Flames Of Deceit Read online

  “Look under tables and benches. Don’t move anything.”

  Mia opened her mouth to ask him exactly how was she supposed to do that, but Jake had started searching the bottom of tables nearest him.

  She moved to the opposite side of the room and began looking. Her eyes watered. Her nose burned. The churning in her stomach threatened to return those pancakes any second. But she remembered her mother’s distress about the former model’s words in the paper, and forced her mind to concentrate on deep breathing.

  Deep breaths added to her nausea, but she kept searching. The need to clear her brother’s name and prove she bore him no ill will kept her moving when her eyes started running, making it hard to see.

  After inspecting the bottom of numerous benches and the many blobs of gun stuck there, Mia’s hopes dwindled. There were only five benches left to check on her side of the room. Five chances to find Leigh Anne Saddler’s evidence.

  Knees shaking from fear of failure, not just failing to clear her brother, but coming up short with evidence to clear the family name, she checked under the next long wooden bench. Amid the dark stains and gum wads, she spotted a larger blob. Something purple, like so many of the wads of gum, but this mound didn’t look like gum.

  Even in the dim morning light, the glint of purple against the dark wood started her heart pounding. Gum did not reflect light. “Jake. Look.”

  Jake stopped his search and moved her side. Before he could speak, the sound of loud footsteps crunched in the hall outside the room. Jake made a quick motion with his hand for Mia to be quiet and turned toward the door.

  Instinct caused Mia to glance around the room for a place to hide, but she forced her feet to stay put. It could be firefighters? Or the inspector? But if it was that innocent, why hadn’t they have heard voices? Almost having the evidence in her hand and then have someone take it away from her was unthinkable.

  But even worse was the stealthy sound of movement so near them. Because they were just looking, and not moving the benches, they had made little noise. Did the person, or persons outside the door know they were here? Had they been followed? Or had the arsonist returned to the scene of the crime?

  Was the slasher, the arsonist and the person who shoved her in the closet the same person? Or were they dealing with three threats? Would the slasher take the risk of being seen by other firefighters to follow them into the building?

  With questions whirling in her head, she paused for about two seconds and watched Jake ease toward the door. Then, fueled by fear of the unknown, she tried to pry the thumb disc loose from the bench. But the small object was stuck hard to the wood. The shape was deformed, but it was definitely a thumb disc.

  Biting her lip, she tried to force the disc loose. Whatever Leigh Anne had used to stick the plastic to the bottom of the bench had worked. Mia pulled and tugged, but eased pressure when she couldn’t budge the plastic loose.

  “You found it?”

  Mia jumped a foot. Heart pounding she faced Jake and felt warmth rush to her cheeks. He couldn’t read her mind. No way could he guess she’d planned to hide the disc in her pocket while he was distracted by the intruder. Oh, well... “It’s stuck.”

  Angled so he could keep one eye on the door, Jake leaned over to examine the bottom of the bench.

  Mia studied the tense expression on his face. “Do you someone followed us?”

  “Nope, the fire inspector probably arrived early.”

  “You told that fireman to tell you—”

  “This building is like a crime scene until all the evidence is in. People forget in the excitement.”

  “A-are we tampering with evidence?” Mia swallowed fears of being caught, of being arrested and having her name in news. She would definitely lose her job. Probably ruin Phil’s chances at re-election, and earn her mother’s displeasure, as well.

  “I know what to look for at a crime scene.” Jake held her gaze for long seconds, then turned back to the bench. “If I find any evidence pointing to arson, the inspector will be the first one to know.”

  Did that mean he wouldn’t let her have the disc? As much as she admired his determination, part of her wanted to choke him, but one glance at his broad chest ended that thought. She wanted to get her hands on Jake, all right, but not to choke him...unless it was with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Oh, help! “Can you twist it off?”

  “What did she use to stick this thing on?”

  “Nail polish?” Mia pointed to the red blotch on the edge of the disc.

  “In my courtroom?”

