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The clerk’s office was in a side annex of City Hall, lined with plaques and a three-foot plastic snowman with blinking blue eyes. She had bright orange hair and wore a Christmas sweater that looked like it had been thrifted from the 80s. Patty greeted Brandon with a hug, then gave Desiree a professional nod.

“Got your email, Chief. Pulled what I could,” she said, already handing over a manila envelope. “Every property within a hundred yards of those fires, current owners, tax status, any pending transfers or liens.”

Desiree took the envelope, but not before Patty wagged a finger. “I know you, Brandon Holloway. You’re just here for my peppermint bark.”

Brandon smiled. “Wouldn’t dare to leave without it, Patty.”

The older woman leaned in, voice dropping. “I did hear something, though, if you’re really looking for a connection. The warehouse and Miller’s were both in escrow last month, and both had contracts stall out because of some legal dispute. There’s a third property on the edge of town—an old cotton gin. It’s got a claim on it, too.”

Brandon looked at Desiree, who was already parsing the legalese of the papers in the envelope.

“Some of the pages are useless, others are full of lawyer stuff,” Patty explained. “But you should check the last buyer’s information.”

“Why?” Brandon asked.

“Because it’s a holding company in Austin that seems to be interested in those exact properties.”

“Thanks, Patty,” Brandon said before turning around to leave.

“Don’t forget your peppermint bark,” Patty called out after them.

Brandon turned around and took the tin with a grateful smile. “I’ll make sure to share it with the boys back at the station.”

“If you need more, you just come on back any time,” Patty told him with an affectionate pat on the arm.

In the SUV, Desiree was already sending the name to her county contact for a background check. “Patty really likes you, not to mention Irving. You get more out of these people in a few minutes than I could in a month.”

He kept his eyes on the road. “It’s a small town. They trust what they know.”

She was quiet for a minute, then finally said, “You ever get tired of that? Being the nice face of local authority?”

He grinned. “It beats getting lost in a big city fire department. Plus, you get the bonus of homemade peppermint bark.” He shook the tin and handed it over to Desiree.

She looked at it skeptically, then opened the container and pulled out a piece. She took a small bite, and at first, he couldn’t tell how she felt about it. Then her eyes rounded and she took another larger bite. “This is delicious.”

“Patty makes the best,” Brandon confirmed. “But make sure to leave some for Ruiz and Kimble. They’ll be upset if they find out I didn’t save them any.”

Their final stop was a retired rancher named Victor, who lived across the street from the feed store.

Victor was sitting on a porch chair, boots up on the rail, a shotgun across his lap. He saw the SUV coming and set the gun aside with a grunt.

“Chief,” he greeted, offering a nod. “This the arson lady?”

Desiree’s eyebrows twitched, but she didn’t correct the rancher.

“Just need a few minutes of your time, Victor,” Brandon told the older man.

Victor spat over the railing and stood up. “Saw your fire last night. Sure was a big one. My dog’s still hiding in the barn.”

Desiree got straight to it. “Did you see anything unusual near the feed store in the past week? Unfamiliar vehicles, people you didn’t recognize?”

Victor grunted. “Maybe. There was a black van, two nights running; never seen it before. Parked behind and sat there for half an hour, then left.”

Brandon let Desiree ask the follow-ups, watched how she wrote down every word, never losing eye contact. Victor, for all his bluster, answered her questions straight. He even invited them in for coffee, though Desiree declined.

When they left, Brandon could tell Desiree was in full evidence mode, her mind already connecting the dots.

They drove back to the station where Ruiz and Kimble snapped up the tin of peppermint bark and started splitting it between them. They saved a little to use as bribes for the probies.