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On Fire
Jan Hambright
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE…Arson investigator Kade Decker had his hands full with four suspicious fires and no leads. Complicating matters was crime-scene psychologist Savannah Dawson's appearance at each investigation–and the red-hot attraction that raged between them.THERE'S SMOLDERING FIREAnd when it became clear that the same person responsible for setting the terrifying blazes had begun to target Savannah, honor demanded Kade offer his protection. But as danger around them fueled their desire, a burning question remained: Would the combustible passion between them be extinguished by the madman on their trail?
Kade felt Savannah’s terror slam into him…
Before the choked notes of Savannah’s scream registered in his brain. He bolted, raced down the hall into the master bedroom. Wisps of steam clouded the air. He stopped short in the bathroom doorway, just as she pulled a towel from the bar and wrapped it around herself. Desire blazed through him like a blowtorch on high.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Kade followed Savannah’s gesture and focused on the bold letters on the shower door.
Etched on the glass and outlined in moisture was a message:
“BURNING FOR YOU.”
Savannah had become the next target….
On Fire
Jan Hambright
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To the men and women who answer the page every day
at great risk to their own safety. Thank you.
To Peggy, Janis and Lynn, the brainstorm babes.
Thank you.
For my mom and Grandma. Wish you were here,
but I know you’re stuck in heaven.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jan Hambright penned her first novel at seventeen, but claims it was pure rubbish. However, it did open the door on her love for storytelling. Born in Idaho, she resides there with her husband, three of their five children, a three-legged watchdog and a spoiled horse named Texas, who always has time to listen to her next story idea while they gallop along.
A self-described adrenaline junkie, Jan spent ten years as a volunteer EMT in rural Idaho, and jumped out of an airplane at ten thousand feet, attached to a man with a parachute, just to celebrate turning forty. Now she hopes to make your adrenaline level rise along with that of her danger-seeking characters. She would like to hear from her readers and hopes you enjoy the story world she has created for you. Jan can be reached at P.O. Box 2537, McCall, Idaho 83638.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Kade Decker—An ex-fireman turned arson investigator, he barely survived a fire that killed the victim he was trying to rescue. Now back home in Montgomery, Alabama, he’s faced with a revenge arsonist’s rampage.
Savannah Dawson—Being psychic has always felt like a curse. But when a recurring nightmare drives her to one arson fire after another, she becomes Kade Decker’s prime suspect. Can she use her abilities to help him solve the crime?
Nick Brandt—Montgomery Police Department’s lead detective, and Kade’s college buddy.
George Welte—One of psychologist Savannah Dawson’s patients, his obsessive, pyro-personality seems highly suspicious.
Shane Murphy—He likes to watch. Likes to videotape the fires. But is it a crime?
Todd Coleman—Kade’s new next-door neighbor has always wanted to join the fire department.
Incident Commander Fisk—An old friend of Kade’s father, a Montgomery fireman before he died doing what he loved. Fisk is at every fire scene, giving the knock-down orders and keeping an eye on Kade.
Don Watson—A savvy forensic technician, and the man with the answers.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter One
Flames raged at the sky, reaching for the stars above, hazing them in a veil of thick black smoke.
Kade Decker trained his camera lens on the crowd behind a strip of yellow crime-scene tape, and clicked off a couple of shots.
He pulled back from the viewfinder and turned to watch the fire devour the vacant house, consuming the last of its corpse like a hungry animal, out of control.
Fire department practice burns drew pyromaniacs; he just hoped theirs decided to make an appearance tonight. He’d made sure the department publicized the information, hoping to capture an image he could use in his investigation.
Steam billowed into the air as the fire crew opened the valves on their hoses, turning water loose on the flames and ending their fiery feast.
He turned back to the crowd, which had begun to disperse, feeling some of their disappointment as they disappeared into the darkness one by one, their excitement put out along with the fire.
Raising the camera, he stared through the viewfinder and adjusted the focus.
The woman whose image he dialed in stood on the fringe of the scene, dressed in a long white gown.
Kade squeezed off a shot and lowered the camera, intrigued by her presence, dressed like an angel at such a hellish event.
“Hey, Decker.”
“Yeah.” He turned toward the fire chief.
“You get what you needed?”
“Let’s hope. This blaze drew some strange ones. Maybe we caught an image of our guy. We’ll compare these pictures with the police department videos. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Hope so.” The chief nodded and walked away.
Kade turned around, determined to speak to the woman. He scanned the remains of the crowd, but she was gone.
Disappointment rattled through him as he let the camera drop and hang from the strap around his neck. Squeezing the handle of his cane, he limped toward his car, anxious to get the pictures down to the station.
