“Mom’s been after him to help set up her iPad.”
“That’s some boss,” Joan said.
“Little secret,” Nora said. “We’re dating.”
“Where was he last night?” Gideon asked.
“Don’t know. You’ll have to ask him. He’ll be back at the diner tomorrow.”
Gideon handed her his card. “Call me if you think of anything.”
She shoved the card in her apron pocket, already sporting her order pad. “Sure thing.”
Dan Tucker winced as he slowly slid off his blood-soaked pants and eased into the recliner in his living room. The knife wound in his thigh still oozed blood and showed no signs of letting up. Reaching for a handful of paper towels sitting on the side table along with gauze and a six-pack, he pressed the wad to the injury. As pain shot up his leg, he hissed in a breath. “Motherfucker.”
Absorbing the burn, he grabbed a beer, popped the top, and gulped the full can. He glanced at the paper towels, now soaked in blood, and tossed them in the trash. He grabbed another wad and a fresh beer. He repeated this process for nearly a half hour before the blood had slowed enough for him to be able to wind the gauze around the wound. He damn near could have bled out.
He fished his cell from his pants and hit “Redial.” Seconds later, he heard a slurred “Yeah.”
“Where were you?” Dan asked.
“What do you mean?”
“What the hell do you think I mean? We were going after him. You were supposed to have my back.”
“Yeah, I got hung up at work.”
Dan tipped his head back, pissed at the lame excuse.
“Did you go after him without me?”
“Yeah,” Dan said.
“How did it go? Did you teach him a lesson?”
Dan glanced down at the white gauze wrapped around his thigh. “It went great.”
“Seriously?”
“No.”
“So what’s next?”
Dan popped his last beer. “Next time, I’m going to kill that motherfucker.”
Confessions of an Arsonist
All the blazes that I have set have been rehearsal for my final act.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Missoula, Montana
Thursday, September 10, 2020
4:15 p.m.
Joan pulled up to the Baileys’ to a large inflatable bouncy house, a cotton-candy machine, and blaring music. There was no sign of the birthday boys or the party guys, but she suspected kickoff time had to be any minute.
She pushed through the front door to find Ann standing in the center of dozens of red, white, and blue balloons dangling from the ceiling.
“Isn’t he a little old for this?” Joan asked.
“He might be, but I have one last year before he won’t want anything like this.”
“Even if he thinks he’s too big, he’ll still secretly appreciate the gesture.” Joan plucked a potato chip from a bowl. “Where are the half-birthday boys?”
“Upstairs. The other kids should be here in about a half hour.”
A car pulled up outside, and both turned to see Clarke’s SUV parking in the circular driveway. Out of the car, he glanced at the house, frowned, and then reached inside for two neatly wrapped packages. He strode toward the house and rang the bell.
Ann glanced at Joan and then forced a smile. “Here we go.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“Nate!” Ann shouted from the bottom of the stairs. “Your dad is here.”
“Coming.”
Joan strode to the door and opened it. “Clarke.”
The smile on his face stiffened. “Joan. You’re becoming a real fixture here.”
“I’m like a bad penny,” she joked.
He didn’t look amused. “Is Ann here?”
“Right here,” Ann said from behind Joan.
“Is the shed still fully extinguished?” Clarke asked.
“I spoke to the ranch manager, and he’s having it cleared away this weekend. Thankfully, we didn’t have much equipment stored there, so the loss was minimal.”
“The damage might have been minimal this time, but the threat is still here,” he said.
Joan grimaced. “By separating myself from Ann, we’ll at least know who the real target is.”
“That’s little comfort. Ann is still in danger,” Clarke said.
“Clarke, I am being careful,” Ann said.
“Have you two heard about the cabin fire?” Clarke challenged.
“I haven’t,” Ann said as her expression became more serious.
“My buddy in Granite County said that the Halpern cabin burned, with Jessica Halpern in it.”
“That’s awful,” Ann said. “Joan, you knew about this?”
