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When Chase attended City Council meetings, he sometimes appreciated the sessions, got to give input, and was satisfied with the result. Sometimes, Vanessa Jordan drove him nuts. Perhaps their friendly truce of a few days earlier would soften the latter this morning.

He sat back in the leather chair, one of fourteen at the conference table. She was backdropped by the arched, Palladian windows of city hall and the lights above sparkled off the blond in her hair.

He watched her tell yet another council member she was against his proposal. “I’m afraid I can’t approve the activity center, Lawrence. Our budget is tight this year.”

The center was needed for the increasing teenage population in the town of Rockford.

“I don’t understand why. The property was donated. So there won’t be any cost for the three fields we want.” Lawrence Cook was the director of Parks and Recreation for the city. He’d fully embraced FAN, the Family Assistance Network the fire department had started. He often worked closely with Reed Macauley and Delaney Shaw, the people who’d spearheaded the program. “Madam Mayor, the cost is miniscule compared to what we’d have to pay for the land.”

“We have other parks. I’m afraid a swimming pool that size, the pavilions and a carousel are still too expensive for next year’s budget.” Which would be voted on by the community in June.

Cook’s jaw tightened and the tension in the room spiked, as it usually did when she denied a request. “Kids need a central place with an updated teen center, a new pool and a bigger, safer merry-go-round. Everybody’s taking their mental health seriously, these days, like the fire department. Everybody but you, Madam Mayor.”

Her hands curled on the tabletop. Chase was glad she was trying to control herself. “True, I voted against FAN. But I accepted the program when overridden by a majority of votes. And I’ve complimented the fire department on what they do for families many times.”

The vote on FAN had been close, though, because she held forty percent of the power. But it passed by a slim margin. The last mayor had that kind of control, too, but he’d been more in sync with the fire department. To give her credit, she was brought on for her fiscal responsibility platform.

“Would you like to take the tally on his proposal now?” she asked, glancing at the officials with voting privileges. Out of the ten city council members, she’d only need two to swing her way.

“Mumbles of assent.

The vote came out sixty/forty in defeat of the proposal. When the meeting ended, Lawrence stood abruptly, slapped his files on the table, yanked on his coat and strode out.

Chase caught up with him in the hallway. “Sorry about this, Lawrence. I wish we’d gotten the new activity center.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “She’s a bitch.”

“She has different opinions than some of us.” As soon as he said that, he realized he was defending the mayor.

“She slashes every goddamned thing.”

“Maybe you should talk to her.” Instead of cursing her behind her back. In public. He could still see the vulnerable woman she’d been the night her parents were hurt.

“Yeah, sorry. She gets under my skin.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I heard around town that she was being considered for a state senate seat. Man, I wished she’d get it.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Chase glanced across the room, and saw her talking to Dawson Billings, a hotshot businessman who’d also been invited to meetings and given him a hard time on the brownouts. Hmm. The guy stood pretty close, touched her arm. Holy cow, did the mayor have a boyfriend? Not that people their age shouldn’t date. Chase had been seeing a woman on and off for a couple of years, though his grandkids had pretty much ended that relationship.

But when Vanessa noticed Chase talking to Cook, she approached them. “Lawrence, would you like a private meeting with me today?”

He was clearly taken aback. “Why?”

“I meant what I said about our budget. But I researched some grant money that might be available. We could afford to spend some funds on your project, and if you could get grants, we might be able to swing the whole thing.”

Now that was progress and real outreach on her part.

“Our city shouldn’t depend on grants and fund raisers to provide for our kids.”

Her face closed down. And her spine stiffened. “Fine.” When Cook stormed away, she stayed remote and said to Chase, “Are you ready for the next meeting?”

He checked his watch. “Yeah, the three groups from Truck 8 should all be there in ten minutes.” Most of the town officials were housed at city hall. His office was a couple of floors up from hers. “Would you like to ride over with me?”

“No. I’ll take my car.”

“What happened to our truce?”

“I’m trying to soften my attitude toward you and the others. But I don’t want to appear to favor the fire department.”

