Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(52)

“I’m so sorry about everything that’s happened to you.” Nathan’s voice interrupted Reed’s mental debate. The mayor was staring into Jayne’s eyes. Sincerity slid from the mayor like grease from a plate of bacon. How could he resist, though? Those eyes of hers could pull a man under, which was why Reed was avoiding all contact with them.

Irritation burned more than Reed’s throat. He needed information from Nathan. The sooner he got it, the sooner he could make a plan. “Doug said something about a press conference.”

Nathan nodded. “Five o’clock. In front of the municipal building.”

“Do you really think letting Doug talk to the press is a good idea?”

“I’ll handle the press conference. Doug will read a very short statement and answer any questions with ‘I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation.’ A state investigator is taking over the case anyway. Doug isn’t qualified to run this show.” Something flickered in the cool blue of Nathan’s eyes. “Don’t worry, Reed. Doug won’t be giving away any information.”

He knew something about Reed’s past. But how much?

Reed coughed as fresh tension gripped his throat. Nathan wasn’t the kind of man to trust with secrets.

Nathan rose from the opposite side of the table and walked back into the kitchen. When he returned, he held a tall glass of ice water in each hand.

“Thank you.” Jayne sipped her drink. Reed followed her gaze to the windows as she swallowed. No news vans yet. Outside the glass, firemen worked as the town rallied. People would stick together here. Natives were shy of tourists and newcomers, but once you were in, you were golden. If only Reed could be sure the town wouldn’t turn on him like the city of Atlanta. The backing of the community would help him make a stand.

He shouldn’t have hidden his identity all these years. The townspeople were sure to resent being lied to. Hugh had known all the details, and he’d supported Reed. But Hugh was dead. There was no one to stand behind Reed now.

Help wasn’t going to come from Doug; that was for sure.

“I’m going to clean out one of the back storage rooms for a temporary office for Doug.” Nathan was a control freak, so the idea of having Doug right here under his thumb would appeal to him.

The cool water soothed Reed’s throat. His coughing subsided but his gut still burned. “Any idea what started the fire?”

Nathan glanced at Jayne. “The fire chief thinks it may have been the space heater in Hugh’s office. He must’ve left the heater on by mistake. We had a power surge when the electricity came back on during the night. It’s speculation at this point, though. Nothing’s been substantiated except that Hugh’s office seems to be the point of origin. We’ll have to wait for a full report from the state arson investigators.” Nathan sighed and gave his head a sad shake. “I don’t know how many times I told Hugh that thing was a fire hazard.”

Reed didn’t comment. If Nathan had made sure Hugh’s office was adequately heated, there’d have been no need for Hugh to use a space heater at all. There was no point in saying it. Nathan’s conscience was coated in Teflon. Nothing ever stuck.

Could the fire have been an accident? Cops weren’t big believers in coincidence.

“One thing’s been buggin’ me, Nathan.” Ashen dryness rose in Reed’s throat and he took a swallow of water. “Hugh didn’t have his key in his hand when he was standing in front of the door. Why wouldn’t the office have been locked if Evan wasn’t in yet?”

Nathan’s eyes dropped to the table. He lowered his voice, although the diner was empty. “Who knows? I didn’t want to say anything before, but I think Hugh was starting to get forgetful.”

“Really?”

Nathan nodded emphatically. “Just little things, but he was getting up there. He’d been talking about retiring for the past year or so, but something was holding him back. Maybe he was afraid he’d be bored.”

“Hmmm. Never thought of Hugh as that old, but you could be right,” Reed said.

“It’s a shame he never got a chance to enjoy his golden years.”

“How’s Doris holding up?”

At the mention of Hugh’s wife, Nathan’s expression turned stony. Reed would bet Doris had had a few choice words for the mayor. “She’s a tough old bird. She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be hard to fill his shoes.”

Typical Nathan. Only worried about what affected him.

“You’re not seriously considering Doug, are you?” Reed gave Nathan a pointed stare, which the mayor avoided.

“Well, he’s the only candidate so far.”

Jayne opened her mouth. Under the table, Reed covered her hand with his and squeezed lightly. She took the hint but pulled her hand out from under his palm. Reed’s fingers twitched. He missed both the contact with Jayne’s smooth skin and the deeper connection with the courageous woman. But it was better to keep his distance. Really.

“I have some serious objections to the way he treated Jayne during the interview. He was downright rude, Nathan.” Reed paused before dropping the bomb. “It’d be a real shame if she sued the town.”

Nathan’s gaze shot to Jayne. She met his stare with pure blue ice. “You should stick around. The reporters are going to want to talk to you. You could be famous.”