tell you? And don’t leave anything out.”
“I think she’s still hung up on you.”
Collier rubbed the nape of his neck. “She’s just confused. Why interview her here, anyway?”
“I tried to talk to her last night, but she only returned a few hours ago from a ski trip in Colorado. She agreed to talk to me here.”
“So, she knew about Lazano’s murder?”
“Her mom called and told her.” Kiley watched him carefully.
“Did you ask her about the last time she saw him?”
“She said it was two weeks ago, the night they called it quits.”
“You sound skeptical.”
“I’m wondering if her memory’s reliable. She told me she has a drinking problem.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think?” Kiley pressed. “Is she reliable?”
“I don’t know. She was at one time.”
She paused, her blue-green eyes meeting his. “Were you ever going to tell me your ex-fiancée’s name?”
“If you’d asked me, I would have.” He hadn’t wanted to tell her as much as he already had. “Does knowing who she is have anything to do with our investigation, Detective?” He lowered his voice, trying to rattle her. “Or are you asking for personal reasons?”
He was surprised to see a dull flush color her cheeks.
She shrugged. “Just connecting the dots.”
“You obviously would’ve figured it out when you learned she was Lazano’s ex, too.”
“I realize his murder is even more personal to you than the others because of Miss Hadley. Are you going to have a problem working this case?”
“It’s not like there’s any choice.” He wanted her to shut up about this whole thread of conversation. “Terra’s out on maternity leave. It’s you and me. The end.”
“So you can put aside your personal feel—”
“Yes,” he bit out. Collier’s usually even temper spiked. “If there’s a screw up, Russell, it won’t be because of me.”
She searched his eyes, then nodded. “Okay. Well, I want to check Gwen’s alibi for the night Lazano was killed and make sure she was really in Colorado like she said.”
“I can make some calls.”
“I will.”
“You can’t cut me out of everything.”
She eyed him coolly. “All right, you do it.”
“Done.” He wondered if things would always be so prickly with her. “On the way here, I stopped at each station house to show the picture of the fake firefighter.”
“Wow, the lab got to that really fast.”
He nodded. “Your copy is in my truck.”
“Did anyone recognize the guy?”
“No. Station One did tell me that some of their gear turned up missing in late September.”
“So that would coincide with when these fire murders started. Too bad we can’t find Mr. Fake in any of the earlier fire scene videos.” She brushed her hair over her shoulder.
Just once he’d like to get his hands in those red curls. “I can give you that photo print before we leave.”
“Great. Want to meet me outside in about fifteen minutes?”
“It’s a date,” he said.
“No—”
“Figure of speech, Russell. Don’t get your hopes up.”
Her eyes flashed. “You’re safe, McClain. Completely safe.”
He watched her walk away, totally hypnotized by the length of those legs and tried to remember why safe was what he wanted.
About seven-thirty the next evening, Kiley walked through the glass doors of Presley’s two-story community center. She’d been ordered by Lt. Hager to attend tonight’s dedication and grand unveiling of the new facility.
Though not fancy, the gray tiled floors were tasteful, as were the faux marble walls. The lobby stretched the length of the rectangular shaped building. Hallways on either side led to several rooms that would serve as meeting places for city employees as well as citizens’ events. The upper floor provided more space. Four sets of doors ahead of her opened into the large all-purpose room being used for tonight’s dedication.
After leaving her coat with a volunteer, she stepped through the nearest set of doors and took in the expansive area decorated with streamers and blue, white and gold balloons. A wooden stage centered at the opposite end of the room held a five-member band tuning their instruments. A cash bar was set up in the corner close to the stage.
The mayor, various city councilmen and women, and other city leaders strolled around. Kiley glimpsed the governor deep in conversation with Chief of Police Nick Smith. She spoke to several police officers who had shown up because they’d gotten the same memo she had from Lt. Hager. As she moved through the crowd, she recognized a few firefighters, too. All the men were dressed in suits or uniforms. The women sparkled in dressy, after-five attire. A tall blonde in a tight, black sequined dress cut down to there caught Kiley’s attention.
She had to look twice to make sure the woman wasn’t Gwen Hadley. The relief she felt reminded her of the earlier meeting with Collier’s former fiancée. Kiley typically didn’t feel out of her league with either men or women, but standing next to Gwen at that wake had made her feel invisible. The woman had flawless skin and a flawless figure, but she obviously had her share of problems, too. Kiley felt more sure of herself now, but she was still less steady than she liked around Presley’s newest fire investigator.
It was because of the emotion she’d seen in his eyes yesterday as he’d talked to his ex. The momentary flash of old hurt on his face had tapped at something deep inside Kiley. Gwen had made it clear she wanted to talk to Collier in private, but he had kindly refused. He’d probably been more kind than Kiley would’ve been if their roles were reversed.
The image of a solicitous Collier McClain certainly didn’t match that of the footloose bachelor she had heard about or seen at the Christmas dance. She told herself to forget about that emotion in his eyes, but for a brief period, she’d glimpsed the man. Not the fire investigator or the reputed Romeo, but a man who’d been hurt by a woman. She pushed away the thought. Emotions—his and hers—came a distant second to the business she needed to conduct with Collier. And business was all she cared about.
They had gotten no identification from the photo of the fake fireman, and they had spent the morning looking at mugshots. No luck there, either. They had begun sending e-mails and faxes to a list of surrounding prisons
