Fire Angel (28 page)

Reluctantly, he let her go as they reviewed the evidence. Frank had been at the inn the night she'd arrived. Jake confessed that Minette had not been in her cabin that night and saw her blanch. She had been right; Frank often did minor repairs so he had a pass key to the entire inn. His scent was as familiar to Maya as any other member of his staff.

Frank had been born in Paradise and knew every inch of the area, including the location of the cabin. He had access to every crime scene; in fact, he had access everywhere, delivering coffee the way he did. His was such a common face that no one ever paid any attention to him. He had had the best seat in the house at each fire, since Lynette called him in to provide coffee for the first responders. He walked in and out of the police station every day and was privy to all kinds of information. My God, he had even asked him for help with the case. Frank had sent them on a goose chase looking for black SUV's and Temagami youths. Jake cursed.

The man could walk into the hospital, any bar in town, Duffy's garage, Providence House. No one would notice him because he was a ghost, always there, almost part of the environment. His car was serviced at Duffy's and Leroy and his buddy, the handymen killed in the flop house, would have done some work for him and for his mother too. He remembered that Frank had been hurt the night of the fire at Duffy's. He would bet anything that it hadn't been from falling out of a tree.

“I need to make a call. I'll be right back.” Jake left and returned ten minutes later.

“I just confirmed that Frank is a regular at Stumpy's. He and Leroy often had drinks together.”

“It's him, I know it is, but this is all circumstantial. We can't prove any of it, and since he had a legitimate reason for being at the fire scenes, it'll be hard to get anyone to believe us. I can't see a judge ordering DNA testing on this, and he is well-respected, like my uncle was, so that will only make it harder. You need to find out if he's purchased a large quantity of liqueur lately.” She frowned. “It's a shame that he kept out of trouble back then; if we had his fingerprints on file it might help, but he really hasn't left fingerprint evidence anywhere, has he?”

Jake shook his head. Frank had been very careful.

“Alexis, your captain said something to me that has left me confused. He asked me what your talent had shown you; what did he mean?”

Alexis swallowed. This was the moment she had feared, revealing her last secret. She wasn't exactly psychic, but she did have a psychic connection with fire.

“Jake, do you remember when we were at the Providence House fire and I told you that I could sense him watching me?”

“Sure, but a lot of people get that feeling. I have myself on occasion.”

“When I'm at a fire scene, it's as if I can sense the arsonist as he watches the fire. Once I collect the evidence, I can put the clues together and see the fire as it happened, like a flashback.”

She waited for his reaction, but when it came, it wasn't what she expected.

“So, what did you feel at the fire scenes.”

“At the cabin, I saw how he prepared the scene, the care he took to get everything just right. I saw the safe area, and knew he'd stayed inside to watch. The worst of it is I felt him, but I thought it was because of the flashback. At the second site, I was almost sick when I realized how he had set them up. He poured highly-sugared alcohol over them and stood in front of the kitchen in front of the sink; he tossed the Molotov cocktail at them from six feet away and watched them burn. At Duffy's, I realized that he had little experience with garages, otherwise he'd have known they were tinder boxes. I knew something had gone wrong. Six years ago — those murders in Sarnia were from six years ago; isn't that when his wife and daughter died?”

“Yes, Lissa climbed a supposedly impassable fence that Leroy built and drowned in their backyard pool; his wife overdosed on tranquillizers and threw herself into the same pool that night. Frank is part Temagami, and visits the reserve regularly. He's a crack shot. You've convinced me; how do we prove it?”

“We set a trap. Jake, you need to bait him, draw him out. He thinks I'm dead, but what if he thinks you know that he's guilty?”

Two days later, Dave pronounced Alexis well, and she and Jake put their plan into action. Jake called the police station from his new cell phone. Everett stood beside him. Alexis was in the bathroom getting dressed, but she could hear everything. He had the phone on speaker.

