by Laura Scott
His sweetness was almost her undoing. She wanted to explain that it wasn’t him, but the depth of her own feelings that frightened her.
“Mitch?” Mike pounded on the door again.
Mitch sighed heavily, let her go and crossed over to the door.
Dana stayed where she was, leaning weakly against the wall, realizing just how much she cared about Mitch.
And wondering how she’d manage to live without him once they’d cleared his name.
* * *
His brother’s timing was lousy. Mitch glared at Mike, wondering why he couldn’t have waited just another five minutes.
Or at least long enough for him to tell Dana how much he cared about her.
“Hey, you guys okay?” Mike glanced between Mitch and Dana as if sensing the tension simmering between them.
Mitch sidestepped in front of Dana in an attempt to shelter her from Mike’s piercing gaze, one known to see too much. “We, uh—might have a lead on the arson fires.”
That news helped divert his brother’s attention. “What kind of lead?”
Mitch gestured toward the paperwork on the small desk. “We’ve been reviewing Jeff Walker’s notes. The most recent warehouse that burned was owned by Shelton, Inc. Dana recognized the name.”
Mike raised his brow and angled around to look at Dana. “You’ve heard of them?”
She pushed herself away from the wall and came over to sit at the small desk. “Kent’s mother’s maiden name is Shelton. And Kent’s parents are big into real estate.”
Mike let out a low whistle. “Interesting coincidence.”
Mitch dragged his gaze from Dana, forcing himself to stay on task. “And that’s exactly what it could be, a strange coincidence.”
“Yeah, right.” Dana pulled the file folder closer and he knew she was looking for the initials O.S.
“How does knowing who owned the warehouse help us?” Mike asked. He edged behind Mitch to sit on the side of the bed, leaving the other seat at the table empty. For him.
Subtle, his brother was not.
“I don’t know,” Mitch admitted. “It might help us figure out who has the most to gain from the loss of a warehouse, but it sure doesn’t help identify who hates me enough to frame me for murder.”
“Wait!” Dana’s head snapped up. “What if we’re looking at this backward? What if the guy who burned the warehouse is trying to hurt Shelton, Inc.? The arsonist could be an enemy of Kent’s parents.”
He had to admit the idea had merit. “Could be. Maybe someone who felt cheated out of some real estate deal. Or someone who is holding some other grudge against them.”
Dana looked relieved. Obviously the thought of someone working against Kent’s family was more palatable than the other way around. “Maybe I should call them. See if they’ll meet with us.”
“No way.” His instinctive refusal caused her eyes to narrow and he hastened to explain. “We can’t do that until we know for sure they’re innocent.”
She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “You were the one who mentioned how crazy it would be for Kent’s family to be involved in setting fires in the first place. They loved Kent. Their world was destroyed after his death.” She leaned forward, her gaze pleading. “We need to talk to them. How else are we going to find out who might have a reason to hurt their business?”
Mike cleared his throat. “I have to side with Mitch on this one. We need more information before we start poking around, looking for skeletons in the closet.”
He shot his brother a look of gratitude. “Dana, do you know of anyone who might be upset with the Petries? Or the Sheltons? Think back to family gatherings you’ve attended over the years. Anything odd stand out?”
Dana sat back in her chair, a tiny frown puckered in her brow. She didn’t say anything for a long time, then finally heaved a sigh.
“Nothing sticks out as unusual, although it’s not as if Kent’s family is very close in general. They don’t do backyard cookout kinds of parties, but hold formal events, complete with catered food and hired bartenders and servers.” She raised her palms in a gesture of helplessness. “I sometimes had the idea that Kent’s father, Edward, didn’t get along as well with Oliver or Darnell, but it’s more of a feeling rather than anything concrete.”
“Ever hear any arguments or disagreements?” he pressed.
“Outside of the underlying tension?” She shrugged. “Not really.”
“They probably wouldn’t argue or fight around Dana,” Mike pointed out. “She was the outsider. Sure, she married their son, but they sound like people who keep up appearances no matter what is going on.”
“You’re right,” Mitch agreed. “Even if the family didn’t get along, it won’t help us figure out who their enemies might be.”
Mike leaped up from his seat. “I almost forgot, I brought a replacement laptop for you guys.”
“That should help.” Mitch propped the motel room door open, allowing the summer breeze to waft in.
When Mike left them alone, Dana whispered, “Did you tell him about the gun that was planted in your closet?”
He winced. “Not yet.”
“Don’t you think we should?”
“He’s already mad I went back to my place, so I’ll fill him in later. Right now, we have other leads to follow.”
Mike returned a few minutes later with the laptop. His brother pushed the file folders aside so he could set it on the small table.
Mitch opened the laptop, then crawled beneath the table to plug it in. Dana moved out of her seat so that Mike could sit beside him.
The first thing he did was check social media for photos of Oliver Shelton. “I can find pictures of Olivia, but nothing on Oliver.”
“Not surprising. He likes his privacy,” Dana said.
“Have you gone through all of Jeff’s notes yet?” Mike asked, as Mitch began a search on Shelton, Inc.
