by Geri Foster
“I think the arsonist wants us to think that’s the case. But had it happened there, the whole closet would’ve gone up. There wouldn’t be anything left.”
“You’re right.” Cody turned. “I suggest we keep looking.”
They covered the entire store and everything in each area and aisle. Nothing jumped out at him until he came to a hole in the back, far corner of the store next to the floor. Something he almost overlooked because it was beneath a shelf.
“Hey, Cody, come here.”
When the fireman joined him, he pointed. “Look at that hole under there.”
Cody knelt and moved closer. “You can see all the way outside.”
“Since we’re at the back of the store,” he pointed to the sign warning of flammables, “and right next to the paint and solvent, how hard would it be to roll something in here and set a fire?” He picked up a piece of glass and sniffed. “Simple as a bottle full of gasoline?”
“I think you found the way this place went up.”
“Yeah, now we need to find out who did it.”
He left the hardware store and crossed the street to where Lucas, George and Helen stood. Olivia had returned and was sitting beside Helen, holding her hand. He passed Lucas the piece of glass.
“Olivia, are Mr. and Mrs. Hayfield okay?”
“Yes. She was treated for some minor burns on her hands, but she’ll be fine.”
“Good.” He looked at Lucas. “Follow me.”
Lucas fell in behind him, along with George, as they crossed the street and met up with Cody, who stood outside the hardware store.
“Looks like this is the inciting place,” he explained. He knelt and pointed at an eight-inch hole drilled into the building. “It appears that whoever torched the store simply came back here, drilled a hole, covered it with that wooden box, then rolled in a Molotov cocktail. It’s concealed so well, you wouldn’t expect this to be the site.”
“You saying someone deliberately set fire to my business?”
He stood and faced George. “I’m not the inspector, but from what Cody and I see here and inside, it looks that way.”
George placed his hand on his forehead and opened his mouth, unable to speak.
“I’m sorry, George,” Lucas said. “We’ve had a rash of fires lately, but we didn’t know it would spread to businesses and homes occupied by people.”
“You have to put a stop to this,” George said. “We’ve lost everything and at our age it’s too late to start over.”
“We’ll find who’s responsible. I give you my word.”
Just as they walked away, David drove up. He got out of his pickup and slammed the door. He and Lucas braced themselves at the look on his face.
“What?” Lucas asked. “What’s the matter?”
“I drove by and paid a visit to Butler’s neighbor, Lee Black. He told me he saw him in his mom’s garage late into the night. Then he heard a drill and soon afterwards Butler left and returned in less than fifteen minutes.”
“Sounds like we need to get a search warrant and find out what’s in that garage.”
“Lee also said he smelled gasoline.”
“That cinches it,” he said. Rubbing his brow, he cursed. “I hate the thought that man was so close to Olivia.”
“You and me both,” David agreed.
“We need to get Goldman to come up with some answers,” Lucas said. “Without a true and definite crime, the judge won’t give us anything.”
“He says he’s working on it.” He shook his head. “Arson is hard to prove. It takes time and a person who knows what to look for. It’s tedious, hard work.”
“Is Goldman that guy?” Lucas questioned him.
“I think he is.”
David stepped up. “Then how did he figure out the Hollins’ place was arson so soon?”
“There was diesel fuel. I smelled it. All he had to do was take a sample to the lab and have it verified. Usually, it’s not that easy.”
“He didn’t have a problem with the Switzer house, either.”
“It’s much easier in an abandoned, unoccupied structure. You can almost walk straight from the door to the point of origin. Fire has a burn pattern when it starts. It burns up and away in what we call a V pattern.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to give you a lesson on how to be a Fire Marshall, but sometimes you can figure these things out in an hour, others it might take months, even years.”
“And we need answers now,” Lucas sighed.
“Yes, we do.”
“How can we expedite the process, Griff? What strings do I need to pull?” Lucas asked. “I’ll do what it takes. I won’t let anyone burn down my town.”
* * *
When Olivia got home, the first thing she did was jump into the shower. Her hair smelled like smoke and she was covered with ash. The wind had seen to that. She’d just stepped out when she heard Griff use the extra key she’d given him to unlock the front door. Wrapping a towel around her, she walked into the living room.
“There’s a beer in the fridge, if you want one.”
“That sounds good.”
She padded over to the kitchen, taking in his features. He looked exhausted, though clean. He must have showered at the station and changed clothes. Dropping into the corner of her couch, he propped his elbow on the arm and let out a weary breath.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had two fires in one night,” she said, handing him the cold drink. “Thankfully Denton came to our rescue.”
“We’ll no doubt return the favor someday.”
He took her hand and pulled her down on his lap. She carefully kept the towel closed, concealing her nakedness. He grinned and lifted a corner. “What are you hiding under there?”
“Nothing you haven’t seen before,” she teased, coming to her feet. Turning, adding a little swing to her hips, she went into the bedroom and put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
Back in the living room, she clearly saw by the solemnness of his face that Griff was troubled. “Was it arson?”
