Free Backfire by Elizabeth Goddard Page A

the fire had hit him as hard as if the attack had been personally aimed at him. Maybe all fires were personal to David since he was a firefighter. Or perhaps the fact that someone had died because of a fire put that odd mixture of anger and pain on his face.
    She rubbed her arms, feeling those emotions herself. But what she couldn’t know, and desperately wanted to find out, was if David blamed her.
    Still watching David, she wanted to go to him, to cross the street and find out what he knew. He turned his attention from the burned-out shell of a grocery store to the emergency vehicles and then searched the parking lot.
    He had to be looking for her. His eyes scanned the crowd and found her. He put his hands on his hips and she gave a little wave. When he started toward her, she decided that was her invitation, and after letting a couple of rubbernecking cars go by, Tracy crossed the street to meet David.
    “You scared me half to death,” he said. “I told you to stay put.”
    “A police officer told me differently and practically hauled me across the street himself.”
    Another frown from David. “Sorry about that.”
    Tracy didn’t care. “Who was in the body bag?”
    “Veronica was in the back of the store and succumbed to smoke inhalation. The fire didn’t get her, but the smoke did.”
    The shaking moved from her knees up her body. She couldn’t do this in front of everyone.
    “Tracy, are you okay?”
    “Of course not. Someone is dead.”
Oh, God, please let it not be because of me. Because I’m in Mountain Cove. Please don’t let this be a message to me.
    David ran both hands through his hair. What she saw in his eyes nearly did her in. He didn’t even have to say it. Nausea swirled in her stomach and she bent over.
    Hold it together. Hold it together.
Veronica wasn’t even family.
    “What else can you tell me?” After everything she’d told him, he had to understand what she was asking.
    “I don’t have any answers for you. I don’t know anything yet.”
    “But will the police believe me now?”
    “If this was arson, I think Winters will have to listen now, speed up his investigation. Mountain Cove will have to be put on alert.”
    “Of course this was arson. What else could it be?”
    “Tracy, you’re jumping to conclusions. We don’t know that yet.” He gently squeezed her shoulder.
    Even David didn’t believe her. All Tracy wanted was to be alone. To process the fear and pain and sorrow by herself. But before she did, she needed to ask him the question burning inside.
    “If it’s arson, will you blame me? Because if I’d gone into WITSEC, then Veronica would still be alive.”
    * * *
    David gripped her arms. He needed to make sure she heard him loud and clear. “Of course I won’t blame you. You shouldn’t blame yourself, either. No matter how this happened, it isn’t your fault. Nobody else blames you, either, Tracy. Or will blame you, that is, if it’s arson that’s related to this Santino guy.”
    When he knew she’d heard him, he released his grip.
    He could see in her eyes she didn’t believe him. But they needed to have this conversation elsewhere. He had a feeling that Winters would come for her now, to ask the questions he hadn’t been willing to ask before. David didn’t want her to answer him when she was in this frame of mind.
    “Let’s get you back to your car. I’ll follow you home and you can move your stuff in with Jewel.” He’d decided to take a more direct approach and insist she move out of the cottage. How could she disagree with him now? Maybe he was being presumptuous, but he couldn’t imagine Jewel would have it any other way.
    “I’ll think about it. But this is Jewel’s busy season. She might not have extra rooms.”
    If Tracy couldn’t stay in the B and B with Jewel then she could stay with his grandmother. Both Cade and Heidi had gotten married and moved out of the family home, wanting a place of their own. David had even considered