“Was it a death threat?” he asked.
She swallowed hard. “I don't know. More of a scare tactic, I think.”
“Get out of town, Maya. Now.”
But she couldn't give up, couldn't go home now. Not when this case had become intensely personal. Someone wanted to scare her, maybe even kill her, but she refused to run. She'd been running for too long.
It was time to face her demons.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I can't. After what happened to my brother here, I've got to stay.”
Albert sighed, and she hated the terrible position she'd just put him in. If she'd had another choice, she would have taken it. But she didn't.
“For the next two days,” he finally said, “until Yeager comes to relieve you, assume the worst. About everyone. And until we have enough evidence to nail the sick, sorry bastard, every single person you meet is a potential arsonist. No matter how charming or helpful. If he's coming after you, you're close. Too close. Be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you, Maya.”
Albert wasn't saying anything she didn't already know. Still, that didn't make it any easier to hear. His description fit Logan perfectly. Everyone thought he was the best of the best. Someone who would “never do something so horrible.”
But the truth was that sometimes the guy everyone liked, the one always willing to lend a hand and help out a neighbor, couldn't keep from lighting fires that would burn down houses and kill innocent people.
She said good-bye before her boss could change his mind about letting her stay for the weekend and dropped her phone into her bag. The cool breeze coming off the lake helped clear her head and she took a moment to assess the crazy situation.
Either Logan had lit her room on fire to scare her or he was right and she'd pissed off someone else. But whom?
Whoever had written the note in the firebox knew she'd been in town six months ago. As far as she knew, the only person she'd come into contact with that day was Logan.
Her boss was right. She was too close. She never thought she'd be drawn to a man capable of such destruction.
But she was.
A wide smile gleamed in the dark. It had been the perfect little fire, timed just right. When she'd read the note it had been so satisfying to see fear on her face.
She was going to get what was coming to her soon.
Very soon.
But not too soon, not before a couple more fires were lit, not before she had to really work for it.
It was going to be so much fun to watch her go around and around in circles. And all the while, the arsonist would be right there under her nose.
Today had been a very good day.
Tomorrow would be even better.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WHAT THE hell is going on here, Logan?”
Logan knew there was no point in holding back with Patrick. No matter what he did or didn't say to his friend, news of his suspension was going to travel fast. Their community of firefighters was small and tight. No one probed where they weren't welcome, but it was impossible to keep public information a secret.
“McCurdy put me on suspension. This afternoon. He thinks I lit the Desolation fire.”
“Jesus,” Patrick said on a heavy exhale, looking as perplexed as Logan had ever seen him. “How are any of us supposed to do this job if we're going to be under suspicion all the time? What's next, no BBQs in our backyards because we'll get arrested for risky behavior?”
Logan appreciated his buddy's support. Even if it didn't mean a damn thing in the grand scheme of things. But he needed to find out everything he could about this motel fire. Someone was after Maya. And he needed to find out who. And why.
Clearly, nothing had changed in the six months since he'd seen her, because he still wasn't smart enough to walk away from danger. Especially not if it meant she was a wide-open target.
“Anything else I should know about this fire?”