“There’s a good chance.”
“Is the hardware store a total loss?”
“I don’t think so, but that’s up to an insurance adjuster.”
“I feel so bad for them. And the Hayfields are so distraught, they can hardly believe what happened.”
“Where are they spending the night?”
“They have a rental house that’s empty, so they went there. Mrs. Hayfield’s sister and several townspeople came to their aid with a bed, a fridge, and a few things like that.”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I have to figure out a way to stop this.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, but keeping this town safe is my responsibility. People are going to be scared to death. Afraid to go to bed at night for fear they won’t wake up in the morning.”
“I know it’s difficult, but with you, Lucas, Austin and David working together surely you’ll come up with something.” She reached out and hugged his head to her chest. “It’s going to be okay.”
He clung to her and she held him tightly.
“David is convinced it’s Butler.” He leaned back and stared into her eyes. “I am too. His mom’s neighbor said he smelled gasoline in her garage, where he’s been spending a lot of time lately.”
His words stunned her. “Then why doesn’t Lucas lock him up?”
“We don’t have the proof we need.”
“How can you get it?”
“I’m not sure.” He took his phone out of his pocket and called Austin and put the phone on speaker. “Hey, I was wondering if there’s any help you can give us on this case?”
“I’m checking into it. An FBI arson investigator contacted Goldman and they plan to work together. With the aid of our labs, we might get the information we need faster. They plan to meet at Theo’s house tomorrow morning, bright and early.”
“I know Lucas is keeping an eye on Butler, but have you found anythi
ng interesting?”
“Only to confirm what Lucas has already told you. Butler is shaping up to be a bad one, but we don’t have enough evidence to really close in on the guy.”
Griff let out a tense breath. “I was hoping for more.”
“Rest in the fact that I put a couple of guys on him. Unofficially. Let’s see what they come back with.”
“I appreciate that. We can use all the help we can get.”
He hung up his phone and looked at her. She felt his frustration. She knew he desperately wanted to find the person responsible for the damage that had been done. Currently, his hands were almost tied as he waited for the evidence to come back.
Sitting down next to him, she took his hand and began to massage it. “You’ll figure this out. I have faith in you. There are also some great people backing you up.”
“I’m sitting here worried that any minute the alarm will go off, signaling another fire.”
“Me too. It’s nerve-wrecking to live like this.”
“Not much we can do about the situation unless we catch someone in the act. Then we can move on them. Until then, it’s all up to the Fire Marshall and the FBI.”
Lacing their fingers, she rested her head on his shoulder. “You said my dad’s house fire was suspicious,” she prompted.
“Where the fire started was unusual.”
“Doesn’t that prove it was arson?”
“No, not until the structure is completely checked out from top to bottom. Just being an uncommon place for a fire to start isn’t proof enough that the fire was deliberately set.”
She released him and wrung her hands. “I’m just stunned by all this.”
“I am too, but I’m trying to think clearly.” He took a long sip of his beer. “Butler aside, honestly, I don’t think any of this is the work of an experienced arsonist.”
Her eyes widened. “You don’t? Is it normal for this many fires to start so close together?”
“No, but think about it. I went inside every structure and not one fire showed me a pattern. They were all random acts. Gasoline one time, what appeared to be your basic firing of an abandoned house next, and then we found nothing that proved the Hayfield’s house was anything more than a kitchen fire.”
“Okay, but what about the hardware store?”
“Again, it didn’t fit the other MOs.” He turned to her. “Nothing indicates these fires were set by the same person and, from what I saw, no two fires were the same. A true arsonist has a pattern of action, a process they must follow in order to get fulfillment from the act. It might even include leaving a signature of sorts so that they can get credit for the action. That’s not happening here.”
She shook her head, confused. “What does all that mean?”
“I think someone is setting these fires because they either want our attention, or it’s an act of revenge. Maybe both.”
“So, not some sicko out to burn down the town.”
“Oh, this person wants to do serious damage to Rainwater, but not because he’s a flamer necessarily.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “Is that good or bad?”
He shook his head, picked up his phone and pressed Lucas’ number. “I don’t know, but I’m going to visit Lucas and David tonight. Maybe Austin can join us.”
She looked at her watch. “It’s getting late.”
He stood, bent down and kissed her solidly. “Wait up for me, I won’t be long.”
Chapter 19
Lucas and David were waiting for Griff at the police station by the time he got there. He’d taken the long way around to check a few neighborhoods on the way. He met Austin in the parking lot as he got out of his vehicle and, together, they walked inside.
“Thanks for meeting with me guys, but I think I might have an idea.”
“I’m open to anything,” Lucas said.
“Me too,” Austin agreed.
“While we’re all running around looking for a person who can’t resist the urge to set fires, what if that’s not the case?”
David sat on the edge of Lucas’ desk, his expression serious. “I’m lost already. When one plays with fire like that you expect a person who knows what they’re doing.”