“Hi Lynette; it's Jake. Is Everett there?”

“How are you, Jake? I was sorry to hear about Alexis's passing. It's another blow to her uncle for sure. The boys were asking about you. Everett's not here; I'm not sure where he is. He forgot to radio in again; that's the third time this week.”

“Well, can you give him a message when you see him?”

“I sure can.”

“Tell him I'll be in North Bay this afternoon, and I should be home around six. I managed to decipher Alexis's notes, and with the evidence we found and the DNA on the butts, we'll be able to make an arrest. I've got everything with me to prove my case. I've got to go, Lynette. I'll see you soon.”

He hung up quickly before she could ask any questions.

Everett left to go back to the station and set the trap. Jake looked up just as Alexis came into the room.

“Wow! You look gorgeous,” he said, and she could see the gleam of admiration in his eyes.

She had worn a cherry red knee-length skirt and red and black scoop-neck sweater, one of her favorite outfits. The make-up she had used covered the last of her bruises, and she had pulled her hair back and secured it with a red clip.

“Minette got them for me from my suitcase; I'm glad you didn't send that home with the captain.”

“We did; your stuff is in the drawers. The case he took back was empty. We'll have to get you a new one when you leave.”

She didn't want to think about leaving. Her job was important to her, and she couldn't just give it up like that, could she? While she and her uncle had come to terms, there was still a lot they needed to discuss.

“We'll leave in a little while, have lunch in North Bay, and then get on the highway around three. That should give Frank time to find out about our little surprise,” said Jake.

“You're positive Lynette will pass along the information?”

“Yes; Everett said Frank comes in with sandwiches around noon. He'll get there just before and be standing beside him when Lynette gives him the message. He'll put a car on him when he leaves. I'll be right back.”

“They're calling for snow, so make sure you have your hat and gloves,” her uncle said, coming into the room. Alexis would never forget what had happened, but she would try to forgive him. Time would heal this as it did everything.

“They aren't calling for any significant accumulation, but you never know. Are you sure you want to do this? You're barely out of bed and it may be dangerous.”

“He's my partner, Uncle Nick; I need to be there for him.”

“You know, he's right,” said Jake entering the room wearing his outdoor clothes. “If things go south, this could be dangerous.”

“Hey, no matter what happens, we're in this together,” she said walking to him and kissing him. “I've got your back.”

• • •

The drive into North Bay went well. Alexis had made sure that her gun was loaded and she had activated the GPS locator she wore when going into major fire locations. Captain Peters insisted they all carry them, and she had slipped it into a hidden pocket in her skirt. When a girl went out to face a killer, she could never be too careful.

Alexis noticed that Jake was quieter than he had been before lunch.

“Is something bothering you?” she asked. “You seem distracted.”

“I tried to call Everett before we left the restaurant, but the call went to voice mail. He's probably on the road, and we agreed not to use the police channels … ”

Before he could finish, two rapid cracks of gunfire split the air. The rear right tire blew and the car pulled towards the embankment.

“Hang on,” he yelled as he stepped on the accelerator just as another bullet shattered the rear window of the SUV and lodged in Alexis's headrest. “We should be out of range once we turn the curve.”

The sound of a fourth gunshot echoed as the front right tire blew out and Jake lost control of the car. It nosed forcefully through the metal railing and plunged down the embankment, coming to an abrupt stop against a tree and a rock on the edge of the river. The airbags deployed and Alexis's world went black.

Her chest hurt, and the chemicals released in the crash made her cough. She noted that the airbag had deflated, and the memory of what had happened rushed back. She turned towards Jake. His side of the car had sustained the most damage both to the front and on the side.

He moaned, and Alexis breathed again. He was alive; she had feared the worst. She leaned towards him.

“Jake, can you hear me?”

She managed to unbuckle her seat belt and reached for his. There was blood on the side of his head where he'd hit the door.

“Alexis, I'm okay,” he hissed obviously in pain. “We've got to get out of here. Can you open your door?”

