by Nancy Mehl
“Most arsonists don’t have clear patterns. This guy does.”
“I don’t understand,” Tuck said. “You told me there was a pattern. Now you say there isn’t one?”
“Do you know anything about these victims?” Kaely asked, seeming to ignore his question. “Are they connected in any way?”
Tuck shook his head. “I wondered the same thing, so I did some digging. The families didn’t know each other. None of them worked at the same place, went to the same church. No connection to each other at all. My department has never had any interaction with them.” He frowned. “Josh checked them out too. No problems with law enforcement. Maybe we missed something, but I don’t think so. They seem like normal families.”
“You just pointed out what they have in common. Families.” She looked back and forth between them. “Every targeted house belonged to families. No elderly couples. No singles. All families.”
Kaely’s revelation surprised Noah. That hadn’t occurred to him. He could see Tuck was as taken aback as he was.
“You’re right,” he said slowly. “He’s after families?”
She nodded. “Most arsonists are unsophisticated. This guy isn’t. Most common motives for setting fires are revenge, excitement, vandalism, profit, or crime concealment.”
“What’s this guy’s deal?” Tuck asked.
“I think he’s out for revenge,” she said. “But it’s just a guess at this point.”
“Maybe someone set his house on fire?” Tuck asked.
“Maybe,” Kaely said. “But why not just burn down the house of the person he blames for that fire?”
Noah was silent as he considered her question. Tuck’s expression made it clear he was puzzled too.
“If this guy hates families,” Kaely said quietly to herself, “he’s burning down their houses because they have something he doesn’t.”
“But these people had nothing to do with whatever this guy’s problem is,” Noah said.
“I know. But remember the first case we worked together?”
“The dead body in the park?”
Kaely nodded. “Yeah. That killer copied George Anderson, a serial killer who murdered guys who had the lifestyle he couldn’t have.”
“You think that’s it?” Tuck asked. “This nut is killing innocent people because Mommy and Daddy didn’t treat him right?”
Tuck’s anger was palpable, but it was also understandable. He had an injured firefighter. Two people were dead. This was personal to him.
Kaely started to answer when one of Tuck’s firefighters walked up to the table. He was young, maybe twenty-five. He held a phone in his hands and was visibly upset.
“No news on Sam yet,” Tuck said. “We should hear something soon.”
“That’s not why I’m here,” the man said. “A friend sent me something from the fire. You need to see it.”
Tuck frowned at him. “Show me.”
“Privately?”
“Nothing you can’t say to me in front of them,” Tuck said. “What is it, Greg?”
The young firefighter sat down next to Tuck, across from Noah and Kaely. “A friend of mine lives near the scene of the fire. He was sitting on his front porch, having a cigarette early this morning. He noticed a guy walking down the street, going toward the house that burned down. A little later, the same guy comes back, moving pretty quickly, looking around. My friend thought he was acting oddly, so he recorded him. Then a few minutes later my friend smells smoke. And not long after that he could see flames.”
“Your friend may have recorded our UNSUB?” Noah said. He couldn’t keep the excitement out of his voice.
Greg held the phone up so the chief could see it. “Sir, this guy . . . well, he looks a lot like Sam Lucas.”
twenty-three
For several seconds no one said a word. Then Tuck let loose a string of profanity that filled the cafeteria. Kaely knew it was born out of shock. People turned to look at him. Parents with children glared his way.
“I don’t believe it for a minute,” Tuck said. “That’s not possible.”
Greg sat down. “Look, I don’t believe it either, but I had to bring this to you. I think this guy could be our firebug.”
Tuck grabbed the phone and stared at it for a moment. “You can’t tell for certain it’s Sam,” he said with disgust. “It’s too dark.”
“I realize that,” Greg said. “But you have to admit it could be him.”
Tuck shook his head. “This could be anyone. It could be Sheriff Brotton, for crying out loud.”
Greg’s cheeks turned red. “I just wanted you to see it. I’m sure it’s not Sam. To be honest, I was so shocked when I saw it. . . . Maybe I overreacted.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Kaely could see the young man was exhausted.
