“Why, Ramsay, are you fishing to see if I’m available?” Annie shot back. “You seem more like a straight forward kind of man to me.” The laughter in her tone washed over Mason bringing a smile of response to his lips.
“Alright Ms. Andrews,” Mason began, rising to the bait. “Am I going to have to worry about a jealous boyfriend showing up at my door and trying to beat the hell out of me for running around with his girl?”
Mason fought the urge to squirm during the pause that followed.
“No Mason, I’m quite single.”
“Good, I’m glad.”
A charged silence filled the air for several long seconds before Mason broke it.
“Get some sleep Annie.” The sudden desire to hold her while she slept slammed through him. He fought to keep the tremble under control as he continued, “If you need anything, I’m only a phone call away.” The slight pause in conversation vibrated with electricity.
“Thanks Mason.”
“I mean it Annie,” He stated a little stronger. “Anything at all.”
~*~
“Damn would you look at this mess?” Mark came to a stop beside Annie.
“It gets me every time.” Annie murmured, shaking her head at the destruction before her eyes. The two-story house that had been a beautiful home just hours before was now reduced to a smoldering heap of rubble. Everyone working the fire knew first hand how many generations of the same family had called this place home. They had raised their families within the safety of the four solid walls. Now nothing remained to show for the generations and generations of hard work.
“It’s a damn shame that’s for sure.” Mark commiserated. They stood side-by-side in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. “How’d the newbie do?”
“He did surprisingly well.” Annie’s eyes sought Mason out, their gazes connecting almost instantly. “He’s not exactly new to firefighting though now is he?” Mason had removed his turnout coat. The dark blue tee shirt fit snugly over his upper body. The muscles rippled in his arms and chest with every movement as Mason sifted through the debris with a shovel. A shot of desire coursed through Annie’s body in response.
“Are you cold?” When Annie didn’t answer, Mark glanced in the direction of her gaze. “Guess it’s not the weather getting to you,” he muttered before stalking off.
~&~
Mason watched the exchange from where he had been examining the remains.
Mason knew very little about Mark Flynn. The background research had turned up very little. The youngest son of John Flynn, Mark seemed to lead a private life.
The subtle glare of hostility on Mark’s face struck Mason’s curiosity. So he wasn’t happy to have a stranger in his midst, huh?
Tight knit organizations and communities were often slow to warm to an outsider. Mason had grown accustomed to encountering a certain degree of hostility during his ops. Yet, there was something different about the surliness that Mark Flynn exhibited.
Mason’s glance swept over Annie and Mark. What had the two of them been talking about? His gaze swept over Annie’s face.
Mason hefted the shovel over one shoulder and strolled around the charred remains. His gaze fixed on the other man for a split second before Mark turned on his heel and stalked off. Something is definitely off about that one.
He turned his attention back to gathering evidence. Since she’d been assigned as his mentor, Annie would help him.
“Everything alright?” he asked softly. He pushed aside the urge to reach out and brush the stray curls from her neck, something he should avoid if he wanted to keep his wits about him. Because, without a doubt, the next time he touched Annie Andrews, he wouldn’t be stopping at a simple caress.
“Yeah,” she worried her bottom lip, pulling it between her teeth. “Just a little tired.”
“I can’t understand why you would be.” He quipped. A small tinge of guilt whispered through his head.
“Me either.” She shot back, joining in the easy repartee. “You looked pretty intent over a minute ago?” She jerked her head in the direction he had come from. “Find something interesting?”
“Something doesn’t look right. Why don’t you tell me what you think of it?” He took her elbow and led her toward the spot in question. “Do you have cameras on the trucks?”
“Yeah but they’re only instant cameras. Nothing like what you should use for collecting evidence if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking.” He grinned down at her. “Know anywhere we can get equipment like that?”
Mason already knew the answer to the question, but for the sake of appearances, he asked it anyway. Annie’s personnel record had revealed her previous work as a lucrative freelance photographer. Had the solitude of the job been the driving force behind her change of career? Or had something else? Like a stalker?
“As a matter of fact I do,” She eyed him, “I’ve been known to dabble a little in photography myself. Let’s run it by Chief first. If it’s something he’s ok with, I can have someone drop it off here.”
“Sure.” Mason agreed.
~&~
Twenty minutes later, Annie had the perfectly balanced high-speed digital camera firmly in her grip as she clicked off shots of a suspected accelerant Mason had stumbled upon.
She had to admit, something didn’t feel right about this fire. Over the past two months, there had been a number of others that had invoked the same sensation. She had voiced her suspicions to the others who were quick to brush them aside. The idea of an arsonist in Hammond’s Bend was unthinkable. Everyone knew everyone, and had for many years. So, Annie had let them slide.
She studied Mason’s face over the top of the camera. Maybe she’d run her apprehensions past him and get his thoughts on them.
“I want to do another walk through,” he announced when she finished. “Are you up to it?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Easy Andrews.” He threw his hands up in mock surrender. “It was a simple question.”
“Sorry.” She laughed, “Must be the lack of sleep.”
