“A word of warning…Mort’s been slobbering lately.”
“Too late.” Caleb lifted his coat sleeve, revealing a splotch of wet.
“Sorry about that,” she apologized.
“No worries. I can think of worse things than being slobbered on.” Caleb followed Harlow and Mort into the house, through the living room and to the kitchen bar where David sat, coffee cup nearby and open laptop in front of him.
Her father sprang from his seat, a smile on his face as he greeted them. “I see you tracked Harlow down.”
“We met at the gate,” she said. “I was on my way back when Caleb called.”
“With encouraging news, I hope.”
“What could be a good start.” Caleb slid his backpack off and unzipped the main compartment. He removed a silver laptop and set it on the counter. “It’ll only take me a minute to log on.”
David eased in next to Harlow, quietly watching.
A screen popped up, and he double-clicked on the tab. A full-screen report appeared with the investigator’s logo at the top.
“I’ll forward a copy of the preliminary report but want to go over what Cook found. It’s actually fascinating.” Caleb went into a long spiel using technical terms that went right over Harlow’s head.
“I know this all sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. The bottom line is Jim found traces of an accelerant.”
“Which is what the original report also stated,” David said.
“But did the original report tell you where?”
Harlow and her father exchanged a glance, each shaking their heads.
“No. Not that I recall. I’m sure I would have remembered.”
“It was near the manager’s unit.” Caleb opened another tab, and a photo of a large black charred spot appeared. “Cook believes this is where the accelerant was dumped and the fire started.”
“By the unit Mom was staying in,” Harlow said.
“Correct.” He began scrolling through the screen, stopping a couple of pages down. “These photos were taken right after the fire.”
Harlow squinted her eyes. “What are we looking at?”
“It looks like footprints to me,” David said.
“Several sets, all the same.” Caleb enlarged the photo. “I’m pretty sure this was also taken near the manager’s unit, but for the life of me, I can’t place the exact location.”
“Can you zoom back out?”
“Sure.” He zoomed out.
David slipped his reading glasses on, his expression growing grim. “I know exactly where this is.”
“I was hoping you would recognize it.” Caleb shifted, noting the somber expression on David Wynn’s face.
“It was a restricted area, not far from the manager’s unit. No one should have been wandering around back there.”
Chapter 14
“I know where this is.” Harlow tilted her head. “Dad is right. It was a restricted area, off limits to guests.”
“Would it be possible for you to show me the exact location?” Caleb asked.
