Firefly Mountain (36 page)

“I don’t know how to thank you, Patrick.” She held out her hand, and he took it. “I do know your picture in the calendar will make a difference to all those animals at the shelter.” She reached up on her toes and kissed Patrick. He circled his arms around her waist, and they fell into a passionate game of tongue tag.

As Gini’s mind and body were drifting on a cloud, Patrick ripped his mouth from hers.

“How big is the animal shelter?” he asked. “Is it bigger than Groveston’s Market?” He stepped back from Gini.

“The shelter is huge, but with all the animals we service in this area, we still need to expan—”

“Come on.” Patrick cut her off and walked around her toward the house.

Gini ran to catch up. “Where are we going? Patrick, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong yet.” He opened the back door and ushered Saber, Midas, and Gini inside. “Be right back.”

Gini watched as Patrick jogged to his truck and pulled out his investigation kit. He dumped it on her kitchen table when he came back inside. After fishing around for a moment, Patrick extracted the evidence bag containing the children’s book they’d recovered from Groveston’s.

“What if this is a clue?” Patrick tapped the bagged book with his finger. “What if it points to the next target, Gini?”

The blood drained from Gini’s extremities causing a general numbness. “The shelter. You think the shelter is the next hit?”

“It could be. It’s bigger than the market, and this lunatic keeps upping the stakes. It would be a tough place to fight a fire, too, with all the animals and equipment.”

“We have to tell Mason.” Gini headed for the bedroom on shaky legs to get dressed. Patrick was right behind her, and he was all that was keeping her from coming unglued.

Raina’s voice filled Wolf’s Pub as Patrick led Gini to Mason’s table. As they approached, Jonah looked up and waved with his good arm. Haddy turned her head and smiled, one of her eyebrows raised. She poked Mason and pointed toward Patrick and Gini. A grin washed across Mason’s face when he saw them.

“Decided to join us, huh?” Mason asked. Both he and Jonah looked down to where Patrick was holding Gini’s hand, and their smiles grew wider. Haddy’s eyes were fixed on Gini’s face, and Patrick was certain they were using female telepathy to tell each other that sex had occurred. He couldn’t worry about what he and Gini showing up together meant to these people. He was about to ruin their evening, and he had to do it quickly.

“Mason, we found this at Groveston’s.” Patrick held out the bagged animal book, and Mason took it.

“A kid’s book? What’s special about a kid’s book? Groveston’s sells a bunch of these.” Mason looked at the book. “How did this one not get ruined though?”

“It was wedged above the shelves,” Gini said. “I saw it up there when I was taking photos.”

“We think it’s a clue,” Patrick added.

“The animal shelter might be the next target,” Gini said. “You need to send more police. We need to go there.”

Mason pulled out his cell phone, and Haddy helped Jonah to his feet.

“We’re coming too,” Jonah said. “I may be one-armed, but I got me two functional eyes.”

“I got me four.” Haddy tapped her glasses.

“You should be taking it easy, Jonah,” Gini said.

“He stopped taking it easy about two days ago,” Haddy said.

“You can’t keep men like us down.” Jonah glanced again to Patrick and Gini’s joined hands. “Right, Patrick?”

Patrick half-smiled. “I guess not. Not when there’s so much to do in life.”

“Did those words just come out of Patrick Barre’s mouth?” Raina asked as she sidled up beside her brother.

“They did.” Patrick eyed Raina and waited for a wisecrack.

“Interesting.” Raina winked at Gini, then slid her gaze to Mason. “What did they say to you that’s causing that little crease between your brows, gorgeous?” She pressed her finger to it, and Mason caught her wrist, pretended to bite her finger off, and then paced away as he talked into his cell phone.

“Rivers here. Need available units to report to Burnam Animal Shelter ASAP. No sirens.” He snapped his phone shut and rejoined the group.

“Raina, we’ve got a lead on the arsonist’s next target thanks to your fantastic brother here,” Mason said.

“Don’t forget Gini. She found the book.” Patrick gestured to Gini and rather liked the feeling of being part of a duo. An entirely new yet comforting feeling. Gini smiled, but Patrick could tell her mind was focused on the shelter. Her worry over the animals only made him want her more if that was possible.

