Burn You Twice - Mary Burton Page 0,91

of the cause of death?” Gideon asked.

“Impossible for me to tell,” Rick said.

“By now, Darren should be at my office waiting to be questioned,” Gideon said. “I sent my officer to go get him.”

“He called in the fire,” Rick said.

“Many arsonists do,” Joan offered.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Gideon said.

“Perhaps,” she conceded.

“Can we walk inside?” Gideon asked.

“The fire is out, but it’ll be hot. I can’t speak to the integrity of the building.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Gideon said.

“Fine. But she stays out.”

“Why?” Joan demanded.

“Because this isn’t Missoula but Granite County, and they have vastly different rules,” Gideon explained.

“Out here, you’re a civilian,” Rick said.

“How about some professional curiosity?” Sure, she was on leave, but they had not taken her badge yet.

“Nope,” Rick said. “Too much liability.”

“Do I look like someone who would sue?” she asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Rick said.

“Stay,” Gideon said. “I’ll be right back.”

As Gideon stepped inside the water-soaked living room, Rick received a call that took him back to his vehicle. Joan immediately moved closer to the house, stopping short of stepping inside. She watched as Gideon approached the blue tarp. He squatted and carefully lifted the edge, his face drawing into a frown as he studied the body.

When he glanced her way, she shouted, “What does her neck look like?”

He dropped his gaze and then reached for his phone and took several pictures. Finally, he covered the body and rose. When he joined her out on the porch, his face was grim and a shade paler. One more image to carry.

“Do you think it’s Jessica Halpern?” she asked as they stepped away from the cabin. “How did her neck look?”

“Her head was twisted at an odd angle, but the skin was too blackened to make any visual determination. The damage to the body was extensive.”

Joan nodded as she followed Gideon’s train of thought. “This time, the killer wanted to make damn sure she was dead.”

“Her face was all but gone,” he said.

“Jessica took out the insurance policy, knowing she needed money. Darren could have snuck out of Chicago, killed Lana, burned the beauty shop down, and then returned. We have credit card receipts but no footage yet of him swiping any of his cards.”

“Jessica could have also hired someone to do the dirty work,” he said. “Burn down her business while she’s out of town, and then they return as the victims.”

“If we go that route, Jessica hadn’t counted on Lana’s death, and maybe she panicked. Maybe she got cold feet and said she was going to the cops.”

“You saw Darren when?” Gideon asked.

“Yesterday afternoon at about three. I brought up Lana but didn’t mention she was dead. My questions could have spooked him. Maybe he calls Jessica and they plan to meet up here. She’s no shrinking violet and calls him out for Lana. She suspects the affair with Lana, and their fight gets ugly. He strangles her and burns the place down.”

“Easy for him to get up here, kill Jessica, change, and return to the store to call for help.”

“Though why would Darren set the fire at the Bailey ranch?” she asked.

“Maybe he wants to shift the blame to Elijah, who is a very convenient scapegoat. Not a coincidence that the beauty shop burned after Elijah’s prison release. A fire at the ranch near you and Ann would circle back to the College Fire.”

“It’s plausible, but crime is rarely that complicated or that well planned,” Joan said. “Motivations, like most people, are generally simple.”

“That’s basically true,” Gideon said. “Wonder if John Pollock knew the Halperns?”

Joan shrugged. “Each agrees to torch the other’s property and provide an alibi.”

Gideon rubbed the back of his neck. “Now you’re straying back into complicated.”

When Gideon and Joan arrived in town, Becca greeted them in the hallway by the stairs. “Darren Halpern is waiting in the conference room. He keeps asking about his wife.”

“There was a body in the cabin,” Gideon said to Becca.

“Is it Mrs. Halpern?” Becca asked.

“We’ve not made an ID yet.”

Becca’s expression turned grim. “When a wife goes missing, my money is always on the husband,” Becca said.

“We’ll follow the facts, Becca,” Gideon said.

“You’re the boss,” Becca said.

“I’d like to be present when you talk to Darren,” Joan said.

“It’s one thing to walk a scene but another to participate in an official interview,” Gideon said.

“Darren has not been charged.” She hung up her jacket on a peg and rubbed her hands together. “We’re just having an informal chat, right?”

Gideon realized he liked working with Joan. She had a sharp