CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

J ENNY CROSSED THE LIVING ROOM NEXT TO C AIN, AND HE OPENED THE door in the entry. In his police uniform, Chief Nolan walked into the suite, but he wasn't alone. The man with him, in a slightly different uniform, was shorter, lean, with weathered olive skin and sun wrinkles at the corners of his dark eyes.

"Come on in." Cain stuck out a hand, which both men shook.

"Good morning," the chief said. He turned to Jenny. "I was hoping I'd find you here. I'm glad Cain is with you."

"We've been expecting to hear from you," Jenny said, her worry beginning to build.

The chief nodded. "This is Captain Dean Kendall. He's with the Yavapai County Fire Investigation Task Force."

"Hello," Jenny said. At the serious looks on their faces, she didn't mention the coffee.

"I'm afraid we've brought bad news," Captain Kendall said. "We were hoping there were no casualties involved in the fire last night, but unfortunately, not everyone got out of the building."

Jenny's heart jerked. She felt Cain's big hand settle at her waist.

"Why don't we sit down?" Cain suggested. The men moved over to the sofa, and everyone took seats around the coffee table. Jenny sat down next to Cain.

"Please go on," she urged.

"As soon as the debris was cool enough for the team to go in this morning," the captain said, "we made an inspection of the premises. One of the team members found human remains up on the second floor."

Nausea rolled in her stomach, and Jenny fought not to tremble.

"Has the body been identified?" Cain asked.

"The remnants of a wallet were found on the victim's person. Most of it was destroyed, but a portion of a driver's license remained. We believe the deceased is Troy Alexander Layton, the bartender."

Jenny swayed against Cain, and he reached for her hand, laced her fingers with his.

"The police checked Layton's apartment," the captain continued. "But there was no indication he returned home after work last night, which supports our assumption."

"It'll take an autopsy to officially confirm," Nolan said. "But the wallet and a few other items found on the body lead to the same conclusion."

Jenny said nothing. Her throat was too tight to speak.

"I'm afraid there's more," Kendall said. "I'm not sure if this will make the news easier or more difficult to handle."

"What is it?" Cain pressed.

"From the trail left by the accelerant—a number of empty cans of gasoline were found on the second floor—the fire was clearly arson. The trail led straight to the body of the deceased, which leads us to believe Layton is the person who set the fire. Since he had no previous record of arson-related charges, we think he may have accidentally spilled gasoline on himself as he splashed the fuel around the upstairs hallway."

Jenny swallowed, fighting to keep the image out of her head.

Chief Nolan spoke up. "I don't think Troy realized when he lit the fire that he was going to be its first victim."

Jenny's eyes filled, but she still didn't speak.

Cain said, "There's a chance a woman named Anna Somerset hired Troy to cause problems in the Copper Star. She may have paid him to set the fire. The Phoenix police are investigating her in connection with the murder of her husband, Arthur Somerset. Word is an arrest is imminent."

Nolan's eyes widened. His stone-gray eyebrows pulled down in a frown. "So the Somerset woman had a beef with Jenny?"

She forced her voice to work. "Anna was obsessed with Cain. She just wanted me out of the way."

"We think she was paying Troy—in more ways than one—to cause Jenny trouble. Last night was the culmination of other events."

"Looks like I need to be talking to the Phoenix Police," Chief Nolan said.

"It's all speculation at this point," Cain reminded them.

"If you're right," said the chief, "this could all be wrapped up in a very neat bundle. The arsonist is dead, and the woman who paid him is going to prison for murder."

A long pause ensued.

"I'll need a statement from both of you." Chief Nolan stood, along with Captain Kendall.

Cain rose to join them. "We gave you our official statement before we left last night. As I said, what we told you today is purely speculation."

"Fair enough," Nolan agreed. "Once we get things pinned down, I'll come back and we can talk."

"I'm sure we'll have follow-up questions," Captain Kendall said. "I hope you'll both stay close for a while."

Cain glanced down at Jenny, his eyes locked with hers. "We won't be more than an hour away."

The pressure in Jenny's chest eased. Sedona , she thought. She wanted to smile, but it was too soon.

Cain accompanied their visitors to the door and closed it behind them. He turned and walked back to her, pulled her into his arms.

"It's over, baby. That portion of our lives ended this morning. There are loose ends we'll have to tie up, problems we'll have to deal with, but we'll handle them. Today we're starting a new life together." He bent his head and very thoroughly kissed her. She was clutching his shoulders, her insides melting, by the time he was done.

"This morning, I called the Enchantment Resort in Sedona and made a reservation. Starting tomorrow, we'll hole up in one of their bungalows for a couple of days, enjoy the spectacular red-rock scenery, and do nothing but relax. We'll eat fabulous food and do some shopping. When we come back, we'll be ready to tackle whatever comes next."

He brushed a kiss over her lips. "Okay?" he asked.

There were a hundred reasons she should say no. She should be thinking of the Star, trying to put things in order, make sure her people were all right.

She opened her mouth and said, "Okay."

The breath she hadn't realized Cain had been holding whispered out.

"Okay, then. There are things we have to take care of today, but we can handle that. Your stuff is all gone, but you have a few clothes here you can wear. We'll get you some new things in Sedona."

She thought about the fire, the death and destruction, and it all seemed so daunting.

Cain caught her chin with his fingers. "You won't be doing this alone. We'll take things one at a time. Today, we'll talk to your people, take care of them. Tomorrow, we go to Sedona and take care of ourselves. When we get back, we'll handle whatever comes next."

She thought of how he was always there for her, and her eyes filled.

"Dammit, don't cry. I feel bad enough about all this as it is. Everything that's happened to you has in one way or another been my fault."

"No . . ."

"Yes. But being a prospector, I learned one thing. A man's bad luck can't last forever. Change my luck, Jenny. Will you marry me?"

The tears in her eyes trembled onto her cheeks. "Oh, Cain. Of course, I'll marry you. I love you so much." She gave him a smile that widened into a grin. "But you have to ask me again in Sedona."

Cain laughed out loud. He pulled her close and kissed her. "Deal," he said.