Tender Is The Night (23 page)

"All good questions. I wish I had answers. After the fire, we talked to everyone who had a connection to Baines. About a month later, I made the rounds again and came up with nothing for a second time," he said, once again feeling frustrated by the lack of progress he'd made on the case despite the amount of time he'd put in. "We can go through the list one more time and see if anyone besides Malcolm has had a renewed burst of memory, but that's going to take time, and the arsonist will strike again within a few days." He tapped his fingers restlessly on the tabletop. "I can't decide if it's better to look at the targets and figure out where the arsonist is hitting next or re-interview everyone."

"Since there are two of us, maybe we can do a little of both." She paused. "Putting aside the old roommates and Baines, let's talk about the book signing. We know that Dillingsworth and Gerilyn Connors will probably be there. Can we tie them in any way to Baines?"

"I don't see any connection. They're not close to the same age group." He thought for a moment. "Unless it's the firefighter link."

"Between Brad Connors and Baines or Dillingsworth and Connors?"

"Both." He met her gaze. "It's a stretch, but it's possible that Baines and Connors could have met because of Baines's interest in firefighting. The high school counselor said that Baines shadowed at a firehouse."

"How long ago was Connors fired for substance abuse problems?" she asked.

"Four years."

"The fires started five years ago."

"I know that doesn't match up. But I believe he was a firefighter for over ten years, which would have put him in a firehouse while Baines was in high school." He paused as the waiter set down their food. "This looks good."

"Broccoli beef, cashew chicken, and vegetable chow mein. I hope you like it," Kate said.

"I'm sure I will."

As he ate, his mind continued to process the information he'd gotten at the bar. By the time he'd cleaned his plate, he was feeling full but still restless. "We're missing something," he said to Kate.

"I feel the same way. There's something we're not seeing, but I don't know what it is."

"I should know. I've been thinking about nothing but this case for eighteen months."

"Maybe you're too close, both to the victim and to the case."

"Close, not close enough…what's the difference? I still don't have any answers, and I have one shot left to catch this guy before he goes underground again. He knows someone is on to him, whether he knows exactly who is another question, but there was no doubt that he was aware he was being chased."

"I wonder how that will change his behavior," she mused. "Maybe it's good we're out there, being very visible. If Baines possibly reached out to Sam with information about the arsonist, maybe someone else will do the same thing with us."

"That would be a miracle." He paused. "I know. You believe in miracles."

"I do believe, but I don't wait for them to happen. I try to make my own luck."

"Well, I'd like to think we could shake another Good Samaritan loose, but considering what happened to Rick Baines, I doubt anyone is going to come rushing to help us."

"Good point. There's still a reward, isn't there?"

"Yes. It's still there."

"Maybe we need to publicize it again."

"That's a thought." But he wasn't convinced publicity or a reward was going to be enough. He glanced at his watch. "Let's go to the book signing. We've moved a little away from Dillingsworth and Connors, but I still think it's a huge coincidence that they're both involved in the same event. I'd like to see how they interact with each other."

"And hopefully we can get one or both of them to talk to us."

* * *

Market Lane Books took up the entire first floor of a three-story, turn-of-the-century building whose décor had been inspired by the Gold Rush. While the exterior of the building was gray granite, the interior boasted mahogany walls, porcelain-tiled floors, and carved marble pillars. But the opulent architecture and design was definitely showing signs of age and strain, Kate thought, noting serious cracks in the marble and gouges in the floor, hence the fundraiser to restore the building to its former glory.

"This must have been magnificent in its day," she said to Devin as they wandered around the tall shelves of books. The aisles were crowded with the San Francisco elite, who appeared to be more interested in mingling and sipping on champagne than talking about books. She suspected that most of the attendees were not actually readers but probably more interested in being at the fashionable fundraiser, which was hosted not only by Gerilyn Connors's architectural firm but also the mayor's office.

"It's a cool space," Devin commented, his gaze fixed on the man signing books at the front of the store. "Let's get in line."