  Forcing back a smile at the note of outrage in his tone, Mia shrugged. “Leigh Anne is a former model. Nail polish is something she would carry in her handbag. Nothing else makes sense.”

  Jake gave a twist and straightened, holding the disc between two fingers. “I wonder what’s on this—”

  A loud screeching noise sounded close and echoed loudly in the early morning quiet. Mia hadn’t noticed the absence of traffic noise until she heard loud steps pounding on the wood floor, followed and the sound of a door opening.

  Fear exploded inside her and blocked her throat. She couldn’t breathe. The walls of the room swayed and wrinkled. Spots danced in front of her eyes. Memory of being trapped in that dark closet flooded her head. Knees wobbling, she realized she was in danger of making a fool of herself and falling at Jake’s feet.

  Jake.

  She couldn’t pass out in front of Jake. Not after he’d helped her get inside the building. Bracing hands on her knees, bending her head down, she focused on deep breathing and counted to ten as she pretended to check on the overturned bench at her feet.

  After a few seconds, her head cleared, but another loud noise filled the air. She jerked upright and turned wide eyes toward Jake. “What was that?”

  Jake shoved the disc in his pocket and turned to the door, grabbing her arm as he went. His fingers brushed against her breast, sending a jolt of awareness through her body. Her muddled senses jerked to alert as the felt the heat of his touch, but she forced her expression to remain blank. This was not the time to react to Jake’s touch.

  “I don’t know, but it was human.” Jake pulled her behind him, using his body to shield her as he edged toward the door. “Stay close and watch your step.”

  Mia clamped her lips shut and tried to ignore the heat raging through her limbs. Jake had barely touched her, but her nerves burned with awareness. And responding to Jake was the last thing she needed.

  Her reaction was just one more reference to fire…heat…burning…all the things that caused her to lose control of her life. First her mother’s insistence that she risk danger to save her brother, and now an officer of the court, who could turn her in to police at any second, fired her senses to full alert.

  Worse, Jake didn’t believe she was telling him the truth. Even with heat flaring between them when their bodies touched, she could see doubt burning in his eyes. What had she gotten herself into?

  She stopped moving. Her feet stuck firmly to the floor.

  Jake glanced over his shoulder. “Come on, Clark. I can’t leave you by yourself.”

  Teeth gritted, Mia followed so close when he stopped in the hall, she almost collided against his back. Jake glanced over his shoulder and put a finger against his lips, then cocked his head to the side, listening.

  Then she heard noise. The sound of footsteps pounding down the stairs filled the early morning quiet. Jake let go her hand and turned to give chase. Mia grabbed his arm. “Do you think it’s the slasher? What was he doing here?”

  “Back to finish the job?” Jake tried to shake her hand off. “I need to go after him.”

  “No, you can’t. Remember your tires?”

  “Are you trying to protect me?” Jake asked over his shoulder as he pulled her through the burned rubble on the floor. “I thought you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”

  “If you end up dead, police will think I did it.” Mia tried to keep her voice calm. Beggin
g him to stay was the last thing she wanted, but how could she get out of the building, or avoid arrest, without him?

  A grinding screech filled the air. Jake’s body stiffened. He turned a hard stare on her. “He’s gone. That grinding noise is the backdoor.”

  Jake scrambled over piles of debris littering the floor of the records room to reach the window on the far wall. “He’s wearing black and his head’s covered with a hood.”

  Mia heard the implication in his words and glanced down at her black attire. Was the way she was dressed the reason Jake didn’t believe her?

  “What was he doing here?” She stared at the piles of ceiling tiles littering the room as tension gripped her body. That Jake didn’t show any response when they touched was bad, but knowing he blamed her for the damaged courthouse was worse. “How did he get in? Where was he hiding that we didn’t see him?”

  Jake picked a path around the littered floor, stepping carefully around charred debris. In one corner of the room, a pile of blackened trash stood taller that the rest. Chills chased along Mia’s spine as she followed his gaze to that corner of the room.

  “I don’t remember seeing this.” Jake approached the mound.

