Page 18 of His Fiery Mate

“I know. I think it really is some of the best in the world. Do you want to talk about what you found?”

“Not really,” she said, getting up and bringing him the wine to pour before rolling her whiteboard over. Tanner arched an eyebrow. “I know, but there’s something about going old school that helps me think and plot things out. How close to the chief are you?”

“Maybe closer than some, but not as close as others; why? You don’t think he has anything to do with it, do you?”

“I don’t know. I know I just met the guy, but I like him.”

“So, what makes you think it’s him.”

“The pattern—two years ago there were some serious cutbacks in the department’s budget, including the closing of a fire station where a number of the fires broke out.”

“You think the chief started those fires?”

“I can’t rule him out. He was pretty vocal in his opposition to the mayor’s suggested budget cuts.”

Tanner nodded. “Yeah, no love lost there. What about now?”

“Same thing. The mayor and city council are calling for cutbacks in the areas where the fires have hit hardest.”

“But the fire today—it was outside the city.” He looked at the map on the whiteboard. “And seems to be some kind of outlier not matching either grouping.”

“I thought so at first, but I picked up the same trace elements of an accelerant that I found at the other fires.”

“So why would the chief set the fire at the school. That’s not one of the areas facing budget cuts.”

“No, it’s not. But the mayor’s daughter was among the students. You were still inside when members of her entourage swept in and took her away.”

Tanner shook his head. “I can’t see the chief trying to kill all those people.”

“I can’t either,” she said, reaching over to touch his arm. When she started to remove it, Tanner laid his hand over hers. “I think he’s building up the fire department’s positive image. I think he’s trying to build public support for not only keeping their current budget but increasing it.”

“Could be. He started pushing me forward from the first. I rose up through the ranks pretty quickly.”

Melisandre nodded. “You’re the perfect poster boy for the department. Strong, good looking, heroic. Don’t get me wrong, you’re all of those things, but most chiefs don’t push their cheeky lieutenants; they garner the fame and glory for themselves.”

“I wish it didn’t but that makes some sense…” Tanner paused. “What is it?”

“I asked the computer to spit out a list of possible next targets and dates… there’s one tonight. Not far from city hall.”

“You cork the wine or whatever you do with the good stuff. I’ll put the food in the fridge. We can take my truck…”

“No. My SUV. It’s not as well-known as yours.”

“Good thinking.”

It didn’t take long before they were headed down the stairs and to her SUV. Melisandre tossed him her keys. When he looked at her questioningly, she said, “You know Kodiak a lot better than I do.” They got into the SUV, and Tanner looked at her emergency services banner. “I have a permit, and it’s helpful.”

They were able to find a place where they were nestled among some buildings and other vehicles. The night was cold, so Tanner kept the engine running. Its steady hum and the occasional crackle of the scanner filled the confined space of the SUV. Tanner shifted in his seat, glancing over at Melisandre, who was peering through binoculars at the building across the street. The cold Alaskan night wrapped around them, the windows fogging slightly from their breath.

"Anything yet?" Tanner asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Nothing," Melisandre replied, lowering the binoculars to rub her tired eyes. "Feels like we've been here forever."

Tanner looked at his watch and grinned. “Forever must mean a different length of time for dragons rather than hellhounds and humans.”

“We bore easily,” she quipped.

Drumming his fingers on the dashboard, he said, "Just another night in Kodiak, huh?"

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