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In spite of the heat from the fire, ice crept up Brody’s spine. “What are you talking about?”
“I came out here to verify Ron still worked here,” Lainey said. “I need… my attorney’s process server couldn’t locate Ron. When I got here, I didn’t see a soul.” She nodded toward the burning building. “I figured that was the mess hall. Thought everyone was inside, eating. So I went inside, but the building was empty. No lights. And it stunk, as if the garbage hadn’t been emptied in days.” Her arms tightened around herself. “Then I saw something on the floor that looked like a body. And I smelled blood. When I tried to get out, the door was blocked. That’s when I smelled gasoline and realized the building was on fire. I broke a window, but someone tried to push me back inside.”
“Ron?” Brody asked, anger rising in a hot tide inside him.
Lainey shook her head. “No. I never saw his face, but he was taller than Ron. Bigger, but no beer gut. Not as bulky.” She glanced at him. “And no, I don’t suspect it was you. You’re taller than that person. You have broader shoulders.” She drew in a ragged breath. “Pretty sure it was a man, but I’m not positive. I was frantic and panicked. I stabbed him with a piece of wood from the window frame. Hit something on his face. He screamed and ran away.”
Brody desperately wanted to wrap his arm around Lainey and pull her against him. Make her feel safe. But he knew it would be the wrong move. It would spook Lainey and make her even more jittery.
And holding her would only torment him.
There was too much unspoken between them. Too much subtext and nuance. He was one of her clients. There’d been a spark between them since the first time he walked into her office. He was pretty sure she felt it, too, but she was married. So he’d never made a move. Neither had she.
But he found more reasons that necessary to visit his accountant.
And he’d wanted to kill her asshole of a husband when he heard Martin had been arrested for domestic violence.
A car door slammed, and the sheriff hurried toward them. Pete Jacobs was a decent man and did a good job. But Brody wanted to slide in front of Lainey and protect her. He didn’t want Pete questioning her right now.
No chance of stopping him, though. Pete knew this was the best time to question both of them. They were shaken. Unsettled. They’d be more likely to make a mistake. More likely to give themselves away if they were responsible for the fire.
“Brody,” the sheriff said, nodding at him. “Ms. Dearborn. Either of you want to tell me what happened?”
Beside him, Lainey swallowed. Nodded and sat up straighter. “I came out here to make sure Ron still worked here,” she began.
Fifteen minutes later, both of them had told Pete their versions of what had happened. The sheriff’s face had darkened when Lainey told him about the body she’d seen. How someone had tried to prevent her from escaping the burning building. That she’d injured his face, but couldn’t see who it was because he’d pressed his fingers over the wound.
Brody said he’d been driving back to the ranch, saw the fire and the car parked on the shoulder. Explained he wanted to make sure no one was in danger when he saw Lainey trying to escape through the window.
He hesitated, then told Jacobs about the woman he’d helped on his way into town. “Probably a couple of hours ago. She was interested in the compound. Said the gate was unlocked and she went inside. Sounded like she might want to buy it. Said she was gonna stop at the courthouse to find out who owned the place.”
Jacob’s eyes narrowed. “You get a name? A license plate?”
“Her name was Mel. Didn’t get a last name. She drove a red Subaru SUV, but I didn’t pay attention to the license plate.” He took a deep breath. He didn’t want to get the woman in trouble, but she had been looking at the compound shortly before the fire had started. If she really wanted to buy it, she’d get a better price if some of the buildings had burned down. “Didn’t seem like an arsonist,” he finally said.
“Can’t tell that by looking at a person, Jones. You should know that.” He studied Brody for a long moment. “If you see her around town, call me immediately,” he finally said.
“Will do,” Brody replied.
Jacobs tapped his notebook into his pocket. “We’ll get your formal statements later. I need to talk to the fire crew. See what they can tell me.” He sighed. “Stay here for now, and stay out of the way.”
Lainey frowned as she watched the sheriff head toward the now-smoldering building. “Does he think we had something to do with the fire? Or the body in the mess hall?” Incredulous anger had replaced her fear and anxiety, and Brody gave silent thanks.
“He’s a cop,” Brody said. “It’s his job to be suspicious. His default is probably disbelieving everything a witness says until he can check it out.”
Lainey shifted so she faced him on the stairs. “I can’t prove that someone tried to shove me back into the building,” she said, her back ramrod straight. “No one can, unless that person comes forward and confesses to starting the fire and trying to kill me. Which is pretty unlikely.”
A firefighter came out of the building and shoved his mask up to the top of his helmet. He searched the crowd, then headed for the sheriff. As they spoke, the firefighter waved his hands toward the building.
Both the firefighter and the sheriff turned at the same time and stared at Brody and Lainey. The firefighter must have found the body or whatever it was that Lainey had described.
Once again, Brody wanted to slide in front of Lainey. But he knew it wouldn’t make any difference. The sheriff was heading directly toward them, a grim expression on his face.
This wasn’t going to be good.
The sheriff stopped five feet away from them. Stared at Lainey for an uncomfortably long time. Sighed and said, “Ms. Dearborn, it’s my duty to inform you that your husband Ronald Martin is dead. He was murdered, and his body was found in the mess hall. There will be an autopsy and a thorough investigation.” He stared at her for a long moment, his expression softening. “You’ll be the prime suspect,” he finally said. “The wife always is in these kinds of cases. Make it easy on us and yourself. Don’t leave town.”
