AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Always.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She started to pull away, but I used the hand I still held to tug her back against me for one more full body kiss that left her mouth swollen and my dick more than a little hopeful. “Don’t forget me.”
“Guh.” At her blissed-out expression, I laughed and finally released her. She blinked and shook her head as if to clear it. “I think you need a license for that mouth.”
Delighted, I waved her on her way. “I’m sure we can discuss that when I’m off-shift again. Go on. I’ll text you later.”
“Uh-huh.”
When she still didn’t move, I gently gripped her shoulders and turned her back toward the door to her room.
“Right. Later.”
I was still on the upper gallery a couple minutes later when I heard the downstairs doors close and her car crank up. For a few more minutes, I debated with myself, then sent a text that very well might get me in trouble with Caroline later. If she found out.
No reply had come in by the time I headed into the firehouse a half hour later. The whole place smelled of bacon and coffee. I found everybody gathered family-style around the table inhaling biscuits and eggs along with that bacon. They had that amped up, post fire excitement going.
I poured myself another cup of coffee. “I gather it wasn’t a quiet night?”
Jamal reached for another biscuit. “Our firebug seems to have struck again.”
I braced myself. “Where?”
“You know that old beachcomber’s shack on the south side? The one near Pelican’s Rest?”
“The one the kids used to use as a lover’s lane?”
“Still do. Or did. Won’t be able to anymore,” Smokey added. “Burned to the ground.
“Shit. Was anybody hurt?”
“Nobody was there,” Jamal said. “And while we were dealing with that, somebody called in an unattended bonfire about two miles down the beach. We were damned lucky the wind was on our side last night. That one could’ve easily spread to all the marsh grass.”
On autopilot, I loaded my plate. “Whoever it is, they’re escalating.”
“They’re having a grand ol’ time jerking us around is what they’re doing,” Tank muttered.
“How long until they set a fire to something actually occupied?” Pete asked.
“The question is whether these fires are connected to the beach house fire.” I tapped my fingers against the side of my mug. “All the others have been easy access. Convenient outside garbage cans. Vacant property. That sort of thing. The house would’ve required either a key or breaking in. Who has the photos from the scene?”
Biscuit in hand, Jamal rose and went to retrieve them. “What are you looking for?”
I flipped through the images until I found the one I wanted. “Here. Back door. See those scratch marks around the lock? That wasn’t from our breach. This door was jimmied.”
Flash bit into a piece of bacon. “So what is this? Some kid bored with the summer? Since it’s mostly been around the areas of rentals, could it be somebody who came in for vacation?”
“Gotta be somebody who’s here for a while. How many folks stay here for two weeks or more?” Smokey asked.
“Could be somebody who has a beef with the tourist industry expansion,” I mused.
We continued to discuss theories until Blaze stuck his head in the room. “Hey L-T, you got company.”
I glanced beyond him to see Rios in the doorway.
So he’d decided to come in person instead of answering by text.
