Free The Arsonist by Mary Burton

a supplier stopping by the shop in a couple of minutes.”
    Nathan smiled easily. “Oh yeah, sure. We’ll catch up soon.”
    Darcy stood, trying to hide her disappointment. “It was nice to meet you—officially.”
    Gannon nodded. “Yeah.”
    After Gannon had left she and Nathan made small talk, though she found it hard to concentrate on anything but Nero. While she drank her coffee and ate the cookies, she itched to follow Gannon and ask him a hundred other questions on her mind.
    The thought of breaking the Nero story made her giddy.
    Some days, life could be so sweet.

Chapter 6
    G annon spent most of that night dreaming about Nero. The flames, the crazy puzzles, the victims—they all haunted him. At 5:00 a.m., he finally gave up on sleep and rose. He was exhausted and in a foul mood.
    After he showered and drank a pot of coffee, he got into his car and drove to the fire department’s main offices. He needed to talk with the fire chief. He wasn’t expecting a warm reception. Not only was he an outsider, but he was also retired from a department far from this jurisdiction. Technically, the fires were none of his business.
    But as he’d watched the fire burn yesterday, the speed and the intensity of the blaze had all screamed Nero—or at least someone who thought he was Nero. Preston Springs—his town—had a serial arsonist in its midst.
    He parked his car and strode through the glass front doors. He stopped at the receptionist’s desk and asked to speak to the chief.
    “He’s in meetings,” the older woman said, cupping her hand over a phone cradled on her shoulder.
    “Chief Wheeler and I are friends,” he lied. He knew the chief loved motorcycles because he had stopped by his shop a couple of times to check out his inventory. He’d never bought anything, but he liked dreaming. “We’ve been trying to hook up for days now. I’ve got a new motorcycle in I thought he might like to see. When will he be available?”
    The woman’s frown deepened as her gaze traveled over Gannon’s faded jeans and worn T-shirt. “Sorry, but he really is tied up. I can have him give you a call.”
    He forced a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch up with him.”
    Gannon started to leave and the receptionist returned to her call. But instead of heading outside, he turned and made a beeline around her desk toward the chief’s office. The receptionist shouted for him to stop, but he didn’t listen. He barged into the chief’s office.
    The chief sat at his desk, studying a thick file. He glanced up clearly annoyed and surprised by the interruption. Recognition softened his glare. “Gannon?”
    “We need to talk.”
    “About? I’m up to my eyeballs in paperwork today.”
    The receptionist stumbled to a stop behind Gannon. “I tried to stop him, sir, but he just barged right past my desk.”
    Unapologetic, Gannon held his ground. “This is important, Chief. It’s about the fires.”
    Chief Wheeler glanced at the receptionist. “Thanks, Sue. I’ll take it from here.” He waited until she’d left and closed the door before he motioned for Gannon to sit. “What about the fires?”
    Gannon’s body jumped with adrenaline. He wanted to pace but made himself sit. “I think you’ve got a serial arsonist in town.”
    The chief rubbed the back of his neck. “What makes you think that? We’ve had two fires in the last week, one of which can be explained away by faulty construction.”
    This bit of information surprised him. “You know the motel fire was construction related for certain?”
    “Preliminary reports suggest it.”
    “The reports are wrong.”
    Chief Wheeler’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll admit we’re not a big city department, but we’re not rookies fresh from the academy either, Gannon.”
    Frustration rose in his throat. “I don’t want this to turn into an ego thing, Chief. This is about stopping the fires.”
    Annoyance tightened the chief’s jaw. “What makes you think there are going to be