Four-Alarm Blaze [Southern Heat 4] (12 page)

“You are a genuine angel, Beth. I’ll make sure Laura gets this back right away. Thanks again.” Nina smiled at her and waved good-bye.

As soon as she returned to the car, her phone rang out. It was Logan calling.

“Where are you?” he asked. “Kyle’s being trying to reach you all morning. Why didn’t you check in with us?”

“I stopped by to see Mrs. Dyson earlier today. She remembered seeing Laura Patterson at Nicholson’s grocery store last Saturday.”

Logan’s curiosity was peaked. “OK, that’s good. Did she say anything else?”

“She sure did. She said Laura was wearing the same kind of necklace we saw Debbie wearing at the restaurant. The woman working the courtesy counter at the market identified Laura. She works at Newman’s pharmacy on Brighton Street. I’m headed over there now,” Nina told him.

“Why don’t you wait for us? I mean, we can be there in fifteen minutes,” he said.

“Logan, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. I’ll tell you what. After I speak with Laura, I’ll come straight to the station. I’ll speak with you soon.”

The phone call ended. Logan looked even more frustrated.

“What did she say?” Kyle asked.

“Come on, we need to get over to Newman’s pharmacy,” Logan replied.

* * * *

Nina parked the Altima in the pharmacy’s back lot. It was practically empty but for a few cars. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the silver necklace she bought from a local jewelry store earlier that morning. As she examined it closely, she started thinking about Debbie, about how the first time was the last time she ever saw the young woman alive. The thought was unsettling, disturbing even, but most of all, it made her so angry that a single tear slid down her cheek.

It didn’t take long for her sadness to turn to anger. She thought back on years gone by. She thought of Justin nestled in her arms, sucking in his last precious breath, expelling it to tell her that he loved her.

Feeling another tear fall to her check caused her to check her face in the rearview mirror. As she quickly wiped the tears away, she spotted an image from behind that seemed to be moving at a hurried pace. Focusing in on the woman who fit the description of her person of interest, Nina stepped out of the car.

“Laura,” she called out. “Is that you?”

The young woman turned around and stared at Nina as if she was trying to recognize her. “Do I know you?”

Swiftly approaching her, Nina answered, “No, you don’t, but you do know Debbie Bennett, am I right?”

Laura looked somewhat annoyed. She adjusted the front of her white smock. “Yeah, I know her, so what?”

Nina immediately scanned the parking lot. “Is there some place we can talk?”

“Right here is fine as any. What exactly do you want?” Laura asked. She started to fidget, pulling on the silver locket attached to the white gold chain she wore.

“That’s a beautiful necklace,” Nina complimented. “Where did you get it?”

“Look, lady, I don’t know you, so what’s with all the questions? Who are you anyway?”

“My name is Nina Taylor,” she replied, displaying her badge. “I’m an arson investigator for Melville County. Now let me ask you again, where did you get the necklace?”

Laura pruned up her face and defiantly asked, “What does my necklace have to do with you investigating fires?”

“Answer me!” Nina shouted. “Where did you get it?”

“It was a gift!” Laura hollered back. “My boyfriend gave it to me.”

“Where’s your boyfriend now?” Nina asked.

“I don’t have to tell you that, besides, I don’t know where he is. He has a tendency to roam at times.”

Nina stared into Laura’s hazel eyes. “Funny, I remember hearing that. What’s his name?”

“I don’t have to tell you that either,” Laura said.

Nina took a step toward her and squinted. “What’s his name?”

Laura’s eyes shifted slightly. Her expression softened. A smug smile appeared on her face.

At that moment, from behind, Nina heard a crackling sound and a deep voice say, “My name is Danny.”

He pressed the stun gun to Nina’s back. Immediately, her body stiffened as it went into shock. A second later, she blacked out, falling into his arms.

“There’s Nina’s car,” Logan pointed out.

Kyle parked his metallic black Dodge Avenger next to the Altima. They entered the pharmacy and headed straight for the manager’s office.

Mr. Newman, the pudgy store manager with silver-rimmed glasses, looked quite annoyed as he spoke to them. “Laura didn’t report for work today. She called out sick at the last minute. She knows we’re short-staffed right now. If you ask me, she didn’t sound sick at all.”

“There’s a car parked out back. It belongs to Nina Taylor. She’s an arson investigator for the county. Have you seen her?” Logan asked with urgency.

“I’ve been in my office for most of the day. If she came in, chances are my daughter, Crystal, would have seen her. She runs the front counter.”

“May we speak with her?” Kyle asked.

“Sure thing, come with me,” Mr. Newman answered.

Approaching the counter, they found Crystal Newman busy texting at what seemed like lightning speed.

“Crystal, put away that phone,” her father instructed. “These two gentlemen are Melville firefighters. They need to speak with you.”

Her big, blue eyes widened. “Mmm, well if a fire ever breaks out here, I sure hope you two show up to put it out and rescue me,” she said, twirling a lock of her blonde hair between her fingers.

“Crystal! Don’t be so fresh. Would you just please assist them?” Mr. Newman asked.

“In any way I can,” she replied. “How can I help you?”

“Did a young woman come in today? She’s about your height with long black hair?” Kyle asked.

Crystal tapped her fingers against the counter top for a few seconds and then said, “No, I would have remembered seeing her. She didn’t come in here.”

Logan ground his teeth. “Her car is parked out back. Are you sure she didn’t come in here looking for Laura?”

“I’m sure. Sometimes people park out there and go off shopping somewhere else,” she stated.

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t have done that,” Kyle told her. “She wanted to speak to Laura, so she would have definitely stopped by.”

Suddenly, Logan’s face lit up. “Where’s the footage?” he asked Mr. Newman.

“What footage?” the manager asked.

