Against the Fire (32 page)

After a couple of hours, her back began to hurt and she shifted in her chair, trying to get comfortable. Her muscles were sore from landing so hard on the pavement during the explosion Saturday night, and her head had begun to pound. She rubbed her temples and leaned back in her chair, thinking what she needed was a fresh cup of coffee.

For a moment, she closed her eyes and let the office music playing in the background begin to soothe her. She was usually so busy she didn’t notice it, but something began to niggle at the back of her mind. She sat up a little straighter, tuned into the sound. Soft jazz. It reminded her of something…and suddenly she knew.

It was the same kind of music she had heard during the hang-up phone calls.

Her attention sharpened as she concentrated on the song. Kenny G. played faintly, not loud enough to interfere with work. She recognized the tune. She had heard it, she realized, the day she had received that last hang-up phone call.

Mattie shot up from her chair. The office music was on a loop, the songs repeating over and over. The calls had come from the office! The more she thought about it, the more sure she was.

And there was only one person who would be perverse enough to do that kind of thing.

Marching to the door, she pulled it open and stormed out into the main work area toward Mel Freeman’s desk, which sat in an alcove in front of a window.

“I need to talk to you, Mel.”

He glanced up at her, while the rest of the employees continued to work. He rose languidly from his chair. “I’m busy. What is it?”

“I want to know if you’ve been calling my house. If you’ve been calling me and hanging up. I want to know if you’re the jerk who’s been making the crank calls I’ve been getting.”

Mel’s eyebrows came together. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you’ve been getting calls, it’s probably from that guy you’ve been boffing.”

“It was you, wasn’t it? I recognized the music playing in the background. You’re the one who’s been calling. I’m going to Mr. Dewalt. I’m telling him—”

“It wasn’t him, Mattie.”

Mattie whirled toward the familiar voice. Aaron’s face was ashen.

“Can we…” He cleared his throat. “Can we go into your office?”

Mattie glanced from Aaron to Mel and back. “Of course.”

Mel just grunted and walked away.

The look in his face said it all. Grabbing the handles on his wheelchair, she took charge whether he liked it or not, rolled him to the door of her office, waited till he turned the knob, then pushed him inside.

She walked around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you going to tell me you know who’s been harassing me?”

Aaron hung his head, a lock of dark hair falling over his forehead. He looked up at her and behind the rim of his glasses, his eyes looked bleak.

“I was me, Mattie. I called to see if Gabe was at your apartment. I was jealous. I felt like I had to know.”

“Oh, Aaron.”

He swallowed. “It took me a while, but eventually I started to get my head on straight. At first I was hurt, thinking about you and Gabe and how much you seemed to care about him, jealous that you were attracted to him but not to me. But then I thought about what I was doing and how insane it was. I realized I was turning into someone who wasn’t remotely me.”

Tears stung Mattie’s eyes.

“I decided right then that things had to change. I asked Emily to go out with me. We started dating and it was great. With the fires and all, I knew you had to be worried those calls I made might somehow be connected. That last call…I wanted to tell you it was me, that you weren’t in any danger, but you were so angry, I just…well, I chickened out. I’m really sorry, Mattie.”

Tears welled. “You’re a dear friend, Aaron. We could have talked things out.”

“I’m so embarrassed. I was an idiot! Emily…well, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I nearly blew it. Can you ever forgive me?”

Mattie bent down and hugged him. “Of course I can.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I really hope things work out with you and Em.”

“I hope it works out with you and Gabe,” he said, and she thought that he was sincere.

Mattie had no idea what would happen with her and Gabe. She needed a little more time, needed to decide if she dared to risk losing the feeling of security she had worked so hard to build, risk giving Gabe her heart.

Aaron left her office and Mattie returned to work, thinking about the phone calls, her mind going round in circles. If she told Gabe the truth, that the calls had nothing to do with the arsonist, Gabe would want her to go back to her apartment or somewhere else he thought she would be safe. Mattie wasn’t ready to leave.

Thanks to her uncertainty, Gabe had started pulling away, and if she left now, she might lose him completely. She released a long, uneasy breath. It wasn’t fair to let Gabe continue to worry.

