Four-Alarm Blaze [Southern Heat 4] (2 page)

“Well, if you have any suggestions, I’m more than happy to hear them,” she said in a distinctly reserved tone of voice.

He realized he needed to turn it down a couple of notches, so he attempted to match her professional demeanor. Forcing a smile, he said, “As a matter of fact, I do. Why don’t you come down to the station tomorrow morning? Since you’re short on bodies, I think I can be of help. I’ll see you in the morning, Nina.”

“See you then,” she answered, walking up the steps of the house, stooping under the crime scene tape.

Inside the property, the burned remnants of the family’s life there together lay in ruins. As Nina examined the various rooms throughout the house, she determined the fire’s point of origin was the completely charred master bedroom. From there, it spread across the entire first floor, working its way throughout the rest of the house. After she collected samples of some of the burned materials to test for the presence of accelerants, which she could clearly detect by smell, she photographed and video-recorded the crime scene.

After Nina conducted her personal investigation, she walked toward the main door. Before stepping outside, she turned around in the doorway and whispered, “You bastard, I’m going to find you and when I do, I’m going to put you away for a very long time.”

* * * *

Being true to her word, Nina arrived at Firehouse 42 at 9:00 a.m. the following morning. Making her way to Chief Moore’s office, she stepped inside, wearing a navy blue pencil skirt, a white-fitted, button-down shirt, and a pair of leather pumps that matched her skirt perfectly. She carried a dark blue leather purse and a tablet. Her silky black hair was pulled back in a sophisticated bun at the back of her head. She wore a pair of designer glasses to assist with her near-sightedness.

Chief Moore was seated behind his executive-style walnut desk. Seated in front of him were two extremely good-looking men. Like the chief, they were also dressed in firemen uniforms consisting of tan T-shirts, embossed with the station’s insignia, and black trousers.

“Ah, Ms. Taylor, come in. I’m glad you could make it,” the chief said.

“Good morning, Chief Moore. I’m happy to be here,” she replied.

“Ms. Taylor, I’d like to introduce you to two of my best men, Logan Brock and Kyle Rogers.”

As the two men stood up to greet her, Nina felt like she had been hit by a freight train. Logan was the epitome of handsome. He was six-foot-two-inches tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Kyle was an inch taller. His hair was light brown, and his eyes were jade green. They were built like two mighty warriors, riddled with muscles. When they both smiled at her, extending handshakes, she suddenly felt weak in her knees. They began to tremble slightly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Taylor,” Logan said in a deep voice that revealed his even-toned Southern accent. He shook her hand, displaying a flawlessly white smile.

“We’re here to help you in any way we can,” Kyle added. He sounded somewhat similar to his partner with a dimpled smile just as bright. He shook her hand firmly.

All of a sudden, Nina’s heart began beating wildly with amorous intent. It hadn’t done that since before she lost the love of her life. Losing Justin the way she did left her scarred, not only physically but mentally as well. She hadn’t been able to heal enough psychologically to form a lasting relationship with another man since. In fact, it didn’t take her long to figure out that burying herself in her work was a convenient way to avoid the dating scene all together. It had worked like a charm until now.

She began to feel a bit out of sorts, as if the chief was introducing her on a blind date. It seemed silly that a simple meeting would elicit such an emotion in her. Nina knew that, so she tried to mentally check her emotions, wondering how not one but two men could have evoked such a reaction within her in a matter of a few seconds. She managed to get hold of herself, knowing how important first impressions were.

“I’m so thankful you’re both willing to lend a hand in this investigation. I welcome your help. So far, this has been a quite puzzling case,” she said.

“I know your roots stem back to L.A., Nina. It’s the reason why I’ve selected Logan and Kyle to assist you. They’re both born and raised right here in Melville, and when it comes to fire investigation, their forensic talents are second to none. I’m sure their expertise is exactly what you need to help close this case quickly,” Chief Moore assured her.

