by Marnee Blake
“You’re gone over a decade and they still think you can help me find my way around?” Didn’t seem like he would have that much recent firsthand knowledge.
“Not much changes around here.”
Small towns were like that. Memories had a long tail. “Well, I guess your father is an important part of the community. They trust you because he trusts you.”
Dak snorted. “My father definitely doesn’t trust me.”
Now she had a mystery. Why had Lyle Parrish wanted Dak involved, then? More important, why wouldn’t a father trust his own son? And what would make a son run from home at seventeen?
“So you and your father aren’t close?” She was prying, and it wasn’t polite. But, she wanted to learn more about him.
“For someone who doesn’t like to answer a lot of questions, you sure know how to ask them.”
Someone else might have been turned off by his grumble, but she only grinned. “What can I say? I’m an investigator.”
“More like an interrogator.”
She laughed. “Well you introduced me to Maisie. So maybe you are acquainted enough with the reservation.”
He snorted. “You just needed to know the right people. Jesse will help. I’m glad, because I’m not going to be around over the next week or so.”
She hated how disappointed that made her. “Where are you going?”
“Hate to remind you, but I have a job, too. I’m expected at the air center tomorrow. It’s technically still wildfire season, at least for a couple more weeks.” He winked at her.
Of course. She worked for the Forest Services, too, after all. Except, his job was the dangerous part of the Forest Services. The jump out of a plane and risk your life part.
When she’d left the DEA, part of the appeal of working for the Forest Services was that it wasn’t as dangerous. Probably wasn’t something other people took into account when looking for a new job, but it meant a lot to her.
But Dak’s job? It was life-threatening. He jumped out of planes, fought forest fires. Firefighters were sometimes hurt or killed in the line of duty.
And those he loved could get caught in the crossfire.
This reminder should completely turn her off. What was wrong with her? She really hadn’t learned anything.
“Oh. Right. Well, be careful.” It was as close as she was going to get to outward concern, and it was closer than she even wanted to be.
As they pulled in front of Maisie’s, he shifted into park. “Let me walk you in.”
“No. Seriously, that’s not necessary,” she said. Because she didn’t need him to walk her ten feet to the door of the grocery store. “You can just watch me from here.”
Dak pointed across the parking lot. “That’s Jesse. Let me introduce you.”
He was out of the truck before she could stop him. He really did have a habit of escorting her everywhere. It was as if he couldn’t help it.
She hated how much she liked it.
Waving, he called out to the man coming up the sidewalk. “Hey, Broadridge. Good to see you.”
The two of them shook hands like they hadn’t seen each other in years, and they probably hadn’t, if what Dak said was true and he hadn’t been back to the reservation in twelve years. It didn’t seem to matter, though. They were immediately asking each other about their families, questions she noticed Dak deflected with inquiries about Jesse’s wife, Brenda, apparently.
Finally, Dak touched her arm, including her into the conversation with natural ease. “Jesse, this is Heidi Sinclair with the Forest Services. She’s here to have coffee with you and Maisie.”
Heidi stuck out her hand. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
Jesse took her fingers in a firm grip. “No problem. I figured anybody who got Kirk so wound up was probably someone I’d like.” The lines around his eyes bunched, suggesting he was someone who laughed often. She liked people like that.
She smiled back. “Well then, we’re probably going to be good friends.”
Jesse’s laugh lines crinkled again. Definitely going to like him. He opened the door to Maisie’s grocery, ushering her in before asking Dak, “You coming?”
“No. I was going to…” Dak motioned down the street.
What did that mean?
“Heard you stopped by to see your brother yesterday.” The mildness in Jesse’s tone set off alarm bells in her mind. She narrowed her eyes at Dak, watching his reactions. He gave little away.
Maisie had said the rest of his family was close, but he hadn’t mentioned seeing his brother. Why had he kept that to himself? Maybe because she’d passed out. “You saw your brother yesterday?”
“How did you know that?” Dak asked Jesse.
Jesse shrugged. “Word of advice. Step carefully with your family.”
Dak snorted. “Like I need to be told that.”
This entire conversation made no sense to her.
“I’m serious.” The grave expression on Jesse’s face fit, but Heidi much preferred the laugh lines. “Your father has serious pull on the Council.” He paused, and it might have been her imagination, but Heidi could have sworn she saw sympathy on his face. “And I hear your mother isn’t well.”
Dak’s mouth thinned and Heidi wondered exactly how much she was missing from this story. Maisie had mentioned his family, even his mother’s illness and the unusual dynamic, but watching Dak’s reactions reached inside her chest, touching her in a way that was dangerous.
Why hadn’t he told her that he stopped to see his brother yesterday? There’d been time. That must have been the “errand” he’d gone on. Why wouldn’t he have said that? And why was Jesse warning him against them? She shouldn’t want to know so much about him, but she did.
It struck her, then, that she didn’t really grasp fully what Dak’s part was in all of this. There was obviously a lot there that he wasn’t telling her.
