Page 26 of Scorched Secrets

“Maybe.” Talking about the neighborhood reminded her of her father. He didn’t know about the restroom fire or the recent Molotov cocktail. She pulled out her phone, then hesitated. “We should call my dad, but I know he’ll want to speak with you. And probably with Mitch Callahan too.”

“The motel is up ahead. Let’s get settled first, then call.”

“Sure.” She tried not to sigh when she saw how small the place was. Would they be forced to share a room? It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Colin, she did. But she hadn’t shared living space with anyone since her divorce.

And she wasn’t keen to do so again.

One weekend, she reminded herself. She could handle anything for one weekend.

Couldn’t she?

“Stay here, I’m going to see what I can arrange for us.” Colin sent Faye a reassuring smile. “I’ll try to get connecting rooms if they have them.”

“Whatever they have will be fine.”

He shut the door and headed inside. Using Mitch’s name helped pave the way with the young desk clerk. After paying for two rooms in cash, he gave the guy an extra fifty dollars for his help.

“Thanks!” The young man brightened. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Will do.” He carried the keys outside, flashing them for Faye to see. Her bright smile made his pulse quicken.

He needed to keep his head screwed on straight. This was no time to think about how much he liked and admired Faye. How much he’d always liked and admired her.

Better to stay focused on uncovering the identity of the arsonist. He had been a little disappointed in her thoughts about the list of patient complaints. Not that he’d expected it to be easy, but a clue would be nice.

“We’re all set.” He slid in behind the wheel and handed her one of the keys. “We’re in rooms 5 and 6, which are right in the middle of the motel. I was able to pay in cash, so there should be no way for us to be tracked here.”

“Thanks, Colin.”

Rather than parking in front of the rooms, though, he drove Mitch’s SUV around the back. There was a small area beneath a tall, overgrown tree with low branches. He winced as the branches scraped the roof of the car.

“Is this necessary?” Faye asked as he pushed out of the driver’s side door.

“Yes. Switching cars was a good start, but from this point forward, we’re not taking any chances.”

“Okay, I understand.” She looked uncertain as she followed him around the building and to the side-by-side rooms.

“Don’t forget to unlock your connecting room door,” he reminded as he entered his room. She nodded and disappeared into hers.

The place wasn’t top-notch the way Faye deserved, but it was clean and smelled fresh. He unlocked his connecting door, waiting for her to do the same.

“Hey. Fancy meeting you here.” Her tone was light, but her smile was a bit forced.

“I want you to have your privacy, but I also want to be close by in case this guy does find us and tries to come after you again.”

She turned to sit on the edge of the bed. “I know. I’m trying to understand why this guy is using fire to take me out.”

“Attention seeking for one thing.” He dropped down beside her. “Fires make a big splash in the news. And some people are just drawn to fire.”

“Not my patients or their families, though.” She pushed the papers at him. “The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that this guy is someone within the fire department. Like that guy Sanders.”

“These names are just one avenue for us to explore.” He set the list aside. “I happen to agree with you on the fire department. Mitch has been so busy investigating these fires, he hasn’t mentioned whether he’d found Jayson Sanders yet.”

“Attention seeking,” she murmured. “That makes sense. I’m just thankful the Molotov cocktail hadn’t hurt or killed any innocent bystanders.”

“I’m thankful for that too.” She was the target; of that he had no doubt.

“I’ll pay you back when this is over,” she said in a low voice.

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