Fire Angel (20 page)

She put down the paper and looked at Jake.

“That was just the end of it, but who is Jack Willard? Why can't I find an editorial from the third fire?”

“Jack Willard is a nut job; he's the so-called editor of our local summer rag; you can't call it a newspaper. There isn't anything about the third fire because the paper only publishes from May 21 to October 21, and Jack goes to stay with his sister in Florida for the winter. The third fire happened a week after he left.

“No one ever takes Jack seriously; each summer he reports at least one UFO sighting. This summer, we had some women staying in the area for a couple of weeks. He claimed they were a coven of witches communing with the devil. He said he saw them cavorting naked under the full moon. They were six ordinary women who had been to nursing school together and opted for a camping trip to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary of nursing. That old pervert probably watched them skinny dipping in the lake.” Jake shook his head. “I saw the ladies; not necessarily a good image to retain.”

Alexis laughed at the horrified look he pretended to have on his face. She was still smiling when he continued.

“Since we had no proof of the first date other than Luke's comment that he'd been there in July and everything was fine, the date of the first fire was just a guess. I figured the article was another of Jack's usual rants. What he calls journalism is fiction.”

“Well, Mr. Willard must be psychic; he was bang on for the dates. If we use August 31, the first three fires occurred on the night of the full moon. I checked the dates online. Did the police question him?”

“As far as I know, once the connection was made, they questioned everyone, but he's been in Florida for over a month now; he can't have anything to do with this.” At the mutinous look on her face, he put up his hand.

“Okay; I'll call Marian, his sister, to verify that he's there and hasn't left. Are you saying that you think spiritual forces and the full moon affect this guy? That he's some sort of devil's disciple?”

“Don't be a fool, Jake; of course I don't. I think the dates are as important to him as the people he targets. He puts a lot of time and energy into getting ready for his fires. The moon on August 31 is what people call a blue moon — the second full moon in a month; it's rare and only happens every three years or so. If the cabin was his first fire kill, it would make sense that he would choose an auspicious occasion, but he would have had work to do beforehand.”

She warmed to her topic and the intensity in her voice piqued Jake's curiosity. Her animation added a gleam to her eyes.

“He had to find his victim, get the drug, find a way to administer it, and get the victim to the cabin. How did he know Luke wouldn't be there? He had to get the materials together that he would need to build his funeral pyre, because that's what these fires are. Very elaborate funeral pyres, complete with his version of incense and candles. Has anyone tried to trace the drug dealer's movements for the month of August?”

“Yes, the police are still looking into that. So far, they can only confirm that he left Paradise around the twelfth of August to visit his mother in Montreal. Unfortunately, she was killed in a hit and run accident about a month ago.”

“After you'd identified the body?”

“Yes, why? What are you thinking?”

“If our arsonist has access to information, he'd know that you were looking into the dealer's movements. We know that he has a vehicle. I think he makes a point of tying up loose ends — the chemistry teacher, and now the dealer's mother. According to the notes, she reported him missing after Labor Day. It doesn't say in the report how long he'd been gone. That would bring his known kill total to thirty.”

She stopped talking. He pulled her more tightly against him, brushed his lips against her hair.

“Go on; let's hear the rest of it; I know there's more.” Jake turned her head towards his. “You should take up profiling full time; you seem to have a knack for it.” He smiled. “We could open our own agency.”

“It's a thought, I'll consider it when I retire,” she answered, but the tone of her voice said just the opposite. Jake frowned.

“Let's assume that something significant happened during a full moon, something so traumatic that it changed our killer — made him crazy,” she continued. “At first, the mania was controlled, and he could cope, but now it's taken over. He lives for his revenge; it's all he has left. It could even leave him with a multiple personality disorder — one part of him is alone and grieving, while his alter ego is a crazed, vengeance seeking killer. We need to find out exactly when Dr. Shillingham's wife and daughter were killed, Jake, and whether or not there was a full moon that night.”

Alexis moved away from him, stood, and began to pace. Being so close to him made it impossible to stay focused. How on Earth was she going to work with him and live here without going insane with need? She turned to him, stress giving an edge to her voice.

“We know that our guy is a camper from the way he built that fire break. From my measurements, it was a good two feet wide. It would have taken time to prepare to be sure the fire couldn't spread. We know that he didn't stay until the end because of the body, so he had to be very confident that his fire break would hold.”

“Andrew's wife was Temagami; I'd forgotten that; she could have taught him how to create that kind of fire break,” added Jake.

He stood beside her and she shivered when he touched her shoulders. Gently, he rubbed them, trying to ease the tension there. She sighed.
Damn, that feels good
. She closed her eyes for a moment.
Alexis, girl, you have it bad
, she thought.
Get a grip!

“Okay; that's another connection to pursue. Here's what I think. He doesn't wait for the full moon to plan his revenge; that's just the date of execution. I checked the calendar and although the moon technically wasn't at its fullest last night, it was within a couple of days, but the date is bang on with the others — one day less than the previous one. If I'm right, he'll strike on or around December 27. If I'm wrong, and he needs a pyre on the exact night of the full moon, then there will be another fire tomorrow. Who knows how many will die this time?”

Jake stopped rubbing her shoulders and looked at the events calendar on the wall.

“December 27? That's right in the middle of the holiday season; there will be all kinds of people celebrating and any number of targets packed with revelers.” He ran his fingers through his hair, as he always did when frustrated, spiking it further. “I hope you're wrong. We need breathing space to figure this out.”

He walked over to the fridge and took out the milk.

“I can do it,” said Alexis, coming up behind him. She took the milk from his hand and grabbed a mug from the cup tree on the counter. She filled it and put it in the microwave for two minutes.

