Page 31 of Hot For You

“Your cousin, the detective?” Carilyn asked.

“Yes.” Cody clicked the button to print and the printer started humming. “It’s only a theory, but I’m afraid this might be related to the arsonist.” He looked at her. “You are not going anywhere without me.”

She dragged her hand down her braid and started plucking the end, another one of her high anxiety habits. She was aware of it, but she couldn’t get herself to stop doing it. “I can’t just hide.”

Cody got up from his seat and took her by the shoulders. “More importantly, you can’t take chances. Until this guy is caught, you need to stay low.”

“What if it’s an idle threat?” She frowned. “What if someone is trying to scare me as a prank?”

Cody didn’t release his light grip on her. “One of the other arsonist’s victims is missing. Police don’t know if it’s related, but this email concerns me.”

A cold chill prickled Carilyn’s skin. “Missing?”

“It may be nothing.” Cody caressed her upper arms soothingly. “But the police are treating it as a missing person’s case.”

The thought that everything could be tied to the arsonist made her stomach clench. “What do I do?”

“You continue to hang out with me.” He smiled at her. “Is that such a bad thing?”

She couldn’t help a little smile. “These are great lengths to go to in order to keep me around.”

He smiled in return, but it was a concerned smile. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. But I need my laptop and software so that I can work to track down the S.O.B. who sent the email. I also need to get clothes and toiletries.”

“I’ll take you to Leigh’s to get some of your things.” Cody slid his hands down her arms and released her. “We’ll go while it’s still broad daylight. Are you up to going now?”

“Now is good.” She followed him out the office door. “I’ll get my purse.” She glanced down at his T-shirt that she was wearing. “And I’ll put on my own clothes.”

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” he said.

She hurried down the hall and found that Cody had washed her clothes while she slept and had stacked them in a neat pile on the trunk at the foot of the bed. She pulled on her T-shirt, jeans, socks, and shoes, taking her time because she still wasn’t steady on her feet. When she was finished, she grabbed her purse and headed back toward the kitchen.

Cody was leaning up against the counter with a glass of milk in one hand and an Oreo cookie in the other. He nodded toward the open package on the counter. “Cookie?”

“I’m still full from breakfast.” She cocked her head to the side. “Isn’t it a little early to be eating cookies?”

Cody gave her a quick grin. “It’s never too early for Oreos.” He glanced at the clock. “Besides, it’s closing in on eleven.”

“Wow.” She looked from the clock to him. “I had no idea that much time had passed since breakfast.”

“We can hit the drive-thru on the way back from Leigh’s place.” He put his empty milk glass in the dishwasher. “There’s a great burger joint in town.”

After Cody put away the Oreos, he and Carilyn left the house and climbed into his truck. She kept a tight grip on her purse, as if that could protect her like some kind of shield. Protect her from what, she wasn’t sure, but holding it to her chest was somehow comforting.

“While you were getting dressed, I called Reese.” Cody glanced from the road to Carilyn. “He said he was concerned about your safety based on the letter and additional circumstances.” Cody glanced back at the road. “He obtained a warrant to search the first victim’s home, and it looked like there could have been a fight inside, but it’s not conclusive.”

Carilyn sucked in her breath. “Do they think it’s the same person who sent me the email?”

Cody’s expression grew grimmer. “They’ve sent her computer to forensics but they did get a response back right away to let Reese know they found an email from someone who called himself Firebug.” Cody continued as hair rose on Carilyn’s arms, “His message was a little different, but Reese thinks it might be the same guy.”

Carilyn swallowed. “What did it say?”

“The email read, ‘I’m watching you,’” Cody said. “And he used her name, too.”

Shaking her head, Carilyn rubbed her arms with her palms. “This is crazy. I just got into town. I haven’t had time to make any enemies.”

“I believe you may just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Cody’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel. “There are things I can’t tell you about—not yet—that lead both Reese and me to that conclusion.”

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