Page 156 of Into the Fire

In other words, she was providing more than a place tosleep for her visitor. The one she claimed not to know all that well.

But he wasn’t here to make judgments.

He was here to get answers about Bri.

“I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“No rush. I’ll, uh, wait in the kitchen.”

He called up a smile similar to the one Jack had given her. “Actually, ma’am, I’d appreciate it if you’d stick close. It’s always better if a homeowner witnesses a search.” That was stretching it. But it would be smart to keep her in sight until Jack finished, in case she decided to straighten up her room—and maybe give Holmes a heads-up.

She appeared to be susceptible tohissmile too. “I don’t mind hanging around. I’ll stay back here, out of your way.” She withdrew into the hall as he entered.

His search was fast but thorough, and it didn’t take long to unearth a can of gray hairspray from a bag buried in a suitcase in the closet or find traces of gray on the vanity in the bathroom.

It was clear Travis was their guy. But how was he involved in the Kavanaugh case?

Marc was still puzzling over that when Jack returned with a few evidence envelopes and the good news that his boss was working on the phone track.

After discreetly sharing his hairspray find out of view of Marcia and depositing it in one of the evidence envelopes, Marc continued the search with Jack’s assistance.

No more clues emerged.

But what they had was more than sufficient to tie Travis to today’s abduction.

His connection to the Kavanaugh case, however, remained a mystery.

As they wrapped up, Marc pulled off his gloves, rejoined Marcia in the hall, and handed her a card. “We’re finishedhere. If you hear from Mr. Holmes, or he returns, please give me a call—day or night. And please don’t try to contact him.”

“He’s in big trouble, isn’t he?”

“Let’s just say he’s a person of interest. If he does come back, be careful. He may be armed and dangerous.”

Her complexion lost a few shades of color, and she wrapped herself in a hug. “Goes to show you can’t trust anyone anymore.”

“It never hurts to be cautious.” Jack nudged him toward the door. “Thank you for your assistance, Ms. Blake.”

Once they were outside and striding toward Jack’s car, Marc spoke. “How long until we get a location on the phone?”

“My boss said he’d call as soon as he had it.”

“What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Twiddle our thumbs?”

“You have any other ideas?”

He blew out a breath. “No.”

Jack rounded the car and slid behind the wheel. “What’s your take on how Holmes is connected to the Kavanaugh investigation?”

“I don’t have one. He’s not from this area. I don’t see how he could have been involved in any of the fires on Bri’s list.”

“Yet there has to be a connection. It would help if we could figure it out.”

“If you have any brainstorms, let me know. I’m going to call the victim’s father Bri met with. See if he can shed any light on the subject.”

Jack started the engine and put the car in gear. “I’ll pull down to the end of the block and park. We can watch the house in case Holmes shows up while we’re waiting for a location from the cell provider.”

“Can’t hurt.”

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