“No.” He glanced up. “Why?”
Mike hesitated, shrugged. “I don’t know. The timing of all this strikes me as odd. How many fires have you investigated in the past three years?”
“Dozens.” Mitch didn’t get where his brother was going. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“How many fires has Jeff Walker investigated?”
Mitch thought about it for a moment. “Not as many, if you want the truth. Jeff had just turned fifty-two when I took the job and expected me to take a majority of the calls. I took calls two weeks at a time, while he only took one.”
“Doesn’t sound fair,” Dana said with a frown.
“Maybe not, but I also had the most to learn so it made sense to give me more exposure to fire scenes.”
“Hmm.” Mike’s expression was noncommittal.
“Jeff was a nice guy. If I needed help, he was willing to guide me. One thing’s for sure, he taught me more than my boss ever did.”
Mike looked thoughtful. “Jeff died of a heart attack?”
“Yes.” Mitch shook his head. “According to his wife, Tracy, he wasn’t feeling well and decided to go lay down instead of going to the ER. He died in his sleep at the age of fifty-five.”
“That’s terrible,” Dana said. “So young.”
He nodded. “I know. He wasn’t always good about taking care of himself, though. Tracy complained a lot about his refusal to exercise on a regular basis. But still...” He shrugged. “Took everyone by surprise. Our boss, Rick Nelson, was really upset about it.”
Mike tapped Jeff’s folder. “How long have you had his notes?”
“Less than a week, mostly because Rick’s been busy looking for Jeff’s replacement. He had a couple of applicants already, but hasn’t hired anyone yet. That’s why I thought it was strange that Rick wanted to meet with me at the scene of the warehouse fire. I barely had time to review Jeff’s
notes, much less make any comparisons to the other arson fires we’ve investigated.”
“That’s it.” Mike lightly smacked his hand on the table. “That’s the connection we’ve been missing.”
“What connection? I mean, sure, Rick Nelson left me the message asking to meet him there, but you can’t think he’s involved in this.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But the timing is what’s been off. I mean, you’ve investigated fires for the last three years, but now you’re being set up for murder? It has to be linked to Jeff’s untimely death.”
Mitch stared at his brother in shock. “Are you insinuating that Jeff was somehow covering up arson fires? Deeming them to be accidental by nature instead of set on purpose?”
“Do you have a better explanation?”
No way. Uh-uh. Mitch couldn’t believe it. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he do something like that?”
“Why does anyone?” Mike countered. “Money.”
In a flash he remembered the bright yellow convertible Jeff had purchased a few months ago. A ridiculous car to drive in Wisconsin, when winter months clearly outnumbered the summer ones.
And then what about his two kids, a son and a daughter, both attending private colleges on the East Coast? He remembered asking Jeff about that, and his colleague had brushed off his concern, claiming they’d both had been granted generous scholarships.
But what if they hadn’t? What if Jeff had gotten a significant influx of money in exchange for declaring the fires accidental?
As much as he hated to admit it, his brother’s logic matched the few facts they knew. So far, it was the only motive that made sense for someone setting Mitch up for murder.
TEN
Dana sensed Mitch’s distress and wished there was something she could do to help make him feel better. The possible link to Kent’s family was bad enough, but adding in Mitch’s partner, Jeff, likely being involved in covering up crimes? She couldn’t imagine. Mitch must be looking back over the past three years wondering what he had missed.
She rose and moved closer to Mitch, resting her hand on his shoulder. “Let’s try to stay focused on the facts. We know Shelton, Inc. owns at least one of the warehouses that burned, but we don’t know how many other owners may be involved. And even if Jeff was culpable in covering up the crimes, we still haven’t figured out how anyone is making money off the fires in the first place.”
Mitch reached up and covered her hand with his, as if grateful for the connection. “Has to be for the insurance money.”
“Not necessarily,” Mike countered. He stared at their joined hands for a moment, then continued, “What if this is related to construction work of some kind?”
“Simon’s muddy work boots,” Mitch said thoughtfully.
“Where?”
“In his truck. I noticed them in the back as we fled the apartment complex.” Mitch shrugged at the surprise in Mike’s eyes. “Hang around with cops long enough and you start to think like them. I was looking for blood or other evidence related to Janice’s murder, but there wasn’t anything obvious other than the muddy steel-toed construction boots.”
“Could be a connection,” Mike agreed. “And there was that case a few years back where a well-known construction company was corrupt, with ties to Chicago.”
“So what?” Dana was confused. “I don’t understand the link.”
Mitch glanced up at her. “Big cities like New York, Chicago and Boston have a history of being associated with the mafia,” he explained.
“Mitch is right.” Mike’s expression was grim. “The wise guys aren’t as overt as they used to be, but trust me, the underground world of organized crime still exists.”
Despite working in the busy ER of the only level-one trauma center in the city, Dana realized she had led a sheltered life. Caring for victims of crimes was never easy, but she didn’t know very much about the true nature of criminal enterprises.
