“Do you have a few minutes? There have been a couple of developments in the Lake Tahoe Desolation Wilderness case I think you should know.”
Albert said something to his wife and kids, whom she could hear laughing in the background, then obviously moved to a quieter space.
“Of course I do. Shoot.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She didn't know where to start. With the blowup? Or the motel fire? No, she should open with the worst. Get it out of the way.
“There's no easy way to say this, but when I informed the suspect that he was under investigation this afternoon, I realized that I'd met him before.”
She could practically see Albert shaking his head across the wireless line.
“Did you know you had personal ties to the suspect when you took the case?” His tone was gentle, but his question was direct.
“No. Of course not,” she said, trying not to go on the defensive. It would only make her look lamer. “His picture on file was fuzzy. With his helmet on, I didn't realize I knew him until I saw him today at the anchor point.”
“I hate to ask you this, Maya”—Albert cleared his throat uncomfortably—“but what exactly is your relationship to the suspect?”
“We met six months ago when I came to Lake Tahoe to pack up Tony's things.”
She paused, hating the admission she was about to make. For the millionth time, she wished she hadn't let her grief propel her into such stupidity.
“I met Logan in a bar.”
“Uh-oh.”
Her boss was one of the most eloquent people she knew. She'd never heard him reduced to two syllables. She wanted to quickly spit the rest of the explanation out, before he got the wrong idea. Or the right one.
“We barely spoke.” Because our mouths were too busy doing other things. “And I never found out his name, never saw him again until today.”
Hearing the words come out of her mouth, she realized that even if her boss was likely no stranger to one-night stands before he got married, it didn't excuse the fact that she'd participated in one. With her suspect.
“But I assure you that our previous relationship is in no way affecting my investigation.”
“I believe you, Maya, but it doesn't look good. Not for you. Not for me. Not for Cal Fire.”
His condemning—and honest—words shot through her. Her head throbbed as he continued telling her what she didn't want to hear.
“I'm going to have to send Yeager in. First thing Monday morning. Why don't you go ahead and return to the city. I'll assign you to another case next week.”
No! Remaining in Lake Tahoe was her only chance to figure out what had really happened with Tony and move on with her life. She took a steadying breath. “I understand your concerns, but I swear to you that I can handle this case in a wholly impartial manner.”
“You know I'm on your side, Maya. You're one of the best investigators we've got. I'm afraid this is a worst-case situation. My hands are tied. I've got to pull you.”
But she wasn't ready to give up. “Until Yeager arrives, I'd like your okay to proceed.” A couple of days could make all the difference, and if she solved the case quickly she could get back to work on Tony's investigation. “Let me work on it through the weekend.”
She held her breath as Albert considered her request. “I suppose it looks better for us to have someone on the case.”
“Great,” she said, then made herself spit out the rest of the story. “You should also know that fifteen minutes ago when I returned to my hotel room, it was on fire.”
“Jesus, Maya. You've had a hell of a Friday, haven't you?”
He didn't know the half of it. “There was a note with my name on it in a firebox.”
She fought to keep her voice steady. Now that he'd agreed to let her stay through the weekend, she didn't want Albert to pull her off the case to protect her.
“What did the note say?”
Maya shut her eyes, easily remembering every creepy word. “The arsonist said something about lighting my hair on fire and …”
The rest of the words strangled in her throat. She couldn't say them.
“Was it a death threat?” he asked.
She swallowed hard. “I don't know. More of a scare tactic, I think.”
“Get out of town, Maya. Now.”
But she couldn't give up, couldn't go home now. Not when this case had become intensely personal. Someone wanted to scare her, maybe even kill her, but she refused to run. She'd been running for too long.
It was time to face her demons.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I can't. After what happened to my brother here, I've got to stay.”
Albert sighed, and she hated the terrible position she'd just put him in. If she'd had another choice, she would have taken it. But she didn't.
“For the next two days,” he finally said, “until Yeager comes to relieve you, assume the worst. About everyone. And until we have enough evidence to nail the sick, sorry bastard, every single person you meet is a potential arsonist. No matter how charming or helpful. If he's coming after you, you're close. Too close. Be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you, Maya.”
Albert wasn't saying anything she didn't already know. Still, that didn't make it any easier to hear. His description fit Logan perfectly. Everyone thought he was the best of the best. Someone who would “never do something so horrible.”
But the truth was that sometimes the guy everyone liked, the one always willing to lend a hand and help out a neighbor, couldn't keep from lighting fires that would burn down houses and kill innocent people.
She said good-bye before her boss could change his mind about letting her stay for the weekend and dropped her phone into her bag. The cool breeze coming off the lake helped clear her head and she took a moment to assess the crazy situation.
Either Logan had lit her room on fire to scare her or he was right and she'd pissed off someone else. But whom?
Whoever had written the note in the firebox knew she'd been in town six months ago. As far as she knew, the only person she'd come into contact with that day was Logan.
Her boss was right. She was too close. She never thought she'd be drawn to a man capable of such destruction.
But she was.