Had she really kissed someone without knowing exactly how much he might be involved? Agreed to go on a date with him, muddy her professional life?
Dak Parrish wasn’t some unbiased bystander. He had clear ties to the reservation, and though his job and career was at the air center, this was his family. She needed to conduct her investigation free of partiality.
How stupid could she be? She was new to this job, and she didn’t have any space to lose her objectivity over some guy she just met.
“I think we can take it from here, don’t you, Jesse?” She hadn’t wanted anyone else involved in the beginning, and nothing had changed. She would be better off if she remembered who had insisted he help her in the first place. His father. If she was going to find the truth, she needed to keep her head about her.
And she definitely couldn’t do that with Dak around.
She nodded at Dak, putting her most professional smile on her face. “Thanks for the ride again. I really appreciate everything you’ve done. But I can take it from here.”
He must have read between the lines, because his mouth thinned. Well, too bad if he didn’t like that. This wasn’t his job. He could go back to his real job, jumping out of planes and fighting fires. He needed to leave chasing leads to her.
“Sounds good.” She hadn’t left him any room to maneuver, so Dak smiled back. “I’ll be in touch, Heidi. About tonight.”
That sounded like a vow, and anticipation coursed down her spine. It was a subtle reminder of the kiss they’d shared, that less than twenty-four hours ago she’d wanted to go out with him. Desperately.
She ignored it. She’d deal with that later today, as soon as she could think of a way to talk her way out of that date.
“See you later, Dak.” As Jesse held the door, she couldn’t help adding over her shoulder, “Be safe out there, okay?”
She hated that she cared so much. They’d only known each other for a couple days. He shouldn
’t matter to her. And maybe he didn’t, maybe this was only one human worrying about the well-being of another. But she doubted it.
He must have too, because he shot her a wink.
She forced herself to walk into Maisie’s shop without watching him leave.
* * * *
Dak had no idea what happened with Heidi. One second, she was softening, and the next she’d practically shooed him away like a child at the adults’ table.
She’d pulled away from him. They’d been talking about his brother and his family and he’d noticed her shift away from him.
He paused on the street, his hands on his hips. She’d probably suspected that he was keeping things from her. Of course she did. She wasn’t an idiot. In fact, she was one of the most observant people he’d ever met.
Damn it. Now what?
This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to get involved in this in the first place. He didn’t want to keep all of this from her. Worse, it wasn’t fair. Introducing her to Maisie and Jesse one minute and yet leaving out how his family might be involved.
He needed to tell her. If he explained that he couldn’t overtly help, that he was working on hunches, a history of bad blood—if he told her that he was willing to help her, but his hands were tied. This kind of stuff, though, it didn’t roll off the tongue. More, if he turned her attention to his family without any evidence, he’d only serve to alienate himself further.
He needed to talk to Mikey again. The faster he could get to the bottom of this, the better. But when he reached Slick’s garage, it was empty.
“Mikey,” he yelled. “I need to talk to you.” He moved farther inside, but he didn’t see his brother’s feet sticking out from anything or hear him. As he headed toward the back and Mikey’s office, his brother stepped out, lowering his phone, as if just hanging up.
“You back?” Mikey nudged his head toward the casino. “Playing the hero yesterday not enough for you?” His brother’s snideness took him back years. While Dak had always strove for perfection to gain his father’s approval, Mikey had gone the other way, acting out and causing trouble. Though Dak wouldn’t take responsibility for his brother’s choices, his comment still got under his skin. As Mikey intended, probably.
“Well, I guess one of us has to do it.” Dak folded his arms.
His brother put his phone on the counter, crossed his own arms and sighed. “Listen, Dak. I know we don’t know each other well now, and I know we used to do this back then. But I’m over this stuff. So if you have something to say, say it.”
“Fine. What do you know about the fire at the casino yesterday?” The reservation fire department had handled the fire beautifully. But the parking lot had been packed yesterday. If the flames had spread, someone could have been hurt. If it had affected the casino… He assumed the structure was built with adequate fire safety in mind, but he’d seen too many things go wrong in his years as a firefighter.
“What makes you think I know anything about some fire?”
The question was a challenge. Dak could see it in his brother’s eyes. It dragged them both back to that day twelve years ago, when Dak found him surrounded by lighter fluid near their shed. That day, when Dak had pushed, he’d been ostracized from everyone. Now, he hesitated. “Come on, Mikey. You weren’t exactly a model citizen when I lived here, you and your friends. Somebody has to know something about this.”
“I hate to disappoint you.” Mikey sneered. “But I’m not that guy anymore. I have a job, part ownership in this garage. I’m seeing someone and she’s great. My life is different. You haven’t been around for years and you can’t come back here judging me. You don’t know me. Not anymore.”
“So you don’t know anything about this fire? Nothing at all?” Dak didn’t believe it. The community was too small for something like that to go undetected.
When Mikey’s face remained stoic, Dak pushed further. “What about the string of arsons on the reservation? Do you know anything about them?” There were coincidences, but this was too much.
