Page 71 of Midnight Secrets

If the fire at her office was indeed suspicious, it made me wonder why someone would torch it. What did she have there—or what did someone think she had there—that would warrant that kind of action?

“Did the Hammonds give you any documents pertaining to their property?” I glanced back.

Static made her blonde hair stick out as she poked her head through the neck of her sweater. “Only the standard stuff. Why?”

I slipped into my t-shirt, then picked up my flannel from the counter. “Just trying to puzzle out why someone would want to burn down your office.”

She stilled. “What did you say?”

I frowned at her, pausing in the process of shrugging into my flannel. “What do you mean? You said you were talking to Savannah.”

“I was. She said the office was on fire, not that someone did it on purpose!”

“Riggs said she told dispatch she saw someone fleeing the scene.”

Her blue eyes went wide. “Oh my God,” she breathed. She sank to the floor and tore at the Velcro strips holding her boot in place. It needed to come off so she could put her leggings on.

I buttoned up my shirt and squatted to help her.

Pebbles ran around us, barking. I couldn’t blame her. She sensed something was wrong.

Together, Claire and I got her leggings on and the boot refastened.

Rising, I held out a hand, helping her to her feet, then grabbed my coat from the floor.

“We can take my truck,” I said as she plucked her coat off the hook by the garage door. “I’m parked behind your garage, so I’d have to move, anyway.”

“Okay.” She shoved her arms into the coat sleeves, then bent down to scoop up a still barking Pebbles. “Let’s go.”

I frowned. “You want to take the dog?”

She turned a determined look on me. “Someone’s lured her out of the yard, broken into my house, and now burned my office down. Yes.”

When she put it like that… listing things off really made it hit home that whether this was about Marie Hammond’s death or not, someone had it out for Claire.

“All right.” I put a hand on her back and ushered her toward the front door.

Running as best she could, Claire led the way outside to the truck. The lights flashed as I unlocked it. In less than thirty seconds, we were pulling away from the house.

Pebbles stood on Claire’s lap, front paws on the dash, her little tail wagging furiously. If it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation weighing on me, I’d laugh at her antics. The tiny dog had grown on me. It helped that she tolerated me now. Ever since I rescued her from the cold, she’d decided I wasn’t as bad as she first thought.

After several minutes and a few rolling stops, we made it to Claire’s office. The fire was out, but smoke still billowed from the structure. We hadn’t missed the flames by much.

Parking behind a firetruck, I got out and hurried around to help Claire down. Once she had both feet firmly on the ground and Pebbles tucked under her arm, I glanced around, looking for Riggs. He stood near the second fire engine, deep in conversation with one of the firefighters.

I took Claire’s free hand, pointing with my other. “Riggs.”

She nodded, and we headed that way.

On the way, we passed an ambulance. Claire came to an abrupt halt.

I glanced back with a frown. She stared at the window. “Claire?”

Disentangling our hands, she walked up to it and opened the back door. “Savannah?”

“Claire!” a woman on the stretcher cried out. Almost immediately, she started hacking behind the oxygen mask on her face.

The paramedic with her adjusted the mask, then turned a disapproving frown on us. A touch of it smoothed out as recognition dawned on his face. “Claire, now’s not the best time.”

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