Flames Of Deceit (7 page)

“There’s a strip mall down the road about a mile. We’ll get clean clothes there.”

“I need a shower.” Looking in the side mirror, Mia checked for cars behind them, but the angle was wrong. She couldn’t see if anyone was following them.

Jake turned into the parking lot and stopped at the ATM booth. “We need to get money in case an alert goes out. I don’t know how long it will take for the SBI to get curious about us. But we don’t need to worry about another tail.”

Biting her lip, Mia nodded. Jake knew something and he wasn’t telling her. But what? Had the Chief called again? Had Jake told the chief about her part in the morning’s events? He and the chief were friends. She could tell that from the conversation she’d overheard earlier. As far as Jake knew, she was an arsonist.

Sighing, she opened the car door. She should have tried to get away from him back at the courthouse when she’d had the chance, even if he did have the disc.

***

They decided to play safe and maxed out both their accounts. Then Jake drove across the parking lot and stopped in front of a Dollar General store.

“These stores carry everything.” He nodded to the wide double doors. “You’ll be safe inside. We shouldn’t go in together.”

Mia climbed out of the car and turned, sticking her head back in the door, asking in a low voice. “Should I dye my hair?”

Jake’s laugh came from deep in his chest and had a note of enjoyment she hadn’t associated with him up to this point. His wide smile and gleaming eyes sent heat racing through her body. What would it be like to spend time with Jake, without this murder hanging over their heads? Fun? Intense? Invigorating?

All that and more, and thinking about the possibilities made her cheeks warm. “People in movies always dye their hair when they’re on the run.”

“We aren’t that desperate, yet.” Jake’s eyes lost all hint of humor. “We’ll take that step later, if we have to.”

Mia slammed the door and walked away. Thank goodness, he didn’t want her to cut or dye her hair.

Jake watched as Mia entered the store. Checking that no one was following her, he pulled out his phone. They needed a place to stay while they figured out what was going on, and he knew just the person who could help.

It was a risk. Using his phone to call his friend could alert police to their location. A second before he hit the call button, he reconsidered. Images of the model’s soot covered body changed his mind. He couldn’t put Dan and his family in danger.

He started to put the phone away, paused. Taking the phone apart, he removed the battery, opened the door and smashed the phone under his heel. He hadn’t seen much of Dan since the accident, but he couldn’t draw attention to the area and risk his friend’s safety.

Dan wouldn’t mind if Jake used the cabin at the lake. He and Sara had often spent weekends with Dan and his wife, but Jake wanted to make sure the cabin was available.

Mia opened the passenger door and tossed several bags in the back seat. “I bought enough for four days.”

Jake cocked his brow. “Did you leave anything in the store?”

“I didn’t buy men’s clothing.” Mia angled her chin toward the store. “Feel free.”

A car pulled in across the parking lot. Jake’s humor disappeared. It was too soon to assume they hadn’t been followed. Had he been careless by sending Mia in the store alone?

Leaving her in the car seemed even worse. He tapped the steering wheel and checked the rearview mirror. The occupant of the other car went into a store and tension eased from his shoulders. Asking Mia to go back in the store would attract attention. He should have thought this through.

“I don’t like leaving you out here alone.”

Mia turned wide eyes on him. Was it a trick of light, or had she turned a shade paler under the soot?

“I’ll lock the doors.”

Jake frowned. “Did the clerk ask questions about the soot on your face?”

“I told her I was working and got close to take pictures of the fire, and now my paper wants me to stay in town for a few days to get more.”

“Good thinking.” Jake got out. “Lock the doors. If anyone tries to get in, hold down the horn.”

Mia watched him cross the sidewalk and enter the store. The emotions filling her chest weren’t caused by her uneasy reaction to his words. Even with the coating of soot, Jake was handsome enough to turn heads, hers included. She gasped, realizing the trouble she was in, and new fears exploded in her head.

What should she do? Being with Jake made her heart race, but he didn’t trust her. Looking around the parking lot, and not seeing anything suspicious, she pulled out her cell phone. Jake said his calls might be traced, but her phone should be safe since Jake was the only one who knew she’d been in the courthouse. There was no reason for anyone to monitor her calls. She had to take the risk.

***

First, she called the newspaper and arranged to take a few days sick leave, then she made the call she dreaded.

“Mother, how are you?” She pressed the phone to her ear to stop her hand shaking.

“Ecstatic, haven’t you seen the news? That mudslinging model was found dead.”

“Mother!” Mia pressed a hand to her chest and made a quick scan of the parking lot. “She was someone’s daughter—”

“She was trying to ruin my son. Don’t expect sympathy from me.”

