Page 21 of Crash and Burn

“You could have called me,” he chastised her before thinking better of it. People said that all the time. How could he make her know he meant it?

“You were at work,” she replied quick enough to let him know she’d considered it.

He hoped she’d call even if he was at work next time. “I can lose a shift here or there.”

“I wouldn't want you to.” She was shaking your head, but he pinned her with a return glare.

“Apparently someone in this house was a serial killer or at least related to one in some way … You’ve already had at least one break-in.” He emphasized the words, and Maggie seemed to catch on.

He understood her hesitation, he’d seen it a lot in his line of work. Each thing that could get brushed off, explained away individually, wasn’t that bad. It was a coping mechanism. But when everything was strung together, it was hard to ignore. He let her digest the information he’d basically held in her face.

“Okay.” She nodded, though what she was agreeing to, he didn’t quite know. Maybe just that she would make decisions giving the circumstances the weight they deserved.

He stepped a little closer, probably beyond the boundaries of what he should do as a friend. He picked up her hands where they were clasped in front of her and separated her intertwined fingers. Taking her hands in his, Sebastian gave her something to hold on to. She gripped him tight.

“Alright, Maggie, let's make a plan.”

She nodded quickly, and he kept talking.

“You're dressed, so I'm assuming you have clients.”

“Yes. At nine.”

“And I'm assuming you're not moving them.”

This time she almost pulled her fingers out of his grasp as she shrugged and looked away. Her words were soft. “I can't afford to.”

He understood. His salary was fine, but it was nothing to write home about. Firefighters were definitely not overpaid. So he merely nodded along. “When do you finish for the day?”

“I should be done by noon or one, depending on how long my meetings take.”

With his mind racing beneath an exterior that he hoped projected a calm he didn’t feel, he looked her in the eye and started a plan. “I need a shower. Can I use yours?”

“Of course.” She pulled her fingers from his and waved her hand behind her, gesturing up the staircase behind her, as though he could obviously just take any of the rooms up there.

But he wasn't done. He liked the feel of her, so he regrasped her hand. “All right. I’ll get out of the shower in a few minutes, and I’m going to be here while you have your clients.”

Maggie nodded one more time, clearly at the end of her rope and seemingly grateful that he was taking over some of the decisions.

“While you work, I’m going to search the rooms. I know you did already, but I want another pair of eyes on it to see if there's anything else—any other loose floorboards, items hidden in the back of closets.”

She might not have been looking for hidden boxes and trap doors, loose floorboards and hidden stashes. He would.

Sebastian watched as she perked up. Research seemed to be her thing.Probably what made her a good lawyer,he thought.

She spoke in full sentences, a little more chutzpah behind her words. “I've been going through Abbie's records, trying to figure out who her boarders were. At first, I only found a couple. But yesterday, I found a much bigger box of records. I just haven't started going through it yet.”

“When I get out of the shower, you’ll point me in that direction. When I get done with the rooms, I'll start going through the records. Then,” he said, “we'll get you some sleep.”

And he would see if he could maybe find a name in all of Sabbie’s mess.

Chapter Twenty

Sebastian showered in the bath attached to the upstairs room that Maggie wasn’t occupying.

He wasn't the kind of guy to parade down her hallway in only his towel. But the steam from the bathroom forced him out into the room itself to change. Wherever Maggie was, she wasn’t sneaking a peek.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the roll of clothing. He always carried a change of clothes with him—typical firefighter thing. Climbing into his old, soft jeans and faded t shirt, he realized he might have some explaining if her new clients found him in her house while she worked. People were picky about pre-marital sex, not that he was having any right now, but it wouldn’t do Maggie any favors if things looked like she’d had a sleepover and didn’t even have the sense to hide it.

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