Page 49 of Scorched Secrets

Brushing past him, she approached the open counter. Getting the cell phone replaced took longer than she liked, mostly because the guy kept trying to upsell devices and accessories.

“I just want the phone and plan I had, thank you,” she said firmly.

Once she’d purchased the new phone and logged into her account to transfer all her contacts and information, she tucked the phone into her pocket and turned away. “I’m ready.”

“No problem.” Colin accompanied her out of the store. “Where to first?”

Shopping with him seemed a bit personal. They hit a women’s clothing store first, then another store for him. Soon they were carrying several shopping bags back out to the car. He’d just stored them in the back when his phone rang.

“It’s Mitch.” He slammed the back hatch, then answered the phone. “Hey, Mitch. I have you on speaker. Did you talk to Gary?”

“Bad news, he has no rooms open tonight. But he does have one room opening on Sunday night. I told him we’d take it.”

“I figured it was a long shot given the tourist season,” Colin admitted. He met her gaze. “We have a replacement phone for Faye. She mentioned Chief Kimble has a lake house in Wautoma that he rents for the entire summer. I think we’re going to head there for the night.”

“She just thought of this now?” Mitch asked.

She flushed. “Yes, I’m sorry about that. I have only been there once, and that was over two years ago. I don’t think of it as my place and haven’t been there in so long, so it never occurred to me to use it as a safe house.”

“Well, better late than never,” Mitch drawled. “Seriously, Faye, it’s okay. I understand.”

“We will need to turn off Faye’s new phone until tomorrow,” Colin said. “I don’t like it, as this guy could sense a trap, but we can set that up too. Maybe have Faye make a call to her father as a reason to turn it back on.”

“That should work.” Mitch was silent for a moment. “Faye, your dad only rents the place, right? He’s not an owner?”

“That’s correct,” Faye confirmed. “He only rents. Doesn’t want the hassle of owning the place year-round.”

“Okay, that helps. The arsonist has been able to track you up until you lost your phone, so I’m encouraged that’s how he’s been finding you. Property ownership is easy to find online; it’s not confidential. A rental agreement would be much harder to uncover.”

“I agree,” Colin said. “There’s no way any of the guys in the various firehouses could know about this. It’s not as if they talk to the chief about his personal life.”

“Right. However, I’m a little concerned with you guys being up there alone,” Mitch said. “Do you want me or one of my brothers to head up there to help watch the place?”

“Not your brothers, you all have families,” Colin protested. “I’ll see if Aiden can lend a hand. He’s single and not currently deployed. Besides, as long as Faye’s phone is off, I think we’re fine. So far we haven’t been found since the phone was left at the motel.”

“The one that almost burned down,” Mitch pointed out. “Yeah, okay. It’s better if I stay here working the case anyway. We’re still trying to track down Jayson Sanders. If I can find him, this entire plan may be a moot point.”

“That would be great if you could find him,” Colin said. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be safe at the lake house.”

“Okay. Stay in touch.”

“You too.” Colin disconnected from the line. He opened the driver’s side door. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.” She slid into the passenger seat and made sure to shut down her brand-new replacement phone before clicking her seat belt on. Ignoring the shiver of apprehension, she gave Colin directions on how to get to Wautoma.

It would be strange to be there alone, without her dad or stepmother. Claire would be upset if she knew, but since Claire and Annie were in Brookland, the infringement on their privacy shouldn’t matter.

Still, the tingle of unease wouldn’t leave her alone.

Faye’s directions were spot-on, as if she were some sort of human GPS. The thought made him smile.

The trip passed uneventfully, although the congested traffic had added a good thirty minutes to their time.

“How long before Aiden gets here?” Faye asked.

“He’s probably twenty minutes behind us.” He wondered if she didn’t like the idea of being there with him alone. Pulling into the driveway, he was impressed with the size of the house. “Wow, this is bigger than I expected.”

“Yeah, well, only the best for Claire.” She winced, then added, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like sour grapes. My dad has worked hard his entire life and loves spending time here. He deserves it, and so does Claire.”

---