Janet Evanovich - Full Tilt

Duncan got on his walkie-talkie once more. "I want every vehicle we got circling the property," he said. "The guy is probably on foot, but he has to have driven out here somehow. Find him."

The sirens closed in, fire trucks and police cars with flashing lights turning onto the property and pulling in front of the house. A few seconds later, Wrangler Jeeps and pickup trucks combed the road outside the property line, lights pointed in every direction.

An hour later they were still searching. Frankie and Lamar Tevis joined Max. "How the hell did he get away so fast?" Frankie asked.

Max sighed his disgust. "He tricked us, that's how. He set us up."

"What do you mean?" Lamar asked.

"I think whoever did this was here earlier. He cut the fence and purposely left the rag behind where we'd be sure to find it. Tonight, he entered and exited the property from another location." Max paused. "Unless he's still here."

Lamar glanced around quickly. "You thinking what I'm thinking? That maybe the person responsible is pretending to be on our side?"

"It's possible."

"Well, if that's true, it's going to make my job a whole lot harder." Lamar shook his head and walked away.

"How's everybody inside?" Max asked Frankie.

"Jamie, Beenie, and Phillip are trying to reassure Deedee who, in turn, is trying to reassure the staff. The fire marshal is inspecting the house for damage, but at least we kept it from spreading. I'm thinking we should tell Deedee it was a prank."

"That's not going to fly. Not even with Deedee."

"I don't want to worry her."

"She should be worried. You've received threatening letters, Jamie and I have been shot at, someone put dynamite in my car today, and somebody else just threw a Molotov cocktail through your window. Hell, even I'm worried."

"Back up," Frankie said. "What's this dynamite business? You didn't mention it."

"This is the first chance I've had."

"Damn, Max. You and Jamie could have been killed."

"I think that was the plan."

Frankie wiped his hand down his face. "I don't know what to make of it."

"Doesn't make sense to me, either," Max said. "Think about it. Bombs and high-powered automatics are designed to kill. If the person who threw the burning bottle through the window wanted to kill one of us, he was certainly close enough to use a gun."

"He would have come closer to killing us if he'd thrown the bottle of kerosene through the window after we'd all gone to bed. It would have been less risky for him as well."

"The smoke alarms would have awakened us," Max said, "and we still would have had time to get out. As for risk, if this person is somebody we're accustomed to having on the property, the guards wouldn't pay attention to him."

"The only person who came on and off the property was my campaign manager. And Phillip, of course."

"Who just happened to arrive only minutes after the fire started."

Frankie shook his head. "Phillip is like family. Besides, he would never do anything that might endanger Jamie."

* * * * *

Deedee jerked her head back so hard it would have given an older woman whiplash. "Beenie, would you get that nasty stuff away from me!" she cried, wheezing, eyes watering. "What is that!"

"It's smelling salts, sweet pea. All Southern women use it when they get the vapors."

"Someone almost burned down my house. I deserve to have the vapors if I want them. What the heck is a vapor?"

"I don't know, but it sounds dangerous to me."

"You're the one who's going to be in danger if you put that stuff near my nose again."

Jamie decided it was time to cut in. They had moved into the library so the fire marshal could investigate, but the acrid smell of smoke lingered through the house. "Women in the South are more sophisticated today," she said. "They don't get the vapors anymore. If they get upset they have a couple of tequila shooters."

"Sounds good to me," Deedee said.

"And they call it something like a Magnolia Blossom tonic so it doesn't look bad," Phillip added with a smile.

Deedee's face was flushed a bright red. "Lord, I'm so hot I could die. Could someone turn on the air conditioner before I spontaneously combust?"

Phillip hurried toward the thermostat. "It's already on sixty. If I turn it any lower it'll freeze."

"That's what I need. Ice."

"Is there anything else I can do?" Phillip asked. When Deedee shook her head, he started from the room. "I'm going to see what's happening out back."

"Oh, God, I hope Frankie and Max are safe," Deedee cried.

"Take this, Deedee," Beenie offered.

"What is it?"

"Just a little nerve pill. It'll calm you down."

Jamie stepped closer. "Wait a minute, Beenie. Let me see that."

"It's Xanax, honey. I take them when I get anxious."

"Aren't they habit-forming?"

"I'm only giving her one, love. She's not likely to end up on some street corner selling sex for another fix. It'll take the edge off."

Deedee pushed his hand away. "I don't need a tranquilizer, Beenie. I need you to get out of my face so I can breathe. Why don't you check on Choo-Choo? The poor thing is probably hiding because of all the commotion."

"I'll get him for you, and then I'll make you a Frappuccino. That'll cool you off."

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked her, once Beenie hurried away.

"I feel like a train wreck right now. I never thought something like this would happen just because Frankie decided to go into politics. Now, we're not safe in our own beds. I can't even leave the house. How am I supposed to shop? Not that there's any place to shop in this godforsaken town. I'll be reduced to shopping from catalogs. What fun is that?"

"You can shop over the Internet."

"It's not the same, Jamie. I enjoy sitting on those dainty little sofas drinking champagne while women model the latest fashion. I like the smell of designer clothes. Sometimes, I wish Frankie had never laid eyes on this town."

Jamie tried to reassure her, but the fire had left her shaken as well. She wondered if Max was okay. Had he not acted so quickly when the fire had started, the house would have very likely burned down over their heads.

"I hope Max didn't hurt himself jumping out that window," Deedee said as though reading Jamie's mind. "I've never seen anyone do that except on TV, and it's usually a stuntman."

"Some actors don't use stuntmen," Beenie said, coming through the door with the Frappuccino in one hand, Choo-Choo running behind him. "I don't think Clint Eastwood ever used a stuntman."

"Does Harrison Ford?" Deedee asked, scooping up her dog. "No, don't tell me, I'd be too disappointed if he did."

Jamie wasn't listening. She wondered how someone had managed to get onto the property and so close to the house with all the security surrounding it. Of course, the estate was huge, and the men couldn't patrol every inch of it, but they were obviously dealing with someone cunning enough to slip on and off the property unnoticed. Unless it was one of the servants; but she couldn't imagine anyone on the staff trying to hurt Frankie or Deedee. They were kind and generous to a fault when it came to their employees.

"I'm willing to bet half my salary that Brad Pitt uses a stuntman," Beenie said. "Not that I'd blame him, what with his looks. That Jennifer Aniston is one lucky lady." Beenie sighed, raised his forefinger to his lip and tapped it. "What a man."

The housekeeper appeared at the door. She looked shaken. "Would anyone care for something since dinner has been held up?"

"I couldn't eat if someone put a gun to my head," Deedee said, then winced. "Gee, with the way things are going that might be a distinct possibility. Jamie, would you like something?"

Jamie didn't have much of an appetite, either. "I'm fine."