Slow Hands (29 page)

With growing horror, Keira realized that if the fire spread, the entire downtown could be destroyed.

Alec raced up, followed by Fred and Mabel.

"We were at the bowling alley," Fred said, panting. "They announced over the loudspeaker your place was on fire."

Alec moved in beside Keira as a paramedic checked her pulse. The smell of charred wood was thick in the night air, the sound of sirens interspersed with the
whoosh
of spraying water and shouts by firemen.

"They're okay?" Alec asked the EMT.

The paramedic nodded. "Shock."

Alec helped the man spread a blanket over each woman's shoulders. He drew Keira's blanket tight around her, hugging her briefly before moving to help Franny.

"Darryl," Franny whispered.

"Shhhh. He's doing his job."

Within minutes the flames had disappeared. The smoke, while still pouring out of the building, was not as thick.

Darryl sauntered up, tugged his helmet free, and crouched in front of Franny. "It's under control. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know. We... we smelled smoke." Franny wiped her cheek on the blanket. "The fire blocked the salon steps, and the back door wouldn't open. Thank God, Keira was there. I totally lost it."

She leaned forward, into his embrace, sobbing.

Alec and Darryl exchanged glances. "What do you mean the back door wouldn't open?" Darryl asked. "Was it locked?"

"It's always locked," Franny said after a moment. "But the inside is a latch, so I don't need a key to get out."

Keira nodded. "The knob wouldn't turn."

Darryl shifted Franny into Alec's arms. "I'll be right back."

When Darryl returned a few minutes later, his face was grim. "Looks like the lock's been tampered with. Jammed. I'm sealing the area till the fire marshal can investigate in the morning."

Keira listened to the exchange, uneasy. "You mean this was done on purpose?" The thought that someone intended to trap them inside made her ill.

Darryl shrugged, but without conviction. "It's too soon to tell."

Alec knew Darryl had to take into consideration all probable causes. The salon had a lot of electrical appliances, many of them heat generators. A wire could have shorted and started the fire.

But it wouldn't have jammed a door lock.

A small crowd had gathered. Darryl motioned to the closest deputy. "Clear them out and secure the area."

"Can I go inside?" Franny's voice was tight. "I want to see—"

"Not tonight." Darryl soothed. "My men will be here a while longer. For now you're going home with me."

"But Keira was spending the night—" Franny started.

"I'm going to my apartment," Keira said.

Alec nodded. "I'll stay with her. Don't worry."

When they reached Keira's, Alec paced to the kitchen and helped himself to a beer. Wished it could be something stronger.

Keira sat on the couch, dazed. He knew by her silence she was still in shock, wondered how she'd react if he took her into his arms. Not for the first time, he wished the issues between them were resolved.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked finally.

She shook her head. "What if Franny and I had fallen asleep? We—"

"You hadn't."

Keira turned, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Angry. "How can you be so calm? If the fire was set on purpose, it was probably targeted toward
me.
Whoever set it endangered my best friend, destroyed her home and business."

"I've urged you to leave."

"Do you honestly think it's as simple as that?" Her voice raised, cracked. "Even if I left, I can't stay gone forever. What if Griggs
never
gets the money? Never leaves? Do you really expect me to live my life in his shadow?"

Alec set his beer down, hard. The thought of Griggs being a permanent resident of Freedom was disconcerting.

"Arguing over what Griggs might or might not do is a losing proposition. Let's wait and see what Darryl comes up with on the fire. If Griggs is behind the fire, maybe he left a clue." Sooner or later, he'd slip up. What scared Alec was the thought of what could happen in the meantime.

He ran a hand through his hair. "It seems like all we've done the past two days is tiptoe around each other. Or argue."

"Thanks to Scarlet." Keira instantly regretted the words. "Look—"

"No. I take it back, Alec."

Alec reached out to touch her cheek, caught himself.
Platonic,
remember?

"You look exhausted."

Keira nodded. She was tired. And the last thing she wanted to do was argue with him. Now. Or later.

"I'm staying here tonight," he said. "On the couch.

Okay?"

Not okay.
She would have preferred him in bed, with her, but knew the couch was safer.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" she asked. The apartment's only bath was in the bedroom.

He shook his head.

Moving mechanically, she retrieved a pillow and blanket, set them on the couch, then bid him good night, and closed her bedroom door.

