He and Jake would have been in there if she hadn’t reminded them of the possibility of a countdown. Cassidy’s stomach did a full somersault as they stared at one another, comprehension dawning.
“Twelve o’clock and now one.”
“Another bomb located.”
He continued to stare at her, but his eyes were unfocused. Pensive. As if he were searching his memory for a clue he wasn’t quite sure was there. Eager to help him along, she dove into her theories.
“Okay, so not in a numerical pattern.” He tipped his head quizzically, and she shrugged. “North gate, midway, livestock barns, now a building on the south end.” She pointed in each direction.
“We got some of it right, counting buildings,” he countered.
Cassidy nodded but wrinkled her nose. “Might have been luck. Or process of elimination.”
“Let’s settle for an educated guess.” Jake turned back toward the action, his expression tense with impatience.
“Go,” she said, making a shooing motion.
She’d captured his full attention again. “What? No.”
“You’re clearly dying to be in the thick of it, and there’s no point in you staying here.”
He flexed his jaw as he mulled. “There’s no point in me going there,” he concluded flatly. “Max and I do detection and identification.”
She pursed her lips as she took in his explanation. “Then you need more places to look.”
He let out a sigh as he gave Max’s head a reassuring pat. “I guess so.”
“Is someone checking the Arts and Crafts Building?” Cassidy plowed ahead without waiting for a response. “It’s open space in there, aside from the display cases, but there is an office and a kitchen.”
Jake nodded as he digested the information. “Good to know.”
“The Hall of Industry is a blank slate aside from the bathrooms and the concession area.” When he didn’t move or give any indication he’d heard her, she jabbed him with her elbow. “Wanna write this down?”
He turned to look directly at her, his face a mask of concern. “What happens if the bombs we’re dismantling were scheduled for two or three o’clock?”
She assumed he was merely musing aloud, but the impulse to answer his possibility with one of her own was strong. Her lips parted, but the thought died on her tongue as she absorbed the unspoken questions layered beneath the one he’d asked. It was entirely possible they were working their way to an expedited end to their situation, but it might not be the best overall outcome. Particularly not for her.
“You think they’d retaliate if one doesn’t explode?” But they both already knew the answer.
“Look what they did when we tried to get you out of the backpack.”
She turned in the direction of the mangled corn dog stand, sighing as the ride carried them past, then holding her breath until she caught sight of the twisted food trailer again.
“They could set them all off.” Cassidy spoke through fear-numb lips.
He closed his eyes and angled his head back. Apparently, this posture disturbed his partner, because Max shifted closer to rest his large muzzle on Jake’s knee. She watched as Jake’s fingers skimmed over his partner’s sleek head, wondering if he was soothing the dog, or if petting the dog comforted him. Probably both, she concluded.
“The other option is to do nothing and see how things play out.”
“Not an option. This fair is set to open tomorrow. For the first time in years, we have good weather. We could have record attendance. We can’t risk anyone getting hurt.”
The alarm she’d been tamping down since this whole fiasco started bubbled up inside her. She turned and looked him straight in the eye. “I can’t be the reason whoever this is ruins everything.”
Her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She picked it up from the bench and flipped it over. Another unknown number displayed in her notifications. When she opened the app, another taunt punched her right in the gut.
Always by the book. I’m making the rules now, Walker.
Cassidy wanted to moisten her wind-chapped lips, but all she could do was mash them together. A hot rush of tears threatened, and the last thing she wanted was to break down in front of Jake Donovan. She hadn’t at eighteen, and she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction now. Throat dry and tight, she turned the screen so he could see it.
