CHAPTER ONE
The wailing of a siren jerked Nate Proctor from deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Where was he? It didn’t take long for the sleep to leave his brain. A motel. In Sanford. He’d decided to stay there after spending the day in the town instead of heading home.
When the sound of the sirens didn’t fade, he looked toward the window. Red light intermittently flashed across the thin curtains. It too did not fade. He glanced at the LED display of the clock that sat on the nightstand beside the lumpy mattress he lay on.
2:13
When another siren joined the first, Nate stumbled from the bed and across the room to the window. He pushed aside the curtain and looked down the street. Shock held him in place for about two seconds before he scrambled to find the jeans he’d been wearing before bed. As fast as he could, he jerked them on and then pushed his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. Skipping socks altogether, he jammed his feet into his shoes and, after grabbing his phone, he headed for thedoor of the dingy motel room.
He sprinted down the sidewalk, did a quick check for traffic then bolted across the road toward where the fire engines were stopped, their lights still sweeping against the night sky. When a wall of heat slammed into him, Nate skidded to a stop.
Surely this was a bad dream.
It had to be.
"Sir, you need to move back!" The full-suited firefighter reinforced his statement by placing a gloved hand on Nate's chest and pressing.
Move back?
Red hot flames flickered and roared as they slowly, but determinedly, consumed half his livelihood. Nate took one step back to appease the man, but he refused to move any further away. The firefighter moved on to other people standing nearby.
When nothing remained between him and the blazing building, the heat once again hit Nate. The hair on his arms stood on end and his skin felt singed—even blistered—by the fierce heat. Flames continued to dance and burn, lighting up the summer night sky as the fire spread across the roof of the building.
Waves of heat battered his body as he stood, hands on his hips, watching the flames reach high into the dark sky. When the smell of burning rubber and oil assaulted his senses, Nate blinked rapidly to keep his eyes from watering. As much as the heat burnt his skin, his insides were chilled.
This was arson.
And he had a pretty good idea who was responsible. But right now he was trying to accept the reality that once the flames had wreaked their havoc, his auto repair shop would be nothing but a blackened, charred structure.
The crowd grew as people stumbled from their beds to see what the commotion was about, but Nate stood alonewatching as firefighters worked to put out the flames.
"Are you the owner?"
Nate glanced away from the fire to see a tall man in firefighter gear standing next to him. He gave him a quick nod and looked back at the garage.
"Not going to be much left," the man said. "We're doing our best, but given the nature of the business and the products you kept on site, the fire spread rapidly."
The man was right, but Nate knew he ran a safe workplace. He followed all safety requirements and protocols. It was something he emphasized with the staff at both of his garages, the one here in Sanford and the one in Collingsworth. The fire should never have gotten this out of control unless the sprinklers had been tampered with prior to it being started.
"Are you up for some questions?" the man asked.
When Nate nodded, the man gestured to a nearby fire truck. "Let's get back a little from the heat. It's not safe for you."
As reluctant as he was to leave his business, Nate needed to let someone know about his suspicions. The noise of the fire lessened a bit as they moved away, enough for him to hear his phone ring.
Frowning, Nate pulled it from his pocket where he'd shoved it on his way out the door earlier and stared at the display.Dean Marconett. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. A call from the sheriff at this time of night couldn't mean anything good.
Had something happened to Lily?
Please, God, don't let it be Lily.
"Hello?"
"Nate? You're okay?"
Nate rubbed his forehead.Okaymight be a stretch. "Basically. What's up, Sheriff?"
"Where are you?"