"We can't ask Ron Dillingsworth questions in an autographing line," she said. "Let's wait until he's done and catch him then." She glanced down at the program she'd been given. "It says here the signing will go until eight. That's twenty minutes from now."

"He could disappear right after. We might miss our chance."

"We'll block him. Don't worry. We won't let him go without a conversation."

"All right." His gaze swept the room, and he tensed. "Brad Connors is here."

"Really? I thought he and Gerilyn had a bitter divorce. Why would he be here?"

"No idea. At one point, Gerilyn had a restraining order against Brad."

"They look pretty friendly tonight," she said, following his gaze.

Brad Connors appeared to be in his mid-forties. He had sandy brown hair and a thick moustache. His build was sturdy and solid. He looked like a man who'd be comfortable rushing opponents on a football field. According to the bio Devin had worked up on him, that's exactly what he'd done until he was about twenty-five-years old. Then he'd gone into firefighting and had excelled at the job until a growing problem with drugs and alcohol eventually ended his marriage and his career.

"Let's say hello," Devin said.

She had a feeling it wasn't going to be a friendly hello, but she followed Devin across the room. Devin had interviewed Brad and Gerilyn after Sam's death, and judging by the way the couple tensed when they saw Devin, the memory of those interviews was not a good one.

"What are you doing here?" Brad demanded. He then turned to glare at his ex-wife. "Did you know he was coming?"

"No, of course not," Gerilyn said nervously.

Gerilyn was a thin woman with blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore a form-fitting sheath dress with heels and gave Devin a wary look. "Why are you here?"

"I like books about fires," he said.

"You need to leave," Brad said. "This is my wife's event."

"Don't you mean your ex-wife?" Devin asked.

Brad put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "We've reconciled."

"And we don't want any more trouble," Gerilyn added.

"There was another fire last night," Devin said. "At a recreation center. And last Monday, there was a fire at a school. The arsonist is back in business."

"There are fires every day in this city," Brad said. "They don't have anything to do with us."

"Did you know Rick Baines?" Devin asked.

"The arsonist?" Gerilyn asked.

"The man who was killed with my partner was not the arsonist," Devin replied.

"I thought the case was closed," Gerilyn said.

"It's not," Kate said, stepping forward. "I'm Kate Callaway—"

"Callaway?" Brad interrupted. "Are you related to Jack Callaway?"

"I'm his niece."

"Then you should have more respect for a firefighter."

"I have nothing but respect for firefighters," she returned. "But I'm also a special agent with the FBI. We've reopened the arson case. Devin is helping me get up to speed. That's why we're here. I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, let me help get you up to speed," Brad said aggressively. "I used to be a firefighter. I had a lot of problems with my wife and her job, and that made me do things I'm not proud of. Those things did not include torching the buildings she was working on. Understood?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Now I'm sober, and I have been for the last six months. I'm turning my life around. I'm back with Gerilyn, and we are moving on from the past. I was not guilty before and I am not guilty now. Whatever suspicious fires have occurred in the last week have nothing to do with me."

He sounded sincere, Kate thought. He'd acknowledged his bad behavior and made a point of how he'd turned his life around. It was a solid argument.

"Brad is a changed man," Gerilyn added. "I'm sorry I ever implied that he could be guilty of burning down those buildings, because he had nothing to do with any of that. I know you're just doing your job, but Brad is innocent, and he's working hard on his life."

Gerilyn could be blinded by love, but Kate was inclined to believe her, too. She did, however, have one other question. "It's interesting to me that you're hosting this event with Ron Dillingsworth, a person who is also of interest in the arson investigation. It's an odd coincidence."

"He's a bestselling local author. This is a bookstore. We're trying to raise money so we can save this building," Gerilyn said. "There's nothing more to it than that. I didn't know he was a suspect in the case."

"I'm fairly sure you did know that," Devin said. "We had several conversations about who could be involved, and Mr. Dillingsworth was mentioned more than once."

"Ron is an author. He writes books."

"About fire," Devin reminded her.

