Fire Storm

by Nancy Mehl

  Turner stared down at the floor for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes were shiny. “Thank you, Special Agent Quinn. I’ll keep that advice close to my heart.” He looked away for a moment. It was clear that he was struggling.

  “What’s going on with the investigation?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he said. “It’s shut down for now. We don’t know how much information Frank gave Guzman, and we’ve lost Rosa. I can’t risk losing anyone else. Besides, Guzman would see us coming if we tried again. Of course, Omaha is investigating the shooting.” He squared his shoulders. “I’m going to tell them this was my fault. Maybe if I’d pulled Frank from this assignment, it would have not only saved lives, but it might have protected our operation.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “Thank God our agents will recover, although Special Agent Burroughs may spend the rest of her career behind a desk. She won’t like that.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I am too.” He leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on his legs. He nodded toward Noah. “Was this fire connected to your arsonist?”

  “I think so. Need to see what the fire department says.”

  “But your gut tells you this was your UNSUB?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Josh said this was your mother’s house?”

  Kaely nodded.

  “That’s disturbing. Isn’t this a break in his pattern?”

  Kaely’s eyebrows arched. How did Turner know about the arsonist’s pattern?

  He smiled at her surprised look. “I’ve been following the case a little. I find it interesting. Glad you’re poking around. The worst fire I ever remember happening here was around eighteen years ago. Family named Lucas.”

  “You were here when that happened?”

  He nodded. “Whole family killed, with the exception of one of the twin boys who wasn’t home. Boy, that kid was so filled with guilt when he found out what happened. Kept saying he could have saved them if he’d been there.”

  “He’s a volunteer firefighter now. Saved my life and Noah’s last night.”

  “Really?” For the first time since he’d entered the room, Turner smiled. “I haven’t kept in touch with folks in Darkwater since I left.”

  “Could you tell me what you remember about that fire?” Kaely asked. “I know it sounds strange, but anything you could share might be helpful.”

  Turner hesitated, then said, “You know, there’s something about the situation that’s bothered me all these years.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There was a terrible grain elevator explosion at the same time as that fire. Several deaths. The local ME’s office was overwhelmed. Some medical examiners and assistants came in from neighboring counties, but . . .”

  “You had some concerns about the autopsies?” Even as Kaely asked the question, somehow she knew the answer.

  “Yeah. Dr. Roberson was the medical examiner back then. Although I think he tried to make sure everything was done properly, it was too much for him. One of the MEs from another office told me that the bodies from the fire may have been released without a sufficient autopsy.” He shrugged. “The ME couldn’t be sure and didn’t want to raise a stink, but he thought the bodies were cremated too quickly. He said the dental records that belonged to the father and son arrived after the bodies were given to the mortuary—after they’d been cremated.”

  Jack’s autopsy wasn’t complete?

  “Are you okay?” Turner asked. “You look a little pale.”

  “Yeah. Sorry. Just tired.”

  “Hope my story didn’t upset you.”

  “No. You may have helped more than you know. Thank you, sir.”

  Turner stood up and walked over to Kaely. He stretched out his hand. Kaely shook it. “Thank you, Agent Quinn. It’s been an honor.”

  “I’ll pray everything works out for you.”

  “I appreciate that. I really do.” He managed a strained smile. “I’ll check back later to see how Agent Hunter is doing. If there’s anything he needs . . .”

  “I’ll let him know that when he’s lucid.”

  “Good.”

  Turner walked out, leaving Kaely in shock. She felt glued to her chair. Couldn’t move. Was it possible? Could Jack Lucas have lived? If so, why was he in Darkwater? And why was he setting his town on fire?

  thirty-two

  Since Noah was still asleep, Kaely grabbed a notebook she always carried in her purse and started making notes about the case. As she wrote, she remembered Tuck had said last night that he’d ask Sheriff Brotton to check the missing persons reports around the time of the Lucas fire. She wondered if he’d done it yet. She decided to take a chance and call the police station. At first she didn’t think the woman who answered the phone was going to put her through. Even though she didn’t want to, she told the woman she was with the Bureau, hoping she’d take the call more seriously.

