Sanctuary Lost WITSEC Town Series Book 1 (26 page)

Tom trudged with a limp over to where John
stood. Maria’s husband was the de-facto fire chief. He’d turned out
to be a decent guy. And the only one who didn’t balk when John
mentioned it was Andra’s cabin. Apparently not everyone had written
her off as a killer.

“Fire’s out.”

John nodded.

The other two guys were out of earshot. Older
men with stubble-covered jaws and bellies that might have come from
too many beers if this wasn’t a dry town. One poked at what used to
be the porch with Andra’s shovel, while the other cleared charred
wood and wet pine needles from around the house. The guy clearing
wandered over to the other and they chatted like they were on a
golf course, before they made their way to where John and Tom
stood.

“So are we done?”

John tore his eyes from the charred grass. “I
guess.”

Tom sighed. “I doubt Ms. Caleri’s going to be
able to salvage much of anything. Not considering how long the
place was smoldering before we got here.”

“Yeah,” the brush guy said. “The damage to
her cabin was considerable. Shame.”

Right. His face said he couldn’t care any
less about the work Andra would have to do now. John figured
Andra’s stubbornness had a lot to do with that. Why else would she
just walk into town and implicate Bolton? She didn’t seem so
concerned about the fact she could have died, just that someone had
set fire to her cabin. Nor was she apparently concerned about the
word MURDERER he could see in charred spots across her lawn. She
hadn’t cared enough to even mention it.

What made a person accept the complete
destruction of the life they’d been building for the past ten
years? She’d said God was in control and she was at peace with
that. John couldn’t fathom what made a person trust someone to that
extent. She’d given God control of her whole life. Who just
surrendered like that?

Tom said, “I’m gonna take the guys and head
back down now, since the danger has passed.”

“I’ll walk with you.” John trailed behind
them with Tom.

The first guy muttered, “I figure she
deserved it, considering who she was.”

The other guy nodded. “I heard about that. An
assassin? Not hard to believe, the way she keeps to herself.”

John gritted his teeth. Tom glanced at him
but John didn’t look at Nadia’s husband. He didn’t need sympathy.
Nor did he need to know if the man was checking to see how John
would react. He wanted to defend Andra, but not to these guys.
Maybe her tactic of lying down and taking it had some merit. He
wouldn’t lose his job, not because of them.

“You guys have any idea who might have done
this?” John didn’t believe it was Bolton who set fire to the
cabin.

He got a “duh” look from the first guy. “She
probably did it herself. You think of that?”

“Not my first thought, no.”

The guy smirked at his friend, his face
smeared with soot like he’d rubbed his cheek. “I heard about that,
too. You and Ms. Caleri, all tight and stuff.” His diatribe dropped
off into a mumbled interpretation of what John and Andra had
supposedly been up to.

“You realize I only arrived in town on
Friday. Most of what you just said is impossible given the time
frame.” John stopped. They were only halfway down the trail and his
insides were a mess. He was hungry, but if he ate anything it
wasn’t going to end well. “Andra Caleri and I are not having an
affair.”

“Not yet.” The two guys smirked at each
other.

John wasn’t going to argue. Part of him still
hoped to find the murderer and convince everyone she wasn’t guilty.
Then he’d finally be able to ask her out—which seemed so lame given
all they’d shared of their lives. And what they’d been through in
such a short space of time. He wanted a future with her; that was
the gist of it. The outcome of the murder investigation was down to
him. He was the one who was going to clear her name and make it so
she could have that future.

What if he couldn’t do it? Andra would go to
jail—or worse. Sanctuary would be the first assignment that he’d
failed at. She might be a phenomenal actress who killed Betty and
then feigned innocence. But that would mean he’d made a colossal
mess-up of reading her in the first place. Sort of like his
ex-wife.

What kind of mercy took away everything Andra
wanted after she had finally found it? He couldn’t muster up a
whole lot of respect for a God, a Heavenly Father, who gave a gift
only to take it away again. Andra seemed to think it was fine. Was
it really?

John trotted to catch up with the three men.
Tom gave him a commiserating smile.

