Leigh brushed her comment away with her hand. “You didn’t need to wait. You should have come on over.”
Carilyn took a drink of her coffee then shrugged. “Maybe it was a good thing so that my car didn’t catch fire right in front of your house.” She gritted her teeth. “I lost my laptop. I’m going to have to build everything from the ground up.”
“I’m sorry, Cari.” Leigh frowned. “Did you have everything backed up? Or was your backup in the car, too?”
“Everything is backed up.” Carilyn nodded. “I keep everything on an off-site server. It’ll take some time to download everything and get it set up, but I’m grateful I took care of that before I left.”
“Thank goodness,” Leigh said.
Carilyn set the cup down and absently ran her finger around the rim. “I think the firefighters found something in the car that makes them think it could be arson.”
Leigh’s eyes widened. “Arson?”
With a nod, Carilyn said, “Not officially.” She explained to Leigh about the object, that Cody had asked her if she had Barbie dolls, and how he wouldn’t talk with her about it. “Something to do with ongoing investigations. He said he wasn’t even sure the object was a Barbie.”
“That’s scary.” Leigh was frowning. “I haven’t heard of any cars catching on fire before.”
Carilyn’s gaze narrowed. “But you’ve heard of other fires?”
A light dawned in Leigh’s eyes. “There have been some suspicious fires around Prescott over the past couple of months. Three that I know of.”
A shiver trailed Carilyn’s spine. “Were Barbies involved?”
“I haven’t heard anything about dolls being involved.” Leigh appeared to be thinking it over. “Maybe it’s one of those inside clues like you see on crime shows that isn’t made public.”
Carilyn looked down into her coffee mug. “Maybe so…”
“So tell me everything you are able to,” Leigh said, drawing Carilyn’s attention to her.
“Not really much to tell beyond that.” Carilyn spooned some of her ice cream. “Went into the café and had a bite to eat, came out and the car was smoking and then burning. Like I mentioned earlier, Cody happened to be eating at the restaurant the same time I was, and apparently came out on my heels.” She shook her head. “One moment I was trying to dial 9-1-1 and the next he was rushing by and calling the fire department on his radio.”
“Nothing like being rescued by a sexy firefighter.” Leigh smiled. “Speaking of sexy firefighters, I don’t suppose you met my boyfriend. His name is Mike Lawson.”
“I was in a little bit of shock, so I’m not sure if he was there,” Carilyn said.
“I’ll introduce you to him.” Leigh ate another bite before she said, “I’m going to make a batch of cookies and we can take them to the fire department before I leave for Europe. I usually bake the guys something once or twice a month.”
“You always did like cooking and baking.” Carilyn raised her spoon. “You were the best cook in the whole sorority.”
With a laugh, Leigh said, “That’s probably how I got in to begin with.”
Carilyn grinned. “Not only that, but it was because you made the best homemade ice cream ever.”
“I knew it.” Leigh waved her spoon. “It was always about the goodies.”
Carilyn set her own spoon in her bowl and said more seriously, “It’s really good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you, too, Cari.” Leigh gave Carilyn a teasing look. “Now to find a way to get you to stay. I think I’ll have a talk with Cody McBride.”
“Don’t you dare,” Carilyn said. “Besides, I’m tired of men.”
“Sam hurt you that badly?” Leigh asked quietly.
Carilyn paused to consider. “I loved Sam and still do…but it’s a friendly love, nothing more. It was a shock when he told me he was going into the Peace Corps.” She sighed as she thought about the last couple of years. “I miss him terribly, but I’m moving on with my life. We’ll always be good friends, it just won’t be what I thought it would.”
“Well, if you’re moving on, I know just the cowboy fireman for you.” Leigh had a gleam in her eyes.
“Cowboy fireman, huh?” Carilyn smiled. “And I thought he was sexy as a firefighter. Now that I know he’s a cowboy too, that changes everything.” As the gleam brightened in Leigh’s eyes, Carilyn held up her hands in a “whoa” motion. “I was just kidding.”