Free Wanted By The Cowboy Tiger (Heroes of Shifter Creek 3) by Clara Moore Page A

while.”
    Jorge approached, with a short, stout Latina woman at his side. She was wearing khaki-colored turnout gear. “You’re Janelle Washington?” she asked. “I’m Camilia Ruiz, fire inspector.” She nodded toward the wreck. “I’m very sorry about your car.”
    “Me too,” Janelle said. “Do we have any idea what happened here?”
    Camilia shook her head. “Not yet. We are beginning our investigation. But I need to ask you if you’ve been having any problems with your car?”
    “No,” Janelle said. “Not at all. I just had it serviced last weekend. I’ve got the paperwork from that in my bag…” Her face fell and her voice trailed off. “Which is…which was…in the trunk. Man. My computer was in there. All my files.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “What a mess.”
    “I know,” Camilia said. “It is very traumatic to have an event like this happen. Just for right now, try to stay with me, all right?”
    Janelle nodded.
    “So you had no mechanical problems with the car? No issues with the electrical system or the battery?” Janelle shook her head in response to each question. “What about interpersonal conflict? Do you have an ex-boyfriend with issues, a stalker, anything like that?”
    “No,” Janelle said. “I’ve been single for a while now. The last man I dated is very happily married, with a baby on the way. There’s nothing in that direction.” She frowned. “But in terms of conflict, just today I had a very heated exchange with Roger Wilson.”
    Camilia glanced at Danny. A look passed between them, but Janelle couldn’t tell what it meant. “What was the nature of your argument?” Camilia asked.
    “Roger wants to build on property that’s home to an endangered species of bat,” Danny explained. “Janelle works for the Fish and Wildlife service. She was here to present the government’s case during the appeal hearing.”
    “And Roger lost the appeal?”  Camilia asked.
    “There was never any chance he would win it,” Janelle said. “It was a very cut and dry case. But it wasn’t personal.”
    “Just because it wasn’t personal for you doesn’t mean it wasn’t personal for Roger,” Camilia said. “I don’t want to leap to any conclusions, you understand. But once this scene cools off a little, we’ll be examining the wreck for any traces of accelerant or other signs of arson.” She looked down at her boots for a long moment and then back at Janelle. “Do you have somewhere safe to stay while we continue the investigation?”
    “I hadn’t even thought about it,” Janelle shook her head. She turned to Danny. “Do you think you could help me find a hotel?”
    “You can stay at my place,” Danny said. He glared at her smoldering car. “At least then I’ll know you’ll be safe.”
    “Can we go there now?” Janelle blurted. “I’m sorry,” she said to Camilia, “but I just can’t stay here anymore. This is freaking me out.”
    Camilia nodded. “I totally understand. We’ll follow up with you as soon as we know anything.”
    “Thank you.” Janelle started walking toward Danny’s truck. “I cannot even…I don’t know. This is not real. This is not happening.” She sat in the passenger seat and buried her face in her hands. “I cannot believe any of this.”
    Danny started the truck. “We’ll go out to the ranch. A change of scenery will do you good.”
    It took a few miles for Janelle to recover her composure. Once she did, she started making lists. “I’m going to have to call the office. And my insurance company.” She sighed. “And I’ll need to get someone to go over and feed Lenny. I wasn’t planning on leaving him overnight.”
    “Lenny?” Danny asked.
    “My cat.” Janelle shook her head. “He’s going to be pissed. You know what that means. A little ‘surprise’ on the carpet when I get home.”
    “Sounds like a pretty bossy cat,” Danny said, stifling a laugh.
    “He’s got a little bit of attitude,”