Dani’s face flushed as Marcus grinned.“Nice move.I’m guessing this connects to the attempted fire the other night.”
She sighed.“I think so.Apparently, Jeremy wants that merger badly.He said he needed it for the money, that he’d be killed if he didn’t get it.”
The police chief nodded and turned to study Jeremy.The appearance of a uniformed police officer made his eyes widen further, and he tried to shift, but Boomer’s heavy growl stopped him.
Marcus didn’t smile until he turned his back on Jeremy.“Looks like Boomer’s having fun.Why don’t we go inside your home, and you can tell me everything that happened?Bella and Mitch will check out the garage.We’ll let Lia come with us, as she’ll want to know if you need her expertise.”
Lawson turned them toward the house.“Good idea.I’ll make some tea and coffee for everyone.We’ll let Beaumont rot there for a while longer.”
Dani’s shoulders sagged the moment the door closed behind them.Letting Jeremy rot sounded like an excellent idea.
Lawson made coffee and tea, then dug through the fridge to make sandwiches for everyone.He didn’t want to hover, but he wasn’t ready to let Dani out of his sight.
Marcus and Lia joined Dani at the table, while Bibi sat at Dani’s side, head in her lap.
Lawson grabbed one of her treats for her.He ruffled her fur.“You deserve this and more, Bibi.Thanks for keeping you both safe.”
Dani’s eyes misted, and she reached to squeeze his hand.Unable to sit still, he moved around the kitchen while listening to the conversation.
He wanted to rip Beaumont limb from limb, but that wouldn’t help Dani, so he put the energy into making a mountain of food for the group.Beaumont wasn’t getting a damn bite of anything.
The doctor, Lia, checked Dani’s vitals and asked questions to ensure she was physically well.Relief soared through Lawson when he heard that all the results were good.No lasting effects from whatever had been in the bottle.
Marcus gently guided Dani through what had happened, using simple questions to gather more details than Lawson had heard before.The man was damn good at his job.
Once Marcus was satisfied with what he’d heard, he rose.“Time to assess the scene.From my initial observation, I don’t think Beaumont is strong enough to throw the bottle through the window so that it would land in the middle of the garage.If he’d had help, Boomer or Bibi would have alerted us, so I’m assuming he used a device, and I want to find it.I’m betting he didn’t wear gloves, or if he did, he tossed them quickly, and they’ll be on the scene as well.Either way, we’ll use the items as further evidence against him.”
Dani’s eyes widened, and Lawson moved to her side as she asked.“Do youneedmore evidence?Isn’t what you have enough to arrest him?”
Marcus grinned, and the smile didn’t bode well for Beaumont.“I’m a cop.I always want more evidence.There’s already more than enough to arrest him for assault, trespassing, and attempted kidnapping.We’ll add vandalism, attempted murder, and probably a lot more to the list.He’s going straight from here to a jail cell, so don’t worry about that.”
They headed outside, where Boomer continued to guard Beaumont.Their family and friends stood in a loose group in the driveway.He assumed Mitch and Bella were in the garage.
He and Dani followed Marcus to the far side of the garage, where the window had been broken.It took Marcus only a few seconds to find what he’d been looking for.He took several pictures, donned gloves, and put the item in a large evidence bag.
It looked like a kind of water gun that kids played with, but not quite.
Marcus carried it around the front, letting Beaumont see.The man blanched.“That’s not mine.”
Marcus ignored him, but Boomer eased closer to the man.Beaumont shut up and cowered back.
Marcus showed them.“It’s one of the T-shirt launchers people use at sporting events.More evidence to keep this jerk in jail for a long time.”
After locking the evidence in his truck, Marcus and Lawson crossed to the sedan, which wasn’t even locked.The packaging for the T-shirt launcher was in the back seat, with the instructions left open.Gloves, which he hadn’t worn, rested on the passenger seat, along with a paper printout of what looked like an aerial view of Dani’s property.
Marcus grinned.“I love it when criminals are stupid enough to leave all the evidence out for me.”
They returned to the driveway, where Mitch and Bella spoke with Dani.The Molotov cocktail had been filled with gasoline.Dangerous enough to have done severe damage.
Bella held up a sample bottle.“I’ll know more once I test this back at Midnight Lake, but from the smell, I’m assuming he used the first recipe he found on the internet.Thankfully, it’s not as volatile or deadly as others.You won’t have lingering effects from the fumes you inhaled.After Marcus is through cataloging evidence, we’ll help you clean it up.My monitors say it’s safe to be inside, although Marcus may not clear the scene for a day or two.”
All good news.With Dani’s hand in his, they followed Marcus to stand beside Boomer.Amber ruffled her fingers through the dog’s fur.“Easy guard, Boomer.”
The dog’s stance instantly changed.He sat at Amber’s side, eyes still locked on Beaumont.It would take only a command from his sister or a threatening move on Beaumont’s part to change that.
Marcus remained standing as he put on his blank cop stare.“What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
