Page 19 of Serial Burn

“Come on, Jesslyn,” he said. “You were just a victim of an attempted kidnapping and got a conk on the head. You should probably rest.”

“I ... No. I need to analyze whatever evidence is ready and”—she waved a hand—“I need to work. Besides, it wasn’t a conk. It was barely a graze.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “I’m supposed to be at a church to inspect a new wing for code compliance. Then I’m supposed to talk to high school students about what it’s like to be a fire marshal and—”

He held up his hand. “Okay, got it. But I still think you should take precautions.”

Lainie walked up just in time to hear his last sentence. She frowned at Jesslyn. “You think you were targeted?”

Jesslyn lifted a shoulder. “It’s possible.” She waved Cole and James over. “While you’re waiting on the security footage, can you guys check the database and see if there are any other crimes that matchsomeone grabbing women in the bathroom and walking them right out the front door?”

“‘And no one ever hears from them again’ kind of crime?” Tate asked.

She grimaced. “Yes. Exactly.”

“Sure, we’ll check.”

“Let’s circle back to you thinking you were targeted,” Lainie said.

“Well, with three sightings of the dark car and now this ... I’m starting to wonder if I’ve picked up a stalker.”

FIVE

Jesslyn shuddered. A deep fear that she’d carried with her since losing her family started to make its presence known in a way she hadn’t felt in years. Oh, it was always there, but right now, it snaked through her like a living thing, rearing its ugly head as if to strike.

He’s back.

The words were a hiss in her ears, a slithering in her veins. And his face—

“Jess?”

She jerked at Nathan’s quiet voice. She met his gaze, then looked away. No need to let him know how shaken and weak she really was now that the adrenaline was starting to fade. “I’m okay.”

She pulled in a ragged breath. He wasnotback.Thisarsonist had nothing to do with the one in her past. Just because paranoiawantedto invade her mind didn’t mean she had toletit.

Unless she wasn’t being paranoid.

What if he’d seen the news like everyone else and took her promise to catch him to heart? What if itwashim?

“So,” she said, gathering her scattered wits and glancing at her watch for the time, “it’s just a little past noon. I’m going to head over to the church and do the inspection. From there, I’ll head to Lake City High School. I speak for the last forty-five minutes of the day.When the bell rings, I’ll be done. After that, I’ll go home and crash while I wait on Marissa to get back to me about any updates on the evidence. You guys are going to check the security footage and get that gun to the lab. Does that cover everything?”

Nathan blinked at her. “Yeah, I think that’s it.”

“All right. I’ve got to go.” And pray the headache throbbing through her skull would settle down. It really had been just a graze, not a full-on hit, but it still hurt.

She pulled out her phone. She had just enough time to get to the appointment at the community church on Main Street. She texted Mr. McClure that she would be there shortly.

Nathan’s hand closed gently around her bicep. “Hey,” he said. “I really think someone should follow you there and stay with you.”

“I really think that’s not necessary. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can, but Jess, if someone’s stalking you—”

“We don’t know that for sure. I just said it makes one wonder. But I’ve got to go so I’m not late. I’ll stay in touch and let you know that I’m okay if that will help.”

“It’ll help.”

Jesslyn said goodbye to the guys and settled behind the wheel of her charcoal-gray Jeep Grand Cherokee. She’d traded in her Chevy Traverse to get it a while back. The Jeep was an older model, but she didn’t care. She loved the vehicle and its dependability. The eighteen-inch aluminum wheels had never gotten stuck on a muddy back road, and that was pretty much all she required in her choice of transportation. That, and the spacious back area that held a mix of her professional and personal equipment.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call and she activated the Bluetooth. “Hello?”

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