Page 43 of Billionaire Protector

“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 thanthe sky was bluechance 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 turnedout 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.

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