  Noticing his tense posture, Mia followed his steps, slowly picking her way through the debris. “Do you see anyth--“

  “What the,” frowning, Jake lifted a ceiling tile with the toe of his boot and leaned over to look under the tile. “Stay back.”

  About the time he spoke, Mia spotted the soot covered blonde hair he’d exposed and let out a gasp. A woman, caught in the fire? Her own narrow escape brought nausea sloshing in her stomach. “Is she—”

  “She’s dead.” Jake stared at Mia with dark clouded eyes. “This room was clear. I searched it myself.”

  The guilt in his tone wrenched at Mia’s heart. In the short time she had been with Jake, she’d learned that he cared about people. Look at the way he had rescued her. Biting her lip, she eased closer. “Does she work here? Do you recognize her?”

  Jake’s brow lifted, his glance turned cold. An accusing look covered his face as he stare in her eyes. “Don’t you?”

  What had brought suspicion back to his voice? Jake hadn’t believed her reason for being in the courthouse, but surely, he didn’t think she was capable of hurting someone. Clenching her fists, Mia looked closer at the blonde hair and gasped as the reason for Jake’s sudden renewal of suspicion hit her. “Is it—”

  “The model.” Jake’s stare stabbed her like an ice pick. “I would think you had something to do with this if I hadn’t checked this room two minutes before I found you crumpled in the hall.”

  “Me?” Mia straightened, wounded more by his words than she wanted to admit. When had Jake’s good opinion of her started to matter? “We were in this room ten minutes ago.” She moved to take a closer look. Only one woman would make Jake accuse her of murder. “You’re sure it’s—”

  “Leigh Anne Saddler? I think so, from the looks of that blonde hair and her uh…obviously enhanced physical attributes.”

  Mia turned wide eyes on Jake. “I didn’t do this. You have to believe me. I could never intentionally hurt someone. I would no more kill someone than I would set fire to this building.”

  “We haven’t proved you didn’t set that fire, now have we, Ms. Clark?”

  His accusations slashed her skin causing pain she couldn’t describe. Hadn’t he learned a thing about her in the hours they’d spent together? Did he really believe she could commit a criminal act? What kind of judge was he, if he was that far off reading of her character? “You don’t really think…”

  Her words trailed off. Emotion clogged her throat. None of this made sense, but since Jake had saved her life, she cared about his opinion. She wanted him to believe in her. Trust her. With his position, if she made one wrong step, Jake could ruin her career and her brother’s. But there was more at stake here than her career.

  Jake had saved her life. She wanted him to think she was worth the risk he had taken with his own safety. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “You don’t think I killed Leigh Anne, do you?”

  Jake looked in her eyes for long seconds, then shook his head. “No. The question is. Who did?” He stared at the body without touching anything. “Her throat was cut.”

  “Slit?” Mia grabbed her throat, forcing back the horror building inside her. She gulped deep breaths until her lungs burned from the stench of smoke and her eyes watered. How close had the murderer been? Close enough to use a knife blade? “The tire slasher?”

  “Maybe,” Jake motioned to the pile of rubble. “Someone left her body here to make it look like she died in the fire.”

  “Who would do this? Was it a man? Could you tell?”

  “Best guess? I’d say it had to be a man to get the body up those stairs.” Jake’s gaze bored into her. “Since I found you in the building,” he paused, “that leaves you and your brother as the prime suspects.”

  “But…you just said you searched this room right before you found me.”

  “Yeah,” his eyes bored into her as if trying to read her mind.

  Mia felt as if he touched her very core, where the pain of his words centered, deep in her heart. Hadn’t he learned a thing about her since they met? How could he think she could do this terrible thing? “But—”

  “That leaves your brother—”

  “Hey, Jake,” a man called, “are you up there? The fire inspector is here. He called a meeting on the front steps.”

  “I’m coming, Tim.” Jake stared at Mia for long seconds as noise of the firefighter’s steps disappeared. “Considering the circumstances, I can’t believe what I’m about to do.” Eyes dark with emotion, he studied her. “For the second time in twenty-four hours I’m helping you slip out of this courthouse undetected.”