“You guys can’t think of anyone in this town
who would retaliate like that? Burn MURDERER on the lawn of someone
they’re convinced killed Betty Collins?”

Given Andra’s past, he couldn’t see how the
rest of them were so squeaky clean as to have the right to be this
judgmental.

Tom said, “I guess a lot of people could have
done it.”

“And given that the accelerant was
diesel?”

Surprise widened his eyes. “There’s no way
Bolton did that.”

John couldn’t figure out the rancher. His
brother’s first choice for sheriff was another mystery this town
held. “Why not. It could’ve been any of us, right? Or one of
Bolton’s guys. Heck, it could even have been me.” He shrugged.
“Think about it. What better way to take attention from Andra’s
possible guilt than to make it look like a war started up against
her? Make her look like the victim in all this.”

“So you are sticking up for the assassin.”
More smirks from the two guys. “I heard she was fifteen the first
time she killed a guy.”

They’d had her file and still misinformation
got out? John blew out a breath. “Anyways, I appreciate y’all
coming up to help. Wouldn’t be good if a full blown fire broke out
now, would it?”

Tom cleared his throat. “That would pose a
problem, not that it’s happened before. Since you’re the only point
of contact with the military, you’d have to be the one to get ahold
of them and request a water dump.”

“Like with wildfires?”

Tom nodded. “That’s basically the only way to
put out a fully engulfed fire. The irrigation system in town is
very…basic. It’s geo-thermal, off the hot spring. It’s difficult to
get the volume of water to combat a sizable blaze.”

“You’ve been a firefighter long?”

“Four years, FDNY. I was working my way out
of the rookie spot when I landed in the middle of a buddy of mine,
another firefighter, making a deal with some guys for a night with
an underage girl.” He blew out a breath. “Not exactly the hot dog
and ball game I’d been expecting. Voila. Here I am.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, you ain’t wrong.”

John shared a sympathetic smile with him,
glanced at the two guys in front and saw their attention was on
Tom. What was that about?

**

Andra sat on the cot in the jail cell,
simmering. John really thought keeping her here was the best idea?
Of course he was going to be gone long enough her steaming
frustration had boiled its way down to low and she had to sit here
being glared at by Palmer.

There was no way locking her up was going to
solve this. But no, she hadn’t been arrested. The difference—just a
technicality—apparently meant something to him, while to her it
felt exactly the same as every other time she’d been detained.

Palmer got up from his chair and strode in
front of the cell. It was barely big enough for a bed and a toilet
hidden behind a half-wall—like she was actually going to go in
there. Yeah, right. Heaven forbid there were two people in town who
committed a crime on the same day. Wherever would John put them
both?

“You know—”

Andra didn’t even want to know. She wasn’t
even slightly curious. “Don’t start, Palmer.”

His eyebrows rose. So she’d surprised him.
Big deal.

“I’m sure between the two of us we can manage
to be civil. Jo—Sheriff Mason will be here soon and then you won’t
have to deal with me at all.”

“You think I can’t take care of this on my
own?”

Andra bit the inside of her lip.

“You think I’m not sheriff enough to be the
sheriff? High-and-mighty Director Mason has to bring in his brother
to police us, like we don’t know that’s why Johnny-boy got the
job.”

The question Andra wanted to know was how
Palmer had managed to keep his job all these years. He cared more
about his agenda with the ladies he’d befriended across town than
about his duties as a deputy sheriff. Andra couldn’t even imagine
what they saw in him, though there was reportedly more than
three.

Especially considering that incident two
years ago, where Palmer had skated out from under responsibility
for Elma Sanders’ death. Sheriff Chandler had let way too many
things slide over the years.

“For all we know, Mr. Sheriff killed Betty
Collins because he and his brother have something going on we don’t
even know about.”

Andra feigned interest with a lift of her
chin. “Oh yeah?”

She needed him to think she might believe
him, while not looking too interested. Then he’d just think she
wanted to frame anyone who made sense and get herself out from
under suspicion of Betty’s death.

“If that’s true, maybe he didn’t send John
here for just that one murder. Maybe he’s going to try and kill
someone else, too.”

