Page 19 of Built of Flames

She’d gleaned a lot from Mitch’s notes, but there was far more she needed.

Property owner.

Financial status of property.

Insurance status of property.

Owner’s marital status.

Spouse.

Children.

Debt load.

For the businesses, she had additional categories.

Staff members.

Recent applicants to businesses who weren’t hired.

Recently fired staff members.

Reprimanded staff members. That one made her flush. She’d have to put herself on the list if one of the fires had been at the station or her dad’s home.

She’d need to research the backgrounds for all the people involved. Criminal records were easy to obtain, but a lot of arsonists had sealed juvie records she wouldn’t be able to get without a warrant.

Most of the arsonists she’d studied showed signs in childhood that they were unhappy or unbalanced. They tended to be self-absorbed, they blamed others, and had tiny or non-existent social circles. Few of them were high-achievers or successful in their chosen careers. Many of them tormented animals. Some had been abused either physically or sexually.

Before she dove in that deeply, they’d have to narrow down the number of fires or it would take months. Mitch was convinced another fire would happen in the next few weeks and she wanted to help him figure it out to avoid that.

It didn’t take long for her and Mitch to find a system that worked for them. He skimmed the reports and culled the information they needed. She put it into the spreadsheet and looked for patterns.

In some arson investigations, the patterns emerged quickly. Sadly, that wasn’t the case this time. “We’ve got too much information. Too many fires. We need to narrow down the number somehow.”

Mitch stood from his chair and stretched. “I need a break. My head’s going to explode.”

Bella leaned back in her chair and realized she was stiff as well. A glance at the time had her eyes widening. It was late afternoon.

Mitch grimaced. “We’ve been working for almost seven hours straight. Definitely time for a break. How about we head into town and find a place to eat? Does the place with the cinnamon rolls serve dinner or are there other restaurants?”

Bella shoved up from her chair and did some of her own stretches. “I don’t know the answer to either of those questions, but someone will. For now, though, I’d like to take a walk along the lake and shove all of that information into the back of my brain. Maybe my subconscious will pick up on something I’m missing.”

Bella locked up the cabin, and then they turned to walk along the shore of Midnight Lake. After a few minutes, Mitch broke the silence. “This place is incredible. All these old-time buildings and this gorgeous lake surrounded by woods. All this natural beauty highlighted by a robot cleaning dishes.”

Bella laughed. “Tansy is the most creative and determined person I’ve ever met. She’s only been here about eight months and look at what she’s accomplished. The entire place is off the grid. Midnight Security is amazing as well. I’m surrounded by creative positive energy vibes all day.”

Those vibes and the lake always helped Bella find her center on rough days. Even last night, she’d spent most of the night watching it from the main room with Jetson in her lap.

When they reached a dock, she headed out to the end and sat with her legs hanging over the edge. Mitch joined her a moment later. With his longer legs, his boots stopped only an inch or two above the water. For a few minutes, they simply sat and enjoyed the view. A light breeze ruffled her hair and a pair of hawks circled over the trees.

Mitch broke the easy silence. “You planning on sticking around Midnight Lake for a while?”

Bella felt her skin flush, even though the question was innocent. Did it mean he felt the same tug toward her as she felt to him? Or was he simply asking as Christo’s friend? Her friend?

“I love it here, and I have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.”

“Good.”