Tuck ran the video again. “You’re right. It’s not Sam, but it could be our arsonist.”
“Can I see it, Chief?” Kaely asked.
He handed the phone to her. Despite the chief’s insistence that it wasn’t Sam Lucas, it certainly looked like him. The guy was tall with light-colored hair peeking out beneath a dark hoodie. The features were similar to Sam’s, but the video was grainy, and it was hard to make out details. Not clear enough to use as evidence.
She showed it to Noah and then gave the phone back to the chief, who handed it to Greg. “Take this to Sheriff Brotton. I’ll call him and ask him to look at it. His tech guy can turn it into a photo. Make it larger so we can see everything. I want this photo so clear I can see the hairs in this guy’s nose.” He pointed at his young firefighter. “You tell your friend to keep this quiet. I don’t want some stupid rumor going around that Sam is our arsonist. Do you understand me?”
Greg nodded. “He won’t say anything.”
“Good.” Tuck stared at Kaely. “That’s not Sam.”
“You’re certain?” Noah asked.
“Positive. Unless his twin brother has come back from the dead . . .” His eyes suddenly widened. “Forget I just said that. I misspoke. I’m so bushed I’m punchy.”
“Sam told me about what happened to his family,” Kaely said to the chief.
“He did?” Tuck asked. He looked surprised. “Sam doesn’t share that with many people. Of course, most of us who’ve lived in Darkwater awhile know about it. But new people? I can’t remember the last time he told an outsider the truth about that terrible night.”
“I didn’t know Sam’s brother was a twin.”
The chief nodded. “So alike you couldn’t tell them apart. Except for the scar.”
“What scar?”
“Sam’s brother had a scar on his right cheek from a bike accident when he was a kid.” He shook his head. “Look, let’s focus on finding this arsonist. I’m tired of this guy trying to burn down our town. Sam almost died trying to save that family.” He looked back and forth between Noah and Kaely. “Help us.”
“You won’t like this,” Noah said, “but the first thing we need to do is prove Sam didn’t set that fire. I agree the video is difficult to make out, but it’s the first lead we’ve had.”
“I had a few other suspects,” Kaely said. “People who were hanging around the fire on Mayfield, but I ruled them out.” She hesitated. “We really need to talk to Sam. Give him a chance to view the video and see if he has an alibi for an hour before the fire call came in.”
Tuck’s face turned red, and he started to say something, but Kaely held up her hand. “You know as well as I do that this has to be our next step. People surprise us, Chief. It’s happened to me more times than I can count. You’re not naïve. You know it too.”
“Yeah, I know it. But not this time. I’d bet my life on it.”
Kaely glanced over at Noah. She saw the same doubt on his face that she felt. She hadn’t seen anything in Sam to suggest he was capable of something like this. No deception. No attempt to hide some kind of inner anger. She would almost stake her career on his innocence. Still, she couldn’t deny that
the man on the video looked surprisingly similar to Sam Lucas. Tuck was obviously seeing what he wanted to and not being objective. That attitude wasn’t going to help. Of course, they needed rock-solid evidence. Innocence and guilt hinged on it. Without it, all that was left was opinion.
“Maybe I should have kept this to myself,” Greg said. “Asked my friend to just delete it.”
“No, you did the right thing.” Tuck gave Greg a weary smile. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Just get the video to Josh. And text it to me too.”
“And me,” Kaely said. She gave Greg her cell phone number.
Greg nodded, tapped some buttons on his phone, then quickly stood up and left the room. Kaely wanted to look Sam in the face as he denied that the man in the video was him. She needed to see his reaction. See if she could detect guilt or an attempt at self-protection that didn’t ring true. Still, her heart told her Sam wasn’t an arsonist. The pain of losing his own family would have kept him from destroying the lives of others in the same way. Besides, an arsonist wouldn’t rush in to save people the way Sam had unless he had a hero complex. Something else Kaely didn’t detect in him.