“So I guess this means you’re bailing on me?” Raina knocked her fist lightly against Mason’s chest.

“Sorry, but if we can head this whacko off before he, she, or it strikes again, that will be a good thing,” Mason said.

“It’s what I get for going for the hero type this time.” Raina shook her head, but stepped closer to Mason. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, “Be careful.”

“Always.” Mason kissed her once on the lips and led the way out of the pub. Jonah and Haddy followed right behind him.

“You be careful too,” Raina said to Patrick. “I’d like to see that glow coming off the two of you last.” She laughed and walked toward the stage to continue her set.

“Does everyone know we had sex?” Gini whispered.

“I was going to ask you that.” Patrick squeezed her hand and tugged her toward the door. “It doesn’t seem that anyone minds that we did.”

“They may have been the ones to get us to do it.” Gini laughed as they jogged to Patrick’s truck. Midas barked a greeting as they opened the doors and hopped inside.

“You could be right,” Patrick began as he started the truck and pulled out behind Haddy, “but in your bedroom…that was just us, Gini. What we wanted. What we needed.”

“What we deserved,” Gini added.

Patrick held his hand out, and Gini slid hers into it as Midas nuzzled her cheek. All of Patrick’s senses sharpened with Gini beside him as if a part of him had been awakened. A part that had been asleep for what felt like centuries. She had cleared the cobwebs from his locked closet of a heart, cleaned the shelves, and filled them with something new and soft and cozy. He could get used to this feeling.

****

Although Gini wanted to get to the shelter and make sure the animals were all right, she wasn’t too eager to let time with Patrick sift through her fingers. Making love with him had thrown open the shutters and let the sun into her careful little life. Suddenly things were possible. A normal existence was within her grasp and all because of Patrick. She didn’t want to waste a moment of that normal existence. She wanted to make every second count.

They pulled up behind Mason’s car at the shelter as Gini finished her call to the shelter’s director, Josephine Crateski, to update her on their suspicions. Unfortunately, the director was in Paris with her husband for two more days. Gini assured her she’d take care of everything. Hell, she’d spent nearly as much time at the shelter as the director.

The outside floodlights were on in the front, and a few dim lights glowed inside where Gini knew the small animals were penned. She dug around in her purse for her keys. Patrick shined his flashlight into the landfill of her handbag.

“Thought this might help,” he said.

“Shut up.” Gini increased her efforts to locate the keys. Every minute she spent foraging was a minute the animals could be in danger. “Here they are!” She held up the keys in triumph and got out of the truck. She followed Patrick and Midas to Mason, Jonah, and Haddy. Squad cars stalked into the parking lot on silent tires. Several uniformed officers exited the cars and reported to Mason.

“Check back doors first. That seems to be our arsonist’s preference. Look for candles, gas trails, signs of forced entry. You all know the drill.” Mason pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt and handed it to Jonah. “You and Haddy stay out front in Haddy’s car. Call me if you see anything suspicious.”

“Roger that, Detective Rivers.” Jonah took the walkie-talkie, and Haddy helped him into her car. She got in the driver’s side and gave them a thumbs up. Gini felt better about Jonah being secured in the vehicle away from the building.

“Gini, you let me in the front door here,” Mason said. “Then if the perp isn’t here, you work on keeping the animals calm. They know you.”

“Got it,” Gini said.

“Midas can go in first,” Patrick said. When Gini opened her mouth in protest, Patrick held a finger to her lips. “It’s what he’s trained to do, Gini.”

She swallowed her comment and nodded, though the thought of sending the dog into possible danger unsettled her.

“Patrick, you’re with me,” Mason said. “I’ll follow Midas. You stay behind me and keep a sharp eye.” He pulled his gun from a shoulder holster and motioned for Gini to unlock the door.

Gini’s hands shook as she attempted to fit the key into the lock. She had to remind herself several times to calm down. Good thing fear didn’t make her start fires.

When she finally got the door open, Patrick said, “
Sentez
, Midas.” He gave the dog a little nudge, and Midas entered the shelter, nose to the ground. Mason swept his gun around in the dim interior and signaled for Patrick to follow him.

