Kitty: That’s because you know I’m always right. ;)
Tex: It is possible it was Doucet? Yes. He certainly had the motivation.
Tex: BUT…the business across the street and both on either side of her also have cameras, and he avoided all of them. There is only a small portion of the side of the bakery—where he threw the cocktail through the window—and the back corner of her building that are uncovered—which is likely where he fled.
Kitty: I know anger and rejection can be big motivators, and the idea behind the fire seems personal, but the execution part seems professional to me.
I would be lying if I said the same idea hadn’t crossed my mind, but Doucet was easier to deal with, so I had hoped that was who the suspect was. However, you couldn’t make decisions based on hope, which was why I had Tex and Kitty on board in addition to the Ranger Shield crew.
The police had informed us that he’d claimed he had an alibi with another woman, but they hadn’t yet spoken to her. People lied about alibis all the time, though, so I wasn’t ready to give up on him yet.
Me: So what are you both thinking?
Kitty: Do you think you could have made any enemies overseas during your time in the Army?
Me: It isn’t like the US Army, with boots on the ground in war-torn countries with conflict. I never left Sweden.
Kitty: But you worked with that intelligence and secret security service group, right? What was it called?
Me: Militära underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten, or MUST. In English, that’s Military Intelligence and Security Service. And, yes, I worked with them. It was where I developed all my military intelligence and hacking skills. But my role was all behind the scenes with that task force. My identity would not have been exposed.
Kitty: I still think it’s worth reaching out to any contacts you may have and getting their thoughts. Because if you made an enemy there, not only would they have motive, but they would certainly be more highly trained than Doucet.
Me: Tex, you are quiet. What are you thinking?
Tex: I’m not discounting Kitty’s theory, especially since I agree with her angle on motive and training. But it could also be an enemy you made while working at your current security firm, which would be more likely for a local attack.
Me: You think this has to do with my job at Ranger Shield Security?
Tex: Look. Doucet is a weirdo for sure, but there’s nothing violent in his past, no history of violence or anything. By all accounts, it genuinely looks like he backed off once you and Vince talked to him. So, the only other element that has changed in her life recently to cause this to escalate is you.
Damn. Could it really be someone from a case I had worked?
Me: Most of what I do for both Ranger Shield and MUST is intel. I don’t arrest them or fire them. These people have no idea I am the one who looks into them.
Tex: Usually you are right, but all it takes is one person with half a brain to retaliate. Plus, your current job is local, which is easier for someone to retaliate from than someone overseas.
Kitty: Talk to your people and get us some names. We’ll help you look into it.
I got out of bed and shot Archer, Vince, Wade, and Jack a text to see if we could meet up to go over any possible cases that might have a motive. I was planning to drop Stella off at work, and I wanted to be there with her at least through her time with the insurance agent in case he was a dick. She was going to grab her laptop and some files from her office and bring them over to Ranger Shield’s office for the afternoon. She would have preferred to work from her house or the bakery, but they told her that for the first few days, she wouldn’t be able to since they would have to shut off her electricity and water for a period of time while they worked. My plan was to give her my office or have her work from the small conference room next to Ruthie and Cat while I talked a few things over with the guys about my suspicions—and now Tex’s and Kitty’s suspicions.
It wasn’t that I was keeping things from her, but she had enough to deal with already, and I didn’t want to add more worry, especially if it was just a hunch or suspicion rather than fact.
I also shot a quick email over to two former team members from my time at MUST. I wasn’t confident they would be able to assist, but I needed to start somewhere. I wanted to get this cleared up and solved as soon as possible.
This way, there would be no guilt or other priorities on my mind when I finally got Stella in my bed. I needed all my focus for that task since I intended to make her mine…for good.
