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“This guy doesn’t belong to Station Nine and he certainly doesn’t hail from here. No one remembers anything suspicious. He doesn’t have to be a firefighter, or an EMT. But he could be in the prison system.”
“Prison, huh?”
“Like I said. He could be a professional. A criminal.”
“Why are you here, Chuck?” Shep’s graveled tone made the hair on Mike’s arms stand.
“For whatever reason, this guy has targeted the fire department. He’s already proved he’s dangerous. There were five teams on sight that day. He could be pursuing any of them.”
“You think we have a target on our backs?”
“It’s possible. That’s why Hooley brought me in. I cover every scenario, every possibility. The Wimer house exploded. Firefighters were hurt. It was no coincidence. Hooley found evidence of gas, propane, and explosives. Those items do serious damage. This guy isn’t playing games. He’s out for blood.”
“You said is.”
“The Wimer property is isolated. Our perp did his research and more than likely made several visits to the site. From what I understand, the timing was precise. He had to enter the property and set things in motion for the explosion to go off at the exact moment. That takes detailed planning. And accuracy.”
Mike’s eyes locked onto Shep’s. Without any outward sign, dread came through loud and clear in his troubled gaze. After a lengthy silent communication, Shep turned back to Chuck.
“What aren’t you telling us?”
Chuck scraped a hand over his jaw. “I don’t like this, but I feel you need to be prepared. Especially after the incident downtown. The bullet to Mike’s helmet may not have been an accident. I hope to God I’m wrong, but this perp could be a killer. One of you could be his next victim.”
***
“Hello.”
“Oh my God. Cassie, I had to call. I’m so excited.”
“I can’t tell.” Cassie rolled over, trying to read the numbers on the clock. Seven AM. On a Saturday? What the heck had Tammy so wired she had to call and get her out of bed this early on the weekend?
“Wake up!” Tammy shouted. Or maybe it seemed that she did since Cassie was still half asleep. “I couldn’t wait.”
“All right, I’m awake,” she grumbled and punched her pillow, then dragged herself up to lean against the Cannonball headboard.
“You’ll never guess.”
“Tammy, I’m in no mood to play guessing games at seven in the morning,” she huffed.
“Don’t get your panties in a bind. Uh-oh. Is Mike there? Oh, Good Lord. I’m sorry. I should have known.”
“Tammy. Tammy!” When Tammy kept talking, Cassie shouted again to get her attention. “Mike isn’t here. He’s at the station.”
“Then what’s your problem?”
My problem? Should she count to ten before she bit Tammy’s head off?
“My problem is being woken up from a sound sleep on a weekend when I can sleep late.”
“Get over it.”
“My, my. What’s got you so freakin’ cheery?”
“I saw Shep yesterday.”
So that’s it.
“And I’m just now hearing about it?”