The animals began to meow, bark, neigh, hiss. Gini stood by the front door, not at all liking the fact that one of her best friends and the man she’d just decided she loved were heading into possible trouble. If anything happened to them, she didn’t know what she’d do. Mason was family, and Patrick was what her life had been missing all this time. She would never be the same now that she knew him, had made love to him. She didn’t want to be the same. She liked this new and improved Gini. One that knew true happiness and didn’t have to work so hard at faking it anymore.

It felt like forever before Mason popped his head out. His voice made Gini jump.

“Nobody’s inside, Gini. Just the wicked smell of gasoline and some pissed off animals. See what you can do about the critters.”

Gini stepped inside, the scent of gasoline nearly choking her, and went to the cats first because they were making the loudest racket. Patrick stood in front of the cages, holding Midas by the collar as the dog barked and whipped his tail around.

“He’s telling us there’s gasoline over here,” Patrick said over the noise. “We know, boy. We smell it too.”

Gini dropped her purse on a counter and ran to the cats. “Oh, Patrick! The cages are soaked with it.” She reached a hand inside and touched an orange tabby. “Good Goddess, the cats are covered with gasoline too.” She shielded her nose with her hand and coughed.

“Sick and twisted,” Patrick said. “We have to catch this nut job before someone gets dead.” Midas struggled in Patrick’s grip. “I know, boy. You found the gasoline.
Bon
.
Bon
.
Asseyez
.”

Midas sat for an instant, but popped up again to bark at the cats. “I’m going to put Midas in the truck,” Patrick said.

Gini didn’t say anything. She was still looking at the wet, matted fur on all the cats. About twenty of them. How could someone pour gasoline on kittens? She couldn’t imagine even having the notion.

Patrick’s hand on her shoulder jarred Gini out of her paralysis. “Hey, I’ll help you wash them off. They’ll be okay, Gini. None of them are hurt.” He gave her a quick hug and pulled Midas to the door.

Wash them off. Right. That’s what we’ll do.
Gini had needed Patrick to take charge because her mind kept picturing someone spraying defenseless animals with gasoline with the intention of setting them on fire. A full body shudder coursed through her, but also propelled her to fill the large sink at the counter with warm sudsy water.

When Patrick returned, Mason was with him. Both of their faces were grim.

“What?” Gini asked. “Are Jonah and Haddy okay?” Soapsuds crested over the counter as the sink overflowed.

Patrick shut off the water and tossed a towel on the floor at Gini’s feet.

“Jonah and Haddy are fine,” Mason said as he opened the windows to let out the gasoline smell. “They’re heading in to give us a hand with washing these critters.” He gestured to the meowing cats then held up an evidence bag. “One of my guys found this at the back door.”

Gini stepped toward Mason, though she didn’t remember making the decision to do so. Mason placed the bag in her hand. A purple candle, completely intact, sat inside the bag. Though it was the first non-melted candle they’d recovered, it had an odd shape.

“Definitely homemade,” Gini said. “Does it have a scent like the others?”

“Open it. Just don’t touch it,” Mason said. “We may be able to lift prints off this one because it didn’t burn yet.”

Gini unzipped the bag and the smell assaulted her nostrils. Sharp, woody, heavy, more powerful than the gasoline. “Hmmm.” She sealed the bag and handed it to Mason.

“Do you know what that scent is?” Mason asked.

“I’ve smelled it before.” Gini’s eyes watered from the gasoline scent, and she reached for a tissue from the supply shelves behind her. “I can’t identify it right now with the stink of gas in here.” She couldn’t focus on anything besides the cats. “I’ll think on it.”

Mason nodded. “Two more of my officers reported snapping of twigs off to the east after we entered the shelter. They chased for a bit, but couldn’t find anyone. I’ve ordered a full sweep of the woods. More officers will come with lights. There are foot impressions in the mud by the back door as well that might help us.”

Gini prepared to respond, but a strangled sob came out instead. She used the tissue in her hand to catch the tears, but she couldn’t stop. Mason folded her into his arms, and Gini leaned her forehead on his shoulder.

“Shhhh,” Mason whispered. “You and Patrick kept this from being a disaster, Shutterbug. You did good. None of the other areas in the shelter are in this state. Just the cats. We’re steps closer to catching this jackass because of you.”

He was right of course. Gini knew that, but she couldn’t get a hold of herself. She thought about how scared the cats must have been, heard their wails now, and was overwhelmed.