Page 30 of Take a Hike
“Of what?” Fifi raised an eyebrow. “Alcohol poisoning?”
“Well, last time you went to a bar, you ended up getting married, so that is a little concerning, but I was thinking more along the lines of someone lighting the place on fire while you’re in there.”
“Oh.” Fifi frowned. “Maybe we’ll sit on the patio.”
“It’ll get cold soon,” Kieran warned, but Fifi just shrugged.
“Better cold than on fire.”
“This town isn’t a relaxing place to be,” Bennett muttered.
Charlie grinned. “Isn’t it great? Never a boring moment.” Bennett didn’t look like he agreed, but she charged on ahead. “What’s the plan for me and Kiki here?”
“Kiki?” Fifi asked in a strangled voice.
“No,” Kieran said flatly.
“Don’t fight it,” Bennett warned. “The more she knows youhate it, the more entrenched it’ll become.”
Charlie smiled at her brother-in-law approvingly. “You’re such a quick learner, B.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly.
“You two are going to meet Rory at her store.” Fifi quickly tapped at her phone screen as she spoke. “Just sent you the address. She’s agreed to arrange an interview with one of the more…reasonable militia members, see what they know about Cobra’s murder.”
“Maybe we can sneak in a few questions about the coffee shop fire too.” Charlie glanced at her phone and saw the text pop up on her screen. Turning to Kieran, she asked, “Okay if we take your car?”
He gave a short nod, and she gave him a beaming smile.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why are you so happy about that?”
“I just appreciate how you didn’t argue or try to take over.” Giving a wave to Fifi and Bennett, she started toward the line of cars that stretched across the back of the lot. All of the vehicles had been backed into the spaces, so they were parked facing out. “Most people take longer to give in to the inevitable after they first meet me. Is backing into a parking spot a firefighter thing?” She waved toward the orderly line of cars.
He opened his mouth, closed it, and then must’ve decided not to ask any questions about what was “inevitable” because he simply said, “Yeah. Well, first-responder thing.”
“Interesting. I’m going to have to start doing that. I can see how it’d save time when the skip you’re chasing down MapleStreet jumps into his girlfriend’s green Impala and takes off.” She scanned the motley mix of vehicles before spotting the truck he’d brought to the coffee shop before it’d been burned. Making a beeline for the pickup, she decided to see how far she could press her luck.
“I’ll drive.”
He actually laughed. Well, it was more of a choked snort, but she was still going to put it in the laugh column. “No, you’re not driving my truck. You don’t even know where we’re going.”
“Shotgun then.” She headed for the passenger side instead. “You’ve been to Rory’s gun store?”
“Why’d you call shotgun?” He was getting that baffled note in his voice again, and Charlie hid a tiny grin. “No one else is riding with us. And yeah, I’ve been to Rory’s.”
“What’d you get?”
“Nothing.” He beeped the unlock button on his remote and stomped over to the driver’s door, his boots thumping hard against the ground as if the asphalt surface had done something to offend him. “I was working both times.”
“She had a fire?”
“Explosions.”
Charlie paused in the middle of boosting herself into the passenger seat. “Explosions? Plural?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh.” She finished getting inside and pulled the door closed. Reaching for her seat belt, she said, “The more I learn about this town, the more I like it.”
