Page 77 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters
“What do we know so far?” she asks. “You said Carlos had another suspect.”
“Yeah,” Wilkes replies and points at the investigation board. “Marcus Bennett.”
The color drains straight out of Jocelyn’s face as she stares at Marcus’s photo for what feels like forever. Time actually seems to slow down and even stand still as her chest risesand drops with each tortured breath. Her lips part slowly, her eyes as round as saucers.
“No fucking way,” she whispers.
In that moment, I pick up on something: a ripple just beneath the surface, a twitch in her cheek, a subtle tremor above her eyelid.
“Marcus Bennett, Devon County Sheriff,” I say. “The same guy who was so eager to have Olivia arrested and shipped back to him.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Jocelyn gasps.
“You sound genuinely distraught,” Leo says, noticing her body language the same as I did. ‘What’s going on, Jocelyn?”
Beck watches her like a hawk, quietly standing beside the deputy in charge of pinging all the cell towers in our district. Jocelyn turns to face me, her brows perfectly contoured and pulled into a deep frown.
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling us.”
“A member of law enforcement turns out to be a deadly serial arsonist, and I’m not allowed to be shocked?” Jocelyn throws me a scowl. “Pardon me, Dax.”
“You were in touch with the guy, weren’t you?” Beck intervenes.
Jocelyn shakes her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were damn determined to have Olivia arrested and sent back to Devon,” he says. “I was there when you threatenedher with getting Marcus Bennett involved if Carlos wouldn’t do as you asked.”
“This is ridiculous. Where’s the connection? Fill in the gaps for me, will you?” she retorts, raising her chin in defiance.
The more Jocelyn counters our questioning, the clearer it becomes that she’s involved somehow, consciously or unconsciously. I’m starting to believe that she might’ve had a hand in whatever went down tonight.
“We’re basing our suspicion on the fingerprint match that we have,” Wilkes says.
“And what does that tell you?” Jocelyn asks.
I cross my arms and take a few steps toward her. “It tells us that Marcus Bennett put that incendiary device together, and that he is likely to blame for the other three arson fire, as well, which is why Benson was set free.”
“Chances are, by morning, we’ll be able to fully verify his alibi for the first fire, as well. His ex-wife is flying in from Tampa tonight,” Wilkes adds.
Jocelyn nods slowly. “And what’s Marcus Bennett’s motive? He’s a highly regarded sheriff out of New York state. It just doesn’t add up.”
“Are you defending him?” Beck asks, raising a curious eyebrow.
“No, I’m asking the questions I know I’ll be getting from his defense lawyer and union rep when this goes to trial!” Jocelyn says and exhales sharply. She raises her hands in defeat. “You know what? I’ll be in the break room. I can’t deal with all of you right now. Let me know once you have a lead on Carlos.”
Jocelyn grabs her coat and bag and saunters out of the bullpen, the sound of her heels clicking like a haunting echo of my past mistakes.
Beck, however, is nowhere near satisfied with her reaction. “She’s holding something back,” he says, drawing curious looks from the sheriff’s deputies.
“What are you talking about?” Wilkes replies.
“It’s kind of a long story,” Leo mumbles. No matter how we put it, it will still come off as weird, complicated, and nowhere near enough to provide Jocelyn with motive for what, I don’t yet know. “We’re missing a few pieces at the moment.”
“At least give me the Cliff’s Notes version, so I know what the hell I’m dealing with,” Wilkes insists, growing increasingly aggravated. “I’ve got a missing deputy and a woman who just happens to be your girlfriend, and four unresolved arson fires with a total of eight people killed. Throw me a bone here.”
“At first glance,” I cut in, “it looks like Marcus Bennett has been in town from when Olivia arrived. The first arson happened the week she got here. They have a romantic history. Marcus Bennett may have a stellar reputation in law enforcement, but only on the surface. Olivia ran away from Devon because her life was in danger.”