  After being on hold for a few seconds, Kaely heard, “Sheriff Brotton.”

  “Sheriff, this is Kaely Quinn. I’m sorry to bother you, but Tuck said you might look into any missing persons around the time of the Lucas fire. I’m wondering if you found anything.”

  The silence on the other end of the phone went on so long Kaely began to wonder if they’d been disconnected.

  “Can you meet with me?” Sheriff Brotton asked suddenly, actually making Kaely jump.

  “I’m at the hospital with Agent Hunter.”

  “Why don’t I come down there? We could talk in the cafeteria.”

  “That would be great,” Kaely said. “I’d appreciate that.”

  “How about noon? I have some things to clear up here first.”

  “Noon sounds good.” Kaely started to say good-bye but realized the sheriff had already hung up. His abruptness was a little unsettling. It was hard to get a read on him. He didn’t show much emotion and appeared to have a razor-sharp focus on his job. She was surprised he’d been defeated in the election and wondered just how hard it would be for him to walk away from his interim position.

  At ten minutes to twelve, she put her notebook back in her purse and checked on Noah once more. He was still out. Before she realized what she was doing, she bent down and lightly kissed him. Shocked by her automatic action, she quickly straightened, praying he wasn’t conscious enough to remember what she’d done. Perturbed by her behavior, she hurried out of the hospital room.

  When she reached the cafeteria, she scanned the room until she spotted Sheriff Brotton sitting toward the back. His cap was pulled down low and his head was down. Kaely wondered if his attempt to hide from the public was a waste of time. In a town this size everyone knew who he was.

  She noticed he already had food, so she bought a large chef’s salad and an iced tea. She carried them to the table and sat down. He looked up at her. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”

  “Glad to. Thanks for checking on this for us, Sheriff.”

  “Just call me Josh. We’re pretty relaxed about titles in Darkwater.”

  “Sure, Josh. And you can call me Kaely.”

  He offered her a small smile. A real breakthrough from their previous interaction. He really was a handsome man. His serious demeanor had made it hard to notice his looks. But Kaely was still a little skeptical of his sudden change in attitude.

  He picked up one of the files sitting on the table. “We had four missing persons right around the time of the Lucas fire. They were all eventually located, except for one. He was reported missing a few days after the fire and the grain mill explosion. His name was Raymond Berger.” He pushed the file toward her. Attached to the papers was a school picture. Raymond was a gawky-looking kid with dirty blond hair and crooked black glasses that were way too big for his face. Kaely doubted he was very popular in high school.

  She looked up at Josh and noticed he was interested in something over her shoulder. Before she had a chance to see what it was, she heard a voice. “Hope it’s okay if I sit in on this. Josh called me.”
<
br />   Sam slid into the chair next to her. Kaely was surprised to see him, but glad to see he was up and about. “How are you feeling?” she asked him.

  “Totally back to normal,” he said.

  “Not sure that’s saying much,” Josh said teasingly.

  “You could be right.” Sam pointed at the photo Kaely had in front of her. “Raymond Berger. Josh thought I might be a good person to tell you more about him.”

  “You knew him?”

  “Jack was closer to him than I was.” He glanced toward the food offered in the cafeteria. “Can you give me a minute to grab something to eat?”

  Kaely nodded. “Sure. Not a problem.”

  Sam got up and headed for the food line.

  “You can take that file with you,” Josh said. “But I’m going to need it back eventually.” He reached down and took another file, this one much larger, from a briefcase sitting next to his chair. “These are copies of the files of anyone caught setting fires in Darkwater over the last five years. We’ve combed through them and couldn’t find anything. Maybe you’ll have better luck.”

  He handed her the file folder.

