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“Thanks,” he said over his shoulder before heading out to his truck.
He trusted his dog and his home with someone who, just three months ago, was shrugging off any casual concern or affection. Someone who he’d rescued, someone who had reluctantly let him touch his swollen ankle. Someone he’d come to care about rather quickly. They had a long road ahead of them, but he trusted Ambrose and that was enough for now.
Barrett drove as fast as he dared in the dark, even along roads he knew like the back of his hand. Meredith called in over the radio when he was a few miles out. “How bad?” he asked as he navigated a particularly nasty turn.
“Generator’s gone but they also shredded the lines into the tower. It’s gonna be expensive to fix. And they did a nasty job on the door. Thank god it’s not fire season.” Her voice was strung tight, a wire of stress and worry. “You close?”
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry for the delay.” His hands were tight on the wheel so he relaxed a little. No point in straining now when there was work to be done.
Meredith laughed softly at that. “You get stuck in a project?”
He flashed back to Ambrose, fire-warm and relaxed in that wingback chair, his hair a splash of red and brown against navy blue. Without meaning to, he sighed. “Nah, just shooting the shit with the neighbor.”
“Oh, really?”
“Don’t start, Mer.”
She chuckled. “I won’t tell a soul about your crush.”
Barrett groaned. “Okay, I’m ignoring that completely.”
“Whatever you say, Bear.”
When he got to Alpha tower, Jacques was standing beside his truck talking to a shorter man with tortoiseshell glasses who was jabbing at a tablet screen. Clearly dressed for the winter chill with the right boots and coat, the man was surprisingly bare-headed and the wind played with the end of the long, dark hair that went past his shoulders. The man didn’t seem to mind, his focus fully on Jacques as they talked. Barrett cracked open his door and Jacques motioned him forward.
“It can’t be random anymore, Jacques,” the man was saying as Barrett approached. “The bridges three months ago, the stolen supplies, now a generator and a barred door. It reeks of sabotage.” The man had a melodic, easy voice but there was anger under his words.
“That’s what I don’t understand.” Jacques motioned with a gloved hand to the fire watch tower. “Sabotaging the tower during fire season would make more sense if they were trying to cause harm. It could be someone needed that generator.”
The man shrugged, then cut his gaze to Barrett. Barrett nodded but the man smiled back. “Never said it had to make sense, because if that was the case then the barred door doesn’t fit in. But we’re all gonna need to be on alert. I have permission from central command to stay in Lake Honor until we get this figured out.” That gaze, dark brown and intense, landed on him again. “You’re Barrett, right? Oz Hampstead. I’m an investigator with Ranger Command.”
Barrett shook the hand that was thrust out at him. “Didn’t know we had investigators.”
“We don’t,” Jacques cut in. “They borrowed him from County Fire and EMS.”
Oz grinned. “Guilty as charged. But it’s in the contract that we can be ‘borrowed’ by other local authorities as the need arises.” He dropped the firm, warm handshake but those dark eyes stayed fixed on Barrett. He saw a smattering of freckles over the bridge of Oz’s nose, just under his glasses. “Jacques says you were the one who found the bridge sabotage. I’ve already talked to Meredith about the fire watch tower, since she found the issues while on her rotation tonight. But I’d like to hear about all of this from you. Jacques says Alpha is your usual haunt.”
“And that’s my cue to duck out.” Jacques slapped Barrett on the back and handed him a thin folder as he passed by. “I’ve got a shit ton of paperwork to do before we can all sleep. Wish me luck.”
“Bye, Jacques.” Barrett turned back to the man before him, scrubbing a hand through his beard as he tried to put his thoughts in order. “So, Alpha and the bridges.”
Oz squinted at him in the glare of the work lights around the tower. The expression drew Barrett’s attention to sharp cheekbones. Apparently, he had a type. He pulled his head out of the gutter as Oz said, “Yeah, but we can do that in a moment. I was hoping to borrow your insights on the tower. You know it best, so maybe you’ll see something they didn’t.”
“Fair enough.” He led Oz up the stairs, passing a couple of field rangers as they stomped down. “Jacques got you all filled in?”
“Every last bit. And it all fucking stinks, pardon my language.”
Barrett had to laugh. “No worries there. We’re all a little rough around the edges. Being out past most of civilization will do that.”
“Yeah well, you’re more my type anyways.” When Barrett gaped at him, Oz waved a hand. “Forest rangers, I mean. Never had a bad night when in the company of some of the crews up north.”
“Oh. Right.”Is he flirting with me?
Oz just smiled and Barrett felt heat up the back of his neck.
When they reached the entrance door, Barrett saw how badly it had been damaged. Not only had someone taken the time to nail in heavy wood planks from the outside - and bend the nails in a way that would make getting them out a pain in the ass - but they’d also jammed several very thin strips of metal into the deadbolt lock. There was something almost unhinged about the entire thing, like the person who had done it was fueled by rage. Those little strips of metal glinted in the harsh lights and Barrett winced. “Nasty. What in the hell would make someone do that?”
“They clearly weren’t trying to get in. This place is ninety-percent windows.” Oz stooped down to peer at the deadbolt. “We already had an officer out to take prints but I don’t think they’ll find anything. Can you look inside, see if anything looks strange? Just in case they entered before jamming the door.”