Palmer’s gaze settled on her. The black ice
in his eyes chilled her to her core, but she didn’t react to it. He
would notice. “Maybe he’s going to kill you next. Did you think
about that?”

Andra didn’t move.

“Maybe it’s why he wants you here, so he can
fake an accident and blame you for the first murder.”

The door swung open and Pat strolled in. “The
internet’s off. No school today.”

Andra grinned at him, though she suspected
she didn’t look exactly happy. “That’s awesome.”

“Yeah.” He dumped his backpack by his dad’s
desk. Then he skirted around Palmer, who moved to sit at his. “I
mean, it sucks for Susan and Beth and all. But…” His eyes flashed
and he grinned. “Having them here is good for me.”

Andra couldn’t help smiling. The kid’s
enthusiasm was infectious, breaking the spell of Palmer’s
assertions about John. Thank God she didn’t have to sit here and
listen to him anymore. John didn’t need a suspected murderer to
defend him.

Pat was still talking, something about
exploring and cupcakes with sprinkles.

She smiled. “Big plans for the day, huh?”

“Yeah, but I have to check in with my dad
first.” He jerked, like he’d realized something. “Hey, you wanna
play Go Fish?”

Palmer looked up, mouth open and ready to
object. Andra ignored him. “So long as you teach me how to play
it.”

His jaw dropped. “You don’t know how to play
Go Fish?”

Andra grinned. “I bet you’re a good
teacher.”

“I’ll go get my cards.”

**

The clock on the dash said 9:04 a.m. He’d
been up practically a whole shift already and the day had barely
started. Before going up to Andra’s cabin, he’d settled the First
Lady and her daughter into an available house and given charge of
them to Olympia, who rushed over with Pat and graciously welcomed
them to town. They were in good hands.

Main Street was dotted with people. John
threaded the Jeep—which now smelled like smoke—at a crawl until
someone waved him to stop. He pulled forward until he was outside
the sheriff’s office and walked back to speak with the drab looking
woman—the school teacher.

“Mrs. Pepper.” He was pretty sure that was
her name. When she didn’t correct him, he said, “Did you need
something?”

She rocked back and forth on the balls of her
feet. He couldn’t help thinking maybe this was the extent of what
she was capable of showing when she was overly agitated.

“The children cannot do their work without a
connection to the internet. It’s been shut off and we’ll be
disconnected for an indeterminate period of time.” Like John didn’t
know that. “We cannot complete the required assignments without it.
Neither can I contact their assigned teacher to explain the problem
in order to make other arrangements.”

“I’m sorry for that, Mrs. Pepper. The
decision was not mine. Our new guests require the extra level of
security.”

“The First Family is really here? It’s
true?”

John nodded and kept doing it, as though he
fully understood the problem it posed for her and was genuinely
working through a viable solution in his head. In reality, he got
to tell Pat that today was the Sanctuary equivalent of a snow day
and it would continue until the teacher figured something out.

John swallowed to hide the grin that wanted
out. “As soon as it’s turned back on, you’ll be the first to
know.”

Mrs. Pepper lifted the papers she held to
clutch them against her chest. “I should think so.”

John wasn’t even going to touch on that
comment. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

“This?” She lowered it. “Oh, it’s the
Sanctuary newspaper. More like a newsletter really. Wilson used to
be a big-time Dallas editor. So he thinks his paper still ranks
with the nationals.” She smirked. “Hardly worth reading. But
there’s something to be said for the first murder ever to occur in
this town, it does make for good entertainment.”

John snatched the paper from her and strode
inside, shutting the door on her sputtering.

He opened his mouth, the words dissipated and
he couldn’t remember what he’d been about to say. Andra was sitting
on the floor on one side of the cell bars with Pat on the other
side. They appeared to be playing a particularly vigorous game of
Go Fish.

“I win!”

Andra smirked, her eyes full of humor like
when Pat did something cute and John’s mom saw it. Her eyes moved
to him. The affection dissolved as she pressed her lips together
and set her cards down. “You saw the paper.”