On the other hand, she wanted to stay with him, see where things went. She was in love with him and she believed he still cared for her.

She would keep Aaron’s secret for as long as she dared.

Thirty

Gabe pulled up in front of the Greenwood Apartments, turned off the engine and climbed out of his rented Dodge Durango. Though the apartments and the rest of his current projects were now uninsured, his truck had still been covered at the time it was destroyed. As soon as he got a chance, he would go down and find a replacement. In the meantime, the big SUV would have to do.

Gabe sighed. He hoped to hell they found the arsonist before the bastard did any more damage, or financially he was going to be in a world of hurt.

He spotted Sam talking to one of the crew. The remodel was coming along very well. From the start, he’d been careful to do as little as possible to disturb the landscape, the trees and shrubs that surrounded the units. The setting and location near the Farmer’s Market had been the reason he had bought the dilapidated building in the first place.

He had added a pool, which was just about finished, and cement walkways winding through the big old oaks were about to be poured.

“Hey, Gabe!” Sam had spotted him and was walking toward him. A worried frown appeared on his forehead as he assessed the gash on Gabe’s cheek. “You okay?”

Sam knew about the explosion. Gabe had called him first thing Sunday morning. “Aside from this burn on my arm, a couple of cuts and bruises, I’m fine.”

Sam looked down at the white gauze wrapped around Gabe’s forearm. “Any word on the guy who did it?”

“None I know of. I’ll be talking to Daily today.” He checked his wristwatch. “Matter of fact, he’s meeting me here. Maybe he’ll have something new to report.”

Sam shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Listen…I know how much you’ve got on your mind right now, but I wanted you to be the first to know.” His lips slowly curved. “Tracy and I are getting married. And I want you to be my best man.”

Shock kept him silent. It took him several seconds for the words to actually sink in. “You’re getting married?”

Sam grinned. “I’m biting the bullet. Going down for the count. Giving up my bachelor ways. And I can hardly wait.”

Gabe’s lips twitched. “If that’s the way you feel, I’d be honored to be your best man. But I have to say, I’m a little surprised. You two haven’t known each other very long.”

“I think I knew she was the one almost from the start. I love her, Gabe. And Tracy loves me. I know this is right for both of us.”

Gabe’s chest felt oddly tight. Knowing Sam wouldn’t make such an important decision without a great deal of thought, he smiled, truly happy for his friend. “Congratulations.”

He couldn’t help thinking of Mattie and wishing things were different, wishing there wasn’t so much left unsettled between them.

Hell, he didn’t really have any idea what Mattie felt for him. She loved what he could do for her in bed. But that was hardly the same.

And he refused to let his own feeling go any deeper. Not until he knew what was going on.

Gabe slapped his best friend on the back. “I wish you and Tracy all the happiness in the world.”

“Thanks.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“I’m not sure.” He flicked a glance at Gabe’s rented SUV. “Not till after we catch the bastard who’s setting these goddamned fires.”

Gabe released a breath. He looked over at the men carrying heavy boxes of tile into the apartment building, thought of how much he had invested that was no longer insured. “I hope it’s soon.”

Sam’s gaze assessed him. “Everything okay with you and Mattie?”

Gabe just shook his head. “I don’t have a clue.”

Sam chuckled. “Hard to know what a woman’s thinking.”

Gabe grunted. “That’s for sure.”

Sam stared past his shoulder toward a car pulling up to the curb. “Looks like Captain Daily’s here.”

The sound of the running engine turned silent. “I’ll let you know what he has to say.” Gabe went to meet Daily as he climbed out of his red Suburban.

Daily’s gaze took in the bandage on Gabe’s arm and the gash on his cheek. “Could have been worse.”

“A lot worse,” Gabe said.

“I wish I had more to report. The photos we took of the crowd around the parking lot didn’t turn up anyone out of place or anyone with any priors. No one we talked to remembered seeing anyone near your truck. The security cameras caught the image of a man dressed completely in black, but they didn’t get a clear shot of his face.”

“You think he avoided the cameras on purpose?”

