Against the Fire (4 page)

“FRC?”

“Family Recovery Center. Since there were extenuating circumstances—like two black eyes and a broken collarbone—Angel’s sentence was reduced. After his release a year later, Angel went into mandatory counseling. His father had moved out by then and I started visiting him and the rest of his family as a volunteer. I began to realize what an unusual boy he is.”

Gabe took a sip of his coffee. “In what way?” His hands were as tan as his face. She noticed his nails were clipped short, and there was no dirt underneath.

“Angel is extremely smart. He gets straight As in high school and he wants to go to college. He’s always willing to help other kids and because he’s the way he is, he has lots of friends. I don’t believe he set the fire at the Towers, but I need to find a way to prove it.”

Gabe straightened in his chair, making him seem even taller. “I can’t say for sure the boys were together, but they were talking and it seemed like they knew each other.”

“What did the second boy look like?”

“Hispanic. Around the same age as Angel, but taller and thinner. His hair was long, pulled back in a ponytail at the back of his neck. That’s about all I remember.”

“That may be enough. There’s a kid Angel knows. His name is Enrique Flores. He’s got long hair and he wears it pulled back that way. I think they’re pretty good friends. I don’t know why they would have been downtown that night, but maybe Enrique will tell me.”

“Probably ought to tell the police about Flores.”

“I’d really like to talk to him first.”

Gabe slowly nodded. “I guess that would be all right.”

Mattie picked up her paper cup and rose from her chair, giving Gabriel Raines the signal it was time for him to leave. Instead of moving, he just sat there quietly sipping his coffee.

“I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work,” she said, hoping he would take the hint.

“So do I…eventually.”

“Thank you for your time. I appreciate your coming down here.” She fidgeted, anxious now to be away from him. There was something about all that masculinity wrapped in such an attractive package that was putting her on edge.

Gabe slowly rose from his chair. “Where does Enrique live?”

“Somewhere in the Central Oak Cliff district.”

“That’s a pretty rough neighborhood. When are you planning to go?”

“Tonight. After I get off work.”

“Why don’t I go with you?”

She eyed him warily. “Why would you want to do that?”

“Because I was in trouble a couple of times myself when I was a kid. If it hadn’t been for my older brother, I don’t know where I would have wound up. If your friend is innocent, as you believe, and there’s a way I can help him, then I’d like to do it.”

Mattie shook her head. “I appreciate your offer, but I can take care of this myself.”

A slow smile curved his lips, which looked soft at the same time they looked incredibly male. “I’m sure you can,” he said, “but sometimes caution is the better part of valor. If Angel didn’t set the fire, maybe Enrique did. If that’s the case and you approach him, he might get violent.”

Gabe was right. She didn’t really know Enrique Flores. And parts of the central Oak Cliff district were extremely rough. Rosa Ramirez lived at the edge of the district, on a slightly quieter street than some of the others.

“The person you need to be thinking of is Angel,” Gabe pressed. “The sooner you speak to Enrique, the sooner you get the proof you need that Angel is innocent.”

She bit her lip. She was extremely self-reliant. She’d had to be after her father died. On the other hand, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have someone go with her. Particularly if that someone looked as capable at handling himself as Gabriel Raines.

“All right. I’ve got a couple of things to finish before I leave the office. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“What kind of car do you drive?” he asked.

“BMW convertible.”

“Nice. Unless you want the wheels stripped off, we’d better take my truck. I’ll pick you up at your place at seven. What’s the address?”

No way was she giving her address to a man she had barely met. “I’ll meet you here at seven. I’ll wait for you in front of the building.”

“Smart lady. All right, I’ll be here then.”

Mattie watched him walk away and some of the tension she hadn’t realized she was feeling left her shoulders. She hurried to catch the elevator. Twenty minutes on Google and she would know a lot more about Gabriel Raines. Then she would finish her work, go home and change into a pair of jeans and get back here to meet him.

As she walked out of the elevator onto the fifteenth floor, she quickened her pace. She had to hurry. She had a lot to do before seven o’clock.

