Page 47 of Built of Flames

In Phail General, Troy was leaning against the doorjamb leading to Marcus’s office. No one else was in the store. Perfect. “Hey guys, I’m early.”

Both smiled and nodded as he came in. Marcus gestured to the small cluster of chairs surrounding a table in the corner. “Come on in and sit. Let us show you what we’ve got so far.”

Marcus angled the laptop so all three of could see the screen. Someone had put together a presentation for him. The thought made Mitch grin.

Troy leaned back in his chair. “Phail is a small town, but it’s getting bigger all the time. Your friends up at Midnight Lake are helping with that.”

Mitch grinned. He’d like to be a part of that as well.

“We’ve had a town meeting and pretty much everyone is in. We want to grow the town and to do that, we need services. It was a fight to get Marcus an office here, but now, no one would let that service go. We’ve got Kimi for a vet, but we don’t have a regular doctor.”

Marcus grinned. “That’s next up on the wishlist.”

As they went through the presentation, several townspeople dropped by. Local artist Nimii. Jim and Carl from the B&B. Kimi. Sylvie Phail, who owned Phail Phoods.

All of them wanted to encourage him to move in and start up the department. It was a great town. Great people. And he wanted to be a part of it.

“I need to talk to some people back in Kelsor and up at Midnight Lake, so I can’t give you an answer today, but I’m more than interested.”

Marcus held out his hand to shake. “Good to hear. We look forward to you signing on.”

On his way to the diner to grab the meals he’d ordered and on the way to his car, more people stopped him to chat. By the time he broke into the lodge’s clearing, he was ready to make the commitment. First, he needed to talk with Izzy—Bella—and then Sam. But he wanted to be in. All in.

Then he’d talk to Christo and the Chief. And finally he’d make the move. After they’d caught the arsonist. He wouldn’t feel right leaving until that was solved.

The three dogs bounded toward him, barking and wagging, happy to have another person in their midst. Especially a person bearing food.

He didn’t dare put the box of food down to pat them, but they responded to his greetings like he was their best buddy. Everyone needed a dog in their life.

Should he get a dog for the Phail fire hall? A mascot who would head to work with him. Dogs were great at keeping people calm when they were in high-stress situations. He’d need one that was great with kids. Something to talk to Kimi about. The thought had him smiling again. He knew and liked so many people in this town already.

Mitch walked around to the deck on the front of the lodge and knocked on the door. After Tansy had been kidnapped, the team kept the door locked all the time. He didn’t have a key, but if he stayed, he’d have one and be part of that team.

Leaving the box on a table on the deck, Mitch headed to Bella’s cabin. He hadn’t seen her for over forty-eight hours, and that was far too long.

He found Bella alone, sitting on her conference table staring at her board. When he opened the door, she turned and her face lit up. She hopped off the table and threw her arms around him.

Without a word, he hugged her briefly, then pulled back to lay his lips on hers. She tasted like something ginger and home. He always wanted to come into a room and find her smiling at him like that.

When they finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard. He grinned down at her. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” She sparkled up at him. “Missed you.”

He kissed her again and then shifted a bit to hug her while he looked over the whiteboard she’d been using. “Making progress?”

Her body stiffened, and he turned to find her frowning as she nodded.

“What happened? What did you find?”

After another squeeze, Bella released him and walked to the board. “Tess and I arranged all the Thursday fires by the weeks of the month. So the first row is in the first week and so on.”

Mitch looked over the information. When it was laid out that way, it was easier to see a new pattern. “It’s not only August, although that’s the worst month. There’s at least one fire on the final Thursday of every month. How many years does this cover?”

“Six.”

Excitement rippled through him. They’d figured out the key. They were on the right path. “Why does this upset you? It’s a great leap.”

She rolled her lips together, then sighed. “According to Tess, if this isn’t all coincidence, it’s one arsonist or two working together who have a working knowledge of arson techniques. They are smart enough to not use the same ignition sources and materials.”