His brother’s eyes narrowed. “What do you know about those?”
“I’m working with the Forest Services’ investigator, Heidi Sinclair.” He shrugged. “Dad asked me to help her.” As soon as he said the words, he regretted them. It shouldn’t matter if his father asked him to do anything.
Old habits died hard.
“Did he, huh?” Mikey’s eyes strayed to his phone and then back. His mouth thinned, and he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”
Was it his imagination or did he see resignation in his brother’s face? Dak waited, in case Mikey had anything to say and only needed incentive. When his brother remained quiet, Dak shrugged. “You know, someone could have been hurt. That dumpster was next to the casino. If whoever is doing this isn’t caught, they’re going to get bolder, take bigger chances. They’re going to keep going until someone gets hurt.”
Mikey only glared at him. “Well, if you’re thinking it was me, and I can tell that you are, remember I was here yesterday afternoon. You’re my alibi, aren’t you?”
And damn it, he was right. Dak had run right from there to the casino to help. He exhaled, frustrated. He was missing something here, but by the time he figured it out, it was going to be too late. “If you do find out anything, you can get ahold of me at the air center.”
At that, the corner of his brother’s mouth tilted up. “I know where you work, Dak.”
Of course he would have heard about his job in Redmond. Small community and all. But, he was telling Dak that he’d known all this time; he just hadn’t cared enough to see him. Not that they had been close, not in a long time. Their father had made sure of that, always pitting them against each other, driving the competition until he killed every bit of friendship they might have had.
Dak nodded and left without a goodbye. On the street, he glanced back, watching his brother pick up his phone and tap on the face. Probably texting their father, including him in case he hadn’t already heard about the fire or Dak being on the reservation again.
Feeling more like an outcast than he had in a while, Dak headed back to Maisie’s.
Climbing into the cab of his truck, he scanned the windows of the shop, searching for a glimpse of Heidi. Twisting the key in the ignition, he cursed himself. He connected her with Jesse. He’d pointed her in the right direction, given her what he could to figure out what was really going on with the fires. From here, he should let it go.
In fact, he should leave her alone now. She was obviously having second thoughts about kissing him. It would be for the best if he didn’t have anything else to do with her.
Still, he reached for his phone. Pulling up her contact, he opened a new text message.
He sent her the location of the billiard bar where he and Lance always played. Then he added: Would love it if you could come tonight. Will be there at 7:00.
Locking the screen, he tossed the phone on the passenger seat. There. No pressure. She could decide to come or not, whatever made her comfortable.
As he drove toward Redmond, he attempted to convince himself he was fine either way.
It didn’t work.
Chapter 7
“Don’t you be a stranger.” Maisie walked Heidi and Jesse to the door, as if she was ushering them out of her home. Which, to some degree, was probably true.
“Absolutely not.” Heidi smiled at her, and then, on a whim, she folded the older woman in a hug. When she stepped out of the embrace, the soft expression on Maisie’s face told her it had been the right thing.
Not that she’d admit it. Instead, she huffed and offered a small wave, pulling the door closed with a jingle of the bell.
Jesse chuckled, shaking his head. “She’s something, isn’t she?”
“Sure is.” She stared at the closed door. “I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone like her.”
“Doubt you ever will.” He tucked the notebook he’d brought to make notes under his arm and stepped off the sidewalk, heading toward his car. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
She should be the one thanking him, though. He’d given her the details. More fires than she’d originally been told, a slew of other facts and details that had been left out in her conversations with Dusty Kirk. From here, she’d need to talk with her supervisor about his relationship with the police on the reservation. Jesse suggested that this was the first time that an investigation had been treated like this. Either Kirk’s treatment was specific to the factors of this case or specific to her. She needed to know which it was.
But none of that was at the front of her mind. “Jesse?”
“Yeah?” He paused, his hand on the car handle.
She closed the space between them, not wanting anyone to overhear what she was going to ask next.
“You mentioned Dak’s family, that things in his family were hard. What did you mean by that?” It probably wasn’t professional to be asking about Dak’s family. His father had involved himself in her investigation, and she suspected he was the reason that Dusty Kirk had been deliberately vague with her. She needed to know more. But, for some reason, it felt like an invasion of Dak’s privacy, prying into Dak’s family life.
Jesse seemed to sense this was shady conversation area as well. “Yeah. His father…he doesn’t always get involved in investigations.”
“I figured.” She crossed her arms over her chest, bracing against the cool air. Today was typical of early fall in Oregon. After yesterday’s warm weather, today was chilly. It could turn on a dime.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I know that Dak hasn’t been close to his family in a long time.”
“So why did his father ask him to help me?” It didn’t make sense.
“I don’t know.” Jesse sighed. “But I’d imagine it either has something to do with Lyle Parrish’s businesses or his family.” He ushered Heidi farther from Maisie’s store, his eyes scanning the area. He probably didn’t want to be overheard either. “Dak’s father has wide-reaching real estate ventures. There’s a chance that somehow, one of his business dealings might be involved.”