Familiar Fire Read online

  “Do you believe I’m guilty?”

  Jake had issued a challenge Kate couldn’t ignore. “Let’s put it this way, Jake. You’ve got motive, opportunity and expertise. You’re a prime suspect, whether you like it or not.”

  “Answer me one question, Kate,” he said, his words hot with feeling. “Why’d you come back to Silver City, to a town you claimed you hated?”

  “I came back to make a home, to settle down.”

  “The truth is, you came back to settle an old score. A long time ago what you felt for me was a lot more than suspicion. But things didn’t go right and now you’re trying to burn me.”

  “The past is over and done, Jake.” Kate wouldn’t let herself remember how much she’d once loved this man. “I’ve put it behind me. I suggest you do the same.” With that, she walked away.

  Jake took a step to follow her but stopped and watched her instead. The promise of beauty she’d had as a teen was now full-blown. She’d grown up but she was still dangerous and willful. When she’d first returned to Silver City, he’d hoped they could rekindle what was once between them. But now he knew Kate had a different agenda. She’d come back not because she’d learned to accept the past. She’d come to bury it. And him with it.

  Dear Reader,

  With his nine lives and wicked sense of adventure, Familiar is everyone’s favorite crime-solving cat. And we’re delighted to bring you another of his fast-paced, fun-filled mysteries in the FEAR FAMILIAR series.

  Caroline Burnes was thrilled to read your letters asking for another Familiar adventure. She has the pleasure of living with the prototype for Familiar—her own black cat, E. A. Poe. In this book, Caroline introduces another sidekick, Ouzo, a dog who bears more than a passing resemblance to a black rascal that holds a place in her heart. In one of her many adventures with Ouzo, Caroline took him to obedience classes. After a brief session the trainer took her aside and said, “I’ve diagnosed the problem. The dog is smarter than you.”

  We’re thrilled by your response to the FEAR FAMILIAR mysteries, and we urge you to look for more feline adventures in the months to come!

  Regards,

  Debra Matteucci

  Senior Editor & Editorial Coordinator

  Harlequin Books

  300 East 42nd Street

  New York, NY 10017

  Familiar

  Fire

  Caroline Burnes

  For Julianne Moore,

  who comes at editing

  with the deft touch of an editor

  and the sensitivity of a writer

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Familiar—The fabulous feline hired by the sheriff of Gilpin County to help solve a series of arsons.

  Ouzo—Descended from Irish setters and wolfhounds, the crime-solving dog belongs to Fire Chief Jake Johnson.

  Kate McArdle—The newly elected sheriff is determined to solve the arsons that are destroying the town, as well as face the fires of her passion for Jake Johnson.

  Jake Johnson—As fire chief, Jake’s been unable to solve the arsons. In fact, he appears to be the chief suspect.

  Alexis Redfield—Rich, beautiful and definitely hooked on plaid, Alexis has a finger in every fire. Is she an innocent bystander or the firebug?

  Evelyn Winn—Her motives are unclear, and when her own shop is set aflame, she seems to be another victim.

  Theodore Lyte—Minister of the Look Out Church, Lyte is adamantly opposed to more gambling in Silver City. But how far will he go…?

  Roy Adams—As the primary insurance agent in the town, Roy insures the buildings that have burned.

  Betty Cody—A victim of the arsonist—but is her fire simply a ruse to throw suspicion on others?

  Members of the DDC—They have the money and the muscle to swing Silver City into line, but are they arsonists?

  Mortimer Grell—The Silver City coroner knows secrets from the past. What he suspects may destroy Kate.

  Chapter One

  So this is the land where Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane roamed. Where men came to find their fortunes and live the American dream. Makes me want to don a pair of chaps—Naugahyde, naturally—and some of those spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle. I could even work up a rendition of “Happy Trails” if Pistol-Packin’ Mama here would quit giving me the evil eye.

  My, oh, my. I can see by the glint in her beautiful green eyes that I’m going to have to prove my sleuthing abilities once again. Oh, the tedium of a doubting woman. Now I ask you, gentle reader, why would a woman answer an advertisement about a mystery-solving cat and then not give the feline in question half a chance? I mean, I just flew into town and she brings me straight up here to this smoldering mass of timber and stone.