  “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

  “Not a problem,” Josh said. “I really want this guy.”

  Kaely stabbed at her salad. “I . . . I’m sorry you lost the last election. You seem like a very dedicated sheriff.”

  Josh shrugged. “To be honest, my heart wasn’t in it. I campaigned, but not with a lot of enthusiasm. The other guy wanted it more than I did. I only lost by eighty-six votes.”

  “Boy, that was close. I don’t mean to be nosy, but do you mind if I ask why you weren’t that interested in winning?”

  “No, it’s okay.” Josh put his fork down. “Believe it or not, even though Darkwater is a small town, this job requires lots of overtime. It was getting to where I only saw my wife at night after I climbed into bed. And my kids? I’ve missed too many important events—baseball games, school plays, meetings with teachers. The list goes on and on. I wanted to be with them more than I wanted to be sheriff.”

  Kaely could understand his reasoning. She realized how different she was from Josh. Of course, she had no idea what it was like to have her own family.

  Sam returned to the table with his food and sat down.

  Kaely was amused to see Sam’s plate. It was loaded with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered corn, and two rolls. He and Noah shared the same tastes.

  Sam looked back and forth between her and Josh. “I don’t want to interrupt your conversation. You two looked pretty serious.”

  “Nothing important,” Josh said. “So what can you tell Kaely about Raymond?”

  As they waited for Sam to chew and swallow, Kaely noticed how much they looked alike. Josh was tall with blond hair and blue eyes, and had similar facial features to Sam. They could be related.

  Sam took a drink of his pop and then said, “It’s hard to say negative things about your brother, but to be honest, Jack wasn’t the nicest person around. He wasn’t really a bully or anything, but he was a manipulator. Had a way of getting people to do things he wanted them to do, you know?” He stared down at the table. This was obviously tough for him. “Raymond was a shy kid. He’d show up at school with dirty, wrinkled clothes. No lunch. Jack took an interest in him. At first I thought it was out of compassion. But Raymond was just an easy target, someone my brother could control. Raymond followed Jack around like a loyal little puppy.”

  He sighed, picked up his glass, and took another drink. When he put it down, he looked up and met Kaely’s eyes. “My parents were nice to him. My mom had Raymond bring his dirty clothes over so she could wash them. And she gave me money to pay for Raymond’s lunch at school.”

  “You say you didn’t know him very well,” Kaely said, “but your mom sent his lunch money with you?”

  Sam picked up his fork and pointed it at her. “Very perceptive. Yes, because she couldn’t trust Jack to use the money for Raymond.”

  “Your parents didn’t trust Jack?”

  “No. I’m afraid when we were in high school, Jack made life pretty tough on them. It wasn’t fair. They were great people.” Sam’s voice cracked a little. He scooped up a big forkful of mashed potatoes. Kaely gave him a moment to collect himself. She couldn’t imagine the trauma he’d endured, losing his entire family in one fell swoop.

  “Sam, you were seventeen when the fire happened,” Kaely said. “What happened to you? Where did you live?”

  “He moved in with me,” Josh said. “It was only a few months until he turned eighteen, so family services looked the other way.”

  “I’m sorry for what you went through,” Kaely said. “And I’m glad you had friends to support you.”

  “Thanks,” Sam said. “I don’t know what I would have done without Josh and his folks.”

  He smiled at her and her heart lurched. Get ahold of yourself, Kaely. She hesitated to ask her next question, but she couldn’t avoid it. “Sam, is it possible the remains found in the fire at your house didn’t belong to your brother?”

  He frowned at her. “Look, I know you heard Tuck’s theory, but it’s impossible. First of all, what about the medical examiner’s report? He identified Jack’s remains. He even returned Jack’s silver bracelet to me, the one he wore all the time. Besides, even if Jack was alive—and I’m sure he isn’t—why would he do something like this after all these years?” He shook his head. “I just don’t buy it. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “I have to agree,” Josh said. “I’ve been going over and over this video and the picture we blew up for you.” He reached into the inside of the coat flung over the chair next to him and pulled out a picture. “This was taken from that cell-phone footage the night of the Mayfield Street fire. I don’t think this is Jack Lucas. It could be anyone. Frankly, it could be me.”