But even after a hot shower, sleep eluded her. The fire. Ian.
Alec.
Her thoughts hop scotched from one to the other.

Around three, she heard a light tap on her door. She sat up, alert. Need clawed at her. Did Alec miss her as much as she did him?

"Yes?"

Alec poked his head in. "Sorry. Now I need to use the bathroom."

Grateful the dark hid her disappointment, Keira lay back down. She listened as Alec padded across the room, closed the bathroom door. There was a long stretch of silence. Then she heard the toilet flush, heard the faucet.

She held her breath as he opened the door. She knew he paused in the doorway—probably letting his eyes adjust before navigating back through her room.

She kept her eyes tightly closed as he padded around her bed, then once again stopped.

"Good night, babe," he whispered.

And without waiting for a response, he shut the door.

Keira was up early and in a foul mood because she hadn't slept well.

Alec offered coffee. "Why don't you take the day off?" he suggested. "You've got two crew chiefs who can handle anything that comes up."

She nodded. "I need to go by Franny's. See if I can do anything. And see how the shop looks."

"I'll check with Darryl to see if they've found any clues."

Keira took a sip of coffee. "If they find proof Griggs was behind this, I may shoot him."

"You'll have to stand in line. Look, I've got a meeting in Hot Springs first thing this morning." He was meeting Miles Ostman. "But I'll keep it short. And I'll call when I'm on my way back."

Ian Griggs had been upset to learn Keira had escaped, uninjured, from the fire. Beau was a worthless arsonist. A worthless partner.

Now, however, he was glad she'd escaped. Looked like he still had a need for her.

He stared at the ivory-colored paper in his hand.

The Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold.

He'd just lifted it from a kid. The family—up camping for the weekend—had stopped for gas. The kid had come in to buy a soda and showed Ian the map.

At first, Ian wished the kid would shut up and leave. Then the brat mentioned a gold coin necklace worn by a woman at the Lucky Nugget.

A woman with long red hair and a tool belt.

Ian almost smiled.

He questioned the kid, learned the woman had claimed her grandfather gave the necklace to her. And that the owner of the Lucky Nugget swore the coin was part of the Confederate treasure.

The kid's father interrupted, told his son to go back to the car. Dropping a handful of change to the floor, Ian distracted them long enough to hide the map, then shrugged as the kid started crying over misplacing his map.

What a baby.

When the family finally left, Ian withdrew the purloined paper, examined it closely.

It showed the entire area, including Culverleaf Park. Key historical points were starred, with the biggest star denoting the Lucky Nugget Mining Company.

Lacy Hicks owned the Lucky Nugget. He was also close friends with Willis Morgan.

And the Morgan family had been searching for the Lost Confederate Gold longer than anyone else in these parts.

Had that old coot Willis found Ian's money and gold? The necklace ...

Ian needed to see it to know for sure. And soon.

Joseph Ciccone was breathing down his neck, demanding Ian fulfill his end of the bargain immediately, claimed the FBI was growing suspicious.

Ian had been given twenty-four hours to produce the gold and the money. Or else.

Which meant Ian had to locate it, secure it, and get the hell out of town.

With or without his revenge.

He crumpled the map.

Chapter Sixteen

A
small crowd was gathered across the street from Franny's salon, their faces somber. Keira recognized several shop owners from downtown, knew more would come as word spread.

Yellow tape fluttered in the morning breeze, keeping back the curious and framing the desolate scene.

The once-beautiful Victorian looked awful in the bright light of day, her pristine exterior blackened with soot, the majority of the first-floor windows broken.

The thought that someone set the fire deliberately had troubled Keira most of the night. Seeing the damage, the true horror of what
might
have happened hit her, causing her stomach to cramp.

Two firemen stood on the porch, surveying the damage.

She caught sight of Franny near Darryl's car and hurried over. The two women embraced.

"It makes me sick," Keira began.

"Me too." Franny wept for a few minutes, then waved a hand toward the building that was her home and business. "Honestly, it looks better than I'd hoped. I had nightmares the roof collapsed during the night. I was afraid I'd come here and find a pile of rubble."

"How bad is the inside?"

"Bad." Franny shrugged, feigning nonchalance and failing. Her voice cracked. "The fire marshal said the downstairs will have to be gutted, but the flames were contained quickly, so structural damage is minimal."

