by Geri Krotow
“Those experiences were priceless, though. And you know they miss us, too. They’re not getting any younger.”
“Neither is my case,” he grumbled. Keith wasn’t self-pitying, but the case was wearing on him. “This is beyond inane. My record speaks for itself.”
“So why aren’t you being acquitted more readily?” She sat in the easy chair opposite him.
“Someone has a hard-on for the SVFD. They want us shut down, period.”
“That’s ridiculous. We need a fire department!”
“There’s a faction of the community who think the firefighting duties should entirely belong to the counties, not the municipalities. It’s about cash flow and taxation. And then the volunteer issue...”
“What do you think, Keith?”
His eyes flashed angrily before he blinked and let out a long sigh.
“I don’t know what’s better economically and frankly I don’t care about that side of it. What I know is that you have to have local firefighters who know the area like the back of their hand in order to keep the populace as safe as possible. However it breaks down, whether it’s the county or local community who calls the final shots, that’s a politician’s concern. A voting issue. I’m a firefighter.”
“And an arson expert.”
“Yes.” His haunted expression took her back to Christmas, when he’d singlehandedly discovered the accelerant the Female Preacher Killer had placed in the loft of the Silver Valley Community Church just minutes after he’d arrived on scene. It’d been too late to stop the loft fire, but they’d saved every civilian present, including Zora and the organist. The civil action against Keith claimed he and his team had overlooked the accelerant during their inspection before any civilians had entered the building and thus endangered hundreds of churchgoers on Christmas Eve.
“I spoke with Detective Ortega today.”
At his immediate silence and stony expression, Kayla cringed. She hated causing her brother any more angst. He’d had enough.
“And?” His face was unreadable.
“He thinks your case is tied in with something bigger that’s going on in Silver Valley.”
“He’s right.”
She jolted with surprise. “You already knew?”
“Yes. Rio came to me a week ago. He’s done a lot of digging for me, and he’s convinced I’m innocent. He was pretty much from the beginning, but he had to follow protocol. He’s getting blowback from this single attorney who’s come out of nowhere, with his clients insisting that I personally could have done something to prevent that psycho’s actions. Rio thinks the couple has been hoodwinked by this lawyer. That he was out there looking for someone to file a claim against me and the fire department. It’s pissing me off, Kayla, I have to tell you. First we all lived through the bastard’s killing and stalking, then the fire. It’s like he’s still coming after us from beyond the grave.”
“The janitor who was the Female Preacher Killer.”
“Right.”
So Rio had been watching out for Keith, even after they’d stopped seeing each other. He’d heard her when she’d spoken to him all those months ago. But he never mentioned it to her. Typical Rio—he allowed her to think the worst about him. She shook her head.
“What?” Keith didn’t miss her motion. “It was the janitor who was the killer, the arsonist. My people couldn’t have found his trap unless they’d had more time and been able to tear the balcony apart before the children’s pageant.”
“I’m not shaking my head at that. Of course I know that, and I believe you, Keith.” Rio had believed Keith from the beginning, too, but she hadn’t known it. “What I don’t get is how can complete strangers keep you tied up in this bogus claim?”
Her younger brother flashed her a sarcastic grin. “Money, sis. Money talks and whoever it is wasn’t happy when SVPD wanted all charges against me dropped. So they’re coming after me with the civil suit. They’re claiming that if we’d done our jobs correctly, the fire wouldn’t have taken off so quickly. I’m lucky that SVPD is still trying to figure out why these civilians are so hell-bent on nailing me.”
“You still think it’s somehow your fault, don’t you?”
“Hell, Kayla, there’s always a part of me that feels responsible whenever anyone is hurt because of a fire. But no, I don’t feel responsible for what that bastard did. And I have no doubt that I’ll get out of this mess, but what I do doubt is that I’ll do it before my career is completely shot.”
She couldn’t reply to his too-true statement. No matter how innocent he was, how untrue the claims against him and the department, the writing was on the firehouse wall.
If his case against him wasn’t dropped soon, Keith wouldn’t serve in Silver Valley’s fire department again. Not without a lingering cloud of suspicion trailing him for the rest of his career.
“Have you thought about what else you can do?” She quietly heated up one of the casseroles she’d brought him in his microwave. He hadn’t shaved in what looked like a week and he was in gym gear. At least the house was clean and he’d showered. “If you don’t go back to the force?”
“No. Yes. I can become an arson investigator, maybe work for SVPD or go into the private sector. I’ve got other options, too, that have popped up. I just haven’t explored them yet.”
“Like what?”
“I can’t say a lot about it, but there’s an agency that works covertly to solve crimes of all types. They contacted me.”
“Here in Silver Valley?”
“No, not only here. All across the country, probably overseas, too. But my focus would be more local. To help out local LEA as needed.”
“Are you talking about the CIA?” God, Keith wasn’t thinking of anything so dangerous, was he? “Dad would have something to say about that.” While in the Foreign Service their father had worked alongside the CIA in certain embassy tours and while he respected the agency it wasn’t a line of work he’d ever want either of his children pursuing.