He practically snorted. “No worries on that one, Madam Mayor.” He didn’t need her attitude, either. “I’ll see you at the firehouse.”

Not knowing exactly why she pissed him off with the refusal to go in his car—they were both coming back here—he tried to blank his mind of the woman as he drove down the street. Instead, he thought about his granddaughter Kassie. She’d been sad this morning, and he didn’t know why. Her parent/teen journal entry from last night had said, “I DON’T WANT TO TALK TONIGHT.”

One step forward, one back. Delaney Shaw, who’d had frequent counseling sessions with Kassie the past seven months, had suggested this method of communication. The teen would write in the notebook at night about how she was feeling and in the morning, the parent would read it and respond. The theory was that sometimes children couldn’t vocalize their state of mind face-to-face, but could put their thoughts down on paper. It had opened dialogue between Chase and Kassie. Not this morning, though. And he was worried about how troubled she was. He’d already lost his son, he couldn’t... He cut off that thought, too. He’d have to work harder with her.

He arrived at Truck 8 before the mayor did. He liked this small, compact firehouse that had a lot of open spaces, and was comfortable and unassuming. When he entered the hallway, he was hit by the strong scent of dough and coffee. In the kitchen, he found all shifts present. The captain of the house, Patrick Green, nodded. “Hey, Chief. Want coffee?”

“I can get it. Thanks, Pat.”

Chase poured himself a mugful and sat. From the end of the table, Joe Santori waved. “Thanks for the pastries. It kinda takes the sting out.”

“Like hell.” Bull Warren fisted his hand on the table. “This is fucking stupid.”

Chase raised a brow at the craggy-faced man with shoulders like a boxer, though he knew none of the guys were happy about what would probably turn into an interrogation.

The cap said, “Careful, Warren. Our mayor called a meeting and we need to be respectful.”

As if on cue, Vanessa entered the room. “Good morning, everyone.” He’d noticed earlier that she was all buttoned up tight today in a sage green suit. Then and now, he refused to notice what the color did to her eyes. And she wore black heels.

That, on anybody else, he’d find sexy. As soon as he had the thought, he banished it.

Chase stood. “Can I get you coffee?”

“No thanks.”

A place was left for her at the head of the long rectangular table. He got up and walked over, and when she reached the open spot, he pulled out the chair. She frowned but sat, facing the group. From Chase’s viewpoint, they looked like a bunch of pissed-off gangsters.

“First, I know my questions might be hard for you today, so let me say that you’ve done a good job installing alarms outside of bedrooms and on all levels of elders’ homes.” Building codes now required the additions on all new construction, but the fire department had made sure the older structures had the alarms as well.

Several firefighters listened to her acknowledgment without responding. This wasn’t going to be easy for them or the mayor.

“It’s the testing of the alarms every month and replacing batteries over ten years old that I’m concerned about. Some follow-up is needed now.

“In case you don’t know, my parents were gravely injured in the fire that broke out at their home. I’m here to review how this station house instituted these protocols every month.”

Captain Green handed her a clipboard, which usually hung prominently in the office. “As you’ll see, Ms. Jordan, there’s a thorough record for the last six months. This month is on top.”

She scanned the list. “Firefighter Warren was the last to check the devices.” She looked up and Bull raised his hand. “It says here you checked them at ten o’clock on April 13th. Who else was with you?”

Warren gave her the stink eye. “We have to take everybody in the truck when we do this.”

An odd response, Chase thought. His mother would have said, his answer was a suspicious rattle from a snake.

“I’m aware of that practice. Who went inside with you?”

He lifted a beefy chin. “Nobody.”

Frowning at Warren, she cocked her head. “I thought we decided you’d go in twos.”

“I went alone.”

A deeper frown, marring her brow. “Which of you is his officer?”

Green leaned forward. “I am.”

“You allowed him to break with protocol?”

The captain seemed torn, signaling he didn’t like what he was about to confess. “I was off for a funeral that day. We had a substitute officer who might not have known our drill.”