The image of Leigh Anne Saddler’s body, covered in soot and debris, filled Mia’s head. What if it had been me? “Mother, I don’t have much time. I wanted to check that you’re all right.”

“Of course, I’m fine. You sound strange. Where are you? Come over this afternoon for tea.”

“Can’t, I’m…working…on an interview. Out of town.” She rolled her eyes and checked the parking lot, again. “If you’re all right, I’ll let you go.”

Jake opened the driver’s door.

Mia snapped the phone off.

“Why are you using the phone? I told you we had to be careful.” He tossed bags in the back seat and settled behind the wheel.

“I am careful. I needed to check on my mother. Besides, you’re the only one who knows I was in that courthouse.” Mia watched his strong hands grip the wheel.

Jake grunted. “You’re right. It should be safe, but from now on,” he pulled disposable phones out of a shopping bag, “we use these.”

Mia’s insides quivered. Trapped in a fire, finding a body, and now forced to use non-traceable phones. How had all this happened? How could her mother sound so cold about Leigh Anne’s death?

Lost in thought, she waited until Jake assembled the phones and started the car. “Where are we going?”

“Still want food and a bath?”

“You have to ask? Did you find a motel?”

“Better,” Jake turned left out of the shopping center and picked up speed. “A friend from law school has a cabin on the lake. We used to come here often.”

“We?” Mia arched an inquiring brow.

“My wife and I used to visit Dan and his wife on weekends.”

“You’re married?”

“She died.”

Hearing the abruptness of his tone, seeing the muscle jerking along his jaw, Mia stared out the windshield. “Is it far?” Her stomach growled loud enough for him to hear.

Jake gave a turn signal and pulled in a fast food parking lot. “I hope not. We need food.”

“I’ll go in,” Mia wiggled out of her seat, “I need the restroom.”

“Drop your cell phone in the commode.”

Ten minutes later, with a large bucket of fried chicken scenting up the car, Jake pulled on the road again. “I called Dan. We can use the cabin.”

Had he made the right decision? Mia’s life was at risk, and police wanted to question him about the body they’d stumbled over in the courthouse.

“How far is it?” Mia turned from staring out the window at nothing trees. “This road is so secluded it’s spooky.”

Minutes later, passing mile after mile of pine trees growing in the sandy soil, Jake turned in a narrow drive on the left and slowed the car. Bumping along the trail for another half-mile, he pulled the car to a stop beside a rustic A-frame log cabin.

“It’s larger on the inside than it looks,” he nodded toward the house, “three bedrooms, two baths and a large great room. We’ll be safe here.” He got out of the car.

“Are you sure your friend won’t mind if we use his house? I’d hate to add breaking and entering to my list of offenses.”

After eating and taking a shower, Mia put on new sweatpants and t-shirt, and returned to the great room. Opening the laptop she retrieved from the trunk of her car, she turned a stern glare on Jake. Firmness and determination were her only weapons against increasing awareness of Jake. Sharing a car, a meal and now, living arrangements, meant they were up close and personal. She knew what he liked to eat…crust off the chicken first, then the meat, and his smoky masculine scent was seared in her brain.

Bossy and direct, that was her only hope. “Okay, give me the disc.”

Jake dangled the disc out of her reach. “What if the evidence on this disc proves the model’s story?” His gaze roamed over her until she felt like a science specimen. “Will you try to erase the disc?”

“I hadn’t thought—”

“You are a newspaper reporter. Surely you considered your options.” Tapping the disc on the arm of the chair opposite her seat on the sofa, he frowned.

“You’re determined to believe the worst about me, aren’t you?” Mia tore her eyes from his face. Was she afraid of what she would see, or worried he would look into her eyes and read her mind? Cursing her reaction to a man who could ruin both her and her brother with one phone call to chief of police, she held up a staying hand. “Don’t answer that question. I don’t have a right to question your opinions.”

“Are you protecting me again, firebird?”

Her head jerked up. “Protecting you from what? You’re the officer of the court.”

“From finding my words quoted in your paper perhaps?” Jake pursed his lips, squinting his eyes as he searched for possibilities. “Or…maybe you’re trying to protect my career.”

Tossing her head, Mia made a lady-like snorting sound. “Now why would I do that?”

“Because you’re conscious of the threat to your career…and your brother’s, but mainly because you’re a caretaker, firebird. You care about others.”

This time, her snort sounded louder. “You know all that from what…the few hours we’ve spent together? Come on, Judge. Stop channeling Dr. Phil. I need that disc.”

The loud ticking of the clock on the mantel and the rustle of the March wind blowing in the trees outside the cabin filled the silence as Jake stared at her. “I need to know why you were in the courthouse the same time the fire started.”