“It’s not for Dad to say, just like it’s not for you to tell Dad about this conversation. It’s not CIA, Kayla. Just drop it.”
“Fine.” The microwave dinged. She pulled the hot dish out and lifted up the wax paper, releasing aromatic steam that she hoped her brother wouldn’t be able to resist. “Here. Eat. You look like you’re on a hunger strike.”
“I feel like an outcast in my own damn town.” Grumbling or not, he stood up and walked over to the stools at the high counter. “You’re the best, sis. I appreciate it.”
“It’s the least I could do. You took care of me last fall.”
“That was nothing.” He shoved a huge forkful of food into his mouth. “Ouch! That’s hot.”
Blowing on his next forkful, Keith said, “You never told me who you were so upset about then.”
“And I won’t.” She couldn’t. If she told him about her brief, failed relationship with one SVPD cop, and then her disaster with Rio, he’d think she needed more than his help. That she was crazy.
Keith already had been through hell, having his stellar career yanked out from under him by the bogus claims. If he’d known he’d been the cause of her broken heart, no matter how indirectly, he’d feel even worse than he already did.
“Huh.” He chewed, swallowed. “This is good stuff, sis. You’ll make some dude happy with your wifely skills.”
“Watch it or I’ll make it hotter and make sure you can’t talk to me like that.”
“You’re all talk, Kayla. You have a heart of gold and this food proves it.”
CHAPTER 9
Soft footsteps startled Kayla, and the panic from last night threatened to make a full-blown return.
Rio stood in the middle of the shop, his athletic build and mesmerizing eyes proving an antidote to her anxiety. Not that she’d admit it.
“What are you doing here again?” She’d been working since returning to the shop after having left Keith’s, and hadn’t even heard Rio walk up to the front counter
. She clicked on the appropriate commands to shut down the register computer and close the cash till before she allowed herself to look at him fully. “I thought I’d locked the front door.”
It was a good thing the counter stood between them. She’d be lying to herself if she denied the thought of Keith’s case being cleared up hadn’t had her imagination going nonstop with images of what Rio and she had done together in bed, what they could do together again once he was no longer on the case.
“I told you I’m looking out for you. I wouldn’t have asked you to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and then just left you on your own.” He didn’t have to spell it out for her. He’d appointed himself her security guard.
“So you got my text?” She’d told him she’d learned some interesting things at the Charbonneau house.
“Yes, but I don’t want to talk about it here.” He pointedly looked around the shop, with its huge front picture windows and artful displays that a customer could easily hide behind. “Come to dinner with me.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll close up and we can talk in the back like we did this morning.” As soon as she said it, she stopped and stared at him. At his mouth, which was curving up to match the sexy glint in his eyes.
“That’s what I’m talking about, Kayla. A public diner would be a better place, don’t you think? Since we seem to get distracted in a more private setting.”
“Oh. Okay, of course. I need two more minutes and we can go.”
So he’d been as shaken by their kiss as she had. Good. If they both knew they needed to keep firm boundaries around their physical space, they’d stay out of trouble, right?
She clicked off the open sign and locked the front door before turning to Rio again. “Let’s walk through the back and I’ll lock up the receiving door.”
“Right behind you.”
That was the problem. She’d done okay and had even convinced herself that she was over Rio when she didn’t have to see him every day. She’d stopped worrying about running into him randomly, for the most part.
But after last night, and the kiss this morning, things had changed. She was as tuned in to and turned on by Rio as she’d ever been. More, even.
She hoped they found Meredith’s killer before she did something stupid, like convince herself that she’d made a mistake by shutting Rio out of her life.
* * *
“Are you sure you heard the word florist and not something else?” Rio’s intense stare could make most people think twice even when they were sure, Kayla included.
“I’m positive. It’s so obvious that they’re involved. Do you think the mayor killed Meredith?”
“You tell me, Kayla. Did it sound like the mayor’s voice that you heard yelling last night?”
“No. The mayor voice’s isn’t that deep. The killer, he was barely audible through the barn wall and door. I knew it was a man, I knew he was yelling, but it didn’t carry as far. It was more of a roar, a vibration. I heard Meredith’s voice and her screams.” She stopped playing with the straw wrapper on the diner table.
Strong, dark hands covered hers. She forced herself to look at Rio.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Fine is one thing. Okay, quite another. It takes time to digest the fact that you’ve survived a possible attempt on your life.”
“No one tried to kill me, Rio.”
“Trust me, he would have if he’d been able to. No murderer likes to leave the possibility of a witness behind. And he heard you.”
“I may not have your training but I trust my common sense.”
The waitress came up to them.
“BLT on rye—” she slid the platter in front of Kayla “—and a French dip.” Rio smiled at her, his teeth flashing. Kayla watched as the waitress batted her eyes and gave Rio the once-over. “You all let me know if you need anything else, okay?”
