She pulled out a topo map. “Could you point to that spot on my map?”
“Seriously?” he asked, frowning as he looked a little more carefully at her. “Why would you want to know this?”
Perhaps it had been a good thing that she didn't have a clean suit to put on this morning. There was no way he'd guess that she was an arson investigator in her tourist gear. Not until she told him anyway.
“For my scrapbook.”
“Whatever,” he said as he shifted in his seat to point to a section of the map, and she got a strong whiff of gasoline off his fingers.
She turned to look more carefully at him, studying the easy lines of his body, the careless way his hands were resting on the wheel and gearshift.
Her conversation with Albert hung heavily in her mind. She couldn't trust anyone. No matter how trust-worthy they appeared, no matter how innocent they looked.
Was it at all possible that Dennis knew who she was all along and was simply feeding her information about Logan to send her off course?
And then, as she folded the map and stuck it back in her bag, he said, “Sure am glad I didn't do that hiking trip last week with Logan and my father. Otherwise we would probably have arson investigators on our asses right now. Especially since it looks like those houses are going to fry.”
She spent an extra moment working the bronze clasp that held her bag shut, glad for something to do with her hands so she didn't accidentally give away her intense interest.
“Good move calling off the trip,” she agreed. “Why didn't you go?” she said in a friendly, offhand tone that was utterly at odds with the significance of his reply.
“My dad wasn't up to it,” he said as he spun them around and headed back toward the lake. “And I had other things to take care of.”
Busy digesting everything Dennis had said during their illuminating flight, Maya looked out across the wide expanse of blue water and was momentarily stunned by the beauty all around her. Even with her brother's death inexorably connected to Lake Tahoe, she couldn't ignore the magnificence of nature at its best.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said, knowing she couldn't keep him in the dark for much longer. As soon as they touched down and he'd unlocked the doors she would tell him exactly who she was, why she was in Lake Tahoe, and that she'd be back in touch with more questions in the very near future.
No doubt, Dennis would be surprised. Especially considering all he'd told her.
It had been another long night in the forest. Logan rubbed one hand across his eyes, forcing back the last vestiges of exhaustion. The fire was spreading fast. Soon it would start taking lives.
He'd run the trails, one after the other as they split off from one another like fingers from a palm. Fortunately, he hadn't found any hot spots this time, hadn't had to bury any embers. But he couldn't keep doing this every day, couldn't withstand the relentless pace for much longer.
He'd grabbed a handful of hours of sleep before the sun had risen and he'd called Dennis to give him a heads-up about the investigation. But he'd been too late: In a sick twist of fate Maya was already up in Dennis's helicopter. Mining for gold.
She'd have had to squeeze information from Joseph, but Logan wasn't so sure about Dennis. Ever since Logan had become a hotshot, their relationship had been a little strained. It was almost as if Dennis thought Logan had joined up just to kiss Joseph's ass.
Logan had stopped trying to talk his friend around it a long time ago. Sometimes things were cool between them, sometimes they weren't. Dennis could be hypersensitive, and while conversations always started off friendly, some innocuous comment often screwed everything up.
He'd find out soon enough what kind of day this one was.
He watched the helicopter head back toward the landing pad from behind the wheel of his truck until he saw Dennis's girlfriend pull into the parking lot.
Jenny was a tall, leggy redhead who automatically made a guy's head turn to guess if her tits were real or fake. But she wasn't Logan's type, and not just because most of the guys in town had already had a ride.
Ten years ago, he'd nearly been seduced by her long legs and big green eyes. But after he'd figured out that she'd already done half the guys in turnouts, he'd let her down easy before things got out of hand. And by the time Dennis started dating her earlier this year, he'd figured his nonrelationship with her was old news, so he'd kept his mouth shut, and wished his friend well, even though she still frequently made passes at Logan when she was drunk. Frankly, she wasn't the first attached woman who came on to him, so he didn't read much into it.
“Hey, Logan.” She jumped down from her truck. “I just heard about your suspension. I can't believe they're accusing you of lighting this fire.”
“Word spreads fast, doesn't it?” Just as he'd thought last night, there was nothing quite as juicy as a fallen hero.
She put her hand on his arm. “How are you doing?”
He appreciated her support, but he wasn't about to get into it with her. Or anyone else. All that mattered was clearing his name, not sitting around whining about being falsely accused of arson.
“Just working to clear my name so they can find the real arsonist and I can get back on the fire.”
“Just so you know, nobody thinks you did it. And everyone's super pissed about them fingering you.”
“Thanks,” he said as the helicopter headed toward them. “I'm sure we'll get everything figured out soon,”
“What a shitty situation,” she said, as she shook her head in commiseration. “I know you've got a lot on your mind right now, but Dennis and I are heading out for breakfast when he lands. Any chance you'd like to join us and try to relax for a little while?”
“I'll have to take a rain check,” he said, “but I'm glad you're here. I've got a favor to ask.”
“Whatever you need right now, I'm happy to help. Both Dennis and I are.”
“Sometime today, could you check in on Joseph? He's slowing down a bit. I know he'd really appreciate some help with the cabin.”
“No problem. What do you want me to do? Laundry? Cleaning?”
“You're a mind reader,” he said, glad to have one less thing to worry about. “Thanks.”
She made a face. “I would have helped out before, but you know how Dennis is about his dad. I don't know what his problem is. Joseph is amazing.”