“Yeah, yeah. We got in touch with her around lunchtime.”
“I hear she can have quite the temper.” Quinn’s brow crinkled. “I hope she doesn’t blame me.”
“You? Course not. She was horrified on your behalf. But I almost feel sorry for whoever is responsible. Goldie is cutting her trip short to fly home. If they find the guy, he’ll be begging to be put behind bars rather than deal with that she-lion.”
Quinn smiled. “I’m sure she’s not that scary.”
Kit shoved another cookie in his month in response.
To say his cousin and Goldie Flint had a tempestuous history was an understatement. When they had it out at town football games, the fans in the bleachers stopped watching the field and munched popcorn while watching them invent curses that made the crowd gasp in awe or cheer whenever they struck a particularly good low blow.
They were aware of the attention, played to the crowd sympathies like they were starring in a Shakespearean play. But then Kit enlisted and was gone, and Goldie went quiet. A scary quiet because every once in a while it erupted into a tongue-lashing.
Those two had history, but Wilder always guessed it was their business.
The patrol car pulled up and Sawyer climbed out. His gaze went right to the window. Wilder knew from the way the sun hit the glass that his brother couldn’t see him, but he still knew he was there.
And what if he had a change of heart after last night’s conversation?
The door swung open and Sawyer stomped the snow off his boots. “Glad to see you out in the world,” he said. “Was beginning to think you both went underground.”
“How are you, brother?” Wilder put a hell of a lot of meaning into the question.
Sawyer nodded thoughtfully. “Good, man. Worried about your dumb ass, mostly. And you,” he said to Quinn. “Apparently the fire investigator for our region quit recently. Had a heart attack and decided to retire early. Got a guy coming over from Sacramento but that might not be for another day or so.”
“Quit,” Wilder said. “So there’s a vacancy?”
“Posted this morning,” Sawyer said, frowning slightly. “Too late to be of much use here I’m afraid. But ATF did send a profile over.”
“Can I take a look?” Wilder said.
Sawyer handed over the two-sheet form and Wilder read through it quickly.
“Anything spring to mind?” Sawyer said. “You got a look on your face.”
“Maybe. Yeah,” Wilder said as his heart sank to his gut. “Tonight’s the Christmas tree lighting, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, why?” Realization dawned on Sawyer’s face. “Aw, hell, you don’t think there’ll be trouble?”
“I got a feeling.”
Sawyer gave a grim smile. “You sound like Grandma.”
“About time I realize we’re a lot alike,” Wilder said with a curt nod. “I have a plan. It’s a long shot, but here’s what we can do.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
QUINN HELD HER hands over the truck’s heater.
“You sure you won’t go wait in the bookstore?” Wilder asked for the third time in as many minutes. “I promise to come back and get you before the lighting.”
“Positive. I’ve never been on a stakeout before.” She scanned the Save-U-More parking lot. “You’ve got Kit watching the Kum & Go gas station and we’re here. Care to let me in on the secret?”
Wilder gave her a side eye. “Thought you liked fishing.”
“I do.” She bristled. “But I like to know what I’m setting the line for.”
“Like I said last night, it looks like all the fires have been started using a milk jug. It’s a long shot but I’m watching to see if the suspect is going to stop by. Then we’ll follow him.”
Quinn stared around the half-full parking lot. One of her cousins walked past but didn’t look over. “Lenny?”
“Shit.” Wilder ducked, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “He’s right there.”
“You really think he’s capable?”
Wilder scratched his scruffy jaw. “He hero worships King. If King wasn’t setting the fires, he was responding to them and getting lots of praise in the process. Praise that eventually could trickle down to the best buddy.”
“That’s sort of crazy.”
“I said it was a long shot.”
“No, I mean it in a good way. That’s his car, huh?” She pointed at the nondescript grey Civic.
“Guess so, why?”
“I saw that car. It was acting weird, sort of casing me out one night, but I chalked it up to my imagination. Lenny was always with Garret when he was trying to hit on me and, for the record, probably the worst wingman ever.”
“So he set a fire in your house, hoping King would rescue you, and—”
“That I’d fall for him.”
Lenny emerged carrying a single gallon of milk.
“Whoa.” Quinn gasped. It was as if the oxygen had just been sucked out of the car.
“He needs to be caught in the act,” Wilder said, waiting for Lenny to drive off before beginning the tail. “Otherwise he’s going to be able to claim that he wanted to make a banana fucking milkshake or eat a bowl of cereal. Buying a gallon of two percent isn’t a crime.”
Wilder made a quick call to Sawyer. “He’s going down Main and taking a left on Laurel Street. Shit, he’s turning into an alley. I can’t follow without alerting him but that’s right near the town square. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, man. I think we’ve got our boy.” Wilder nodded a few times. “Got it. Yep. Agreed.”
He did a U-turn and headed back toward Main Street.
“What’s the plan?”
“I’m not law enforcement so can’t go all vigilante on that asshole. We’re going to the square. Have to leave this to Sawyer and Kit.”
She rubbed his stiff shoulder. “This is killing you a little, isn’t it? Not being involved?”
Wilder’s muscles loosened. “Yes and no. You and Sea Monkey are my priority.”
“Sea Monkey?” She wrinkled her nose. “That’s what you are calling the baby?”
“I have in my head, but can stop if you don’t like it.”
Quinn giggled. “Actually it’s perfect. Our darling little Sea Monkey.”
“I’m thinking about something. I won’t do it if you say no.”
“Lay it on me.”
“What Sawyer said about the fire investigator position opening up . . . How would you feel if I went for the job? I have good savings, but I can’t live on them forever. Now I’ve got you and Sea Monkey to take care of and—”
Quinn cupped the side of his cheek. “You’d be brilliant at it.”
He grimaced. “I’m no genius. Remember, I suspected King first.”
“You saw a link with Garret that no one else did. That’s a start. You said yourself that catching an arsonist is like finding a needle in a haystack.”
“You won’t mind if I get back into fire?”
She gave him a sympathetic smile. “That is always going to be a part of you, Wilder. But this is a way to move forward. This way you’ll be helping protect people.”
“I don’t have the job yet.”
“Maybe not officially, but you do in my mind. They’d be crazy not to want you.”
“Speaking of crazy . . .” Wilder yanked the wheel toward the curb and hit the brakes. Lenny burst between Higsby Hardware and Bab’s Boutique, running full speed. Kit and Sawyer gave chase but he was headed straight in their direction.
Before Quinn could say a word, Wilder jumped from the car. “Hey, Lenny,” he barked. “Going somewhere?”
The smaller man pulled up short, chest rising and falling from exertion. “Get the hell out of my way, freak,” he snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the approaching law enforcement.
“No. I don’t think I will.” There was a crunch as Wilder’s fist made contact with Lenny’s snub nose and the man went down faster than a domino. “That’s for putting my woman at risk,” Wilder growled.
Sawyer approached, shaking his head. “I’d lecture you on slugging a suspect but if I gave Archer a pass last summer, guess you get one too.”