Threads of Suspicion(144)

“A good ending.”

“Five for five with one group alive is a nice opening set.” Evie looked around the office space. “I already miss this place. The next county is likely going to find us working in some basement with florescent lights with a need for lots of air fresheners.”

David laughed. “Isn’t that the truth? You have a preference for where we go next, Evie?”

“Let’s stay somewhere north—I’m getting resigned to all the snow. I wonder if there’s something like a missing magician in those county summaries? That would be neat. Or maybe a missing chef? We’d enjoy working a foodie crowd of suspects.”

Her phone rang in her pocket. She dug it out, noted the caller ID. “And this day was going so smoothly.” She answered the state dispatcher, “Lieutenant Blackwell,” then reached for a pen and wrote down an address. “Tell him an hour. I’m on my way.” She slid the phone back in her pocket. “Huge favor, Ann—can you pack up my hotel room?”

“Sure.”

She took out her hotel room key and handed it over. “Cole thinks my arsonist just got caught by one of his own fires. I’m on my way to Hoffman Estates.” She stuffed the address in her pocket and picked up her backpack, grabbed her coat and gloves. “Choose somewhere interesting for us, David. I can handle anything but a missing schoolteacher. I’ve had my fill of classrooms for a lifetime. I’ll meet up with you in the next county.”

“Done. I’ll see you there, Evie.”

She headed out. She liked working with him. They were wrapped with both cases before the end of January. That had a good feeling to it too. She’d landed on a successful team and planned to make the most of it. She was even optimistic she would sort out how to answer Rob and get her life in order in the coming month.

She was pulling keys from her coat pocket, hurrying to her car when her feet went out from under her. She stared up at the sky, stunned, then shifted to see if anything was injured but found her coat had padded the worst of the impact and started to laugh. Life had a way of tumbling her occasionally. She got carefully back to her feet, rescued her backpack. Still laughing a bit, she unlocked her car. She’d hurt her pride more than anything else. She could always count on life to throw her some surprises. She started the car, hoped the heat would kick in quickly. Then she drove to meet Cole at the fire scene, wondering what she would find waiting for her there.