I’d look at one house and visualize every detail I could remember of the house two doors to the west. Then I’d look at a different house and start all over.
The door behind me opened. “Thank you. I’ll install the system on Sunday. Jamie and Jay volunteered to help.”
“Should one of us be here?” Carol asked.
“Only to let us in; you won’t have to stay.”
“I’ll let them in,” Madi volunteered. “I can catch up on paperwork.”
“Looks like I’ll be here, too.” I added. Her brothers would be here, but they’d be busy helping Doug.
“What time?” Madi asked.
“I need three or four hours,” Doug replied. “How about eight?”
“AM?” Madi asked, making Doug and me chuckle. “How about ten and I’ll buy you lunch.”
“Ten it is.” Doug shook hands with Carol and Madi. At six-foot-four-inches, he towered over Carol. He even made me feel short, and I was six-two. With his height and bright red hair, Doug wasn’t a guy who easily blended in.
We said our goodbyes, and I followed Madi to Jack’s.
It was a perfectly mundane day. The best one can hope for when providing personal protection.
“There was a dumpster fire last night.” Jay said as he leaned against the clinic porch railing Thursday morning.
Like me, Jay casually scanned the streets while we talked. To an outsider, we’d look relaxed, but we could spring into immediate action if needed.
“Anything suspicious?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t have told me in person unless there was.
“Fire chief suspects arson.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. There were a lot of fires happening in Weatherford.
“It couldn’t have anything to do with Madi; she was home.” I wasn’t ready to cry coincidence yet, but maybe…
“I know. I checked with Jack. Luckily, the fire never spread from the dumpster.”
Impatience made me rude. “Spill it, Sheppard.”
He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.
“Where’d you take Madi the other night?”
“The Chophouse. Why?” I asked, despite suspecting the answer.
“I was afraid you’d say that.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s where the fire was.”
“Fuck.” That tied Madi to the third fire and killed any hope they might be random.
It also meant someone followed us.I didn’t sense anything.
“I didn’t get the sense we were being watched at the restaurant.”
“Losing your edge?” he asked. “Or maybe you were too preoccupied with wanting to fuck my sister to notice.”
I growled. “Do not talk about her like that.”
Jay laughed. He fucking laughed in my face before saying, “I was talking about you, but noted.” He gave me the grin he shared with his father and brothers. “I’ll check Paul’s schedule, but we need to broaden our scope.”