“Daddy, he’s talking about the surveillance footage from the parking lot cameras,” Crystal prompted.

“Oh, yes of course, come with me.” Mr. Newman directed them to the back of the store.

* * * *

“Wait a second,” Mr. Newman said. “That’s Danny—Daniel Oliver, Laura’s boyfriend. What a pain in the ass. After he lost his job as a cable installer, he started hanging here. I get so tired of having to shoo him away. Oh my God, did he just use a taser on that woman?”

“Damn it! That’s how he gained access to the homes. We’ve got to find Nina now!” Logan yelled.

“What’s Laura’s address?” Kyle asked.

“Maybe we should call the police first,” Mr. Newman replied in a nervous tone.

“We don’t have time. Danny is possibly responsible for the fire that killed his former girlfriend this past Sunday. He’s dangerous, Mr. Newman. One or both of those women could be next. What is Laura’s address?” Kyle asked again.

“She lives over on Andover Avenue in the Misty Woods apartments. Her address is 34, apartment B.”

“You’ll be wasting your time,” Crystal called out from the doorway. “Laura and I aren’t all that tight, but she did tell me once that when Danny wants to hide out, he goes to his dad’s old cabin out at Rock Creek Lake. I’ll bet that’s where you’ll find him.”

“Which cabin?” Logan asked her.

“Once you enter the woods, it’s about a mile down the road on the right. Laura told me it has a red door.”

Logan headed for the exit. “Let’s go. Mr. Newman, call the police now. Tell them to meet us there.”

Kyle kissed Crystal on the cheek. “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Anytime,” she said with a smile, pressing her hand to the side of her face.

* * * *

After driving like a bat out of hell for twenty-five minutes, Logan and Kyle arrived at Rock Creek Lake. Just as Crystal had described, the cabin with the red door was located about a mile off the main road.

Kyle parked the car behind a thicket of trees, and he and Logan got out. Popping the trunk, he reached in and pulled out an axe and a military-style hunting knife that he handed to Logan. As they crept up to the side of the cabin, they detected the distinct smell of wood burning. Peeping into the side window, they saw Nina and Laura tied up and gagged. They had both passed out, and flames were shooting everywhere.

“They’re going to die if we don’t get to them now!” Logan shouted.

Kyle broke open two of the side windows, and he and Logan quickly scrambled inside.

The cabin was burning quickly. With every second counting, Logan quickly cut through the rope confining Nina to the chair and then tossed the knife to Kyle. Once he freed Laura, they ran, carrying the two women through the flames, out of the cabin to safety.

Removing the silver duct tape from their mouths, Logan and Kyle performed CPR on the two women until they came around.

Nina coughed several times before she spoke. Tears filled her eyes as she hugged Logan tightly. “He’s so sick,” she uttered. “He said he wanted us to burn just like Debbie for betraying him.”

“I love you so much, baby,” Logan said. “Thank God you’re OK.”

They heard Laura gagging and gasping for air. Seconds later, she sat up and threw her arms around Kyle’s neck. “Thank you for saving me,” she told him. “Danny tied us up before he set the fire and ran off. I told him that I loved him, but it didn’t seem to matter. He had a crazed look in his eyes like he wasn’t hearing a word I said.”

“I need you to think Laura. Where would he go?” Kyle asked.

After searching her mind, she said, “He wouldn’t go home. He knows that’s the first place they’d look.” Her eyes grew wide. “No.”

“What…what is it?” Nina asked as Logan helped her to her feet.

“He knows I told Crystal about this place. I need to call her. Her father owns the pharmacy. She works with me,” Laura explained.

Kyle handed her his phone. “We’ve met her. Call Crystal and let her know we’re on the way back there. Tell her to call the police again. They’ll dispatch a cruiser to the store immediately.”

“She’s not responding. I’ll call the cops,” Laura said.

Kyle quickly approached Nina and hugged her tightly. “If anything had happened to you…I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“I never gave up hope. Somehow I knew you and Logan would find us,” Nina said. “Let’s get out of here.”

At the entrance to the main road, they passed the firefighters of station 23.

Kyle leaned out the window and flashed his badge “It’s a mile up the road on your right. It’s burning to the ground. I’ll contact you later.”

“We’ve got it from here!” the driver of the ladder truck shouted.

In the back seat, Nina consoled Laura as she revealed damaging information about her boyfriend.

“After Danny broke up with Deb, he started coming around to my place and hanging out in the parking lot at my job. At first, I ignored him. I told him Debbie was my friend, and I didn’t hook up with used goods, you know what I mean?”

“Sounds like you two were good friends,” Nina commented.

“I thought maybe it was just temporary and they would make up and get back together, but they didn’t. Deb finally told me there was a side to Danny that scared her so much that she decided to cut him loose. She wanted nothing more to do with him. I should have listened to my better judgment and stayed away from him.”

“What made you change your mind?” Nina asked.

“Danny seemed so wounded after Debbie broke up with him, but he has a way about him. He can be very charming when he wants to be. I guess I fell for it, too. It almost cost me my life and yours,” she said, squeezing Nina’s hand for support.

Turning around to face them, Logan said, “You’re a sweet girl, Laura, just like Debbie was. Danny’s going to be put away a long time for what he’s done. You don’t have to fear him anymore.”

* * * *

By the time Kyle pulled up to Newman’s pharmacy, the street and parking lot were lined with police vehicles. Nina got out, quickly entered her car, and then approached one of the officers standing on the sidewalk. After speaking briefly with him, she rejoined the others.

“He’s inside with the Newman’s. He’s threatening to burn the place down if the cops enter. They’re sending for a hostage negotiator in an attempt to get him to give up without casualties.”

“Oh my God!” Laura cried out. “He tried to kill us, and now they’re next.”

“Did he say how long before the negotiator gets here?” Logan asked.