Risk Everything

Randall pulled out a plastic evidence bag from his pocket. “This is what I want you to see, and this corner was where we found it.”

Tanner took the bag, squinting at it as he held it up. Randall didn’t keep him in suspense.

“It’s a timer. We found parts of it and a pretty sophisticated detonation device in this corner. Somebody very definitely set this fire.”

Tanner let out a low curse. “A sophisticated detonator goes well beyond some kids playing a prank or a firebug who wanted to watch a building burn.”

“I agree. This was set with deliberate intent to go off exactly when it did. And I think someone broke in here ahead of time and planted the device and timer. It could’ve been a while ago, but every day it sat here, it risked detection.”

Tanner ran a hand through his hair. “So it was probably in the last couple of days. And if there’s no record of it in the footage, that means whoever sneaked in here knew where that camera was located and how to avoid it.”

This had just become much more serious than any of them had counted on.

Tanner studied the evidence bag and its contents. “But to what end? Were they trying to blow up the whole building? Kill everyone?”

Randall shook his head. “No. If anything, the opposite. I know Bree was here and called the fire department much more quickly than would’ve occurred on any other night. But the way this fire was set up, it would’ve burned itself out before it ever got to the inhabited side of the building. I don’t think it was meant to harm anyone.”

“Well, it damn nearly harmed Bree.”

Randall gave an apologetic shrug. “That’s true, but on any other given night she wouldn’t have been here.”

“So, we are looking at some sort of explosives expert?”

What the hell would one be doing at a women’s shelter? Especially if they weren’t trying to blow the building up? This didn’t make a lot of sense.

“Not necessarily. Yes, an explosives expert would know how to do all of this and it’s definitely beyond what your normal amateur pyromaniac is involved with. But there are certain jobs—military, construction, even some welding jobs—that would also provide that sort of knowledge. Or it could be hired out.”

“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.”

Chapter Five (#u2c327c17-513b-5539-8059-c6eaf12f97c4)

Tanner fought not to roar into the phone. Jared Ellis was released from a Denver county jail three days ago and no one had told Marilyn?

He forced himself to speak reasonably, even though he had a white-knuckled grip on the phone. “Three days ago? Why wasn’t Mrs. Ellis notified immediately? Jared Ellis is considered to be a threat to both her and her children.”

“You know how it is. Things sometimes fall through the cracks.” There was no apology in Parnam’s tone.

Tanner wrote the word Noah on the notepad and spun it around so Ronnie could see it. Ronnie nodded and Tanner tapped the phone in his hand to indicate Ronnie needed to tell Noah about Jared Ellis’s release. Ronnie already had his phone in hand as he walked out of the office.

This was definitely a police matter, but when it came to protecting Marilyn and those kids, it was a personal matter also. Noah would want to know.

“I’m going to need the details about Ellis’s release,” he said into the phone.