Free Safe From the Fire by Lily Rede Page A

full of
supplies to fix up Grace’s house, generously donated by Russell Lansky.  He had
showed him to the scrap pile behind the construction offices, told him to help
himself, and then waggled his eyebrows and rushed away to meet his “hot date.” 
    Adam
hadn’t been home ten minutes when Zeke Biggs arrived to take him in for
questioning.  Not one fire, but two – a storage unit in the hills and a house
across town.  The storage unit fire was out, and the firefighters had been too
late to save the house.  The family was on vacation – that was something at
least. 
     Zeke
was apologetic as he helped Adam into the back of the SUV.
    “Sorry,
Adam.  Just doing my job.”
    Zeke
had been a year ahead of Adam in school, a shy, awkward kid who had been the
target of some serious bullying.  He’d shocked everyone by passing the deputy’s
test with flying colors, and Sheriff Tony had taken him on.
    Good
for him, thought Adam.  He’d certainly never been that motivated.
    Evie
leaned forward, noting every little fidget with her cool cop’s eyes.
    “Adam,
we found Grace’s credit card at the storage unit.  Do you have any idea how it
got there?”
    Adam
blinked.
    “That’s
impossible.  I left it at the bar at the club.  I started a tab…”
    “The
bartender says he doesn’t remember seeing it at the end of the night.”
    “I
was with Russell Lansky that whole time!  Ask him!”
    “We
will,” said Tony.
    “The
club was pretty crowded, right?  You could have swiped the card before you
left.”
    “But
I didn’t!  Why would I do that?”  Adam asked, desperately, feeling the walls
closing in.
    “What
about the Haden house?  Maybe you finished your errands, set fire to the
storage units, and then headed back across town to the house.”
    “It
wasn’t me.  I don’t know what else to tell you.  I don’t even know the Hadens.”
    Adam
looked anxiously from Evie to Tony, skepticism etched on their faces.  He shook
his head, overwhelmed.  Finally, something flickered in Matt’s eyes.
    “Ease
up, Evie,” he said, “Do you have any real proof?”
    “The
credit card is pretty damning, don’t you think?”
    “Anyone
could have taken that card while the club was being evacuated.  Unless you’ve
got something solid that’s not Adam’s juvie record, which isn’t admissible in
court anyway, let him go.  It’s late.”
    Adam
was surprised at Matt’s abrupt defense.  Then again, the man was trying to get
into his sister’s pants, and Adam himself had actually pushed her toward him. 
In light of recent events, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but hell, the
man was going to keep him out of jail, which was fine by him.
    Evie
sat back with a dissatisfied “hmph,” but nodded and waved her notebook filled
with scribbles.
    “We’ll
check your alibi out and be in touch.”
     
    THE
HADEN HOUSE WAS a smoldering shell by the time the Fire Department had arrived
and gotten it under control.  He hid in the ditch across the road, flat on his
stomach, watching them battle the blaze, knowing he was invisible under cover
of night.  There would be nothing left to find – just a heap of ash. 
    Thank
God.
    The
cops would be so busy focusing on their pursuit of the Mallow boy that he would
go unnoticed.  He could complete his work and then vanish.  And if the boy took
the fall…well, he was a criminal after all.  No need for that kind of trash in
Bright’s Ferry.
     
    THE
WAVE OF RELIEF that swamped Grace as Adam emerged from the conference room,
clearly still a free man, was so intense that she felt dizzy as she hurried
forward to meet him.
    “Are
you okay?”
    “I’m
fine.”
    “What
did they say?”
    “Don’t
leave town, you yellow-bellied scum,” Adam mustered in a credible Western
drawl.
    “Seriously?” 
    Grace
glared at Evie, who stepped out of the room with Sheriff Tony and Matt.
    “I’m
going to fix this,” she declared, dragging Adam toward the front door,