City of the Lost (Casey Duncan #1)(96)

Dalton leans toward me, voice lowered. “You okay?”

I nod. “Some smoke inhalation and—”

“Not what I mean. And a f*cking stupid question anyway, isn’t it? You’re not going to be okay, either way this played out.”

“Boss?” It’s Anders.

Dalton pulls back fast. He’d been leaning in to be heard over the chaos. It wasn’t as if everyone was standing around watching the lumber shed burn. A dozen men and women were fighting the fire with buckets of water and blankets.

“Eric?” Anders says, and we both push to our feet. “Mick’s gone, like you thought. Someone should tell Isabel before she—”

At that very second, Isabel comes running around the building.

“Shit,” Anders says, then, “I’ll handle this.”

He takes off to intercept her. Someone shouts for Dalton, and he looks over, squinting through the haze. His gaze follows the man’s finger up to the roof, where flame has broken through … a scant few feet from the next building.

“Goddamn it!” Dalton starts running toward the others. “Sam! Kenny! Get everyone you can find. Tell them to bring all the water they can carry.”

I jog up behind him. “Give me a job.”

He looks me up and down, assessing damage, and then nods. “The building two doors down has more fire blankets. Grab two guys and bring all of them.”

I nod and take off.





Six



As soon as the fire is under control, Dalton tries to send me to check on Diana. I pretend not to hear and keep hauling water. When the blaze is finally out, he says, “Get your ass over to the infirmary, Butler. If you don’t want to admit you’re worried about her, then I’m your boss ordering you to make sure a suspect is secured.”

We’re alone when he says that. No one else knows we’d found Diana with the murder weapon and accelerant.

“Sure as f*ck don’t need that,” he said earlier. “Got enough problems without worrying someone’ll try to lynch her.”

I could say he was being colourful, but Rockton has taught me that you can’t underestimate the speed with which we humans can undo a thousand years of civilization. We aren’t nearly at Lord of the Flies level inside the town limits, but if you walk a mile into the wilderness, you’ll find Golding’s world come to life.

The changes that come with living this way are not all a regression, though, and I see proof of that tonight. Everyone pitches in, whether it’s helping with the fire or bringing wash basins and cold drinks and fresh clothes for those fighting the fire.

As for Diana, she’s been taken home and sedated. I pop my head in, but she’s unconscious. Beth’s busy at the clinic treating burns and smoke inhalation, and I’m not going to interrupt her to ask about Diana’s condition. So I head out to find Dalton. When I hear that Val has summoned him, I pick up my pace.

A lantern glows in Val’s house. Voices drift from a partly open window.

“—one resident dead, another half dead,” Val is saying.

“His name was Mick. Hers is Diana.”

“Don’t correct me.”

“I’m reminding you. I know how hard it is for you to remember people. Well, I’d say that you just don’t give a shit, but it’s been a f*cking horrible night, Val. Otherwise, I’d also complain about how you didn’t even leave your goddamn house, and that’s a conversation best left for a more respectable hour.”

“Five people are dead, sheriff, and—”

“Here, let me save us both some time. Five people are dead, and I’m a f*cking lousy sheriff because I haven’t stopped a killer.”

“We hired you a detective, and I don’t see that it’s made any difference.”

“Butler is doing just fine. Without her, you’d have had another body in that fire. I’m also not convinced tonight’s crime is connected to the others.”

“So your lack of progress is emboldening others—”

“It’s been two f*cking weeks, Val. Do you know how often we catch killers faster than that? Only when they’re standing beside the damned body, sobbing a confession. That’s pretty much the only sort of murders we get. This is different. Let us do our job—”

“The council is not pleased.”

“Fucking shock of the century. Tell them I don’t give a shit. Those exact words, please.” Footsteps as he heads for the door.

Val calls after him. “One building destroyed. Another damaged. Our entire stockpile of wood gone. Half our supply of water depleted.”

“Yeah, it’s called a fire. Which is why I’ve been telling the council for years that we need to be better prepared for one. If Casey and I hadn’t been there in time, we could have lost half the f*cking town. I’ll pass on the council’s thanks.”

More footfalls. He is heading to the rear door. I back up past the corner.

“Murder, drugs, fire—this town is a mess, Eric. If you can’t do the job—”

“The council will boot my ass out the front gate. Heard it. Not concerned. I’m the best damned sheriff you’ve had since this place opened. And yeah, that includes my father. Otherwise, the council would have hauled him back to deal with these murders. Good night, Valerie.”