Did he doubt her because she was a reporter, or because she had slipped past security to get inside the courthouse? Fingers clenched on the edges of the laptop, Mia demanded. “You don’t believe someone shoved me in that closet and blocked the door so I couldn’t get out?”

From the other side of the coffee table, Jake watched every twitch of her expression, every breath. “When you talk about your brother, I hear love. But I hear doubt, as well. Are you afraid of being disappointed by your brother’s actions, Ms. Clark?”

How did he know? Could he read her mind? “Haven’t you questioned decisions your siblings made?”

Lips twisted, Jake shrugged. “We’re talking about your brother. Do you think he’s guilty?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s my brother. I love him.”

“I hear a but in your tone. If he is guilty as the model claimed, what will you do?” Jake settled back in the chair, waiting for her answer.

“Phil has a responsibility to the family who loves him, and the people who elected him to office. I’m praying he told the truth.” Chin tilted, she repeated. “Will you give me the disc?”

Jake tossed the purple blob toward her.

Heart hammering against her ribs, Mia reached up to catch the small device. Jake hadn’t repeated his question about whether she intended to try to erase the disc. Did that mean he was starting to trust her? Or maybe he didn’t care because he was planning to turn her over to police?

Wanting answers, from the disc and her own muddled questions, she plugged the purple object in the USB drive and held her breath. After long seconds, the screen flickered but remained fuzzy. Pain exploded behind her eyes. All this time, the hope, the risk. Holy cow, the risk, she still couldn’t believe she had broken the law and skipped past security. And for what? A big fuzzy nothing on the screen. “It won’t open.”

Raising accusing eyes to Jake’s face, she spit out her frustration. “You knew, didn’t you? You tried the disc while I was in the shower.” Chest heaving, she sucked in air. “Did you erase the disc? Damn you, answer me? Did you ruin my chances of clearing Phil?”

“Who’s showing a lack of trust, now, Ms. Clark?” Jake lifted a wide shoulder and frowned. “Look at the disc. It got hot enough to change shape.”

Mia stared at the purple disc. He was right. She should have known the instant she saw the strange shape, but she had hoped. “Maybe the techs at the paper can read the disc?”

“Can we risk asking?”

“Risk?” She could feel Jake’s eyes on her as she battled with the question. Going to the tech would put another person at risk. It gave someone else a chance to see the ex-model’s hidden evidence, but the danger of putting another person in the path of the murderer forced her decision.

“No.” She ejected the USB disc. “Here, take it.”

Jake met her burning gaze. “It’s your evidence, guard it.”

Swallowing, Mia stared at him. “Does that mean you trust me?” She stared down at the screen and rushed on before his answer destroyed the unspoken truce between them. “Do we have internet service?”

“I doubt it.” Jake leaned back in the chair. “It’s time you filled in the blanks, Ms. Clark. How is your brother connected to the model?”

Hearing Jake’s question, the A-frame ceiling and large rock fireplace closed in on Mia, making it hard for her to breathe. How indeed. That was a good question.

But Jake wasn’t on the same wavelength with her, obviously. Maybe he didn’t mind asking loaded questions. Or maybe her tension came from reacting to the way he looked without a layer of soot on his body. His brown hair glistened with damp from his shower. The new black t-shirt hugged his chest, making his eyes dark as the lake outside the deck.

Sighing in resignation of the danger to her emotions, she faced the truth. Jake was a very appealing man. The type of man she wanted to spend her life with.

Clearing her throat, she forced her mind back to his question. “After her modeling career ended, Leigh Anne went to work for the pharmaceutical company.” Mia glanced down when the laptop beeped. “No internet service, but I have a file on her.”

“Why?”

Mia stared at the screen, hoping he wouldn’t notice the color warming her cheeks. “I’m a reporter. Leigh Anne filed a lawsuit against my brother. I wanted details.”

“You must love your brother very much.”

She stared at him for breathless seconds. “You’ve said that before, why?”

“Research takes time. Instead of following leads on a story for your career, you did research to help your brother. That sounds like love.”

Or sibling rivalry. She couldn’t explain her deepest secret to this stranger. Her family dynamics might not suit her, but they were her family. It was none of Jake’s business. Shrugging, she said, “I wanted to find the truth.”

Pushing out of the chair, Jake came over to the sofa and sat down beside her. “Show me the file.”

Biting her lip to hide her response to his nearness, Mia clicked on the icon and opened the file labeled with the model’s name. Good thing she could function on autopilot. Jake’s clean male scent and the warmth searing through her body from his arm touching hers, sent her thoughts in a tailspin.

But the model was murdered, and Mia reminded herself they were dealing with a life and death matter. Her reaction to Jake was bad timing, but at least now, she understood the hint of sadness in his eyes. He seemed too young to lose a wife, and she couldn’t help but wonder how his wife had died.