After nervously moving her tongue behind her pearly white teeth, Nina smiled back at them. “Well, if you two are half as good as the chief makes you out to be, I’m confident that we’ll bring the arsonist to justice in no time.”

“Oh, I can assure you we are that good,” Logan told her with confidence. “We take our work very seriously, Ms. Taylor.”

“Please, call me Nina,” she responded.

“Whoever’s responsible for this series of fires, I promise you we’ll find them and find them fast,” Kyle added.

Nina nodded her head in agreement. “This has created a major disruption for a lot of townsfolk. It’s high time the residents of Melville get back to sleeping peacefully at night.”

“I can’t imagine you’ve been able to get a good night’s rest since all this started,” Logan commented.

“Does it show?” Nina asked, taking a seat in the chair next to Kyle.

“No, you look mighty fine to me,” Logan answered as he settled back into his seat again.

Kyle stared at her briefly. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Thank you both, but the truth is this case is the toughest I’ve run across since I moved here six months ago. I haven’t had a full eight hours of rest in the past month,” Nina explained.

“Then we’ll just have to nab this nut and get life back to normal for everyone’s sake,” Logan told her, sounding genuinely concerned.

His smile distracted her momentarily. The physical attraction she felt for the two men was fighting for dominance. Not wanting any of them to notice that she was off her game, she had to create a quick diversion, so she turned on her tablet. “I’ve brought along some crime scene photos to help you guys get up to speed.”

“We’re quite familiar with the fires. What exactly are we looking for, Nina?” Chief Moore asked.

“All of the blazes started in the master bedrooms. It’s somewhat telling but at the same time puzzling that the perpetrator would choose to set each fire in the same location,” she said.

“It’s got to hold some special meaning for him,” Logan stated.

Kyle nodded in agreement. “That’s exactly what I’m thinking. Maybe he was an abused child, or maybe he lost someone important to him there.”

“It’s possible, but whatever significance it holds for him, we need to figure it out and catch him at his own twisted game,” Nina replied.

Tensing his facial muscles, Logan said, “
That
you can be sure of.”

“We can do this, Nina. We’ll find this sick jerk and see to it that he’s put away. The citizens of Melville are counting on us,” Kyle told her.

“Well, if the three of you will excuse me, I’ve got a meeting with the mayor in twenty minutes on this very subject. I trust that I’ll be hearing some good news real soon?” Chief Moore asked.

“We’ll track him down. You can bet on it,” Nina assured him. “Melville needs to get back to normal. The only way for it to happen is for us to put this criminal behind bars for a long time.”

“I heard that,” Logan said with a grin.

Kyle stared at Nina intensely as she gathered her purse and put away her tablet. “There’s nothing as appealing as someone who knows what they want and a plan of strategy on how to get it.”

“It’s my job. It’s what I do,” she replied. Nina was determined to maintain her professionalism in spite of her heart beat accelerating again.

“And so do we,” Logan added. “I’d like to discuss a few ideas with you. How about joining us for a late breakfast?”

His invitation caught her off guard. “Are you asking me to brunch?”

“If you want to call it that, yeah, we both are,” Kyle confirmed.

“It
would
give us a chance to knock around some plan of strategy. OK, but I’m paying,” Nina said.

“You can try, but it’s our offer, so we’re paying,” Logan corrected. “There’s no use in arguing the point.”

“I guess chivalry is alive and well in Melville,” Nina said, smiling at them.

“You’ve got that right, Kyle said. “It’s our treat. Let’s hit it. I’m starved.”

After the trio arrived at the Red Rooster, a popular diner in the middle of town, Logan sat next to Nina in the booth seat, and Kyle took a seat opposite them. A moment later, their hostess, Debbie Bennett, approached the table.

“Hey, Logan, Kyle, what can I get for y’all today?” she asked, adjusting the front of her red and yellow uniform.

