Page 4 of Hot For You

“It will only take a few minutes.” He offered her a smile. “I want to make sure she’s there.”

“Okay.” Carilyn nodded and then walked to his truck with him.

Chapter 2

Still too stunned to think clearly, Carilyn climbed into Cody’s truck as he held the door open for her. She was careful not to let her skirt slide up. She buckled her seatbelt then clutched her purse to her belly. It was the only thing that hadn’t burned up in the fire because she’d taken it with her into the café.

Cody jogged around the truck and climbed in on the driver’s side. He jammed the key in the ignition and glanced at Carilyn. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

She managed a little smile. “Considering my car is fried, my laptop and belongings are history, and I am now minus transportation, I’m okay.”

He started the truck. “The fact that you weren’t in the car at the time is a damned good thing.”

She let her breath out. “Yes, there’s that.”

He maneuvered the truck through the crowd of emergency vehicles. “This may seem like an odd question, but would you have had a doll of any kind in your vehicle?”

Carilyn frowned. “No. Why?”

Cody’s brow furrowed. “The object that Johnson showed me may be a burnt Barbie doll.”

“I don’t have Barbie dolls.” A queer feeling stirred in her belly. “They found one in my car?”

“I’m not certain.” Cody gave her a reassuring look. “It probably wasn’t one, but I have to ask.”

Her stomach churned. “Could it have been arson?”

“If it has anything to do with ongoing cases, I can’t discuss it. Not yet.” He glanced from the road to her. “I don’t even know if that’s what the object was.”

The churning in her stomach started to heat as anger rose through her. “Why would anyone burn up my car? Have other cars been set on fire, too?”

“Other cars, no.” His gaze was on the road again. “Like I said, we can’t be sure what the object was. I promise to keep you informed as we investigate.”

She was certain he wasn’t going to say anything else about it, so she looked out the window at the passing town.

“You look familiar to me.” He drew her attention back to him and flashed her a quick smile. “And that’s not a come-on.”

Too bad it wasn’t, she thought but said, “I’m from Kansas. I’ve never been here before.”

“I could swear I’ve seen you.” He looked thoughtful. “Are you visiting or moving to Prescott?”

“Visiting.” She pushed curls out of her face and realized most of her ponytail had fallen out. “And housesitting while Leigh’s gone.”

“That’s right.” He kept his eyes on the road. “Mike said she’ll be out of town for awhile.”

“Leigh will be gone a month.” Carilyn pulled her hair back with both hands and fixed her ponytail. “She’ll be touring Europe with a choir group that she sings with.”

“Sounds like a good time.” Cody glanced at her before looking back at the street. “My brother, Clint, left Prescott and lived in Europe for a few years before moving to Argentina. He was gone for several years and just came home to stay some six months ago.”

“He must have liked it there to be gone for so long,” Carilyn said.

Cody shrugged. “He was running from his past, but he finally grew up.” Cody pulled up to a stoplight. “How do you know Leigh?”

“We were sorority sisters at the University of Kansas.” Carilyn smiled as she thought back about those days. “We’ve kept in touch and have gone on vacations together. Somehow I never made it here until now.”

“Leigh is a great gal.” The light changed from red to green and Cody started driving again. He gave her a quick grin. “I bet the pair of you have a few crazy stories to tell.”

Carilyn grinned back. “We certainly do.”

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