Kayla ate a French fry as Rio replied. They’d never met over a meal before—their time together had been one shared beer at a community concert before they’d gone to bed. As cliché as it had sounded when she’d told him, she’d never had sex with a man on such short acquaintance and had let Rio know. He hadn’t made the same declaration, but his touch had made her feel as if she was the first woman he’d ever laid hands on. His ability to bring her to multiple climaxes in one session had not been the work of a novice, though.
“I’ve had all my meals provided for today. First the coffee and croissant from you, then lunch at the Charbonneaus’, now dinner. Not that I expect you to pay for this. I’m paying.”
“It’s on SVPD.” Rio spoke with authority and she wasn’t going to argue with him over a diner meal, but she knew “SVPD” meant her BLT was on Rio. SVPD was large enough but law enforcement didn’t expense meals out with witnesses. She’d heard her brother complain about budget shortfalls in firefighting and suspected the police were no different.
“I’ve heard enough from Keith about budget shortfalls at the fire department. I’m sure it’s the same for SVPD, right? I’m not taking money from your coffers, Rio.”
“Back to your brother’s case again, are we?”
“You should be more careful. You could be accused of bribing me with meals to keep me from putting pressure on you and SVPD to solve Keith’s case. You know what makes me the angriest, Rio? You agree with me that Keith is innocent of all the charges that have been brought against him. But the investigation seems to have stalled since the civil suit was filed against him. I want to know why.”
“We’ve done this dance, Kayla. And we’re not talking about it.”
“Yet you want me to help you out, help SVPD solve a crime. And you won’t level with me on where you’re at with Keith’s case.” She wasn’t going to admit she’d found out just how much Rio was helping Keith. It would probably embarrass him, at the least, and anger him if he thought she was prying.
“I am helping Keith, Kayla. If he’s innocent the facts will play out.” His voice was low and angry.
“You don’t get to question me about a case you’re more interested in and leave my brother’s career in the balance, Rio.”
His lips thinned and he tapped the top of the leather bench with his fingers, which gave away his inner turmoil. Jackpot.
“You’re going to have to trust me on this, as much as you and I have difficulty with the concept.”
“More like I’ll never be able to trust anyone investigating my brother.”
“Your brother’s case is one of many on SVPD’s plate. Of all people, anyone in law enforcement is the last person we want to incriminate, unless they’ve earned that scrutiny. You have to trust me on your brother’s case, Kayla.” His eyes remained fixed on her and she had to work at it to not blink or fidget or look away.
“Fine.”
Rio kept up his stern demeanor for a few more beats before a lazy grin crept across his features.
“I knew you couldn’t resist my charm.”
“Shove it, Rio.”
His laughter rumbled in their booth and broke the tension.
“How’s your family doing, by the way? How have you been?” She didn’t want to talk about the case anymore, at least not for a few minutes while they finished their meals.
“Nice change of subject.” He stared over her shoulder as if he was solving a physics problem instead of thinking about his family. “They’re all well. I would still love for you to meet them. My mother and stepfather stay busy with their small farm and grandkids, and my sisters still love trying to nose into my life when they have time amid all the parenting stuff. It’s nice to see my parents finally relaxing. Dad retired last year, and he and Mom are talking about opening an authentic Tex-Mex restaurant.”
“That would be a great addition to Silver Valley.” There were a few Mexican restaurants in town but most were part of a chain.
“My sisters think they’re crazy, but they aren’t too old. They’re only in their fifties. My sisters are both mothe
r hens, with Mom and Dad and with me.”
She remembered he was the only brother of three siblings. Just like Keith. “It’s a sister’s prerogative to keep tabs on her brother and his love life.”
“They thought you might be the one for me.”
She froze. “You told them about us?”
“Not in detail, no. That would be gross.” He grinned while she squirmed, wanting to laugh at his joke but only finding herself able to remember the “details” Rio referred to.
Pathetic.
“You’ve gotten quiet again, Kayla.”
“I just don’t have anything to say on that subject.”
“Fine. Then let’s go over your events with Gloria again. This time, I want you to tell me how you felt while you talked to her, what you thought about the house.”
“You want my emotions? That’s a little touchy-feely for a cop, isn’t it?”
“Indulge me.” Rio dipped his fresh-baked bun, loaded with layers of thin-sliced beef, into a side bowl of jus. “Want a bite?” He held up the sandwich, his eyes warm and inviting.
“No, I’m good.” Taking a bite of Rio’s sandwich was too intimate, too close. The kind of thing they might be doing if he wasn’t working on Keith’s case. “Before I go on, can’t you give me a nibble on what’s happening with Keith? You know he’s not guilty.”
“I’ve told you over and over that I can’t talk about it, Kayla. And this isn’t tit for tat. You don’t have that impression from me, do you?”
“No, not at all. But you can’t blame me for trying.” She sipped her water as she prepared to change tactics. “You asked me how I felt. Usually with Gloria I have the sense that she is looking down on me. That everyone exists to do her bidding. I only met her twice before, because her assistant, Sylvia, usually orders her flowers and when we deliver we leave them at the door because their front porch is covered. Today, Gloria seemed rattled. It wasn’t anything you’d notice unless you were looking for it, but she wasn’t as self-contained as normal.”
“Go on.”