“The remnants of a wallet were found on the victim’s person. Most of it was destroyed, but a portion of a driver’s license remained. We believe the deceased is Troy Alexander Layton, the bartender.”
Jenny swayed against Cain, and he reached for her hand, laced her fingers with his.
“The police checked Layton’s apartment,” the captain continued. “But there was no indication he returned home after work last night, which supports our assumption.”
“It’ll take an autopsy to officially confirm,” Nolan said. “But the wallet and a few other items found on the body lead to the same conclusion.”
Jenny said nothing. Her throat was too tight to speak.
“I’m afraid there’s more,” Kendall said. “I’m not sure if this will make the news easier or more difficult to handle.”
“What is it?” Cain pressed.
“From the trail left by the accelerant—a number of empty cans of gasoline were found on the second floor—the fire was clearly arson. The trail led straight to the body of the deceased, which leads us to believe Layton is the person who set the fire. Since he had no previous record of arson-related charges, we think he may have accidentally spilled gasoline on himself as he splashed the fuel around the upstairs hallway.”
Jenny swallowed, fighting to keep the image out of her head.
Chief Nolan spoke up. “I don’t think Troy realized when he lit the fire that he was going to be its first victim.”
Jenny’s eyes filled, but she still didn’t speak.
Cain said, “There’s a chance a woman named Anna Somerset hired Troy to cause problems in the Copper Star. She may have paid him to set the fire. The Phoenix police are investigating her in connection with the murder of her husband, Arthur Somerset. Word is an arrest is imminent.”
Nolan’s eyes widened. His stone-gray eyebrows pulled down in a frown. “So the Somerset woman had a beef with Jenny?”
She forced her voice to work. “Anna was obsessed with Cain. She just wanted me out of the way.”
“We think she was paying Troy—in more ways than one—to cause Jenny trouble. Last night was the culmination of other events.”
“Looks like I need to be talking to the Phoenix Police,” Chief Nolan said.
“It’s all speculation at this point,” Cain reminded them.
“If you’re right,” said the chief, “this could all be wrapped up in a very neat bundle. The arsonist is dead, and the woman who paid him is going to prison for murder.”
A long pause ensued.
“I’ll need a statement from both of you.” Chief Nolan stood, along with Captain Kendall.
Cain rose to join them. “We gave you our official statement before we left last night. As I said, what we told you today is purely speculation.”
“Fair enough,” Nolan agreed. “Once we get things pinned down, I’ll come back and we can talk.”
“I’m sure we’ll have follow-up questions,” Captain Kendall said. “I hope you’ll both stay close for a while.”
Cain glanced down at Jenny, his eyes locked with hers. “We won’t be more than an hour away.”
The pressure in Jenny’s chest eased.Sedona, she thought. She wanted to smile, but it was too soon.
Cain accompanied their visitors to the door and closed it behind them. He turned and walked back to her, pulled her into his arms.
“It’s over, baby. That portion of our lives ended this morning. There are loose ends we’ll have to tie up, problems we’ll have to deal with, but we’ll handle them. Today we’re starting a new life together.” He bent his head and very thoroughly kissed her. She was clutching his shoulders, her insides melting, by the time he was done.
“This morning, I called the Enchantment Resort in Sedona and made a reservation. Starting tomorrow, we’ll hole up in one of their bungalows for a couple of days, enjoy the spectacular red-rock scenery, and do nothing but relax. We’ll eat fabulous food and do some shopping. When we come back, we’ll be ready to tackle whatever comes next.”
He brushed a kiss over her lips. “Okay?” he asked.
There were a hundred reasons she should say no. She should be thinking of the Star, trying to put things in order, make sure her people were all right.