  Speaking of smoldering masses, my new employer, Miss Kate McArdle, is one hot number. That mane of red hair bespeaks a temper out of the Fahrenheit range, and those green eyes could certainly ignite sparks. But those long, gorgeous legs don’t match the cruel pistol she’s carrying—or the tin badge. Nope, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that Sheriff Kate McArdle would look a lot better in a Las Vegas dancer’s costume than her drab tan uniform. Of course, I get the impression that if I tried to make her see it my way, she’d pop the cuffs on me and put me under arrest. EE-yow! An image for later study!

  I’m here to work, and I absolutely detect that this place went up like a fireball from Mt. Vesuvius. Even Mr. Magoo on a bad day could figure that out. But the reason a lot of criminals turn to fire and explosives is because, by the nature of the crime, it doesn’t tend to leave a lot of evidence behind. It’s going to take some poking around, and the idea of getting my elegant black suit all sooty and smoky-smelling doesn’t hold a lot of appeal at the moment.

  But it is troubling that someone would deliberately burn a church. What’s the motive? That’s what’s put a twist in my knickers, figuratively speaking.

  The problem is that the altitude here at what remains of Lookout Church is rather high. I feel the need for fluids, as in cream or a delicate bouillabaisse with perhaps a few succulent morsels of crab floating on top. Yes, that sounds perfect.

  Hey, we’ve got company. Looks like an official red fire vehicle. Uh-oh, I can tell by the way Kate’s tensing up that this isn’t the cavalry coming to our assistance. Jeez! The man has brought a large, black hairy beast with him. Criminy, here it comes bounding over at me like something from one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s moorish nightmares! The damn beast is wagging his tail in puppyish fashion and almost grinning. Grrrrrrr!

  HANDS ON HER HIPS, Kate McArdle watched as the man and the black dog picked their way over the charred timbers. Although the dog viewed her eagerly, tail wag ging, the man ignored her and kept to the other side of the scene. Kate knew who he was—and knew she didn’t have the authority to make him leave the scene of the burned church, though that was exactly what she wanted to do. Jake Johnson was a skunk.

  As he bent to carefully examine a pile of stones that had once formed the back wall of the sanctuary, the morning sun glinted in his dark hair, catching the chestnut highlights. Kate turned back to her own investigation, only then noticing that the black dog was down on his forepaws, tail wagging in the air with roguish playfulness as he teased the black cat she’d just flown in from Washington, D.C., a cat who had helped solve seven other mysteries all around the world.

  “Hey!” she yelled at the dog. “Shoo!”

  Instead of running, the dog turned to her and gave what almost resembled a grin. “You are as dumb as a mud fence,” she said under her breath. “Beat it.”

  Tail still wagging, the dog waited.

  “Ouzo! Ouzo!” Jake called.

  The dog took off—in exactly the opposite direction. Kate had a moment of satisfaction. So, Jake still had his way w
ith things. She couldn’t stop her grin.

  She bent to the blackened timbers where Familiar had turned his attention. The cat was more—and less—than she’d expected. He’d arrived, first class, without a hair ruffled from the journey. He’d been completely composed, his golden-green gaze studying her for the entire trip out to the remains of the church. She’d thought it best to let the highly touted detective cat start at Lookout Church, the latest fire in Gilpin County—and the one that had put the heat on her to solve as the newly elected sheriff. Even as she watched the cat delicately paw at a piece of charred wood, she knew that if the fact ever got out that she’d hired a cat to help her solve the arsons, she’d be one long-gone law woman. The folks of Gilpin County would shame her out of town—for the second time.

  And solve the series of arsons that almost paralyzed Gilpin County she would, if only Jake Johnson would stay out of her way! She cast a glance across the rubble at him. He was collecting more evidence. She couldn’t help wondering what had prompted the area merchants to instruct her to keep an eye on his investigation. An active eye. After all, she wasn’t the fire chief, Jake was.