“Maybe this guy does,” he suggested.
“Why don’t you start with your theory,” Austin said. “The four of us could play guessing games all day and still get nowhere.”
“I know fires,” he explained. “I know how they move, breathe, react and how they start and finish. I also know that an arsonist is like a serial killer. They have their own signatures. A specific way of doing things.”
“Hell, I don’t know which is worse, an arsonist or a serial killer,” Lucas said, leaning back in his chair. “I know one damn thing for sure, we’re dealing with a dangerous person.”
“I agree,” Austin said. “But continue, Griff. I think I know where you’re going.”
He dropped into an empty chair across from Lucas’ desk. “What if it’s just someone with a chip on their shoulder?”
“That’s a lot of damage for someone being pissed off,” David said.
“True, but let’s consider that option,” Lucas said. “Let’s say it’s a big chip, what else?”
“Well, all the fires were set differently. They have very little in common. Gasoline, lit match, Molotov cocktail, electrical malfunction probably. My guess, is Theo’s house was a bottle of solvent poured over his recliner.”
“Now I get it.” Austin rubbed his chin. “Arsonists like to use the same methods, the same starter and pick similar targets.”
“Right. Our guy might be out for revenge, spiteful, troubled or just mean.”
Lucas studied him for a long time. “Is that what you think?”
He nodded. Being new on the job, he realized he risked these men’s respect for his opinion, but he had to go with his gut. “It is.”
“That changes everything,” Austin said. “While we still need Goldman’s assessment, in general, we’re looking for a regular bad guy.”
“Could it be that simple?” David asked. “Setting fires is a dangerous business.”
“I know that, David,” he said. “But there is no common thread in these fires. Not even the type of accelerant.”
“I tend to agree with Griff,” Lucas nodded. “Now, we start working in a different direction.”
“Who would do this kind of destruction and why?” Austin asked.
“Someone with an ax to grind,” David mentioned. “Maybe a man who felt he’d been done wrong.”
He stretched out his legs. “I know we can’t point fingers yet, but right off the top of my head I can think of two and they’re both firefighters.”
David stood. “Who, besides Butler?”
“I put Ross Kelley on suspension and he didn’t like it. The first day I went to the station he wasn’t happy with me being there. Then, Theo told me he’d applied for the job but wasn’t even given a complimentary interview.” He straightened. “I don’t know if this plays any part in the situation, but I also learned he asked Olivia out and she declined.”
“That’s right,” David said. “There was also a time my dad nearly fired him for screwing up at a fire. I don’t know exactly what he did, but it sure made Dad mad as hell.”
“So, we have two possible suspects,” Lucas pointed out. He gazed at Austin. “Can you run both of them through your system and we’ll do the same thing?”
“You won’t find much,” he warned. “You have to have a clean record to be a fireman. A few might slip through the cracks, but it’s rare. In Fort Worth we fired a man for getting a DWI.”
“I have men on Butler now,” Austin said. “Around the clock.”
“I can handle Kelley,” David put in. “I’ll put a tail on him.”
“So, we just wait now,” Lucas said.
“I think we should all be very diligent, even during the day. Maybe we could call in a few volunteers to patrol the town,” he added.
Luca
s grew tense. “Not a bad idea. Be sure to notify Jeff and his neighbors. They are a long way from the fire station,” he cautioned Austin.
“I’m calling him as soon as I leave here. He’ll get the word out to all the local ranchers.”
“Lee Black told me he smelled gasoline in Butler’s mom’s garage,” David added. “I’m just wondering if his mom would mind us taking a look.”
“Without a warrant?” Austin asked. “Not if Butler is still there and, by all indications, he is.”
“Well,” David threw in, “I hope it’s him. Nothing would make me happier than putting his ass behind bars.”
“Amen,” he muttered.
“Let’s call it a night,” Lucas said. “Rachel is waiting up for me and I don’t want her worried. Besides, there’s nothing we can do right now except put a tail on Kelley.”
They filed out of the office and stood in front of the Police Station for a minute. “Anyone else?” Austin asked. “I always get suspicious when the perpetrator is limited to just one or two people.”
“We’ll think on that tonight. If anyone comes up with any new ideas, share.”
* * *
He stood outside the police station and grinned. No doubt the men inside were trying to conclude who was starting all the fires. Who set about destroying the city? He covered his mouth to choke back laughter.
Stupid.
Stupid and inept. They all had been. He was smarter and more cunning than all of them put together. They played cops and robbers while he went after what he wanted in such a clever way, they’d never suspected him the guilty party. They simply couldn’t see the big picture. They had no way of looking into the mind of a master.
Ha, small town cops with small town ideas.
He could stop right now and his actions would be completely successful, but why should he. He had the leadership and the residents of Rainwater shaking in their boots.
Why not continue the ruse? Let them go crazy looking for answers that weren’t there. Searching for the person responsible for the fires and having absolutely no clues. None.
He laughed again.