Fair Lakes Series Box Set - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,105

around his shoulders, I say, “Well, you know there are… other things we can do, right?”

“Keep talking.”

Just then, a small belch is released from our daughter, making us both smile. I lean forward and place a soft kiss on her forehead, rubbing her back as I go. Harrison slowly walks toward the crib, kisses Sophia in the same spot I just kissed, and gingerly sets her down in the middle. The bed is huge in comparison to her tiny body. We watch as she settles into position and falls fast asleep.

Together, we backtrack to the doorway, our attention still on the crib against the wall. We step out into the hallway and his arms wrap around my lower back. “Now, what was this about other things we can do?” he asks, kissing that magical spot behind my ear.

“I’d rather just show you.”

“He’s late,” Gabby says for the tenth time as she glances out the window. She’s holding her niece in her arms, while Chase stands close, stealing glances when he thinks no one is looking.

“He’ll be here. He wouldn’t have asked us to all meet him if he wasn’t going to show,” Harrison states, setting a bottle of water on the end table beside where I sit.

The detective in charge of the All Fit fire called this morning and asked for a few minutes. He wouldn’t tell us anything over the phone, but considering he also called Chase and Gabby, we’re hoping for good news.

Chase and Gabby arrived together. He’s still crashing on her couch, where he’s been stationed since the night of the fire. He insists it’s to protect her from whatever threat could be looming, but honestly, I’m not so sure anymore. She refuses to even look at him, and when we were alone in the kitchen, she wouldn’t elaborate on their roommating status.

After a few tense minutes, a car finally pulls into the driveway. Detective Benson slides out of the driver’s seat and makes his way to the front door. Before Harrison can get there, Chase has the door open and is greeting the older man.

“Thank you for seeing me on a Sunday afternoon,” the detective states, shaking everyone’s hand as he enters.

“We’re hoping this call was because you’ve figured out who set the fire,” Harrison says, taking a seat beside me on the couch, while Gabby and Chase sit together with Sophia on the loveseat, and Detective Benson takes the recliner.

“We have, actually, and I wanted you to hear it from me,” he says, pulling a series of photos from a folder and handing them to Harrison.

The first one is an image of Gina entering the gym with a bag, the date and time stamped on the corner. Even though her head is down, there’s no disguising her tight tank top and the boobs she can barely conceal beneath it. The second image is of her going into the ladies’ locker room, again with her head down to avoid the cameras. The third photo is a clear image of her face, taken as she sneaks down the back hallway and toward the back door.

“This was taken by the camera I had installed without her knowledge,” Harrison informs, pointing to the picture of his former assistant.

“Correct. Clearly, she wasn’t aware of that camera or else she would have kept her head down as she left,” the detective answers.

“Where’s the bag she walked in with?” I ask before passing the photos over to Chase and Gabby.

“She left it behind in the locker room. It was nearly destroyed in the fire, but the fire marshal was able to determine that it was the point of origin for the blaze. It contained the accelerant she used. We believe she set the bag in the towel bin, and using a gasoline-soaked rag, set it all ablaze. She had enough accelerant in the bag that the fire spread quickly. Fortunately, your sprinkler system was top notch and helped keep it from getting out of control before the fire department arrived.”

Sophia begins to fuss a little, and before either Harrison or I can get up from the couch, Chase sets the photos down on the coffee table and takes his goddaughter. He props her on his shoulder like a pro and lightly rubs her back, without even breaking stride. Gabby is completely shocked by how natural he seems, considering the man was scared shitless of holding her only a handful of days ago. “I thought the cameras were offline,” he says quietly, cooing