Free Burn Out by Traci Hohenstein

went down south to Miami and got a job at Dade County
Fire Department.”
    “ I heard Breck died in a
fire a couple of years ago?”
    “ Yep. About killed Sam and
her mom. They were really close. He wasn’t even supposed to be
working that day. He came in to cover for a buddy who had a family
emergency.”
    “ What happened?” Rachel
asked.
    “ There was a fire in a
furniture store. He was on the roof when it caved in. He broke his
neck when he fell. Sam and her family were devastated. Now with Sam
missing, Nora is beside herself.”
    “ Is Sam having an affair
with Mack?” Rachel asked.
    The question caught him off-guard.
Paul stared at Rachel for a few seconds before answering. He waved
his hand away, dismissing the question. “Just rumors. Mack and Sam
were always close.”
    Paul’s food arrived and he started to
dig into his meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The meatloaf was covered
in tomato gravy and the potatoes were smothered with melted butter
and topped with parsley. It smelled heavenly and Rachel wished she
had gotten a plate, even though she had just eaten lunch with
Stacy.
    “ How was Sam getting along
with Ken in jail? I heard she was planning on putting the house up
for sale.”
    “ I know she was having a
hard time making ends meet. They had a second mortgage on the
place. With the way the real estate market is, I doubt she could
have sold it for what it’s worth.”
    “ If Sam were to have run
away, any idea on where she would have gone?”
    Paul thought about it for a minute,
slowly chewing his food. “I have wondered the same thing myself. I
don’t know. She didn’t have any friends or close family I know of,
outside of here. And apparently she didn’t have any money.” Paul
picked up a napkin and wiped his face. “I don’t think she ran. I
think Pedro got her.”
     
     

Chapter Fifteen
    Santa Rosa Beach, Thursday
2:40 pm
     
    Paul Hart had a cabin he used for
fishing and hunting. It was about an hour north of Santa Rosa
Beach. The cabin had been in his family for years. When his father
died a couple years ago, he willed the place to Paul, his only son.
Since being put on suspension by the fire department, he spent more
and more time at the cabin. He liked to go there to relax and get
away from it all. The stress of the impending trial was beginning
to wear him down. He checked in with his attorney to let him know
he was going back there for a few days.
    After lunch with Rachel, he went to
his house and started packing. His supplies at the cabin were
running low and he would have to make a pit stop at Wal-Mart. He
was loading up the truck when he heard the crunch of the gravel
driveway and was surprised to see Mack’s black truck easing down
around the curve to his house.
    “ Hey there. I have been
trying to call you,” Mack said as he got out of the
truck.
    “ Yeah, sorry. I got your
messages. I’ve just been trying to get some things done around
here.”
    “ You didn’t show up for the
search for Sam,” Mack said with a bit of an accusing
tone.
    Paul shuffled his feet in the dirt. “I
didn’t hear about it ‘til the last minute. I was already up to my
eyeballs in painting. Want to see what I have done?”
    Mack followed him inside the house.
Paul bought it as a fixer- upper a few months ago. Rumors had
swirled around Paul used the money from the marijuana operation to
buy his new home.
    Paul had all the windows open to air
out the paint smell. The dining room, which was once covered with
dark wood paneling, had been covered with new sheet rock and was
freshly painted a bright yellow.
    “ Looks good,” Mack said as
he walked around, paper crinkling under his feet.
    “ Well, I know you didn’t
come all the way out here to look at the house. What’s up?” Paul
asked, getting a beer out of the refrigerator. He handed one to
Mack.
    “ I just wanted to talk to
you about Ken.”
    “ What about
him?”
    “ You met Rachel? The lady
from Florida Omni Search?” Mack asked.
    “