“I’m still not clear why the mafia would want to burn down buildings. What’s the payoff for them?” She frowned as realization dawned. “Unless it’s about revenge? Or some sort of internal fighting between two criminal organizations?”
“Could be infighting,” Mitch agreed. He still hadn’t let go of her hand and it was a little scary how much she’d come to appreciate the closeness they shared. “But don’t discount the money side. Most business owners carry builder’s risk insurance and they can collect on that money if the fire is deemed accidental.”
She shivered and moved closer to Mitch, hating the idea of fires being set as a way to profit. “That’s terrible.”
“Yeah,” Mike agreed. “I have an update from Miles.”
Mitch’s muscles tensed beneath her fingers. “What?”
“ME puts the time of Janice’s death somewhere between five and eight in the evening. And you were right, she wasn’t killed at the warehouse.”
“That’s strange, considering it’s clear Simon was killed in his apartment,” she said. Then realization dawned. “Wait a minute, was she also killed in her own home before being taken to the warehouse?”
“Good thinking,” Mike said. “But that’s not what happened.” He cleared his throat. “Apparently Janice and Simon were living together and as far as we know, there’s no evidence that any of her blood was found anywhere inside Simon’s apartment.”
“You mean, not yet.” Mitch tightened his hand over hers then abruptly released it. “I can’t believe the entire crime scene has been processed already, considering we found it less than twenty-four hours ago.”
“True.” Mike’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “But for now, let’s just say she wasn’t there. Do you have any idea where else Janice might have been killed?”
“How would I know?” Mitch jumped to his feet and began to pace the short expanse of the room. “I didn’t kill her!”
“I know you didn’t but someone set you up as if you did. Which means it must be someplace you would know about. Somewhere you’d be implicated.”
“Good thing we already checked out your house,” Dana said, striving for a light tone.
“We didn’t look in the garage, or the basement,” Mitch said.
“Too obvious,” Mike countered. “Where else did you meet with her?”
Mitch hunched his shoulders and turned to stare out the window. He was clearly uncomfortable talking about his past relationship with Janice, and Dana couldn’t deny the twinge of jealousy.
Stop it, she mentally chided. The poor woman had been brutally murdered. Besides, Mitch had admitted to breaking things off a year ago.
Yet it was clear her being here, listening to the details, bothered him.
“I can—um—leave you guys alone for a bit.” She inched toward the connecting door.
Mitch spun from the window. “Don’t leave, Dana. This involves both of us now.”
He was so close, his woodsy scent clouded her mind, making it difficult to think. “Are you sure? If it’s easier to talk about personal stuff without me being here...”
“Stay.” His smile was strained, but his clear blue eyes were solemn. “I want you to hear this.”
Her heart thudded against her ribs as their gazes clung. Then Mike cleared his throat.
“Maybe I should leave,” he muttered.
Mitch shot an annoyed glance at his brother. “There are two places we often went, one was down on Barton Beach, at the lakefront, a small picnic spot off the main area. The other was hiking on the trails of Langston Peak, part of the glacier state park. We did some cross-country skiing there, too.”
Mike nodded thoughtfully. “Two good possibilities. Which one should we check out first?”
“The lakefront is easier. Not as much surface area to search,” Mitch mused.
Dana frowned. “I don’t like it. Remember what happened at Simon’s apartmen
t? It was almost as if there was someone watching the place, waiting for us to show up so they could send in the police.”
“What’s our alternative?” Mitch countered. “We don’t have much else to go on.”
“And we’ll be better prepared this time,” Mike added. “I can call Noah for backup.”
“I hate dragging another officer into this,” Mitch protested. “I’d rather Miles and Noah stayed far away, so they don’t get in trouble.”
“Your call,” Mike said with a shrug. “But having them close by just in case the real killer is nearby wouldn’t hurt.”
Indecision was reflected on Mitch’s face, and while she understood his need to protect his family, she hoped and prayed he’d agree to have someone nearby, just in case.
The thought of anything happening to Mitch was unbearable. She depended on him, far more than she should.
* * *
It was a no-win situation either way, and Mitch knew it. Risk his brother and brother-in-law or risk Dana.
No contest. His brothers were trained officers. Dana was only involved at all because of him.
He relented with a tiny nod. “Okay, fine. Call Noah. At least he hasn’t been formally instructed to arrest me.”
Mike looked as if he wanted to argue. “Suit yourself. Give me a few minutes to get in touch with him.”
His brother pulled out his phone and walked outside to contact their brother-in-law. Mitch scrubbed his hands over his face, hoping his gut was wrong and that one of the sites where he and Janice used to go wasn’t the place she was murdered.
“I still don’t know if this is smart,” Dana said. “Why not stay here and continue going through Jeff’s notes?”
He glanced at the two file folders. “If you were Jeff and had actually changed evidence so that the fires were deemed accidental rather than arson, would you have that kind of detail in your notes?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Probably not.”
Mitch still had trouble wrapping his mind around the idea of Jeff being involved. “Some facts he couldn’t change, like the ownership of the warehouse, because it had to be reflected in the report.”