The Montgomery arsonist was still out there, burning, and he had to be stopped before someone died.
“BRING HER IN for questioning.” Kade leveled his gaze on Nick Brandt, Montgomery’s lead detective and his old college roommate. Tension wound around his nerves. He needed this job like he needed the air in the room.
“Do you want my expertise?”
“I won’t BS you, we need your help. The department is shorthanded. This heat wave is stretching services thin and the arson fires have everyone on edge.”
Kade refocused on the paused frame of video, studying the woman silhouetted against a wall of flame.
The woman in white…the same woman he’d taken photos of at the practice burn two nights ago. “Who is she?”
“Doctor Savannah Dawson. A local psychologist. The department has used her on some tough cases. She has a knack for finding the truth.”
“She works the mental angle?”
“You could say that.”
He didn’t like the embarrassed grin on Nick’s face or the feeling there was more to the story than he was willing or able to share.
“We did a background check going back ten years. She grew up in Atlanta, moved here five years ago. She’s a model citizen, well respected…”
“Beautiful.” Kade finished the sentence and felt a jolt of irritation rattle his nerves. “She’s a looker, but that’s not a perquisite for exclusion. How do you explain her presence in four pieces of department footage taken at the arson scenes, and again at the practice burn?”
“I can’t.”
“Then let me do my job. If she’s innocent, she’ll walk out of here. Take the first round of interrogation if it makes you feel better. I’ll watch, see what I can pick up.”
His friend straightened and he tapped him on the shoulder. “What’s the problem? You have a hot date with her, and handcuffs don’t go with your dinner jacket?”
Nick smirked. “Nah.”
“Too bad.” He watched his buddy leave the room and turned back to the TV screen. Pulling his tie loose from his shirt collar, he peeled the top button out of its loop, letting some heat out.
July in Montgomery was a scorcher and the heat wave showed no sign of letting up, but neither was the arsonist who’d set three fires in a week. Same MO, same general area.
The woman caught on video hovering nearby at every scene was a break he couldn’t afford to ignore. It was textbook, he could feel it in his bones. Arsonists enjoyed babysitting their creations. Was she any different? He’d have her confession before the day closed, then he could wrap things up. Put a notch in his belt, prove he was capable, again, and not just coasting on his father’s good name.
He picked up the TV remote, but couldn’t kill the image. He studied her face, framed in waves of long, dark hair. She had a heart-shaped face and full lips. Slight, willowy build. Hell, she looked like an angel, in a devilish sort of way. He couldn’t see the color of her eyes, but he could almost imagine they were a heavenly shade of blue, though he didn’t know where the thought came from.
Moving up to the screen, he focused on her choice of clothing. It was the same nightgown, just like the one she’d been wearing when he captured her on film. He’d never spotted an arsonist in their pajamas, hanging out at the scene of the crime looking like some sort of guardian angel. It was a heck of an odd MO.
He pushed the button and she vanished.
Female arsonists were a rarity, but they did come along every now and again. He picked up his cane and briefcase, a small measure of excitement tumbling in his gut.
This was his first case. His first shot at a comeback. He couldn’t afford to blow it. Besides, the only good pyro was an extinguished pyro, even if catching him took second place to actually putting out the flames.
If they didn’t get you first.
He leaned on his cane, gritted his teeth and left the room, striding along the corridor to Interrogation, with its two-way mirror and closed in walls.
Pain radiated in his hip, putting a hitch in his step. He paused and opened the door into the tiny watch room.
It had been ten months since the accident. Twenty-eight weeks of grueling physical therapy, and still the pain was excruciating. It sawed into him every time he moved, but it wouldn’t break him; he wasn’t going to let it.
Nothing was going to stop him from doing this job.
Not even a sizzling pyro in her nightgown.
SAVANNAH DAWSON tried to relax in the hard plastic chair and focused her attention on the officer sitting across the table from her.
She’d met him briefly a couple of times in the course of working a case, but today was different; she could feel it in the air around her.
Nervous energy jumped and bumped along her spine, but she held direct eye contact, a slight smile on her lips. She even resisted the overwhelming urge to glance at her watch. Her ten o’clock appointment would be walking into the clinic right now, and the sooner she took care of this the better.
“What’s this about, Detective Brandt? Has there been some sort of accident? Do you have one of my patients in lockup, needing evaluation?”
“No, no. Nothing like that, but I would like to know where you were last night, between midnight and 2:00 a.m.?”
“Sleeping.” She shifted under his intense gaze, hoping her answer hadn’t sounded curt.
“There was another arson fire last night. A residence on Catalpa Street. We took video, and you’re in it. Want to tell me what you were doing there?”