“Who took your place?”

“Um, Lt. Dylan O’Roarke.”

She removed a pad from her bag and scribbled on it.

Warren’s face flushed and his big hands fisted. “I checked the damn things. They all worked.”

“Warren, watch your mouth.” This from Chase.

Vanessa gave Chase a warning look. Don’t protect me, it signaled. She focused in on the surly firefighter. “I realize checking the alarms that frequently for fifteen percent of the population is a lot of work. But by my count, those alarms have already saved three people’s lives and probably kept a lot more from being injured.” She checked the clipboard again. “So, Firefighter Grant. You were on the month before Firefighter Warren. Were the alarms working then?”

Joe said, “Yes, ma’am, they were. I went inside with her.”

And so it went, back a few months, until the meeting finally ended. “Thank you all for coming in.” Those off shift had gotten overtime so it wasn’t much of an imposition. And the line guys were taken out of service for an hour.

They filed out.

As he passed her, Trevor Tully said, “Goodbye, Mizz Mayor. Great meeting you.”

A few more nodded to her, but out of the fifteen guys, half ignored her. The disrespectful conduct would have to be addressed.

When everyone had exited, Chase once again crossed to her. “I’ll walk you out, Mayor Jordan. I want a word with you.”

Not seeming flustered at all, she said, “Fine.”

They left the firehouse, her in front of him. When they reached her car—déjà vu of the night she morphed into the real person she hadn’t been just now—she turned to him. Those green eyes were startling in the sunlight. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“Two things. First, how are your parents? I know they were scheduled to go home today.”

She bristled. “How do you know that? The hospital isn’t supposed to give out information, even to you.”

“Holly told Santori.”

“When would she see him to do that?”

“Apparently, they live next door to each other.”

“Ah.” She averted her gaze. Now she was flustered. “I’ve never seen her place.”

“Do you want to?”

“Of course.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“No, I can’t bear the rejection.”

Placing his hand on her arm, he said, “Vanessa, you have to tell her what you want from her.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I have a fourteen-year-old living in my house. I’ve been tryin’ like the dickens for nine months to communicate with her.”

“Is it working?”

“Well, she doesn’t dress in all black anymore, lips and fingernails included.”

Her smile wasn’t forced.

“Maybe we can talk sometime about the methods I use. I got them all from Delaney Shaw.”

 “I’ve heard of her. The miracle worker with firefighters' kids.” She shrugged. “Maybe.” She lifted her chin. “You said two things. What else?”

Chase jammed his hands in the trousers of his fire department uniform. “I apologize for the firefighters in there who were rude to you.”

“You don’t have to protect me from them, Chief. I can hold my own.”

“What do you mean?”

“Correcting Warren’s language. Standing when I come in. Holding out my chair.”

“I’m showing respect.”

“It makes me seem weak.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“You know, Vanessa, if you were a little more real with them, like you’ve shown me you could be, you might make more headway.”

With that, he turned and strode away from her. Kassie wasn’t the only one making three steps forward and two backward.

Thinking of Chase’s advice about telling Holly what she wanted from her, Vanessa showed up at the condo at four p.m. She still had work to do today, but she came as soon as she thought her daughter would be out of school.

Holly greeted her in the doorway, still wearing her pink canvas jacket. “Mom, this a surprise. I just got home.”

“I hope I’m not rushing you. I wanted to get this to you before you started dinner.” She held up two shopping bags from Casa Italiano, a favorite restaurant in Rockford.

Holly sniffed. “Smells delicious.”

“I thought I’d bring dinner.”

Holly’s eyes widened. She didn’t want Vanessa here.

“Oh, I won’t stay. This is for you and my parents. They used to love Italian food. It should be enough for a couple of nights’ worth of meals.”

Holly’s face softened and she looked at Vanessa like she used to. “I’d love to have you share the dinner with us Mom, but Grandpa...”

“I know he doesn’t want to spend time with me.”

“But I do. Come in for a visit at least.”

“I’d love that.”