She unlocked the door and shoved it open. The ground was at least three feet below her.

“I can get out, but it's a bit of a drop; can you slide across the seat?” She grabbed the walking stick he had tossed into the car and used it to help herself down.

Jake tried to move his left leg, but the prosthesis was jammed under the steering wheel. He'd need to push the seat back to free it, but the door was closely pressed into the seat, and it wouldn't be easy. His other leg hurt from being banged on the gear shift, but he didn't think anything was broken.

“I'm kind of stuck here,” he said. He pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket. “Call Everett; have him send help.”

She turned on the phone. “I can't get a signal.”

“Can you climb up the cliff? It'll be dangerous, but if you stay in the tree cover, he won't be able to see you. It'll be dark soon and we have to get out of here. You should be able to get a signal at the top.” Alexis did as she was told. Twenty minutes later, she was back.

Jake had managed to move the seat enough that he could free his prosthesis and move himself over to the other side of the vehicle. His head and knee were bleeding, and he did not think he'd be able to get very far.

Alexis walked around the side of the car and stood before the open door.

“Jake, you're bleeding, and there's no service up top either. The smell of gas is stronger now; I think it's leaking from somewhere.”

“The gas tank ruptured; you have to get out of here. If you keep walking along the edge of the river, you'll find a cavern in the bank that Dave and I used to play in as children.”

“No! Either we go together or we stay here, but I'm not leaving without you. A few days ago, you said that you'd never leave me; now, I expect you to keep that promise, Jake McKenzie.” She climbed into the car and gave him a fierce, demanding kiss.

“Fine; I won't argue with you, but we have to get out of here.” He spoke through gritted teeth sucking in the pain.

At the worried look on her face, he reached out to her. “This won't be easy; my right kneecap is badly bruised, so it'll make walking harder. It's getting darker by the minute and we're at least a mile from the cavern. I may have to lean on you; it'll be slow going, but we can do this.”

Jake kissed her tenderly and then levered himself from the car. His right leg throbbed where he'd smashed it and it was sheer adrenaline that allowed him to put his weight on it.

He watched Alexis put on her hat and gloves and grab a flashlight from her purse, which she shoved under the seat. She handed him his tuque, gloves, and cane. She moved closer to him and put her arm around him. She closed the door softly, but the sound echoed in the stillness.

The snow had started to fall, and Jake figured it would hide the signs of her scramble up the embankment. To mask their trail, he decided that they had to walk along the river's edge where the ice hadn't yet formed. They stumbled along; the weak light from the flashlight illuminated only a small area in front of them.

“I think we can move onto the snow now; we're far enough away, and at the rate it's snowing, our prints won't be visible for long,” Jake said. He reached into his pocket to check the phone — still no signal.

“Let's rest for a minute; you must be exhausted; I'm no lightweight.”

“I'm afraid to stop,” said Alexis. “My feet are so cold; I have to keep moving. How much further do we have to go?”

“Those aren't your waterproof winter boots, are they?” he asked cursing himself for not realizing it sooner.

“You're right;” he said, “let's keep moving. We're not far away now.”

They resumed their trek across the snow. They followed the river's edge until he stopped and aimed his finger at the rocky bank just ahead of them.

“The cavern's there,” he said indicating the rocks. “Once we're inside, I'll make a fire; there's always brush that ends up in there when the spring water retreats. It should be dry by now. Let's hope no animal has decided to move in.”

With great difficulty, they climbed the scree at the base of the cavern, the snow giving them some footing. Jake poked his head into the blackness and called, pulling back swiftly in case the cavern was occupied.

“There may be a few bats hibernating in here, but I doubt it; their echolocation wouldn't make this an easy place to find. Give me the flashlight; I'm afraid you'll have to crawl in behind me; I hope those aren't expensive tights.”

Alexis giggled nervously. “The tights are the least of my problems.”