"What about the upstairs?"

"Smoke damage mostly. Darryl said the sentimental items could be salvaged and restored. Furniture, clothes ... It will all have to be replaced."

Keira bit her lip, choking back her own tears, hurting for her friend. And feeling guilty. "Do they have any idea what caused it?"

"They're checking now. You know Darryl won't rest until he's found the cause. And speaking of Darryl." Franny held her hand up. A diamond the size of Pdiode Island sparkled on her finger as new tears welled in her eyes. "He proposed."

Keira gasped. "Oh my God! He did it."

"It was supposed to be my birthday present, but he gave it to me last night."

Keira hugged her friend. "Did you set a date?"

"Not yet, but it'll be at least a year from now. You know me. It has to be the biggest bash this town has ever seen, and that will take a while to plan."

"You can stay with me," Keira said in a rush of words. "Until we get this place fixed. I'll redo all the wiring myself, and—"

"Actually, Darryl and I decided to buy a house right away," Franny interrupted. "You know how we joked about buying the mayor's house, up on the hill? Well, we've got an appointment to see it this afternoon. It's vacant, so I can move in right away and live there till the wedding. Which means I can finally expand the shop."

For months, Franny had talked about moving out and converting her apartment into a day spa with a full cosmetics boutique and tanning salon. She had even considered renting the apartment next to Keira—the one Alec currently occupied.

"It's a great idea," Keira encouraged. "We'll have you back in business in no time."

Darryl walked up, accepted Keira's congratulatory hug, asked how she felt. "Good thing you're here. The fire marshal needs to speak with both of you."

It was early afternoon by the time Keira left Franny's. While the fire marshal emphasized he wasn't finished with his investigation, it was clear he believed the fire had been purposely set.

Keira's gut instinct was that Griggs was behind it. Darryl explained the story to the marshal.

When the insurance adjuster arrived, Keira left. She climbed in her truck, eyeing the building one last time.

If Griggs was behind the fire, that meant he'd tried to harm someone dear to Keira after all. Franny was like family. Had that been part of Griggs's plan all along?

For a moment, she was tempted to go down to the gas station where Ian worked and confront him. Except what was the worst she could do? Tell him off? Call him names? Throw something at him?

She thought about the gun she had stowed behind her seat, recalled how it felt in her hand. She totally understood her grandfather's motivation now.

Frustration built. Too restless to go back to her apartment, she decided to head up to her cabin, to work off her nervous energy. Maybe she'd visit Willis later, too.

She went by the office to pick up tools. Reggie called while she was there.

"Heard about the fire," he said. "Sounds like you were lucky."

"We were."

"I thought you were taking the day off?"

"I am. Just stopped by on my way to the cabin."

"Need help? I'm on my way back from Hot Springs. I'll be there in about thirty minutes."

The thought of having company, someone to talk to, was appealing.

"Sounds good, Reggie. Meet me there."

As soon as Keira hit the trigger of the nail gun, it blew the breaker.

She sighed. For some reason, the air compressor was being temperamental. She'd looked at it twice already, couldn't find the problem.

She'd have to finish mounting the braces for the cabinets the old-fashioned way: With a hammer and elbow grease.

She checked her watch. She'd been there over two hours. And no Reggie. He must have changed his mind about coming. She wiped the sweat from her brow, debating whether to call it quits.

She heard gravel crunch in the drive.
Reggie.
Maybe she'd get a few cabinets installed after all.

Grabbing the hammer once more, she concentrated on nailing a brace. She heard the front door open, heard footsteps echo in the living room.

"I'm back here," she called out. "Come on in."

Keira pounded one last nail, then backed down the ladder. "I was beginning to think you'd had a better offer," she said, turning.

But it wasn't Reggie who stood in the doorway. It was Beau Watson. Ian Griggs's roommate.

"A better offer?" Beau's eye gleamed. He flexed his arms forward, cracked his knuckles. "What was the first one?"

He was shirtless, his jeans riding low on bony hips. Dark blue tattoos covered his entire torso, gory pictures of skulls and knives. A nude woman, crucified.

Twin silver hoops pierced his nipples.

She didn't bother to hide her revulsion.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "This is private property. You're trespassing."