“Debbie, this is Nina Taylor. She’s with the arson investigation unit,” Logan said.

“Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Nina. I sure hope y’all catch the creep real soon. Folks around here are so jumpy and on edge. No one knows whose property is gonna go up in flames next.”

Staring at the young, blonde waitress, Nina could tell she was nervous as well just talking about it. She wanted to put Debbie’s mind to rest. “Don’t worry, every hour we’re getting closer to catching the person responsible for the crimes. Rest assured, we’re gonna find him and bring him to justice.”

“It makes me feel a whole lot better knowing that these two are watching over us,” Debbie replied with a smile, referring to Logan and Kyle. Toying with the jewelry she wore, she said, “It’s like having your own set of personal heroes just waiting to rescue you.”

“I can see how that would help you rest comfortably at night,” Nina told her.

“Uh-huh, it sure does,” Debbie replied, smiling even wider with a sparkle in her bright blue eyes.

“That’s a beautiful necklace,” Nina said, complimenting Debbie on the white gold necklace with the sterling silver locket she was wearing.

“Well, thank you. It was supposed to be a special gift from someone who had a lot of making up to do,” Debbie replied, wrinkling her freckled nose.

Observing Debbie’s response, Nina commented, “It doesn’t seem like it worked.”

“You’re right about that. It didn’t. Everything was great at first. Unfortunately, Danny turned out to be a jerk. His wandering eye was what caught me, but it kept wandering if you know what I mean, so I had to cut him loose.”

“Sounds like you made the right decision,” Nina told her.

Opening the locket, Debbie revealed the content. “It used to contain both our pictures, but when I broke up with him, I removed his. I kept the necklace though. I love it so much. I never take it off. It’s a reminder of what he was like in the beginning. He was so sweet and dedicated. It gives me hope for the future,” Debbie explained.

Nina offered her an encouraging smile. “Ah, I see. Well, too bad for him. It seems like he let a good one slip away.” After quickly scanning the restaurant menu, she asked, “May I have the breakfast special?”

“Deb, darlin’, we’ll have three specials,” Kyle confirmed.

“You’ve got it. I’ll get y’all some coffee,” she said, walking off toward the kitchen.

“She seems quite nice, and she’s as cute as a button,” Nina commented.

“If you ask me, I think she’s got a crush on Kyle,” Logan teased.

“Oh, no, sounds like Deb’s already got a boyfriend. Besides, I like my women a little bit older, but I must admit, it does wonders for the old ego,” Kyle explained.

“I think she’s crushing on the both of you,” Nina said, turning her attention to Logan. “Don’t tell me getting compliments like that doesn’t make you walk a little taller.”

Staring into her ginger-colored eyes, Logan said, “It’s flattering, but for me, nothing can take the place of maturity. I need a woman who knows the difference between love and infatuation. You know…someone who knows what she wants and exactly how to get it.”

“I heard that. And who knows what to do with it ,” Kyle added, smiling at her mischievously.

Nina felt the blood rush to her face and spread across her cheeks. She knew what they were doing. They were fishing, trying to test her limits of composure. It wasn’t going to work. She was determined to stand her ground. It was way too soon to let either of them know that, in no time flat, they had found the key to manipulating her emotions. Not being one to lose control, she made an attempt at deflection.

“How would your wives or girlfriends feel if they knew you two were talking like this?” she asked.

“Sorry, but you’re wrong on both counts. We’re two eligible bachelors as they say…no ties, no commitments,” Logan explained, leaning back against his seat. “Nice try, Cali.”

“Cali?” she questioned.

“It’s the nickname we picked out for you. You know, you’re being from the west coast and all,” he responded.

Nina felt awfully confused. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Not even any girlfriends? How is that—“

“Drinks are served,” Debbie announced as she placed the creamer and three cups in front of them, pouring the piping hot coffee. “Your food will be ready in five. Y’all be sure to let me know if you need anything else.”