“What?”
“The arson very likely was what I said. Kids, out to make
mischief and going too far.” His face clouded. “But according to North, we
can’t rule out the possibility that we’re looking for a firebug.”
The expression on his face told her he was serious. “Have there
been other fires?”
“Not recently.” His frown deepened. “But about five years ago we
had a rash of fires in the business district. No one was hurt, but there was a
lot of property damage. They never caught the guy.”
“The fires just stopped?”
He nodded. “That’s not unusual. That kind of person can go for
years and then break out again.”
She struggled to remember what she knew about firebugs. “They
come back sometimes, don’t they? If they set a fire and it’s put out, they
might try again.”
“It’s possible.” He leaned over to grasp her shoulder. “Look, I
didn’t tell you that because I wanted to scare you. Chances are good it’s
nothing of the kind. But I know you weren’t in Suffolk when that happened
before, and I thought you ought to know.”
She straightened her spine. “You were right to tell me.” She
looked up at him, hoping she didn’t look panicked. “Do you think we’re safe
here? Mandy—” Her throat closed at the thought of her daughter.
“Whoever set the fire knows now that someone lives here. I think
that’ll discourage him.”
“Unless he wants to hurt someone.” She couldn’t help the shiver
of fear, but she tried to keep it out of her voice.
“If it is the same person, he was always careful to pick empty
buildings. Still, I’ve thought of a couple things that might be good precautions.”
He eyed her cautiously, as if wondering how much advice she’d willingly take
from him.
“What things?” If it meant Mandy’s safety, she’d take advice
from anyone.
He looked faintly relieved at her response. “Lights on the back
of the building, first off, because the alley is so dark. Motion detector
lights would be best. Maybe you ought to consider an alarm system.”
Those things cost money she didn’t have. Still, she’d have to
find a way to pay for them if that meant keeping her daughter safe.
“I’ll look into it right away.”
“Seth and I can probably install the lights for you.” He
grinned. “We once rigged the doorbell to ring every time Gabe turned on the
light in his room. Drove him crazy until he figured out what we’d done.”
Ryan was trying to dispel her fears, and she appreciated that.
He was definitely one of the good guys, no matter who he’d been in high school.
Unfortunately the fear wouldn’t be chased away so easily, no
matter what he said. Somehow she thought she wouldn’t be sleeping well for
quite a while.
“There’s little enough left to find now that half the town of
Suffolk has trampled through here.”
Lieutenant North stood in the alley with Ryan the next day,
glaring at the back porch of Laura’s building. The area was as clean as a burned-out
porch could be after the ministrations of the Flanagan crew.
“Sorry.” Ryan shifted his weight, wondering how much he should
confess. He wanted to impress North with his ability to solve the crime, not
cover up the evidence. “Some people from the church came over to help clean up.
There was no thought of arson at the time.”
“No.” North glanced around, his shrewd gray eyes seeming to see
the alleyway as it must have been that night. “No one thought of it until the
anonymous call came in.” He frowned, lines deepening in his lean face. “I don’t
like anonymous callers.”
Tipsters were useful sometimes, but Ryan understood what North
meant. Someone out there had knowledge, and maybe it was guilty knowledge.
“If kids did this, you’d hardly expect them to draw attention to
the fact that it was arson by placing the call.” That fact had been worrying
Ryan from the moment he’d heard about the tip.
North gave a grudging nod, as if to concede that Ryan did have
“The arson very likely was what I said. Kids, out to make
mischief and going too far.” His face clouded. “But according to North, we
can’t rule out the possibility that we’re looking for a firebug.”
The expression on his face told her he was serious. “Have there
been other fires?”
“Not recently.” His frown deepened. “But about five years ago we
had a rash of fires in the business district. No one was hurt, but there was a
lot of property damage. They never caught the guy.”
“The fires just stopped?”
He nodded. “That’s not unusual. That kind of person can go for
years and then break out again.”
She struggled to remember what she knew about firebugs. “They
come back sometimes, don’t they? If they set a fire and it’s put out, they
might try again.”
“It’s possible.” He leaned over to grasp her shoulder. “Look, I
didn’t tell you that because I wanted to scare you. Chances are good it’s
nothing of the kind. But I know you weren’t in Suffolk when that happened
before, and I thought you ought to know.”
She straightened her spine. “You were right to tell me.” She
looked up at him, hoping she didn’t look panicked. “Do you think we’re safe
here? Mandy—” Her throat closed at the thought of her daughter.
“Whoever set the fire knows now that someone lives here. I think
that’ll discourage him.”
“Unless he wants to hurt someone.” She couldn’t help the shiver
of fear, but she tried to keep it out of her voice.
“If it is the same person, he was always careful to pick empty
buildings. Still, I’ve thought of a couple things that might be good precautions.”
He eyed her cautiously, as if wondering how much advice she’d willingly take
from him.
“What things?” If it meant Mandy’s safety, she’d take advice
from anyone.
He looked faintly relieved at her response. “Lights on the back
of the building, first off, because the alley is so dark. Motion detector
lights would be best. Maybe you ought to consider an alarm system.”
Those things cost money she didn’t have. Still, she’d have to
find a way to pay for them if that meant keeping her daughter safe.
“I’ll look into it right away.”
“Seth and I can probably install the lights for you.” He
grinned. “We once rigged the doorbell to ring every time Gabe turned on the
light in his room. Drove him crazy until he figured out what we’d done.”
Ryan was trying to dispel her fears, and she appreciated that.
He was definitely one of the good guys, no matter who he’d been in high school.
Unfortunately the fear wouldn’t be chased away so easily, no
matter what he said. Somehow she thought she wouldn’t be sleeping well for
quite a while.
“There’s little enough left to find now that half the town of
Suffolk has trampled through here.”
Lieutenant North stood in the alley with Ryan the next day,
glaring at the back porch of Laura’s building. The area was as clean as a burned-out
porch could be after the ministrations of the Flanagan crew.
“Sorry.” Ryan shifted his weight, wondering how much he should
confess. He wanted to impress North with his ability to solve the crime, not
cover up the evidence. “Some people from the church came over to help clean up.
There was no thought of arson at the time.”
“No.” North glanced around, his shrewd gray eyes seeming to see
the alleyway as it must have been that night. “No one thought of it until the
anonymous call came in.” He frowned, lines deepening in his lean face. “I don’t
like anonymous callers.”
Tipsters were useful sometimes, but Ryan understood what North
meant. Someone out there had knowledge, and maybe it was guilty knowledge.
“If kids did this, you’d hardly expect them to draw attention to
the fact that it was arson by placing the call.” That fact had been worrying
Ryan from the moment he’d heard about the tip.
North gave a grudging nod, as if to concede that Ryan did have
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