Even as she built a case for Sam’s innocence, she couldn’t deny that many times people we trusted in the daylight could betray us in the dark.
Tuck was just getting ready to say something when a doctor came into the cafeteria, his eyes sweeping the room. When he saw Tuck, he headed their way. Tuck was silent, his dark face looking as if it were carved from stone. Kaely could feel tension flowing from him in waves.
It felt as if the doctor was walking in slow motion, even though Kaely knew that was impossible. When he finally reached them, Kaely read his body language before he spoke, and relief flooded her body. However, now that she knew Sam was okay, she would be forced to see him only as a suspect. Not a person she admired. Anything else could throw her off. Cause her to miss something.
“He’s doing great,” the doctor said right off the bat. “His lungs took in a good amount of smoke, but I don’t see any permanent damage. He’ll be as good as new in a day or two.”
“Are you releasing him today?” Tuck asked.
“Yes. I want to watch him for a few more hours, but I don’t see any reason to keep him here. He’ll probably be more comfortable at home.” The doctor looked around. “Smoke inhalation is a lot more dangerous than people realize. It can affect the lungs and the heart. I’ve had patients seem fine and then suddenly suffer a major heart attack. Thankfully, I don’t find any signs of that in Sam. Unless I see something that concerns me, he’ll be out of here this afternoon.”
“Doc, I need to talk to him,” Tuck said. “Is that okay?”
Kaely read the doctor’s badge. Dr. Rodger Price.
The doctor nodded. “Sure. He’s awake. Just don’t stay too long, okay? He needs as much rest as he can get.”
“We’ll be careful.”
The doctor frowned. “We? I thought you were the one who wanted to see him, Chief.”
“I’d like them in the room with me, if possible.” Tuck gestured toward Kaely and Noah.
“Let’s keep it to no more than two, okay?”
“I’ll sit it out,” Noah said. “Not a problem.”
The doctor nodded at Noah. “I appreciate that. Thanks.”
Tuck stood up and extended his hand to Dr. Price. “I can’t thank you enough, Doc. We’re lucky to have someone like you in Darkwater.”
“Thank you.” With that, the doctor turned and walked quickly out of the room.
Tuck turned to Kaely “You can come in with me. But I don’t want you to mention the video. I mean it.”
“You’ll have to tell him eventually,” Kaely said. “If he’s released this afternoon he might go to the station. What if Greg brings it up? Sam should be prepared.”
“I know that. And I’ll talk to him about it. But it’s got to come from me. Not from anyone else.”
Kaely paused for a moment. Tuck was being led by his emotions. By his concern for a longtime friend. Kaely really needed to hear Sam’s explanation for the video, and time was of the essence.
“The sooner we hear his side of the story, the faster we can find the truth and stop the arsonist,” Kaely said. “You understand that.”
“Of course I do,” he snapped. “I’m not an idiot.” He exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry. First Sam is injured and now . . .”
“If it makes any difference,” Kaely said, “I believe your first instinct is right. I don’t see Sam as our arsonist. Why risk his life to save a woman and her child if he’s trying to burn down homes with women and children inside?” She shook her head slowly. “I feel like something else is going on here.” Although she sounded confident about her assertions, she wasn’t. Why couldn’t she get a handle on this case?
Tuck stood to his feet. “Sorry to make you wait for us,” he said to Noah.
Noah shook his head. “It’s fine.” He eyed Kaely. “I’ll be here, eating for both of us, I guess.”
She smiled. He was right. Whenever a case presented her with something interesting, she lost interest in everything else. Even food. Her mind became burdened with questions and scenarios. Her thoughts kept her so busy, eating seemed like something foreign. Something unnecessary.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she told Noah.
She followed Tuck toward the area of the hospital where Sam was being cared for. Tuck seemed to know his way around. He’d probably been here before, maybe with other injured firefighters. Although she wasn’t expecting any calls, Kaely reached into her pocket, took out her cell phone, and turned it off. The last thing she wanted was for it to go off in this part of the hospital. It seemed disrespectful.