Jake stood close to her. He lifted his hand and brushed a strand of hair from her face, and tucked it behind her ear. He lifted her chin so that she was looking at him.

“You're brilliant, you know.” He smiled. “And you're beautiful. In that sweater, your eyes are gray. I've never been able to forget your eyes.”

He was going to kiss her, and she wanted that kiss more than she had ever imagined she could want anything. The slow burn of anticipation started within her. She sighed as he leaned towards her, his breath warm on her face. He gently pressed his lips to hers, creating a need beyond anything she had ever felt, but before he could deepen the kiss, the door connecting the apartment to the inn opened, and Minette walked in followed by Maya. Alexis jumped away as if she'd been burned
.

The little dog walked directly to the fireplace and lay down on the rug in front of it as she probably did every night. Minette smiled at them and walked over to the dishwasher and began to empty it.

Mortified by what had just happened, by what might have happened, Alexis made her excuses, grabbed the mug from the microwave as soon as it beeped, and escaped with as much dignity as she could muster and fled down the hall to her room.

“I interrupted something, didn't I?” Minette put the last of the glasses away. “I should have knocked; I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault. If the lady were interested, she'd still be here.”

“You told me last night that you'd missed your chance sixteen years ago because you were afraid she'd say no. Will you make the same mistake again? Do you think it has been easy for David and me? I loved Andre and I hate the fact that he died that way, but I'm not dead, and neither are you. I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to talk about it sooner or later. You blame yourself for what Irena's family did, but no one else does or ever did. Her father had everyone fooled, including the base commander. You have to let it go — let her go — don't let them win; if you are miserable the rest of your life, then you've given them exactly what they wanted. Alexis isn't Irena. You can trust her, Jake.”

“This is different. It's complicated. I've made the first move, and I thought we were on the same page … In a way, I don't blame her; strong emotions muddy things, Min. I can't do my job and protect her if I'm not on my game. I have to think this through. Go to bed; I'll be fine.”

• • •

As soon as she opened her door, Alexis realized that she had left her notes on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She needed them to complete her report. She set down the mug of milk and turned back towards the sitting room. She stopped and froze as she saw Minette and Jake standing close together.

“I love you, you big lug,” Minette said and planted a quick kiss on his mouth. “I'll just check the lounge, and then I'll go to bed. Don't stay up too late.”

He gave her a hug. “Okay,” he said. Minette turned and left the room.

What was left of Alexis's hopes and dreams plummeted to her feet. Jake turned around and saw Alexis standing there. He grinned. “I'm glad you've come back,” he said moving towards her with his arms out.

She sidestepped him and moved directly to the couch. Did he really expect her to step into his arms just after another woman had stepped out of them?

“I forgot my notes,” she answered speaking over the lump that blocked her throat. She quickly retrieved them, and all but ran back to her room.

Alexis entered the room and threw herself on the bed. She would not cry! When this case was over, she would go back home and re-evaluate her priorities. Maybe try one of those online dating sites. She sighed. She had wanted Jake's kisses and knew he wasn't immune to her.

Who am I kidding? I don't understand this game; I don't know the rules!

She sat up and reached for the milk, drinking it down swiftly. When she had finished, she changed into her nightgown and climbed into bed, leaving the light on in the bathroom. The tears she insisted she would not shed started to fall.

• • •

The freezing rain tapered off, only to be replaced by blowing snow for the next two days, forcing Alexis to put her plans to visit the crime scene on hold. How she hated that. The longer it took her to understand this man, the smaller the window of opportunity to find him before he struck a fifth time. The good news was there had not been another fire; the bad news was that he would strike right in the middle of the holidays.

Mila had spent her time visiting with the family down the road, allowing Minette to attend to the day to day running of the inn. Alexis had discovered that the woman was the inn's chef, preparing the entrees and letting sous-chefs tackle the rest.

And I manage to burn water.
Could it possibly get any worse? The woman was drop-dead gorgeous and she could cook. If anyone could get Jake to bury the ghost of his first wife, it would be Minette.

Alexis realized from the simple contact they had each day that Jake was as attracted to her physically as she was to him, but since she had rarely been involved in casual sex, she wasn't sure it would be enough now. It was true that his body was probably as scarred as hers, but was she ready for that level of intimacy without love? No! She selfishly wanted it all.

She kept busy during the day going over the information collected by the local arson team and the techs. She had created files and timelines of each of the fires, which included the evidence collected, method used, and all of the digital photos available, as well as her short-hand notes that contained her feelings and visions. She hadn't felt anything beyond surprise and sudden fear at Duffy's because he'd been forced to flee the scene. Since the damage had been so extensive, she had been unable to read the site as completely as she usually did. It bothered her that she still hadn't figured out how he had managed to drug those men.

The first fire file was the most complete since she had received information on the samples she had collected at the cabin. While the drifting snow made traveling within town hazardous, it did not stop most people from getting to work, but the countryside was a different matter. Snow clearing crews could barely keep the highways open and the police had requested that all non-essential traffic stay off the roads. Alexis couldn't get to the fire scenes, which left her short-tempered and frustrated.

Evidence from the shelter fire had confirmed the presence of Rohypnol in the bikers as well as in the four who'd been in the kitchen, but again, the method of delivery eluded her. She was certain that figuring that out was the key to solving the puzzle. Thankfully, the power had held, and they'd been able to continue working the case through the internet.

In the evenings, she enjoyed socializing with Mila. She'd gotten into the habit of getting the little girl ready for bed as a way of helping out. Because of the roads, Minette had to spend more time in the restaurant's kitchen. The inn was still full of guests who expected to be fed; staff shortages were not their problems.