“I was with Gideon when the call came in. He allowed me to tag along. Professional curiosity.”
“But that’s not your jurisdiction,” Clarke said.
Joan ignored the comment. “By the way, Clarke, did you hear Elijah was assaulted? He’s in the hospital.”
Ann’s wide-eyed expression gave away her surprise, but Clarke’s perpetually annoyed scowl was harder to read.
“Elijah shouldn’t be in town,” Clarke said. “He’s asking for trouble. I’m not the only one who thinks he’s the arsonist.”
“Have you found evidence that proves it?” Joan asked.
“Not yet. But it’s a matter of time, and then everyone will see that he has not reformed one bit.”
Hurried footsteps hustled down the stairs. “Hey, Dad!”
“Hey, Uncle Clarke,” Kyle said.
Clarke’s expression softened as the boys approached the stairs. “Hey, guys. Happy half birthday.”
“Thanks!” Nate, the serious and thoughtful boy, actually looked excited. “Is that for me?”
Clarke held up a wrapped box. “Sure is. Want to open it before everyone arrives?”
“Can I, Mom?” Nate asked.
“You sure can.”
Clarke handed the other box to Kyle. “And this one is for you, pal. I know you’ll like it.”
Clarke followed the boys toward the large dining table, set with paper plates, napkins, and spoons. In the center was a birthday cake covered with mathematical symbols and horses. Clarke looked pleased as the boys ripped the wrapping paper away. It quickly became clear that Nate’s gift was an expensive computer that must have cost at least a grand. A chunk of change for a municipal employee.
“Is this for me?” Nate asked.
“All yours, pal. I thought about getting you a desktop, but with you ready to skip high school and go to college, it seems a laptop would suit better.”
“I’m not in college,” Nate said. “I’m auditing a class.”
“Which is as good as it gets for a ten-year-old,” Clarke said.
“That’s very generous.” Ann’s emphasis on the last word spoke to her disapproval.
“He deserves the best,” Clarke said. “He’s smart, and I want him to go as far as he can.”
“What did you get, Kyle?” Joan asked. Kyle held up an electric car. “Sweet!”
“I know how you like to race them,” Clarke said.
“Thanks, Uncle Clarke.”
Nate looked up at his mother, his eyes glowing with excitement. “This is awesome! Can I set it up now?”
“Your dad is here, and your guests are arriving soon.”
“I can’t stay,” Clarke said. “I have to take a shift tonight. But we’re still on for dinner next Wednesday, right?”
Ann nodded. “That’s right.”
“Thanks again, Dad!”
“Anything for you, pal.”
“Why don’t you two boys set up the car outside? I’ll hold on to the computer,” Clarke offered.
Nate and Kyle seemed pleased with the compromise and ran outside, slamming the front door behind them.
“That computer and the car were very, very generous gifts,” Ann said. “I thought finances were a little tight.”
“They were, but not now.” He leaned toward her a fraction, as if hoping she would meet him halfway for a kiss, but when she did not, he made up the distance and kissed her gently on the lips. “I want you to really consider moving back into town. It’s not safe here.”
“We’ve been through this.”
Joan ducked her head and reached to pick up the discarded wrapping paper. She should have given them privacy but was curious about Clarke’s recent change in finances.
“We’ll talk next week,” he offered.
She hesitated and then nodded. “Sure.”
“Great.” He strode toward the door and yanked it open. “Stay out of trouble, Joan.”
She crumpled the wrapping paper into a tight wad. “I’ll do my best.”
“You do that.”
Joan tossed the paper in the trash. “Where do you think he got the money? That computer is at least a grand. And that car was close to five hundred.”
“Noncustodial parents like Clarke are known to compensate with expensive gifts, as if that will make up for their lost time.”
She shook her head. Clarke did not appear to have any suspicions about the boy’s paternity. But that did not mean that, on some level, he didn’t sense he could be in a competition with the very intelligent Elijah Weston. Could he suspect that Ann had slept with Elijah? “I suppose that’s it.”