  “Do you see a scar on his cheek, though?”

  “It looks like a shadow to me. Or even a glitch in the video.”

  Kaely looked closely at the picture. Was he right? Was she seeing a scar because someone put the idea in her head? “Maybe,” she said slowly. “What about the letter? What about the rhyme?”

  “What letter? What rhyme?” Sam asked.

  Kaely knew Tuck hadn’t wanted the letter shared until he was ready, but she’d assumed he’d told Sam. She caught his eye. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought . . .”

  “You thought what?” Sam’s voice had taken on a more insistent tone. “What’s she talking about, Josh?”

  “There was a letter, Sam. It doesn’t matter. It’s not important.”

  “What did it say?” Sam’s meal was forgotten.

  Josh reached into his coat pocket again and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “I’d decided to show this to you when we were alone.” He scowled at Kaely as he handed the paper to Sam. “Of course, this is just a copy. We checked the original for prints. There weren’t any except for Tuck’s.”

  Sam unfolded it. When he read it, the color drained from his face, and Kaely was afraid he was going to pass out.

  Sam stared at Josh, his eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I knew you’d overreact, Sam. Just like you’re doing now. Anyone could use this rhyme. It doesn’t mean—”

  “Of course it does. Kids used to taunt Jack with this same nursery rhyme. He hated it.” Sam stared at the note again before looking up at Kaely. “But my brother is dead. How can you possibly think he could be setting these fires? This is impossible.”

  thirty-three

  After lunch, Kaely found a spot in a hospital hallway and called Josh. She wanted to ask him something without Sam listening in. Thankfully, he was already back at the office.

  “Sorry to call you so soon, but I have a favor to ask. I’d like to talk to the medical examiner who was in office at the time of the Lucas fire. Can you help me?”

  “I’m not sure I’m your man. He was retired by the
time I became sheriff. Tuck knows him a lot better than I do. They were friends.”

  “Thanks,” Kaely said. “I’ll call him.”

  “Let me know what you find out,” Josh said. “I have a hard time believing Jack is alive, but I guess we need to follow every lead, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.” He sighed. “I didn’t want to say this in front of Sam, but Jack scared me. Like he said, Jack was a manipulator. He had a way of making people do things they didn’t want to do. And he had a horrible temper. He would come unglued when he didn’t get his way. He went after several people in school he didn’t like. He even put one kid in the hospital. There was a girl in our class that Jack had a crush on. When she rejected him, her cocker spaniel went missing. They found him a couple of days later. Someone had dumped him near the highway out of town. It was a miracle he wasn’t hit by a car. I always wondered if Jack was behind it.”

  Did Josh realize he was describing a psychopath? Even more reason to wonder if Jack was their arsonist.

  “Please be careful, Kaely,” Josh said. “And call me if you need help.”

  “I will. Thanks. I really don’t think the arsonist intends to approach me directly. It’s not his style. Setting fires and running away seems to be his modus operandi.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I wouldn’t be so sure. The Jack I knew was capable of almost anything.”

  After Kaely hung up, she thought about what Josh had said. Another contradiction. Arsonists didn’t normally have direct contact with their victims, but the person Josh described hadn’t seemed afraid to get up close and personal with those he wanted to punish.

  She realized she needed to be on her guard. She’d always felt completely capable of taking care of herself. But now she felt alone and wished Noah was here by her side. She chided herself for feeling she needed a man to protect her and shook off her qualms. She was smart and able to defend herself, if necessary.

  She dialed Tuck’s number, hoping he would answer. Sure enough, she heard his deep voice on the other line.

  “I’d like to meet the former medical examiner,” she said immediately.