“Just say no,” he shot a grin over his shoulder at her, “The next time someone tries to keep you awake too late.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
An hour later, Annie clicked off the final shot. Snapping the lens cover in place, she powered down the camera, and stowed it in the bag slung over her shoulder.
She scoured the fire scene in search of Chief Daniels. The more they had combed through the debris, the more evidence they uncovered. If a small amount of accelerant in one area of the house would have been their lone find, Annie might have written it off. Given that they had found a trail of the fuel throughout the residence, she couldn’t do that.
Her gaze locked with Mason’s. Nerves fluttered in her gut. They had an arsonist on their hands. And, Annie was sure it wasn’t the first fire he’d set. The knowledge rekindled her suspicions of the earlier fires. Were they all the work of the same person?
Annie eyed the rubble once more. Whoever had set this blaze hadn’t bothered to try to disguise their tracks. A recent report Annie had read by the U.S. Fire Administration sprang to mind. It was an article about fires set by firefighters, and how most of the arsonist’s hadn’t bothered to try and hide the methods they used to start the blazes.
Her stomach soured. Her gaze searched each and every face around her.
Could one of the men she worked with, thought of as a second family, be responsible for such horrendous crimes? What would drive them to it?
“I don’t like this at all,” Her gaze sought Mason’s once again. “I need to talk to the Chief.”
“I’m right there with you.”
CHAPTER THREE
Chief Daniels paced the confines of his small office.
“Either of you have any suggestions?” His gaze swung between the two of them, before resting on Mason. “I think it’s safe to say that we need to keep
our suspicions to ourselves for the time being.”
“Shouldn’t we contact the state fire marshal?” Annie asked, reading the answer in his eyes even before she heard the words spoken aloud.
“I think for the time being we should hold off on that.” Chief Daniels glanced toward Mason, “Until we find some hard evidence, this is just suspicion on our part.”
“I’d have to agree with Chief.”
“Something told me that you’d say that.” She stood, stretching. “So what’s the plan then? How do we continue to collect evidence without raising anyone’s suspicions? Or do we?” She studied each man’s face in turn. “After all, none of us have any real in-depth training in arson investigation. Do we?”
Annie didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm in her question. She’d been trying to fight off the notion that they were hiding something ever since they’d returned to the station. Whether they would come clean was still up in the air.
“I’ve had a little bit.” Mason offered. “Enough to know what to look for and how to collect it anyway.” A hint of humor danced in his dark eyes. “Couple that with all the television programs on crime scenes and we should be okay, right?”
A groan escaped Annie. Her earlier suspicion eased up slightly. “Well, aside from the fact that ninety-nine percent of the stuff on TV is not accurate, I’m still not sure if this is a good idea, Chief.”
It was Annie’s turn to pace the office.
“I think it’ll be alright for the time being, Annie.” Art plopped into the big chair behind his desk. “I’ll put a call into the Office of the State Fire Marshall and give them a heads up.” He jotted something down on the corner of his desk blotter before continuing. “In the meantime, do either of you have any suggestions on how we can continue to work these scenes inconspicuously?”
“The department could implement a new policy.” Mason volunteered, “requiring all fires be photographed, suspicious or not.”
“That just might work,” Art’s gaze locked on Annie’s, “And since you are the only one on staff with any kind of photography background, how would you feel about taking on the task?”
Annie’s eyes darted back and forth between the men. She couldn’t shake the proverbial lamb being led to slaughter sensation streaking through her body.
An undeniable itch to get back behind a camera had occupied her mind a lot of late. Maybe karma had a role in this latest development. What could it hurt? Eagerness flitted around in her stomach as the idea began to take hold. A list of things she would need to do in preparation flooded her mind.
“Sure,” she began, fighting to conceal her pleasure. “When is this going to be put into effect?”
“I’ll draw it up this morning and run it by the board.” Art powered on the computer sitting on his desk. “I’ll get in touch with them now. If I expound upon them the importance of getting the policy instated immediately, it should be done by the end of the day.”
“Great. In the meantime, can we upload the pictures somewhere this afternoon?” Mason voiced this question.
Annie understood the importance of putting an end to the spree of arsons, if, in fact, they were all arsons. She met Mason’s gaze, struggling to read his thoughts. This man was a virtual stranger to Hammond’s Bend. Yet here he stood, barely three days after he first appeared, the driving force behind a new policy for the fire department she’d worked at for three years. And more confusing for her was the fact that Chief Daniels seemed to be going along with his every suggestion.
She puffed out an exasperated breath. The determined look in her Chief’s eyes assured Annie that arguing the situation would be futile. “I’ve got the program on my laptop at home. I can run home and grab it. It shouldn’t take me any longer than twenty minutes.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for anyone else to have access to the equipment and anything we might find. Is it possible to take it somewhere a little more secure?”
“You have a point, Ramsay,” The Chief rested his chin in the crook between his thumb and forefinger, “Annie how would you feel about keeping the equipment at your house?” He rushed on when she opened her mouth to protest. “You’ll get overtime of course for any hours outside of your normal shift hours. Keep a log of any supplies you purchase, so I can submit it for reimbursement.”
