the end of her parents’ long driveway. Most of the vehicles parked upwind of the fire area, and a couple parked closer to the house. Soon there were people moving around and yelling back and forth.
Feeling that things were under control, Mallory was about to give up her post. But before she turned off her hose, she spied a new spot fire igniting some dry grass dangerously close to the shop. With hose still in hand, she dashed toward it, spraying the flames. But while she was running, she felt a heavy thud from behind, as if she was being tackled—and then she was pinned facedown on the muddy ground, a heavy figure on top of her.
With the wind knocked out of her, her heart pounded in fear. Certain it was the killer, about to put his knife to her throat, she tried to get enough breath to let out a scream, but all she could do was gasp for air—and pray for help!
Logan McDaniel had spotted the figure near the garage as soon as he’d come down the driveway. The youth was dressed in a letterman jacket and ball cap, and as soon as Logan approached, the kid took off running. Naturally, Logan chased him down, jumped him from behind and pinned him to the ground. Fortunately he was a lightweight and, despite the flailing arms and legs, it wasn’t hard to keep the kid pinned down while Logan got out his flashlight. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to use it as a weapon.
Using one arm, he flipped his captive over, shining the light straight into the kid’s face. It wasn’t a guy after all. It was a girl, and as the ball cap fell off, he could see that she had long dark hair.
“Help!” she screamed loudly, as if she thought he was some kind of an assailant. “Let me go! Help! Help!”
Still trying to get his bearings, he released her arms but kept her pinned down with the weight of his legs.
“Get off me!” She flailed at him. “Let me—”
“What are you doing here?” He moved side to side to dodge her blows. “You’re a girl.”
“Yes,” she growled back. “Get off of me, you big lug!”
“First you better tell me what you’re doing out here.”
“I live here,” she shouted angrily.
“No, you don’t,” he told her. “Deputy Myers and his—”
“The Myers are my parents! This is their house and I am—”
“Mallory?” As the realization hit him, he instantly eased back and, slowly standing, reached down to help her to her feet. “Is it really you?”
“Of course it’s me. Who else would it be?” She wiped the mud away from her mouth, glaring at him with fury in her dark eyes.
“What are you doing out here?” He reached over to wipe a chunk of mud from her cheek, trying not to smile at how cute she looked. But she just shoved his hand away, scowling at him with suspicious eyes. She obviously didn’t recognize him.
“Trying to put out this stupid fire,” she spat.
“Did you start it?”
“Of course not!” She glared at him. “Are you nuts?”
“Did you make the 911 call?”
“Yes. Are you going to help put that thing out, or do you plan to just stand here yapping at me?” She pointed to an outbuilding. “My dad’s shop could’ve blown sky high by now.”
“My crew is on it,” he assured her. “Don’t worry. The fire’s not too big. But good thing you called when you did. They’ll have it under control soon.”
She seemed to be studying him now, as if he looked familiar, but she wasn’t really getting it. And he knew the yellow fire chief’s helmet worn low on his head, plus the heavy clothes, made it hard to recognize him. Not to mention that their paths hadn’t crossed in years. Although he wished they had. She leaned forward now, peering curiously at him. “Do I know you?” she finally asked.
“It’s been a while, but yeah, you know me. At least you used to know me.” He stuck out his hand to shake hers. “Logan McDaniel, at your service.”
She blinked, then stared even harder at him. “Logan?”
“Yep.” He glanced over his shoulder where several of the firefighters, some with hoses and some with shovels, were working their way toward them. “Looks like they’re making good progress already. Probably have it contained before sunrise. Less than two acres I’d estimate. Small potatoes compared to last—”
“Well, it might be small, but it would’ve grown—”
“Hey, don’t get me wrong, Mallory. Any fire is a serious fire. And I’m relieved it was small. And glad to jump on it early.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry about tackling you like that.”
She frowned at him. “Yeah, what’s the deal? I thought firefighters were supposed to help people—not take them out.”
“I’m really sorry.” He pointed to the letterman jacket and the ball cap. “But dressed that way—I thought you were a teenage boy. I mean, there you are with a fire blazing nearby...” He held out his hands. “I approach you, and you take off running. What was I supposed to think?”
“I was running to put out that spot fire.” She pointed to where the charred grass was still smoldering. Logan went over to stomp on it, crushing it out with his boot then dousing it liberally with a nearby garden hose.
“Well, I hope you accept my sincere apology, Mallory. We’ve had a serious problem with arsonists lately. Some tips have suggested they’re teens. Last Saturday we had a human-caused fire that grew to nearly two hundred acres before our crew arrived.”
“You really think kids set this fire, too?” She seemed to be studying him closely now. “I mean...you’re certain it wasn’t, uh, set by someone else?”
“What do you mean by someone else?” He peered curiously back at her. “Do you know something...?”
“No, of course not.” She bit her bottom lip and glanced away, as if she was sorry she’d said anything. Or as if she was holding something back.
“If you know something, you should tell me,” he urged. “Mallory?” he persisted. “What’s going on?”
He could tell by her face that something was wrong. Seriously wrong. Was it related to the fire? Did she have anything to do with it? As fire chief it was his job to investigate—and to be impartial. But he couldn’t believe that Mallory Myers would have any sort of criminal involvement. Besides, this was her parents’ home. Not that all family relationships were harmonious. “Do you know something about this fire?” he asked her again, using a firmer voice this time.
“Oh...no, I don’t really know anything.” It seemed as if she was trying to sound nonchalant. “I mean I just smelled smoke. I looked outside and saw flames and called 911. That’s all.”
Logan narrowed
