“But, if Jessie’sthere.”
“I’ll send a squad car, you don’t know if she’s luring you into a trap. My guys have been up there already and the area was clear. Now, patch me into the three-way and I’ll mute my phone so she can’t hearme.”
“Good idea,ready?”
“Goahead.”
Linx waited one second and patched Todd’s call into a three-wayconference.
“Linx, where were you? I just got to the good part,” Minxsaid.
“Sorry, I got lost and had to check my GPS. Took a wrong turn off Dad’sproperty.”
“It’s dark out there. Clouds hiding the moon. Now pay attention, the fire’s about to start. She wants to fry the Black Widow, not knowing she’s hermother.”
“Oh…” Linx said to keep her going. “Really?”
“Yes, so pay attention.” Once again, her mother’s voice droned, rough and crackly, but also dark and spooky, as she continued the very oddtale.
Linx concentrated on driving, almost missing a turn, but fortunately, her obsession with Grady meant she could get to his place blindfolded. Moments later, she pulled her SUV up the steep incline of his driveway, scattering gravel as Cedar jumped up and craned her head out thewindow.
Smoke and an orange glow reared their ugly faces as she turned into theclearing.
The logs assembled around the cabin were onfire.
“Mom, get out of the fire!” Linx jumped from the SUV as Cedar rushed toward thetrailer.
The fire jumped and sparked from log pile to pile, and the grass caught fire near thetrailer.
Cedar lunged against the trailer door, barking like she sensed someone was inside. Linx sprinted after her, but the door was locked. She jiggled itdesperately.
Why wasn’t it opening? She’d wiggled it open before with a creditcard.
“Anyone in there?” Linx pounded on the door. “Mom, get the hell out of there. Open up. Openup.”
A child’s piercing scream shrieked on the otherside.
“Jessie, open the door,” Linxshouted.
But the child kept screaming and screaming. In between the screams, a puppy howled and little claws scratched at the bottom of thedoor.
Either Jessie couldn’t reach the door, or she was tied up, or frightened out of her wits. If Minx was there, she wasn’tanswering.
Linx tried the lock again, then realized it was shiny new. Grady had replaced it after she’d broken in lasttime!
Crap. Whatnow?
Linx turned as Cedar yelped, disappearing through the flames toward the creek. Hopefully she’d get to safety, but Linx couldn’t worry about her. She had to get back to her car and get a credit card to jimmy thelock.
Heat seared behind her, and as she turned toward the Durango, a wall of flames blocked herway.
“Grady!” she shouted. “You better have yourstash.”
Linx always kept her firefighting tools: her axe, shovel, Pulaski, and even a chain saw close by her cabin. Every wilderness firefighter did that—one set in the truck and another right outside the livingquarters.
She pulled at the storage compartments outside the trailer. No firefighter locked up firefighting tools.Ever.
The outside hatch opened and Linx grabbed a shovel. She had to throw dirt on the advancing fire before it reached thetrailer.
