Free Aftershocks by Nancy Warren Page B

The Trigger.”
    “We’re going to get that bastard. I swear to you, Patrick, that we are going to get him.” Dan’s slow Texas drawl was filled with disgust.
    “But not without more resources.” Patrick heard the edge of fury in his own voice.
    “Hey, we know you’re doing everything you can,” Dan said. “I’ve sat in those damn council meetings. Nobody’s blaming you.”
    But Patrick was. It was still his responsibility as mayor of this town to see that the city ran smoothly. What a laugh. When he thought back to his early days of campaigning, he’d imagined there’d be nothing more required of him than that he perform his job with integrity and fiscal responsibility.
    Who could have foreseen that within months of him taking office, his town would face a host of natural and human foes. Would he go back and change his place in all of this if he could?
    No, by God, he wouldn’t. He’d been voted in by the people of this town, not the council, and if the council wouldn’t see reason, maybe he was going to have to go straight to the citizens of Courage Bay.
    An idea was beginning to form.
    “Sam,” he said, “how long until the media gets hold of this?”
    “You mean that the fire last night was arson?”
    “Yeah.”
    Sam gave a tight smile. “Well, I’m not going to tell them—at least not until the tests are completed. Rightnow, we haven’t got so much as a lead on the guy. All you have is my hunch.”
    It was more than a hunch and they all knew it. But Sam was also right that they couldn’t go public until the test results were in.
    “I’ve called an emergency council meeting planned for tonight to try and get five heads out of five asses,” Patrick said. “If I don’t succeed, I’m upping the pressure on council. You guys need the resources to get to the bottom of this.”
    Sam took the evidence box and carefully replaced it in his leather case. “I’ll get right on it.” He glanced at Patrick. “Anything you can do to help us catch this guy means…” He cracked a grin. “You get my vote for mayor next time around.”
    Happy to help lighten the grim mood, Patrick said, “I thought I got your vote last time.”
    “You did,” Sam conceded. “Okay, you help us get the resources to catch The Trigger and you’ll get both my vote in the next election and a beer.”
    Patrick chuckled. “Don’t you know better than to attempt to bribe a city official? I’ll buy my own beer. But thanks.”
    The two men shook hands and Sam left the office.
    “Leave the door open,” Dan said. Turning to Patrick, he explained, “I like to be available for any of the guys.”
    “Speaking of which, here’s one of the ‘guys’ now,” Patrick said, raising an eyebrow at his chauvinist friend. Shannon was on her way to the office with the fire mechanic, Bud Patchett, in tow.
    “No, really, Shannon. No need to bother the chief. I was just letting off some steam,” they heard Patchett sayas Shannon pretty much manhandled him into the chief’s office.
    If Shannon wasn’t with the mechanic, Patrick might plead an urgent appointment and hustle out of there. Bud Patchett could talk.
    “Hey, bro,” she said, seeing Patrick. “You okay after last night?”
    Whether she was referring to the elevator ordeal or to his intimacy with Briana, which Shannon had obviously guessed at, he didn’t know. But he decided to assume she meant the elevator. “I’m fine. You guys did a great job, thanks.”
    “That’s what we’re here for,” she said. She smiled at him, but there were lines of fatigue around her eyes, and knowing Shannon, she’d have taken the death of Patty Reese hard.
    He might be the mayor and she might be a firefighter, but he was still her big brother. “I’m sorry Ms. Reese didn’t make it, kid.”
    Shannon nodded. “Yeah. Me, too.”
    For a moment no one spoke, then she seemed to pull herself together. “Bud here has something to say to you, Dan, and maybe since you’re here, you