Page 130 of Burning For You

It was better to just start with that rather than give any gap for someone to ask if Skye was okay.

“Nothing you’re going to like.”

His shoulders dropped while he sat on the floor in the big bean bag, Skye right next to him.

“So nothing on the guy,” he said.

“Oh, I’ve got a lot,” Clay said.

Ash looked around the room at the stone faces. “Like, suspect type things?”

“You’re kidding me,” Skye said. “Please tell me no. Tell me he doesn’t have some history of fires or something. I’m not sure I can handle knowing this is right under my nose and I’ve been an idiot.”

“He doesn’t,” Clay said. “But he’s only been at this job for about two years. Prior to that he was with a bigger paper in New Jersey and it looks like he got canned.”

“For what?” she asked. “How can you know those things?”

Ash put his hand on her thigh. “Don’t ask. We don’t.”

“From what I can see,” Clay said, “he has some unethical practices. He likes big stories and doesn’t care how he gets them. It’s about press for him.”

“That’s a far cry from him starting fires,” Ford said.

“The Boy Scout has spoken,” Clay said. “But it’s more than what is on Alan and we know it.” Clay was still typing.

“Anything else?”

“He’s got an arrest after he was fired. Seems he’s got somewhat of a temper and took a swing at his old boss. Threatened he’d, quote ‘burn in hell’ for firing the best thing they’d had in years.”

“Still doesn’t make him guilty,” Ford said.

“But it’s damning,” Ash said. “Right? It at least should be brought up to Detective Brown and my chief. Do you know if he’s been to any of the fires?”

“I would have noticed him there,” Skye said. “And if he was, why does he need me to write about them? He’s never disputed anything in my articles.”

“Which means nothing,” Clay said. “Here is another piece that, on a job prior, he was pressured to reveal sources to his employers and refused. It had to do with a crime spree in the area that he had firsthand knowledge of.”

“Most won’t reveal their sources,” Rory said. “We all know that in this room.”

“Exactly,” Gale said. “That’s weaker than Ash’s coffee.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not everyone needs to live off of it like some people in this room.”

“Let’s not get off topic,” his father said. “Anything else, Clay?”

“A few small things, similar. Seems he can’t really hold on to a job for long. At least in bigger cities. He has a habit of pissing someone off. I can make some calls if you want.”

“I’ll pass this to Tate,” Skye said.

“I’ll pass it to the detective,” Ford said. “You two need to stay out of it. Already Alan came after you for something you didn’t do, Ash.”

“I still got blamed for it,” he said.

“Me too,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter. I can do it officially. I’ll do it in the morning. For now, I say we just enjoy Mom’s desserts.”

“I can get on board with that,” Skye said.