was another incident, I wanted to check it out.”
Cole reached over and gave his onetime teammate a hearty handshake. “Thanks, but there’s not much to do. Sarah is the only one who saw the culprit, and he didn’t leave any clues behind.”
“Sarah saw a suspicious person out the window and investigated on her own,” Scott read the electronic notes from his tablet. “He used the fire as a diversion to get away, and since he was disguised, she didn’t see anything. Cole came a few minutes later.”
“A few minutes later?” Donovan’s gaze sharpened. “Weren’t they in the same restaurant? Why in the world did she go alone?” Anger deepened his voice. “We might have caught him if Cole had been there–” He stopped. “Wait, did you say Sarah was the only person who saw him?”
Unease seized Cole. He knew where this was going, and yeah, he’d been there, too. They only had Sarah’s word that a suspect existed at all. For a fraction of a second, he thought she’d made it up. Yet no matter how he looked at it, it just didn’t make sense. She couldn’t have set the fire.
Could she?
Despite his own misgivings, the guys speculating left him cold. “Sarah is the sheriff. There’s no reason to doubt her.”
Donovan fisted his hands. “Are you serious? Did you miss our entire childhood? Her childhood?”
Cole lowered his voice to a hiss. “You know I didn’t, but we’re not children anymore. She has nothing to gain–”
“Hey guys.”
Cole bit back a swear word. He tried to read Sarah’s expression, but she was a closed vault locked by seven layers of security. How long had she been there? What had she heard?
If she’d heard anything damning, she showed no indication. “We’re done here. The owner has been notified and is going to take care of the shed tomorrow. Let’s get back to the station. Donovan, if you’re not feeling well, you can go home. I’m also going home after I pick up my car so I can be awake for my shift tomorrow.”
The men returned silent nods, and they broke down the crime scene without another word. Cole and Sarah also didn’t talk as they drove the short distance to the station. Had she heard him defend her against Donovan’s accusations? If she asked point blank if he suspected her, could he honestly answer no?
Sarah leapt out of the vehicle the minute it stopped, with only a quick goodbye. Cole waited as she got into her squad car and turned onto the road. Continued to wait as she turned left at the end of the block.
Only she lived in the other direction.
Thoughts swirled, descending into a conspiracy theorist’s playbook. Where was she going? Was it legal? Did it have anything to do with the case?
Cole gripped the steering wheel until the leather squeaked. This was ridiculous. Obviously, she’d decided to pick up something to eat, get gas or run an errand. Except she’d just eaten, the nearest gas station was on the way home and all the stores were closed. Maybe she was going to see someone. Maybe she was going to meet a guy.
He revved up the car.
He drove swiftly, turning just in time to see Sarah hug another corner. He dimmed his headlights, trailing far enough to avoid detection. She stopped at a familiar location a mile away, parked and walked to a man lying down in the middle of the sidewalk. Cole frowned, exhaled. She was meeting a man, but it wasn’t a romantic rendezvous.
Alfred Tanning moaned from the ground.
He shouldn’t intrude, but he couldn’t just leave Sarah alone with her inebriated father. Even if she wouldn’t welcome his support, she had it. He parked on the curb a little away and silently crept to them. The stink of alcohol and cigarettes hit him far before he reached the couple.
“You need to get up.” Sarah glared down at her father, trying unsuccessfully to pull him up. “This is ridiculous.”
The older man resisted, writhing and moaning on the sidewalk. “Just leave me out here. It’s what I deserve.”
Sarah reached up to the sky. “No matter what you deserve, you still can’t be out here.” She tried again to lift him, with no success. “Where is Sue Anne?”
“Gone. I told her the truth and she left.”
“The truth?”
“That she’s a good-for-nothing, son of a bi–”
“Dad,” Sarah growled. “That’s the fourth one this month, and each one wants more money. You have to get yourself under control. Can we just talk about reha–”
“Don’t say it. Been there, done that, accomplished nothing. Just leave me here. I deserve it for ruining your life.”
“You didn’t ruin my life.”
“Yeah, I did. I turned you into a criminal.”
Even from afar, Sarah visibly hardened. “I’m no criminal.”
“That’s not what everyone thinks! And it’s all because of me,” he whimpered.
Cole narrowed his eyes. The man was far from lucid, but a seed of truth lurked behind the undecipherable. Why was he claiming blame for people’s perception of his daughter? She was the criminal.
Sarah sighed wearily, as if she’d had this conversation a thousand times. “Now I’m sheriff, and I’m ordering you to get up.” She pulled at him, and Cole debated revealing himself. He’d have to eventually if she couldn’t lift him on her own.
However, a minute later, her father finally gave in and allowed Sarah to heft him up. He almost fell on her twice as they stumbled up the few concrete steps, but they made it, the old man snoring before they even reached the entrance. The door shut softly behind them.
Cole backed up, treading carefully over the uneven ground. He entered his patrol car, as his own father’s words echoed in his mind: Not everything is as it seemed. Could Sarah’s childhood be different than he remembered – could she be different? Was everything he knew about her, or thought he knew, wrong? He didn’t know the whole truth, but he would.
Time to do a little digging into Sarah Sloan’s past.