  As if he had read her mind, he suddenly stood and came toward her. The black dog was at his side. Watching him walk across the ruins of the church, Kate was intensely aware of her surroundings. The sky was so blue it touched her heart. The gentle breeze brought the scent of fir and the last chill kiss of winter. Jake lifted his hand to shade his eyes, and Kate felt such a strong sense of déjå vu that she felt almost light-headed. Beside her leg, the cat’s back went up at the approach of the dog.

  “Easy, Familiar,” Kate said softly. “We can handle both of them.” Her words were calm, but her heart rate had increased. Jake Johnson was capable of anything—from a casual greeting to a tongue-lashing. Along with being a skunk, he was known to be extremely territorial. She remained perfectly still, waiting as he walked directly toward her.

  When he was three feet away, Jake stopped. His expression said that he’d tolerated all he could. “What exactly do you think you’re doing? This is clearly marked as a crime scene. You’re tampering with an ongoing investigation.” His words and stance were a challenge.

  Kate’s hand strayed to the shiny new badge on her left shoulder. “As sheriff of Gilpin County, I’m investigating.”

  “Arson falls in the domain of the fire chief.” Jake edged closer. “Which is me.”

  “Yes, I’d say you know a lot about fires,” Kate answered slowly. The yellow flare of anger lit Jake’s eyes and she knew she’d hit her target. “I’m willing to concede that point But the fact remains that someone is setting fires in Gilpin County and you haven’t been able to catch them.”

  One corner of Jake’s mouth lifted in a smile. “And I suppose you’re just the woman to do the job?”

  Kate felt his gaze on her hair, her face, her neck, moving slowly down her body. He wasn’t going to play by the rules. It was up to her to be the professional. She nodded. “The folks of Gilpin County elected me, and that’s what I intend to do.”

  “I see.” He studied her face a moment longer. “I was shocked when you came home and ran for sheriff, Kate. Maybe I shouldn’t have been, but I was. I guess I expected you to do what you said. When you left Gilpin County fifteen years ago, you vowed you’d never come back. But here you are, just a living, breathing contradiction of your word.” There was anger in his voice. “It might have been better all around if you’d stayed away.”

  “I changed my mind.” She didn’t owe Jake an explanation. He was the last person on earth she had to justify her behavior to.

  “Yes, you do seem to have a way of doing that, don’t you?”

  “Back off, Jake.” The words came out quiet and deadly. “I’ve got as much right to be in Silver City as you do. Maybe more.”

  “More?” His left eyebrow came up in that familiar arch.

  “My family helped found this town. Remember?”

  For a long moment they stared at each other, green eyes daring amber ones to take it an inch further. Jake nodded. “I’m glad you’ve been able to accept your heritage, Kate. To a person with less to do, the idea that you’ve returned as sheriff might make an interesting study in psychology. But I don’t have time for this. I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I’ve got a long day here trying to find some evidence of how this fire started. I don’t need you stomping around.”

  A bark crackled through the air, causing them both to turn and stare at the black feline, fuzzed like a Halloween-cat. Butt poking in the air, Ouzo wagged his tail and barked again in an effort to goad the cat into running.

  I can see the canine has the training of a Snopes with a single-digit IQ. And I question the sanity of a man who travels with such a creature unrestrained. It’s obvious to me that Kate has her own negative feelings about this dynamic duo. But if this black demon inches one tiny little bit closer to me, I’ll have to resort to a claw in the tip of his nose. Ah, he’s backing away. Look at him. What a slobbering fool. Good grief, and humans love them because they’re loyal! Have you ever heard such a crock? They’re too stupid to be anything but loyal!

  “Damn! Can’t you even control your dog?” Kate asked, striding toward the cat and dog. “If he harms one hair on that cat’s head…”

  “Ouzo, come.” Jake slapped his thigh in an effort to get his dog’s attention. “Ouzo!” He gave Kate a withering look as he stepped in front of her. “Ouzo, get back over here and get to work. I didn’t bring you here to chase a cat.”