As Holly took off and hung up her coat, Vanessa entered the condo. Her heart sank at the notion this was the first time she’d been here. “This is very nice,” she said, gesturing to the foyer which flowed into a large living room. All had high ceilings. “I like the light wood.”

The pieces she’d chosen for the living room—two padded mission chairs, a large screen TV and exquisite tapestry couch and loveseat—were similar to the contents of the house she’d grown up in.

“And the space flows so well.”

“Yeah, that was a selling point. The dining room is part of the kitchen and overlooks the living room so there’s no wasted area.” She nodded to the bags. “Let me take one.”

The cooking area was a small galley kitchen, perfect for a single woman. They unpacked the food together. Suddenly, Vanessa was hit by a memory...

Mommy, can I go grocery shopping with you tonight... Mom, I can unpack bags, too... Teach me to cook, please.

But the good memories were ambushed by the fact that once Vanessa started climbing the political ladder in Rockford, she’d sometimes said no to those things. She could do them faster by herself.

“Shall we leave out a dish or two for tonight?” her daughter asked, pulling Vanessa from the thoughts. “Grandma and Grandpa like to eat early.”

“Yes, of course.”

After choosing gnocchi with vodka sauce and sides of meatballs, they placed the rest in the fridge and Holly turned to her. “Would you like some coffee? I usually have a cup when I get home.”

Oh, God. They hadn’t done anything like this in five years. Vanessa knew it was a small thing, but it mattered so much to her. “O-of course.”

They sat with the kind of peanut butter/chocolate kiss cookies Vanessa used to make with Holly when she was little, chit-chatting about the house like a normal mother and daughter. But after a while, they heard from the doorway, “What are you doing here?”

Her father’s booming voice interrupted, ended, maybe ruined all that.

The next day, Dylan O’Roarke opened the door to his cabin in the woods more harried than Chase had ever seen him. Even in the midst of a rolling fire, he was calmer than this.

“Everything okay? Chase asked.

“Are you kidding? Only thirty-six hours alone with the Holy Terror and I’m about to collapse.”

Chase tried to hide a smile. “Beth’s away, you said on the phone.”

“Yeah, and he knows it. He’s bein’ bad on purpose.”

Chase sighed. “My son did that when I had to be away.” Of course, Chase has been his primary caregiver.

“Hell, I’m keeping you outside. Come on in. He’s asleep now but that never lasts long.”

Chase entered the cabin. He’d thought overnight about questioning one of his men, and decided Dylan could take it. He sat on the comfortable light brown couch across from a recliner where O’Roarke dropped down. This place, with its log walls and rustic furnishings, had always been beautiful, but now the rooms had Beth’s stamp on them. Except of course for the toys strewn all over and what might be a dirty diaper on an end table. “I won’t keep you.”

“Please, keep me.”

“I have something to ask you. I want you to know I’m not accusing you of anything.” Best to get right to the point. “Do you remember the fire that happened on April 15^th?”

His dark brows furrowed. “Yeah, sure. The mayor’s parents were hurt. How are they?”

“They’re out of the hospital. Staying with their granddaughter.”

“Does this involve me, Chief?”

“The last time the fire alarms in that house were checked, you were subbing as the officer for Truck 8.”

“Oh, yeah. Pat Green had an emergency. The truck went on Elder Patrol.”

“Elder Patrol?”

“That’s what the guys call these check-ins.” His eyes widened. “We went to check the alarm at the Jordans and another home. But just as we arrived at the Jordans’, the truck got a flat tire.”

“Did you go in with the man who checked the alarm?”

“No. We needed three of us to change the tire. And it had to be done right away, because our appointment for the next house was in a half hour.”

“You’re aware two people are supposed to go in.”

He raked a hand through his unruly hair. It seemed like it hadn’t been washed in a while. “I am, Chief. I screwed up.”

“But Warren went inside.”

“Of course. I asked about the alarms once the tire was fixed. He said he checked all three. But I should’ve sent someone with him. It wouldn’t have taken that long.”