Gabe spotted Mattie standing on the corner at exactly seven o’clock. He liked that about her, that she didn’t seem inclined to play female games. He pulled his pickup into the yellow loading zone in front of the building and reached down to turn off the engine, thinking to go around and help her inside, but Mattie had the door open before he had the chance.

In jeans and a T-shirt, she climbed into the truck and slammed the heavy door. An independent woman, just as he’d guessed.

“Right on time,” he said, thinking she looked just as good in jeans as she did in her tailored suit, maybe better. Still, her hair was pulled back in the severe style she had worn before, delivering a very clear message.

I’m not interested in anything other than business.

“When you work for someone else, like I do,” she said, “being timely is a necessary habit.”

He pulled away from the curb and turned the corner, starting off toward the area where Enrique lived. “You know the kid’s address, right?”

“I called the center and they gave me his address. Mrs. Flores came in a couple of times. She was worried about her son.”

“Why was that?”

“According to the file, some kid at school was giving him a hard time. She never came back so I guess the problem was resolved.”

“What’s the best way to get there?”

She gave him the address and the cross street and suggested he head out the 35 freeway. They wove their way down one street after another until they reached the apartment building where Enrique Flores lived. It was old and run-down, some of the windows open, the curtains billowing out in the warm evening breeze.

Gabe parked the truck then went around to the passenger side; but as before, Mattie didn’t wait, just opened the door and jumped down. He felt the tug of a smile. He’d always preferred a woman who at least in some way needed a man. This one certainly didn’t seem to. On the other hand, even her conservative clothes and severe hair-style couldn’t hide her femininity.

“Apartment twenty-two,” she said. “Must be on the second floor.”

“Let’s go.”

She ignored the hand he offered and hurried to keep up with his longer strides. They climbed the iron stairs and Gabe stepped back while Mattie knocked on the door. From the start, she had made it clear she was in control of the situation. He was only there in case of trouble.

The door swung open and a small, thin Hispanic woman stood in the opening.

“Mrs. Flores?”

“Sí.”

“I’m Mattie Baker. I’m a volunteer at the Family Recovery Center. This is Gabriel Raines. We’d like to talk to Enrique. Is he home?”

The slight woman eyed Gabe, who was trying to appear as nonthreatening as possible. It must have worked because she stepped back so they could come in. The apartment was cramped, the furniture old and worn, the couch covered by faded fringed throw covers, but the place was tidy and clean.

The woman turned, called down the hall. “Enrique! You have visitors.”

Gabe immediately recognized the boy walking toward him as the slender youth he’d seen with Angel. Enrique looked at Gabe with suspicion but didn’t seem to recognize him. Mrs. Flores cast them a final glance and disappeared into the kitchen, and Enrique turned his attention to Mattie.

“Hello, Enrique,” she said with a smile. “I’m Angel’s friend, Mattie Baker. I work at the FRC.”

“Angel told me about you. He said you helped him and his family.”

“That’s right. And this is Mr. Raines. You might remember seeing him at the fire last night.”

The boy’s dark-skinned face lost half its color. “I wasn’t…I wasn’t downtown last night.”

“You were there with Angel, Enrique. Mr. Raines saw the two of you at the Towers watching the fire.”

Enrique subtly squared his shoulders and his chin inched up. “I said I was not there.”

“Did you know Angel was arrested for setting the fire?” Mattie asked.

The kid’s obsidian eyes widened.

“That’s right,” Gabe said. “He was pulled over because one of his taillights was out. Angel has a record for setting another fire a few years back. The police put two and two together and Angel was picked up and taken in for questioning.”

The kid’s expression turned fearful. “Angel didn’t set the fire. We saw the smoke from a few blocks away. We walked over to see what was happening. That is all we did. We watched the firemen for a while and then we went home.”

“It was a school night,” Mattie said. “What were the two of you doing downtown?”

Enrique glanced toward the kitchen. “We were just out driving around.”

“That’s probably true,” Gabe said. “The two of you were downtown driving around. But what else were you doing? Why did you go down there in the first place?”

Enrique’s gaze darted around the living room as if he searched for a way to escape.