Teeth clenched, she focused on the file. Leigh Anne Saddle was dead, and she didn’t want to be the next victim. She needed to ignore her response Jake.

“Here it is. I researched the drug company, too. The notes are in the same folder.” She pushed the laptop over so Jake could read the screen. Her hand brushed his. They were sitting so close, their bodies touched from hip to knee. Awareness flared into a longing so strong she almost forgot about finding the model’s body.

Closing her eyes, breathing in the scent of soap and Jake’s masculine aroma, she forgot her mother’s demands and Phil’s troubles. Leaning against the back of the sofa, she sighed. What would have happened if they had met under normal circumstances?

Would Jake have noticed her? Would her insides have tingled when she looked at him the way they were doing now? Would he have allowed her to get close, or rejected her because she was a reporter?

***

Jake clenched his jaw as he read the files. Mia Clark was good at her job. He would say that for her. Her files were detailed and long. How much time had she devoted to saving her brother’s skin?

He admired determination…and loyalty. He would give anything to have a chance to show his wife an ounce of the loyalty Mia showed her brother. But he couldn’t go back and redo the past. He had loved his wife and child and lost them. For the past six years, he existed one day at a time. But it was time to move on. Time to face the life he had now.

He had known Mia only a short time, but she filled a hole he hadn’t realized he had in his life. That scared him. Excited him. Who was this woman he was trying to protect? Was she telling the truth? If she wasn’t, why?

After uncovering the model’s body, he’d realized Mia’s secrets could get them both killed, but he was determined to find out who started the fire, and Mia was his only lead. Her body warmed his side as she curled up next him.

He noticed the look of innocence on her features as she relaxed in sleep. Washing the soot out of her hair hadn’t lightened the color. Dark strands tumbled over the sofa cushion in shining waves. Long lashes curled on cheeks tinted with color from the warmth of the room.

He had turned on the furnace when they arrived. He would have liked a blaze in the fireplace to fight against the chill in the March air, but didn’t dare start one for fear of attracting attention to the cabin. He wasn’t sure how often Dan used this place during the winter, but he wanted their presence to go undetected.

The more files he read, the more convinced he was that caution was justified. Mia’s notes named prominent people frequently in the news. If he recognized those names, others would too. Was the connection to the drug company the cause of Phil Clark’s trouble?

The names in the file added to the danger Jake had only suspected until now. Even with finding the model’s body, he hadn’t been certain that Mia was in danger, but after reading her notes, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

Big drug company executives had access to mega bucks and could hire their dirty work done. If they were at the root of the model’s death, Mia was in danger, and so was he.

He shut down the computer and leaned back against the sofa cushion. Late afternoon sun glistened on the smooth surface of the lake. Tall pines outside the cabin swayed in the March wind, making a soothing roar.

Had Phil Clark been close to the model? Was the senator capable of murder? Who murdered Leigh Anne Saddler? Why? Was there a connection to Mia’s brother or was this just a strange coincidence?

Until Jake found the answers, he couldn’t allow Mia out of his sight. He had to find out if the ex-model had been the intended target. Since he couldn’t risk calling anyone for information, he needed the internet to find answers.

His eyes popped open sometime later when something warm nudged his side. He blinked, realizing he had fallen asleep for a couple hours, judging by the darkness outside.

Mia’s warm body snuggling against his side had brought him out of a deep sleep, but beams of light flashing through the windows brought him instantly alert.

He eased away from Mia, pulled on his shoes and rushed to look out the window facing the drive.

Twin beams of light crept down the twisting drive. Friend or enemy? Even a friend could put them all in danger. He didn’t like thoughts of what an enemy could do. He had to protect Mia.

He’d brought her here thinking they would be safe. Now, protective instincts flared. Being an officer of the court didn’t matter. He brought her here, and he’d do what he needed to protect her.

Turning to the bookcase next to the fireplace, he felt along the top of the wooden structure until he found the gun Dan kept there in case of emergencies.

This far out in the woods, danger lurked on all sides, from snakes and the risk of intruders from the lake. Dan had prepared to protect his family and his property. Jake gave a swift word of thanks as he slipped the clip in the Beretta.

Grabbing two extra clips, and stuffing them in his pockets, he headed for the back door, and came to a dead stop. Man, there was that word again. The last thing he wanted was for one of them to end up like the model. Dead. He needed to investigate.

The unannounced visitor would expect residents to be inside this time of day. Switching on a lamp, Jake glanced at Mia’s sleeping form. Waking her, explaining the danger, would take valuable time. Sound asleep, she should be safe. Trying to convince himself this was true, he grabbed his jacket and eased out a door on opposite side of the house from the driveway.