Pack Investigator by Crissy Smith Page A

them closer to town. He felt really good about his input and he was pleased that Haas was listening to him. The main street leading into downtown Clear Creek wasn’t busy this early in the morning. Garrett knew that later the restaurants would be packed and the tourists would be going from shop to shop picking up their souvenirs and trinkets.
    The tourists brought in a lot of money for the town, using the forests and nature preserves as hiking trails and relaxing in the beautiful scenery. Until Garrett had moved there he’d never visited the city and now he regretted it. Clear Creek was a wonderful little oasis, but what made it so great were the residents. They were a strong community that relied on one another and Garrett wanted to do his best for them. He vowed that no more residents would live in fear of the arsonist that was haunting them.
    As they passed the local bakery, three men in suits sat at an outside table enjoying the morning and laughing together. One of them could be the guy they were after. It could be anyone. They needed to figure out that last piece to connect all the fires and hopefully that would lead them to where Randy was.
    “Should we call ahead?” Garrett asked as Haas turned onto the street where Mike’s law office was. He was only two blocks from downtown so they would be pulling up within minutes.
    “Mike’s always in early,” Haas told him. “Man works more than I do.”
    “That’s right,” Garrett said. “You know Mike from the Pack?”
    “Yes,” Haas agreed. “We hang out a little on the weekends when we can, too.”
    “I was able to ask him a few questions at dinner. I saw him last night but I didn’t want to bring up too much in case Nick walked in,” Garrett said.
    “That’s smart. That boy’s been through enough,” Haas said.
    Mike’s BMW was already parked when they pulled into the small lot in front of the building. Another vehicle was next to Mike’s but Garrett didn’t recognize who it belonged to. Garrett grabbed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder as he exited the SUV.
    The office was lit up but there was no one at the reception desk.
    “Hey, Mike!” Haas called out.
    When there was no answer, Haas shrugged and Garrett followed him past the empty desk into the hall. There were three doors closed but Garrett could hear voices coming from behind one. As they got closer, the fact that Mike was in the middle of an argument was obvious. So was the detail that it was a woman’s voice bickering back.
    “I can’t help you,” Mike said loudly before Haas knocked on the door.
    There was a moment of silence, some shuffling, before it was cracked ajar and Mike stuck his head out. “Oh. Hi, guys.”
    Garrett couldn’t see past Mike but now his curiosity was killing him.
    “Sorry to intrude so early but we were hoping to catch you before you got started for the day,” Haas explained.
    “Yeah, sure.” Mike glanced over his shoulder before opening the door.
    Garrett was shocked to see Shelby Holt, the local reporter, standing next to Mike’s desk. Garrett had met the gorgeous lady several times, as she was one of Julie’s best friends. The reason he was surprised to see her in Mike’s office was that it was common knowledge that the two of them couldn’t stand one another. So it didn’t make sense that the two of them were meeting early in the morning in private. Especially when it appeared that they hadn’t just been arguing. Mike’s tie was crooked and while Shelby was dressed gracefully, there were wrinkles in her skirt. Garrett didn’t know what to think but he was aware whatever was going on was none of his business.
    “Hey, Shelby,” Garrett greeted.
    “Gentleman,” she replied back with a nod.
    Mike turned to Shelby. “Maybe we can continue this discussion later?”
    Shelby ran her gaze over Garrett, then Haas and finally Mike. “Sure.”
    No one said anything as she picked up her purse and on those needle heels strolled out of the