out of setting fires.”
“I don’t!”
“What about the Clarks’ greenhouse? You were supposed to break some windows, not set the whole thing on fire.”
“So? They paid us after.”
“I think you’re a fucking crazy loose cannon and you like seeing things burn.”
Sam huffed loudly. “Well… well, if I do, if I liked that fire, maybe you should be nicer to me. Ya think?”
There was a moment of breathless suspense. Then the other man said, harsh and low, “Was that a threat?”
“No, man!” Sam began backing quickly toward his own truck, his hands held wide. “No, I’d never. Just talking. Just pissed at Farris, you know?”
“You’re a fucking idiot.” The guy took a fast step toward him.
“Yeah. No! Sorry.” Sam turned, rushed to his truck, and peeled off up the drive in a kick of dirt.
“Motherfucking son of a bitch.” The other man paused and pulled out a phone. After a moment, he said, “Yeah, it’s me… it’s done. Jordan paid up, Farris said no… he might. But you need to bring the hammer down on Sam, hard… He tried to torch a bush at Farris’s place… no real harm, but Sam’s fucking unreliable… Yeah… Okay… I will… Yeah. Fuck…” He put the phone back in his pocket and went inside the house. A couple of lights came on behind curtained front windows, then went back out. A flicker of blue upstairs suggested a TV.
The timed headlights on the truck cut out, leaving the front drive in darkness. Nick blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust, and heard Brian take a fast breath. Reaching out blindly in the deep shadows, Nick fumbled, found Brian’s arm, and squeezed twice in what he hoped was a clear “stay put” message.
Keeping his phone video running for continuity, he eased in close along the front of the house, where he should be hard to spot from inside. He swept a quick flash of light across the front of the truck… where there’s no fucking license plate in this state. Taking a chance, he ducked around to the rear to record the plate, swept the recording up his own foot and leg to document his presence, then pocketed phone and light, and went back to Brian.
Should I try to spy on the house guy some more? But the man had gone upstairs. There wasn’t likely to be much to see.
Nick’s eyes had adjusted enough to find Brian’s arm and get him moving. They made it back up to the road, staying low and out of sight, and walked down the shoulder to his car. He told Brian, “You drive.”
“Really?”
“Sure. Head back past Sam’s place while I check out that video.” It was good for Brian to get more driving practice. You never knew when that skill might become important.
Brian double-checked his mirrors a few times, then pulled out into a gap in the sparse traffic. Nick tried not to nag at his driving every second, but it was several minutes before he felt like Brian was settled into the groove. Then he checked his phone. The audio was a bit mushy but clear enough for both of them to hear it play out.
Brian asked, “Who’s McNaught? That’s not Reggie.”
“No. He’s someone new. To me, I mean.” And obviously important.
“Should I head for the sheriff station?”
“Not yet.”
“You said you’d turn it over.”
“I will, but this is nothing, really. No big confessions, despite the, um, suggestions.” And recording it was borderline illegal— outdoors but deep on private property. A judge might not like it.
“Sam admitted to setting another fire.”
“Okay, yeah. But tossing a match in a bush?” Nick shook his head. “I’ll make a copy but hold off for now. We can look up McNaught online.”
Brian outwaited a rusty beater at a stop sign, until the other car decided he wasn’t taking his right of way and roared through it.
“You were there first,” Nick pointed out.
“I wasn’t sure.” Brian eased back up to speed. “Yasmin told me they came to her place too. The Watch people. Yesterday.”
“You didn’t mention it.”
“I forgot. They asked if she wanted to chip in for patrols. She didn’t make it sound like a big deal, not like she was worried.”
“She wouldn’t, though.” Nick got the impression it took quite a bit to make Yasmin Wydell nervous. “Did she say who it was?”
“I didn’t want to ask for names, but I could, if you like.”
“I’ll come talk to her tomorrow.”
“You don’t think Sam might set fire to Yasmin’s place, do you? That other guy was right.