Page 27 of Playing with Fire

Arson is one of the hardest crimes to solve. The fire itself destroys most evidence left behind. The chance I would find anything the investigators hadn't was unlikely, but I couldn't sit around and wait for another one to start. And something was nagging me. Up until now, each location had a broken window, which investigators determined was where the arsonist threw the lit matches into the building. But this one didn't have that.

Why? It didn't make sense. Did he light the matches while he was standing inside the building this time? Or throw them in from outside the back door? He could have technically done that at any of the other fires, but didn't. What made this place different? And this was the only one not set in the early morning hours. It almost felt unplanned.

I parked my truck and grabbed a flashlight before getting out. It wasn't totally dark, the sun making its final descent below the horizon, but inside the building would be dark. It had been more than a week, and the investigators were done with the scene.

I had no clue what the fuck I was doing. What I thought I would find. I gently sifted through the interior remains, looking for anything that might help. A loud clang sounded from outside the back of the building, but when I stepped through the back door, there was no sign of a person.

Movement fifty feet away caught my eye as what looked like a person moved along the tree line. As I hurried that way, my flashlight shone on something red lying on the ground only ten feet from the back of the building. A matchbook. I picked it up with one gloved hand, turning it over. It wasn't charred. So it wasn’t in the building. Did whoever I saw a moment ago drop it?

I pulled out my phone and dialed Dylan. He was not going to like what I had to say.

“What's up?” he asked the moment the call connected.

“I need a favor.”

“Dude, you have a nanny now.” He chuckled. “One that isn't eighty.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not that type of favor. Girls are with Maggie. I'm at the BBQ place, the one that burned down.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm tired of rushing into burning buildings that are being set intentionally.”

He sighed. “Not your job, man. You gotta let the fire investigators take care of it.”

“Yeah, well, they're not.” I huffed out a breath. “Need you to get Violet over here. I found something. I think he's coming back to the scenes after the fact.”

“I'll call Violet on my way over.”

Hopefully, his tech could pull prints from the matchbook. I looked down, turning it over again. The front readTaylor and Sons Plumbing. Or maybe this company could lead us to a suspect.

Chapter Sixteen

IZZY

The weekend wentby entirely too fast, even though I didn’t do much besides cleaning and grocery shopping. Not exactly how I imagined twenty-one to be. At least I was going out tonight for Nicole's birthday.

“All done?” I asked Alice.

She nodded. “Your turn.”

I took over stirring the cookie dough mixture. They wanted to make chocolate chip cookies before their mom got home, stating it was her favorite treat. And as it was one of my favorite things to do, I'd use any excuse to bake.

They took turns scooping balls of dough onto the cookie sheet before I slid it into the oven. The timer went off, and my phone chimed from the counter as I was pulling the cookies back out. I picked it up and clicked on the text from Maggie.

Maggie: Would you mind getting the girls packed up and driving them over to Logan's? I've got an emergency surgery.

Any other day I would have taken them to Logan’s after school, but school was closed today for a teacher in-service day. Maggie and I already discussed the possibility of me taking them to Logan’s if she was running late. And I couldn’t even bring myself to be upset about the change in plans. The idea of seeing him again shouldn't excite me so much. But it did. I typed out a response to Maggie.

Me: Of course.

“Hey, girls.” I waited until they appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. “Can you run upstairs and get your stuff for your dad's? Your mom's going to be late tonight.”

They both nodded and took off running. Apparently, the change in plans didn’t bother them either. But they were always excited to see Logan. He’s their dad. What was my excuse?

Shaking that thought from my brain, I busied myself in the kitchen separating the cookies into two containers. Alice agreed to leave some for Maggie and take some to their dad, too. That was only fair.

When I pulled down the driveway that ran along the side of Logan's house, my gaze landed on Logan under the hood of his truck in front of the detached garage. My breathing increased as I took in his shirtless back, his jeans hanging low on his hips.

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