Beau grinned, held up her truck keys. "We need to talk."

Then he grabbed her cell phone from the sawhorse. Dropping it on the floor, he crushed it beneath his heel.

Alec had lunch with Miles Ostman, in Hot Springs.

"I want Keira Morgan out of Freedom. By force, if necessary."

"You've got no proof Griggs had anything to do with the fire," Ostman said.

"Yet," Alec shot back. "I don't need proof to know she's in danger."

"From what I understand, there are other people in town with axes to grind. I can't control what they do."

The only other people Alec knew of that disliked Keira for any reason were the Barry brothers. And Scarlet.

Scarlet had done her damage by insinuating Alec was interested in her. And as much as he despised the way the Barrys disrespected Keira, Alec didn't believe they were behind the fire. They might vandalize a job site. They would certainly call names and launch a verbal assault.

But they were idiots, not psychos. And only a real psychopath would lock two women in a burning building.

Alec glanced at Ostman, wondered briefly if the man actually knew that much about the inner workings of Freedom or was simply grasping for excuses. He'd bet it was the latter.

"Keeping Keira safe is my primary concern."

"Your primary concern is recovering the money."

Alec leaned forward. "I think if we remove Keira from the equation Griggs will go ahead and make his move. Right now she's a distraction."

"To you or Griggs?"

"If you don't get her out, I will."

Ostman swore. "If you cost me this investigation, I'll—"

"You'll what? Pull me off the case?" Alec checked the time. He needed to get back. "I doubt that. It's too late to establish another cover."

In the end, Ostman promised to check on a nearby safe house. "Just don't do anything with the Morgan woman until I get back to you."

When Alec returned to Freedom, he drove by the halfway house. Beau's car was already gone. Was he at Culverleaf Park again?

Next, Alec went by the gas station. Griggs was inside the office, talking on the phone. Before starting the as
signment, Alec had asked Ostman about phone taps. Not enough probable cause, Ostman claimed.

Still, Alec wished he knew to whom Griggs talked and what he said. If it was dark, he'd slip up next to the building and eavesdrop.

Pulling into the busy laundromat across from the station, Alec opened his laptop computer and activated the homing device on Beau's car.

While the system booted up, a truck pulled into the gas station. Alec recognized the driver. Reggie Reeves.

Reggie looked around, then went straight into the office. Without pumping gas.

Curious, Alec sat forward ... until Reggie grabbed a bottle of motor oil off the rack, set it on the counter.

Alec checked the computer screen,
checking coordinates
, the dialogue box read. He sighed, impatient, and tried Keira's cell phone. When he got no answer, he called her office.

Tina knew exactly where she was. "At the cabin, but she's not answering her phone."

Alec felt his temper flash. "Did she go alone?"

"Reggie was supposed to meet her there, but he called and said he's running late."

Alec watched Reggie pay for the oil.

At that moment the homing device on Beau Watson's car pinged, giving its location.

Beau was on the private road heading up to Fire Mountain.

"Keep trying to reach her," Alec barked. "And tell her I'm on my way."

Beau backed Keira into a corner, slowly, menacingly.

She felt the edge of the unfinished kitchen counter bite into her back. She stepped sideways, angling for the door. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped.

"We have nothing to talk about. Get out," she repeated.

"I want to see the necklace your grandpa gave you. The one with the gold coin."

His request surprised her. There was only one reason Beau could be interested in the coin she wore. "Those stories about the Lost Confederate Gold aren't true. It doesn't exist."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that. Give me the necklace."

When Keira shook her head, Beau took a step closer, grinned. "I was hoping you'd fight me over it."

Grabbing a nearby hammer, he charged.

Keira dashed sideways but wasn't quick enough. Beau caught the back of her shirt, spun her around. The neck of her shirt split, buttons flying.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Holding the hammer up menacingly, Beau reached forward and yanked the necklace, breaking the golden chain.

While he examined the necklace, Keira reached around behind her, feeling around the counter for a weapon. Her fingers closed over a two-by-four.

Swinging it as hard as she could, she caught Beau across the midsection.

He went down, screamed.

She dashed through the door, into the yard, and sprinted across the clearing, heading straight for the woods.

If she ran down the road, she'd be out in the open. Beau could easily run her down in his car. At least in the woods, she could hide.