Janie Crouch - Risk Everything

“I liked this much better when I thought it might be a run-of-the-mill arsonist just trying to burn the place down. Now we’re talking about someone with a specific skill set who also has studied New Journeys enough to know the basics about their security and what would or wouldn’t happen in a fire.”

“I don’t blame you there. A pyro may be a pain in the ass, but they’re also predictable. Their endgame is to watch the world burn.”

Tanner looked around, trying to put himself in the arsonist’s mind. “What was this guy’s endgame? No one was hurt. Nothing was stolen, as far as we know.”

Randall walked over and slapped him on the shoulder. “That, my friend, is your job and thankfully not mine.”

Randall showed Tanner a few more things, including where the fire would’ve burned out on its own if the fire department hadn’t stopped it before that. And he was right—it definitely wouldn’t have hurt anyone, unless, like Bree, they just happened to be wandering in that section of the building.

As Tanner walked back to his office, he kept trying to figure out what the motive was.

What was the purpose? That was the ultimate question. All this had really served to do was shake everyone up.

He let out a low curse. Maybe that was the purpose—getting everyone shaken up. Thanks to the fire, everyone was back in the old building where there was much less security and no set routine.

Ronnie Kitchens, the other deputy in their office, met Tanner as soon as he walked in the door. “That face doesn’t look good. Problems?”

Tanner explained about the detonator and everything else Randall had told him.

Ronnie let out a low whistle. “That’s not good.”

“The only people I can think that might have something to gain from pulling a stunt like this would be the men involved in these women’s lives.”

“Definitely. Although I would think they’d want to do as much damage as possible, not set a blaze that would burn out on its own. The residents will be able to move back in in just a couple more days.”

They walked toward Tanner’s office. “Maybe the plan is to make the women not feel safe at New Journeys so they’ll be more likely to return to their previous situations.”

That was a common enough problem under the best of circumstances for some of these women; it wouldn’t take much to encourage them to leave.

“Pull the files we started on all the men connected to the current residents at New Journeys. We need to cross-reference them with their backgrounds and professions. We’re looking for anyone with a military background or who has worked in construction, demolition or anything that would provide training in explosives.”

Ronnie began the cross-referencing while Tanner put a call in to Cassandra. He didn’t want to cause any undue panic, but he wanted his sister and Bree to be aware of the situation. He promised to call them back if he had any solid suspects.

Three frustrating hours later, despite working through lunch, they hadn’t found any promising suspects. The two men who seemed most qualified to have set the fire both lived out of state. Phone calls to their current places of employment had provided solid alibis. There was no way they could’ve been at work all week across the country and then made it to Risk Peak and back.

The couple of others who might have the knowledge were in prison, including Jared Ellis, Marilyn’s husband, who worked in construction.

Ronnie sat back in the chair across from Tanner’s desk, two files balancing on his leg crossed at the knee. “If our perp isn’t someone associated with New Journeys, could it be someone coming after Bree? She was the only one who had to be taken to the hospital. Granted, most of the Organization is behind bars, but after what happened in Atlanta—”

Ronnie was about to say something else when the phone on Tanner’s desk rang.

“Hold that thought.” Although there damn well better not be anyone coming after Bree again. He picked up the phone. “Tanner Dempsey speaking.”

“Captain Dempsey, this is Conrad Parnam with the Denver County Warrants and Bonding Office.” The man’s voice was sort of distant and breathy, like the phone wasn’t directly next to his mouth. Or like he was bored with the conversation before it even started.

“What can I do for you, Mr. Parnam?”

“I’m trying to reach a Mrs. Marilyn Ellis at a facility called New Journeys but I’m having difficulty. Do you have a way to get in touch with her?”

“I do.” He had a sinking suspicion he knew where this was going and wasn’t going to like it.

“Because of the restraining order against Mrs. Ellis’s husband, Jared Ellis, we wanted to let her know that he was released on bail.”

Yep, he didn’t like it. This already bad day just got worse. “Earlier today?”

He could hear Parnam shuffling through papers. “Actually, no. Mr. Ellis was released three days ago.”

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