"They're fiction," Gerilyn said, a worried look in her eyes. "I don't know why this is still going on. I thought it was over."

"It's not going to be over until the right person is in jail," Devin said.

"Let's go," Brad interrupted. "If you have any other questions, you can speak to our lawyer." He took his wife's hand and led Gerilyn away.

Devin blew out a breath, his expression grim. "I do not like him."

"I don't like him, either, but I kind of believe him," she said.

Devin frowned. "You do? Why?"

"Gut feeling."

"Well, I'm not ready to check him off the list just yet." He paused, his gaze moving toward the front of the store. "Dillingsworth has run out of books. Let's head over there."

Devin was definitely a man on a mission, Kate thought, hurrying behind him as he made a beeline for the dark-haired, bearded author with the glasses.

Dillingsworth was just getting up from his chair when he saw Devin. He froze as if he'd suddenly been trapped, his gaze darting toward the nearest exit.

"Mr. Dillingsworth," Devin said. "Good to see you again."

"Agent Scott. Wait, that's incorrect. You're no longer an agent, are you?" Dillingsworth asked, quickly regaining his composure.

"He's not, but I am," Kate said. "Special Agent Kate Callaway. Could we speak to you for a moment?"

"I'm afraid I'm just leaving. Any questions you have should be directed to my lawyer."

"There was a fire last night, Mr. Dillingsworth, but you probably already know that, don't you?" Devin asked. "You like to follow fires, show up at them, and watch the firefighters risk their lives."

"That's called research," Dillingsworth said sharply. "Any good writer does his research. But, no, I wasn't at any fires in the city last night. I was in New York. I arrived this morning just before noon. I'm sure the airlines would be happy to verify my travel information."

"We'll be sure to check," Devin said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Dillingsworth, we're ready for a few pictures," a young woman from the bookstore said, interrupting their conversation.

"Of course," he said.

As he walked away, Devin let out a sigh. "If he has an alibi for last night, then he's off the list."

"Anything that narrows down the suspect list is a good thing," she said.

"Mr. Scott?"

Devin turned around as an older, stylishly dressed female joined them. "Mrs. Raffin," he said.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see you here. I heard about the fire at the park on the news this morning. You told us there were more fires coming. Is this what you meant?"

He nodded. "Yes. As you know, the fires come in threes, and the first two occurred in the past week, which means the third is coming soon."

Her eyes filled with concern. "You're saying that someone is going to go after another one of our historic buildings?"

"I believe so. This is Special Agent Kate Callaway. She's working on the case now as well. This is Eileen Raffin."

"It's nice to meet you," Kate said, shaking hands with the woman. "I understand you do interior design and that you work with Gerilyn Connors."

"I do, and I'm very passionate about our historic buildings. In my spare time, I serve on the Historic Preservation Commission. These fires are very disturbing. I thought they were over, but I guess not." She paused, her gaze darting around the room as if she were looking for someone. "You don't still suspect Brad, do you? He moved back in with Gerilyn, you know."

"I was surprised to hear that," Devin said. "When did that happen?"

"A few weeks ago. She told me he's changed, and he told me the same thing. She's convinced he's sober now."

"It doesn't sound like you're convinced," Kate said.

"I don't know what to think. Brad is a volatile person. I don't enjoy being around him, but I do care about Gerilyn. I want her to be happy. If there is anything she needs to know about Brad, you need to tell her."

"We don't have any evidence against him," Kate said.

"Well, I guess that's good," Eileen said. "Did you come here tonight to talk to Gerilyn?"

"And Mr. Dillingsworth," Devin put in. "I had no idea that Gerilyn knew Mr. Dillingsworth."

"She doesn't know him," Eileen said. "I put the book signing together. We were talking about local authors, and my daughter is a big fan of his books. He's gotten very popular, so I asked him if he would come and give us an hour." Eileen paused, suddenly looking worried. "I know that he was interviewed about the fires, but he's a writer. He's a celebrity. His books are on the
New York Times
Bestseller List. He doesn't set fires; he just writes about them. I had no idea that his being here would cause any problems."