“I’m sure he did.”

“What about the bomb?”

“It was a fairly simple device. Made of ammonium nitrate. Used a blasting cap to detonate, set off by a cell phone he modified for his purpose. Usually it’s a paging signal that sets off the bomb.”

“So he was watching, just like I thought. He saw me running toward the truck, timed it so I wouldn’t quite get there and then blew it up.”

“Looks like it.”

“He wasn’t ready to kill me.”

“No, but that could change at any time.”

Gabe’s jaw hardened. “I don’t suppose the bomb was that hard to make. Information’s all over the internet.”

“And there are books on the subject. If you want to blow something up and you’re smart enough not to kill yourself in the process, it can certainly be done.”

“Anything else?”

“The police have located the current addresses for most of the evicted tenants of Harwood. They’ve got uniforms out on the street, knocking on doors. There’s always a chance they’ll come up with something.”

“I sure as hell hope so.” And he meant to make a few calls of his own, starting with the three men in Dallas who had criminal records.

The other three were spread over the southern half of Texas. Dev had used his connections to discover that one who fit the general description of the arsonist had flown into Dallas three days ago. He’d gone back to Austin on a late flight Sunday night. Dev had decided to pay him a visit.

“There’s one more thing,” Gabe said.

“What’s that?” Daily asked.

“Mattie Baker’s been getting hang-up phone calls at her condo. She’s worried it might be the arsonist.”

“She have caller ID?”

“She says the number comes up blocked.”

“Does she have any reason to believe it’s our guy and not just some kook who likes the sound of her voice?”

He shook his head. “Caller doesn’t say anything and the calls seem to be random.”

“Doesn’t sound like something our guy would do. He isn’t the sort to do something random. He doesn’t make a move that isn’t completely calculated. But if you give me her phone number, I can get a list from the phone company of the calls that have come into that number. We can track the hang-up caller from there.”

“That’d be great.” Gabe gave him Mattie’s home number, which Daily copied down in his notebook.

He closed the cover and stuck the notepad back in his pocket. “I’ll let you know once I get the information.” Daily turned and started back to his car.

Gabe watched him go. He was tired of waiting. Tired of being targeted by a madman. Dammit, he had worked too hard all his life to let some bastard ruin him. Maybe even kill him or someone close to him.

Gabe was determined to find him.

Before it was too late.

Mattie stopped by her house after work to pick up some clothes and a few other items she needed. And she was picking up Tigger, dropping him off at Cats on Broadway, a place that boarded felines. He didn’t much like going there, but if the arsonist started a fire in her building or at Gabe’s while they were at work, there was no way Tigger could escape.

She scratched his chin, set him back on his feet and headed down to the underground parking garage to put her stuff in the car, planning to come back upstairs and get him. As she set her clothes in the trunk and closed the lid, she spotted Tracy’s Lexus pulling into a visitor’s space.

Mattie walked over to the Lexus. “Come on up. I was just moving a few things over to Gabe’s. I’m taking Tigger to Cats on Broadway for a while.”

“That’s a good idea. This arson thing is really getting serious.” Mattie had phoned Tracy and told her about the bomb that had destroyed Gabe’s truck. “It was awful, Tracy. Gabe was nearly killed.”

“Oh, Mattie.” Tracy looked up at the small scabs on Mattie’s forehead. “You’re okay, though, right? Both of you are okay?”

“We’re okay.”

“So you’re moving back in with Gabe?”

“This time it’s more my idea than his. I’m hoping this will give me a chance to figure things out.”

They stepped into the elevator and Mattie pushed the button. When she looked over at Tracy, her friend seemed to be practically glowing.

They walked into the living room and Mattie closed the door. “All right, so what’s going on?”

Tracy grinned. “I’m getting married!”

Mattie just stared. Of all the things she might have guessed, this wasn’t one of them. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“It’s true. Sam and I are getting married. I love him, Mattie, and he loves me. He asked me and I said yes.”

“But you said you’d never get married. There was no way in the world you could ever trust a man that much.”

“That was before I met Sam,” she said with a dreamy smile.