Up ahead, Dr. Price stood outside a door. When they reached him, he said, “We’re giving him breakfast in a bit. If you could keep your visit short . . .”
Tuck nodded. “Sure. I understand.” He turned to Kaely. “Are you ready?”
She nodded, but to be honest, she wasn’t certain she was. Who was Sam Lucas? The kind hero she’d immediately liked the first time she met him? Or a twisted killer?
twenty-four
As Kaely followed Tuck into Sam’s room, she tried to empty herself of her previous opinions. She wanted to evaluate him through fresh eyes. He could be a serial arsonist. Yet when she saw him lying in his hospital bed, her instinct told her this man would never purposely hurt another human being.
Tuck walked straight up to Sam’s bed and put his hand on the firefighter’s shoulder. “How you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” he said, his blue eyes drifting over to Kaely. The weariness on his face was the only clue that pointed to the ordeal he’d recently endured.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Kaely said. “We heard that the woman and baby you saved are doing well.”
“Yeah, the doctor told me,” Sam said. “I’m really grateful.”
“You saved their lives,” Kaely said. “What you did was heroic.”
He shrugged. “Just doing my job. People shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it.”
“Actually, you weren’t doing your job,” Tuck said. The gruffness in his voice sounded forced. “You were told not to go inside that house. Didn’t you hear that command?”
Sam’s eyes widened. “I didn’t hear anything like that, Boss. Of course, the sound of the fire was so loud . . .”
“Yeah, yeah.” Tuck sighed loudly. “I guess you’re gonna stick with that?”
Sam frowned at the fire chief. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Tuck didn’t respond, just turned toward Kaely. “You want a chair?” he asked.
As she shook her head, Sam gave her a quick wink. She tried not to smile, but she couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from edging up.
Tuck rolled his eyes at her and turned toward Sam. “You’re not coming back until you get medically cleared. If you give me a hard time, I might have to research your claim of temporary deafness. Do you hear
me this time, Sam?”
“Look, Chief . . .”
“I mean it, Sam. I really do.”
Kaely almost found it hard to believe the two men were the same age and that they’d grown up together. Sam treated Tuck as his superior, showing nothing but respect for his position. Somehow it made Tuck seem older, more mature.
She leaned against the wall as they debriefed the fire. She perked up when Sam said, “Any news on our arsonist? Are we any closer to finding him?”
Tuck went suddenly silent. His reaction wasn’t lost on Sam. He stared at Tuck and then at Kaely. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Is something wrong? Did you find him?” He hesitated a moment. “Is it someone we know? I mean, whoever’s doing this seems to know how to set a fire and get out in time.”
Tuck held his hand up, bringing Sam’s flow of words to an end. He took a step closer to the bed. “Something’s come up, Sam, but I want to wait until you’re out of here before we talk about it.”
Sam frowned. “Why would we need to wait until I’m home? Anything that brings us closer to catching this scumbag will only make me feel better.”
Tuck’s silence only increased the look of confusion on Sam’s face. Finally, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the chief.
“Surely no one’s saying I had something to do with this. I mean, that would be insane.” He frowned at his childhood friend. “Tell me, Tuck. Tell me the truth right now.”
Tuck took a deep breath. “Greg Washington was contacted by someone who lives near the house that caught fire last night. This guy was smoking a cigarette on his front porch, looking at his phone, when he noticed a man walking down the street. A little later, the same guy came back, heading the other way. Greg’s friend decided to record him just because he felt the man looked suspicious. A few minutes later, the fire became visible.”
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Sam asked, his eyebrows arched in excitement. Kaely felt strongly that his reaction was real. Sam Lucas had no idea who was on that video. Her every instinct as a behavioral analyst told her he was innocent.
Sam waited for Tuck to answer him. The silence was so full of tension Kaely had to bite her lip not to say anything. But finally Tuck said, “The man on the video looks a lot like you, Sam.”