Page 37 of Scorched Secrets

He hated to be the type of customer who complained about the noise, but if those motel room residents didn’t shut it down by ten, he would complain. He stopped in front of his door and dug out his key.

“I can’t believe I left my purse and phone here,” Faye said. “And my key.”

“At least we have connecting rooms.” He unlocked the door, then stepped back so she could go in first.

A loud whooshing noise had him instinctively grabbing her arm. “Faye!”

She stumbled back against him, lifting her free arm to block her face from the fire. “My room is burning!”

Colin had no idea how this had happened, but he didn’t waste time figuring it out. He tugged her outside and fished in his pocket for the car keys. “Get the SUV, hurry!”

“What about you?” Faye asked, coughing from the smoke she’d inhaled.

“I have to get those other people out of there.” He didn’t want to leave her alone, but the partygoers in room seven were in real danger. “Hurry.”

She did as he asked, rushing around the corner of the building to get the SUV. He rushed toward room seven and threw the door open without bothering to knock. “Fire! You need to get outside, now!”

“Fire?” One guy stared at him in confusion. There were several empty beer bottles scattered around, which likely contributed to his clouded judgment. “Where?”

“In room six, next door. Move it, now! You all need to get outside!” If they didn’t start walking under their own power, he’d be forced to carry them out.

Thankfully, one of the party attendees, a woman dressed in tiny shorts and a tank top, came out of the bathroom. “Hey, it’s smoky in there.”

“Fire!” One of the other women bolted toward the door. It was as if a sieve opened up as the other occupants of the room quickly followed.

Satisfied to have them outside, he went up and down the row of rooms, banging on doors and yelling fire to anyone who might be inside. Faye pulled up in the SUV, her face pale as people huddled together far from the fire that could now be seen lapping at the walls and curtains.

When he was reassured all the innocent people were out of harm’s way, he jumped into the passenger seat. “Go, hurry.”

Faye hit the gas, sending the SUV lurching forward. Seconds later, they were back out on the highway.

He lightly punched his armrest, mentally kicking himself for not expecting this. Although they’d gone to such pains not to be followed. How in the world...

Then it hit him. Faye’s cell phone. She’d left it behind in the room.

The same room engulfed by flames.

Chapter Nine

Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Faye hit the gas, driving away from the burning motel. If she hadn’t forgotten her purse and key, she’d have walked right into the burning room. The thought of being hit in the face by the fire made her stomach churn. As a doctor, she knew all too well how burn victims suffered.

“How?” The word came out in a croak. She hadn’t inhaled much smoke, not like during the time she’d been locked in the Brookland Park restroom, but her face felt hot, possibly slightly burned from the fire that had come through the opened connecting door with the abrupt influx of oxygen.

“Your phone, although your average firefighter doesn’t have the ability to track cell phone numbers.” Colin shook his head. “Even if these guys are working together, it doesn’t make sense that they’d have found you here.”

“I figured my phone must have been how they found my location, but how did they get into the room to start the fire?” She darted a quick glance at Colin, before focusing back on the road. “The desk clerk wouldn’t give out our key. And if they knew I wasn’t in the room, why bother setting it on fire?”

“Those are good questions,” Colin admitted. “I need to call Mitch, see if he has any ideas. I haven’t heard of anyone starting a fire using the crack beneath the door, although I noticed these doors are worn to the point where there was plenty of outside light seeping underneath. With a special kind of accelerant and delivery system, not to mention sheer determination, it may be possible.”

She swallowed hard. “You think they believed me to be inside?”

“I do, yes. Most people are attached to their phones, right? And there was a vehicle from the party room parked in front of your door.” Colin grimaced and added, “The noisy neighbors may have helped cover any noise the arsonist made while starting the fire.”

“That’s horrifying.” After being stuck in the bathroom, she’d known that the escalating attacks meant they wanted to physically harm her, but the reality of what might have happened if she had been inside brought a wave of nausea. She didn’t like fire. She was afraid of it and didn’t want to be stalked by an arsonist. She took a deep breath. “They also didn’t know about the connecting rooms. If I had been inside, and they started the fire, I may have been able to escape to your room.”

“I agree, they did not know about our connecting rooms.” He reached over to touch her arm. “I’m glad God was watching over us. Not only were we able to get away unscathed, but all the other room occupants are safe too.”

“That is a blessing.” She had to admit the fire could have been much worse. “If they had waited until the middle of the night...”

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