  A sigh quivered past Mia’s lips. “You believe me?”

  Jake’s jaw clenched. “I’m reserving judgment.”

  Chapter 5

  Mia shoved her fists in her jean pockets to keep from pounding that superior look off Jake’s face. Her fingers touched metal. Her car keys. “I don’t need your help this time. Give me the disc and I’ll leave. Then you won’t have to feel guilty about helping me.”

  Jake held up the disc. “Is this all you care about?”

  Mia nodded, but his gaze sliced her conscience. “No, but I’ll take care of other things after I’ve cleared my brother.”

  “Judge Stone? Are you coming?” Tim’s voice bounced off the walls, mingling with the sounds of early morning traffic.

  “Coming.” Jake took a step toward Mia. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  Shaking her head, Mia held her hand out. “The disc is all the evidence I need.”

  Jake nodded toward the mound of debris in the corner. “What about the body?”

  Eyes squeezed shut, Mia sighed. “I’m sorry Leigh Anne is dead, but I didn’t have anything to do with her death. I need to get to a computer and open that disc.”

  “You’re forgetting a few facts.” Jake dangled the disc in his fingers. “You have motive, means and opportunity.”

  “I didn’t even know she was in the building.” Mia kept her voice low, forcing words past gritted teeth to keep her lips from quivering. Voices carried in empty buildings. “I couldn’t kill anyone, even Leigh Anne. All I wanted was the evidence.”

  Brow arched, he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “You’re defending your family’s honor. That’s a strong motive for murder.”

  “What are you doing?” Mia gasped as he punched numbers on the phone. “I didn’t—”

  “Sh—” Jake held up a finger. “Chief, this is Jake Stone. Yeah, how are you Bob? Yeah, me too. Listen, Chief, I’m over at the courthouse. Yes, I know the fire marshals called a meeting. They’re here now, but I need your help on the second floor of the courthouse--”

  Wincing, Jake held the phone away from his ear.

  “Yeah. I know. I know, but this is my co
urthouse. I wanted to see the damage. Listen, I called because while I was looking around, I stumbled over a body. No. I didn’t move anything. Get over here quick. I caught a glimpse of someone sneaking away from the building. I’m going to follow him. I’ll call you if I see him, again.”

  Jake shoved the phone in his pocket and stared at Mia. “We’ve got about five minutes to get out of here.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Mia found herself offering as she stepped closer. “Helping me means breaking every oath of your office. Give me the disc and go meet with the inspectors.”

  “Don’t you get it?” Jake edged toward the door. “Both of us were in this building. We could be the intended victims. It might be our fault that woman is dead.” He snapped his lips shut and headed toward the stairs, “We both have a connection to the victim.”

  Mia eased down the stairs behind him. “You didn’t even know Leigh Anne.”

  “She appeared in my courtroom and made a mockery of the justice system I’ve sworn to uphold.”

  “Oh, come on, Judge. That motivation is so slim it’s almost invisible,” Mia whispered, following close on his heels as he led the way toward the back exit. “Listen to me, Jake. You don’t have to risk your career to help me. Give me the disc. I’ll send you copies of anything I find.”

  Jake grabbed her elbow and urged her toward the door. “Show me how you escaped last night without anyone seeing you.”

  “Are you sure? I can take my car and be gone in—”

  “Go. We don’t have time to argue.” Jake glanced around the lawn surrounding the courthouse and urged her out.

  Bending down, Mia took the lead, darting from one shrub to the next. When they reached the corner of the building, she nodded to the street opposite. “I crossed here.”

  Crouching low, Jake followed her across the street. Once they reached the sidewalk, he turned in the opposite direction. “I left the car over here—”

  He stopped mid-step, his words still hanging in the damp morning air.

  Mia plowed into him from behind. “What—”

  After following his glance, she didn’t need an explanation. Even in the early morning light, she could see the tires of their borrowed car had been slashed. Chills raced through her body. Teeth chattering, she asked, “W-who—”