Page 250 of Her Reluctant Hero
“Then we’ll find out when he was there and why he would be using one.”
When Doug was escorted out of the jail by two guards, Peyton’s gaze first went to his hands.
There was the telltale burn.
Gabe followed her gaze, and she sensed a bit of disgust from him as he moved toward the other man.
The relief in Doug’s eyes darkened to concern when he glanced around the lobby. “Where’s Jen?”
“At camp. She couldn’t get away. The president is coming tomorrow,” Peyton said before Gabe could speak. “She wants us to take you to her.”
Doug covered his crestfallen expression quickly, blinked. “Of the United States?” He gave Gabe a tight grin. “That cannot be making her happy.”
“She was a little stressed,” Gabe drawled.
She was a little stressed. Peyton couldn’t believe this conversation, as if Doug being accused of arson was no big deal, compared to Jen being upset about the president. Who were these people?
“I don’t know what she did to get the money. I hope she didn’t mortgage the house.”
Gabe opened his mouth, but Peyton quickly elbowed him and shook her head sharply. Bad enough Jen wasn’t here when he got out of jail. Doug didn’t have to know she hadn’t put up the bail.
What was it about Doug that made people want to protect him? Lord, she hoped she hadn’t made a mistake believing in this guy.
Doug hadn’t wanted to eat in town, had been anxious to get to Jen, either to comfort her or be comforted by her. Gabe was just as anxious to put some distance between himself and the Sheridans—his goodwill to Doug only went so far—so he guided Peyton toward the mess tent. They’d been at the courthouse so long, they’d missed lunch, and his stomach protested as they crossed the darkening camp. She was still uncharacteristically quiet as they queued for brisket sandwiches. He could damn near hear the cogs turning in her head. So when it came time to choose a seat, he picked a table away from everyone.
“What?” was all he said when he set his tray down.
“You’re going to have a hard time proving he didn’t do it.”
“I am.” Her words struck deep, in a place already open to pain after dealing with Doug and Jen.
“You know what I mean.” She didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t apologize. She was pulling away from him, he felt it. Could he lower his pride enough to draw her back?
“What do you mean by a hard time?” he asked, making his choice to do what it took to keep her. “You said the evidence was circumstantial.”
“Yes, except for the burn, which you could say is circumstantial as well.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and inspected her sandwich. “But you’re not going to get any help from an arson investigator, or the FBI. They’ve got their man. I think the only way to clear Doug’s name is to find who really did it. And you don’t have the resources.”
“Which is kind of why I hoped you’d help.”
“I guess I could help.” She looked at him then. “I just don’t know what we can do. I was only a cop’s wife, not a cop.”
“But you’re a reporter. You can ask questions, get answers.”
She gave him a wry smile, one corner of her mouth turned up. “Yeah, it’s gotten me real far with you.”
He acknowledged that with a nod, his mind working ahead. He shoved his tray away after only one bite of the sandwich. “Well, if we want to prove it’s someone else, maybe we have to think about motive. That’s one thing Doug’s case is missing.”
“Unless you say he did it to get his wife on as IC.” She lifted her hands in surrender when he scowled at her. “I’m not saying. But they will.” She took a sip of her tea. “You also have to look at access. His drip torch was used, fibers from a smokejumper’s Kevlar suit were found at the scene. Someone who has access to the base camp.”
“Maybe a smokejumper wannabe?”
“Or a smokejumper.”
He opened his mouth to tell her there was no way it was a firefighter when Kim charged over. She plopped down on the bench beside him, hair wild, nostrils flared in frustration. She didn’t acknowledge Peyton, but Gabe felt Peyton tense across from him.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere. We’re not on the schedule.”
He eased back, not sure how many people had heard about Doug’s situation. He didn’t want to be the one to spread the word. And he didn’t know how many people had heard the president was on his way. “We just got back from town.”
