Page 78 of Steel

He just tossed out the information that someone might have purposely set a fire that could have killed her, but he wasn’t certain of his findings? Was he kidding me?

I could tell I was off-putting to the older man since he cringed when I stared at him. “Okay. I’m no expert but if someone tampered with the system, it’s usually minutes at the maximum before a vehicle catches fire.”

“True.” He didn’t seem to have the desire to expound.

“Someone actually wanted my Jeep to catch fire,” she repeated. “Why?”

“Where were you right before you had to pull over? Weren’t you in public locations?”

Violet paled. “We stopped at one of the parks so Zorro could use the bathroom, and I scouted the area near the riverbank for photos for my project I mentioned.”

“Do you remember where?” I could tell she was rattled. Hell, so was I. However, she could have been parked in the wrong place at the wrong time. If the local ‘gang’ had been close, maybe they’d seen it as a test. Given the randomness of the carnage they’d been involved in, I wouldn’t put anything past them.

“I have pictures on my camera,” she offered.

“Okay. We’ll look at them later when we get back. Are you willing to put that in a police report, Sheldon?”

He tossed the rag and shrugged. “Sure, Steel, but like I said, given the extent of the fire, I can’t be one hundred percent sure. And there won’t be any fingerprints. Not with the fire retardant the fire department used and the fire and smoke damage.”

“Unbelievable,” I hissed.

“Then why bother making a report?” Her question was out of frustration.

“It might help with your insurance claim.”

I looked over at where Damon remained near a group of other vehicles Sheldon was working on. The kid didn’t need to knowwhat was going on. “Did you smell anything before it caught fire?”

“Yeah, plastic burning.” She peered up at me with wide eyes, but they weren’t filled with fear. “Is this something that could been done long before the fire happened? Like a week and several hundred miles driven?”

Sheldon huffed. “No, ma’am. Depending on the method used, the insulation would have frayed more with the heat of the engine. You were lucky it didn’t occur in the park.”

“Did you see anyone when you were there?”

Initially, she shook her head. “I heard laughter. But it was a park on a beautiful day.”

“And Zorro?”

“He growled. Don’t you remember, Mom? He was growling and you wanted to get back to the Jeep.” Damon had appeared, obviously overhearing the conversation.

Her nose wrinkled and looking at her, I had completely inappropriate thoughts. Much like I’d had even while working the fire earlier in the day.

“That’s right. I thought there was another animal close by. Why would anyone do this?”

“There’s a group of teenagers we were warned about.” Now I wanted to search my property to ensure they hadn’t laid any boobytraps.

“I’ll write up a report, Steel. I don’t know how helpful it’ll be,” Sheldon said. “I can have the Jeep crushed for you and handle your insurance company, miss.”

“Sheldon. Don’t do anything until we have a chance to talk to the police.” Someone had to protect her and her son since it was painfully obvious she didn’t have anyone.

“Sure thing,” Sheldon said.

“Thank you. I appreciate your help.” She was thoroughly bothered by what we’d heard. I couldn’t blame her. Turning away, she moved toward her son, gripping his shoulders. There was something on her mind, as if she knew a reason behind why someone would sabotage her.

As we walked out, Damon was content with skipping ahead, leaving the two of us alone. “Who are you running from, Violet?”

She barely lifted her head, her brow still pinched. “It’s not possible so it doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, maybe it does. If someone is out to hurt you, then the best thing you can do is to let me know.”