Annie couldn’t think of any reason to protest the setup. And then the Chief continued.
“Ramsay,” he stated, not waiting to hear whether protested she the situation, “since you’ve had some training in arson investigation, why don’t you help out?”
The bundle of nerves in Annie’s stomach, morphed into a full-fledged case of butterflies. Had she heard the Chief right? Had he really just, in his own way, ordered Mason and her to spend time alone? Together. At her house.
Her eyes shot to Mason’s. Did the idea of spending time alone together send the same shimmer of awareness through Mason as it did Annie?
She watched fascinated as his pupils dilated. Annie’s pulse leapt in her chest, pounding unbidden until she was sure it must be visible to all those around her.
Mason reined in the emotion, almost as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Annie to wonder if she had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
Annie cleared her throat. She tore her gaze away from Mason’s mesmerizing one to focus instead on the father-like features of her boss.
“Whe..,” She swallowed hard in and attempt to restore some moisture to her suddenly dry mouth and throat. “When do you want me to start on this bunch?” She gestured to the camera sitting front and center on the dark, hardwood desk.
“Do what you can today on the down low.” He began pecking at the keyboard, “You’re both off tomorrow right?”
“Yes sir.” Annie and Mason answered in unison.
“Great, then you can work on it some more then.” Art waved a hand toward the door in dismissal. “Now we just need to keep things running as normal as we can, which doesn’t include the two of you taking up residence in my office.”
Annie caught the twinkle in the Chief’s eyes, letting her know the rude dismissal was for the benefit of anyone who may be watching.
“And if anyone asks,” he continued from his place at the desk, “tell them I caught you two in a heavy lip lock.”
~&~
The shrill ring of her phone jarred Annie from a sound sleep. Rolling onto her side she looked at the bedside clock through blurry eyes. As was her usual routine, she had crawled home after shift change that morning, and thrown herself in the shower, before falling into bed. She hadn’t been asleep for long. The high-pitched sound pierced her ears once again.
She snatched it up. Pushing the hair back from her forehead, she propped herself up against the headboard. If she could get rid of whoever was on the other end fast enough, she might be lucky enough to fall back to sleep.
One look at the caller identification though, and Annie knew she was up for the day. She could ignore it. Pretend like she’d been so tired she’d slept through it. It wouldn’t entirely be a lie. She could always let her answering machine pick it up. But, Annie knew from experience this particular caller would just call back again in a short time. With a resigned sigh, she picked up the telephone.
“Hi mom. How are you?” She slurred into the receiver.
“Annie? Did I wake you up?” her mother responded. “I would have thought you would be awake by now.”
“We were busy last night. Not much sleep.” Annie replied, stating the obvious.
“Oh.” Her mother sighed “You know I worry about you not getting enough sleep. What would happen if you fell asleep on your way home?”
“It’s not like I live far from the station, Mom.” Annie fought to hide the irritation in her voice.
“You of all people know how many accidents happen close to home, Annette Josephine Andrews.” When her mom called her by her full name, Annie knew she meant business. “You know I worry about you. As hard as it was to have you takin
g pictures all over the world, I would almost rather have you do that again than to put yourself in danger on a daily basis.”
“I know Mom. I’m sorry. It was a long night. I’m just cranky.” Annie pushed herself further into a sitting position on the bed. “What’s up?” She asked.
Once Camille Andrews got started on whatever topic topped her list today, it would be a long while before she could get off of the phone. Resigned to the fact, she settled back and listened as her mother lamented about her youngest daughter going willingly into danger.
Thirty minutes later, the call ended after Annie had promised that she would be cautious, get extra sleep on her days off, eat healthy, and of course, stop over for dinner soon.
~&~
Mason killed the engine on his fire engine red King Ranch four-wheel drive truck. Blending in was an important part of being accepted. It wouldn’t pay to drive the sleek black Mustang Shelby sitting in his garage back home. He eyed the small house from the driver’s seat.
Several large pots filled with colorful flowers adorned the front porch. If he closed his eyes, he could see her, tenderly nurturing the tiny blossoms, coaxing them to bloom.
The house, though not brand new, was well maintained. A fairly new coat of paint graced the wooden clapboard siding and shutters. Gray paint on the exterior of older homes usually tended to make them appear old, run down. Not so this one, the choice of colors made it appear pristine, the brilliant hues of the flowers on the porch popped magnificently. All that was missing was a white picket fence.
With an abrupt shake of his head, Mason gathered his wandering thoughts. Get a grip, Ramsay. Even if Annie was of the mindset to settle down, what does it matter to you?
Still, he couldn’t deny the odd sense of home that overwhelmed him as he glanced back at the modest house. He had yet to put down permanent roots anywhere. Instead, he had chosen assignments that took him far away from the home office. So why the sudden sensation that he had missed out on so much? How could one woman, he barely knew, change his way of thinking so quickly?
Where There's Smoke: The Heroes of Hammonds Bend(Romantic Suspense) Page 3