Free Something Sparked-nook by Mari Carr Page A

they? To have so many fires in such a short time? What else could it be?”
    “Oh, we’re sure it’s arson. And we’re relatively sure it’s the same person,” Luc explained. “It’s just going to be tough to prove that.”
    “Why?” she asked.
    Evan took a sip of his coffee. “Because whoever is doing it is clearly an amateur, and it looks like they’ve made Maris their classroom.”
    She was confused. “What do you mean?”
    Diego rested his arm along the back of the booth, leaning toward her. She wasn’t sure if the action was his attempt to keep their conversation private or to pull her closer. “Whoever is setting the fires is using different accelerants, different ignition devices.”
    Luc stretched his leg out along the side of the booth and Jeannette finally understood why he and Diego preferred the stools at the counter. Both men were too large to sit comfortably in the booth. “Every fire was set differently. It’s like the guy is trying out different things to see how everything works.”
    Evan tapped his fork on the table a couple of times, clearly frustrated at the lack of evidence. “And he’s using common everyday items, so it’s not like we can run down to the hardware store to see who’d bought some unusual wire. He set the first with rags and gasoline, the second with a cigarette in a trashcan, and he took the shack down with paint thinners and a candle.”
    “You keep saying ‘he’. Do you know it’s a guy?”
    Evan shrugged. “Most likely. That’s the only lead that offers any hope.”
    Diego snorted. “You call that hope?”
    Evan grimaced, silently acknowledging it clearly wasn’t much. “We’ve found fresh footprints at all three scenes made from a man’s boot.”
    “Can’t you narrow down the suspects according to who has that type of boot and the size?”
    Evan rubbed his forehead wearily. “It’s been three different pairs of boots—all common brands—and in slightly differing sizes, each pair off by a half size.”
    Jeannette grimaced. “So the guy is smart enough to cover his tracks.”
    “Yep.” Evan sighed. “Well, I guess I’m back at it. I’m going to head out to all three fire sites again today to see if there’s something we missed.”
    Evan didn’t bother to say what they were all thinking. Without more evidence, the arsonist would likely remain free to set another fire.
    Evan tossed a few dollars on the table, and then slid out of the booth after Luc stood to let him out. Jeannette looked at Diego, expecting him to rise as well.
    He kept her trapped.
    “I really do need to get back to work.”
    Diego didn’t budge. Instead he tucked his arm around her shoulder.
    From the corner of her eye, Jeannette saw several heads turn in their direction.
    “What are you doing?” she murmured.
    “I’ve heard a lot of tongues wagging around here this morning. Everyone seems pretty interested in our date.”
    That was an understatement. “Yeah. I know. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”
    Luc laughed. “Seriously? Jeannette, how many Sunday mornings have we been the topic of conversation in here?”
    She couldn’t possibly tabulate that number. “A lot of them. God. Maybe all of them.”
    He nodded. “And how many Sundays have the good people of Maris discussed Jeannette Sparks?”
    She didn’t even have to think about it. “None.”
    “So maybe the question is, are you uncomfortable?” Luc asked.
    Part of her wondered if she should be ashamed to be the subject of such speculation—all of it racy—but she couldn’t summon a single ounce of embarrassment. She’d wanted to break out of her shell and, well, by God, she’d done it. At least for a little while, before she’d freaked out and ruined the whole damn thing. “I’m…sort of…” She sucked at playing it casual or coy, so she said what she felt. “It’s slightly annoying, but if I’m being completely honest, it’s kind of cool too,” she confessed.
    “So we’re