  Just as Jake drew near, Ouzo bounded away, leaping the rubble as if it didn’t exist. “Dammit, Ouzo.” Jake stopped beside the cat. He looked at Kate and then back at the cat. “What in the world did you bring a cat out here for?” His eyes narrowed.

  “Familiar is my companion.” Kate said it with as much disdain as she could muster. If Jake found out the truth…“He’s a far better companion than that black nuisance you brought with you.”

  “Ouzo is—”

  “A pain in the butt Obviously he learned at his master’s knee.” Kate’s chin lifted a fraction of an inch. “Go investigate, and leave me alone. I’m doing my job. If you don’t like it, take it up with the Silver City Merchants’ Association. I didn’t ask for this extra duty.” She turned away, pleased with her frontal assault.

  Jake paused for a split second, ready to fire back a reply, but the cat’s claws hooked into his cuff, holding him in place. “Come on, boy, I’ve got to get to work.” As he bent to unhook the paw, he looked closer.

  “I’ll be,” he said. Beside Familiar’s paw was a charred and twisted piece of metal with a stub of a red wire attached. Instead of touching it, he stood and retrieved a pair of long metal tweezers and a plastic bag from his pocket.

  “What is it?” Kate stepped cautiously over to the cat.

  Jake retrieved the device and held it up in the air for her to see. “It’s a detonator. Whoever set this fire used a timing device. If there was any doubt, we can definitely prove arson now.”

  “Meow!”

  Kate knelt down beside the cat. She lifted his chin with one finger as she gently scratched. “I’ll be damned. The cat found the timer.”

  Jake put the plastic bag in his jacket pocket before he answered. “It was Ouzo who discovered the timer. The cat just happened to be standing here.”

  “Ouzo? That dog?” Kate looked up in disbelief. It was exactly like Jake to have the plain facts under his nose and then to twist them to suit himself. It was just like him! A flood of anger washed over her. “You’re saying, after that cat almost rubbed your nose in the timing device, that your dog discovered it?”

  “Ouzo is trained to sniff out evidence of arson, bombs, even drugs.” Jake wasn’t going to give an inch.

  “That black ragamuffin?” Kate shielded her eyes from the sun as she gazed in the direction she’d last seen the dog take. “The only thing that dog can find is trouble. Besides, it was Familiar who found the timer, Jake. Surely you aren’t too pi
gheaded to see that.”

  “A fire cat? Are you telling me that’s a fire-detecting cat?” Jake pointed at the black cat with disbelief. “There’s no such thing as a fire cat, Kate. Now if you’ll just clear out of here, I’d like to gather some more evidence. I am the fire chief, this is a fire. Ergo, you don’t need to be here.”

  Kate hooked a boot heel on what remained of a cedar beam and met Jake’s amber gaze. “Now that you have some hard evidence, the area merchants are going to expect an arrest.” The rash of fires that had plagued Silver City had begun to look suspicious even to the people who supported Jake as fire chief. No one had pointed a finger, yet, but Jake was drawing a lot of ugly attention to himself.

  Jake’s fists clenched. “Are you honestly saying you think I’m somehow involved in these fires?”

  Kate could feel the raw emotion in Jake. It came from him in waves—a tightly controlled fury. A split second of intense memory knifed through her. She knew what it was like to stand beside Jake when his emotions were running strong. What it felt like when his passions were directed at her.

  The memory was so unexpected, so deadly, that she felt her knees weaken. “I don’t know what I think,” she said. She looked past Jake at the vista of burned rubble and charred wood. She had to concentrate on the factual, on the present. She hadn’t come back to Silver City to wallow in the past, she’d come to prove that the present was what mattered.

  She focused on the blackened remains of one of Gilpin County’s largest churches. Lookout Church had perched on the highest point of Sentinel Mountain. There wasn’t another building around for miles. Below the church was the land of the Double J Ranch—or what was left of it. Jake’s ranch had been the first in a long string of properties to burn. Some folks were saying he’d collected a hefty insurance claim. That thought brought a jolt of adrenaline that steadied her. “You’d better arrest someone, Jake, and put an end to these fires.”