“If you don’t tell us the truth,” Mattie said gently, “Angel may go back to detention. You’re supposed to be his friend. Do you want that to happen?”

The boy shook his head, moving the long black pony tail at the back of his neck. “No, no, I do not want that.”

“Then tell us the truth,” Gabe said.

The boy stared down at the holes in his dirty white sneakers. “Tagging. I was tagging a wall. Angel drove me down to finish what I’d started a few weeks ago.”

The words and the look on the kid’s thin face rang with truth. Angel hadn’t wanted to betray his friend, and spray painting the side of a building was illegal.

“Where were you tagging?” Gabe asked.

“A couple of blocks from the Towers. That’s how we saw the fire.”

Mattie reached over and laid a hand on the boy’s narrow shoulders, which were slumped with resignation. He looked up at her touch. “Are you taking me to jail?”

Mattie squeezed his shoulder. “No, Enrique. It was brave of you to tell the truth. I’ll talk to Captain Daily, see what he can do. But they’ll probably want to talk to you.”

He nodded dully.

“You did the right thing, son,” Gabe said.

They left the run-down apartment building, climbed into the truck and drove back downtown.

Gabe flicked a glance at Mattie. “I think this will help your case. I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”

“I know.”

“I want to talk to Angel,” Gabe said. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

“Sidney Weiss is acting as his attorney. He’s arranging bail. You can talk to Angel after he’s released—if Weiss says it’s okay.”

“I think Enrique was telling the truth. But being downtown vandalizing property isn’t exactly a terrific alibi. I thought you said Angel was turning over a new leaf.”

As the pickup wove through traffic, Mattie sighed. “He’s been doing so well. I don’t understand it.”

“You said he likes to help his friends. Maybe Enrique pressed him and he caved.”

“I don’t know. Angel is the kind of kid who thinks for himself. He isn’t easily influenced by his peers.”

Gabe let the subject drop. He was involved in this case to the tune of several thousand dollars, the deductible on his insurance policy. He wanted whoever set the fire to pay for what he’d done. But he wanted to be sure the right person was paying.

“It’s early yet. Why don’t we stop somewhere and have dinner? You like steak?”

“I’m a vegetarian, mostly. Besides, I’ve already eaten. Thanks anyway.”

A vegetarian. Just his luck. And he didn’t believe she’d had supper. She wasn’t a very good liar—a point in her favor. She just didn’t want to have supper with him.

“Maybe some other time,” he offered.

Mattie made no reply, which kind of unsettled him. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman he was interested in hadn’t returned that interest.

They drove in silence the rest of the way downtown.

“Where do you want me to drop you off?”

She cast him a glance. “I live in the Elm Street Lofts. You can drop me off in front.”

He grinned. “Why’d you suddenly decide you could trust me?”

“I looked you up on Google. You’ve been in Dallas for nearly ten years. You’re quite a respected figure in the community. Your company is currently working on a number of restoration projects and you’ve even won awards for contributing to the beautification of the area.” She looked up at him and smiled, the first relaxed smile he’d seen. “Besides, you were raised in Wyoming.”

He laughed at that. “A good ol’ country boy, you figure?”

“Something like that.”

“If you’d known me back then, you wouldn’t be trusting me to take you home.”

She arched an auburn eyebrow. “Why not?”

“I would have driven you to the nearest motel and tried to convince you to let me get a room.”

She colored faintly beneath the scattering of freckles on the high bones in her cheeks. “I assume those days are past.”

He allowed his gaze to roam over her, taking in the small waist and nicely curved breasts. At the moment, the idea held an amazing appeal. “Mostly,” he said.

The soft flush deepened. “This is it,” she said abruptly, and he wheeled the truck over to the curb. Mattie opened the door and climbed down to the sidewalk. “Thanks for your help.”

“I still want to talk to Angel.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I’ll arrange a meeting once he’s released, assuming his attorney approves.”

Gabe nodded. He watched her walk away, liking the fit of her jeans over her nicely rounded ass. He found himself hoping he would see her again, even if she was a vegetarian. He had her phone number in the “recent calls” section of his cell phone, he reminded himself. He could phone her anytime he wanted.