“As your chief, I’m telling you yes, you should have. As a firefighter, I understand the circumstances. I probably would have done the same thing.”

“You can put a reprimand in my folder. I won’t hold it against you.”

O’Roarke was one of the good guys. He had a checkered past in firefighting, but that was years ago. “You haven’t had any reprimands since you got together with Beth, have you?”

A grin the size of Texas spread across his face. “Nope. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I’m happy for you, Dylan.”

A screech came from down the hall. “Dad-dy.”

Dylan leaned back into the cushion and briefly closed his eyes. “My master calls.” He started to get up.

Chase felt sorry for the guy and stood, too. “Now I’ll talk to you as a father. Why don’t you take a few hours off? I’m done for the day, and could take Timmy to my house. The girls would love it.”

“Are you serious?”

He sounded so desperate, Chase laughed. “Yeah, Dad, I’m serious.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Pretending offense, Chase stepped and held up his palm. “No hugs, O’Roarke. Now get out of sight before I get the kid up. If he doesn’t see you, it’ll be better.”

“There’s a diaper bag on his changing table. I keep it stocked.”

“All right. Now go.”

“Okay. I’m gone. To my bedroom. To nap.”

Maybe it was because Vanessa was tired. Or that she’d called to see her parents at lunchtime, and her father, who answered the phone, snapped out that her mother was sound asleep and not to come. But for whatever reason, Dawson Billings was getting on her nerves tonight.

“You seem disturbed. Isn’t the fish done to your taste?” he asked from across his dining room table. He lived in a modern glass and chrome house in the most upscale part of Rockford, Brighton.

“It’s done perfectly.” She sipped the expensive merlot. “I’m still catching up from the fire.”

“Ah. Any news on the cause?”

“Some. The fire alarms were all destroyed, so we can’t inspect them here. They’re being sent to a special lab in Syracuse, but they’re pretty well incinerated. We should know if they find anything in a couple of days. It’s a mystery why they didn’t work, since the firefighters swear they checked the alarms not long before.”

“It’s possible your parents didn’t hear them go off.”

“I suppose. But older people don’t tend to sleep that soundly.”

“Maybe they took a sleeping pill.”

Now that was possible. Vanessa wasn’t privy to the more private things in her parents’ lives. Holly probably knew. She’d ask her.

“And their house?”

“Uninhabitable. They’re staying with Holly now.” She shook off the notion. “Let’s table this topic.”

He chuckled. “Any blowback from Parks and Recreation? People are still laughing about how you busted Cook’s balls at the council meeting last week.”

Chase would never have used the vernacular like that, though she wasn’t offended by it. So why did she even have the thought?

“I was doing what I was brought on for, Dawson. Keeping a tight rein on the budget. I wasn’t out to get Larry or his department.”

“I’ll bet he didn’t think so.”

“Actually, he did. He called me after the meeting and said he’d like to go over those grants I suggested.”

“Huh. Somebody must have set him straight.”

Chase? He’d been with Lawrence when she approached them.

To change the subject again, she asked, “How are your kids? Grandkids? I love hearing about them.”

“My daughter called on her regular night. Her husband might be transferred to Syracuse, which would mean I’d get to see her more.”

“What about her job?”

“It’s ancillary to his. Not all women want careers, Vanessa.”

Was that a knock against her life style? No, she was being overly sensitive.

When they finished, she stood and reached for the plate. “I’ll clean up.”

“Nonsense. We’ll put our dishes in the sink, and when Maria comes in the morning, she can do it.”

Maria was his housekeeper. She came every day, which seemed overkill, but Dawson was a perfectionist. She also took care of his clothing, did errands. She’d cooked this meal and left it for them. To his credit, he paid her phenomenally, especially since she could leave whenever she finished and didn’t have restricted hours.

When the dishes were cleared, he grasped her elbow. “Come into the living room for a drink.”

She glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner of dining room. “It’s late, and I need to catch up on some sleep.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I am.” Sometimes she stayed overnight. They had a satisfying sexual relationship with no strings attached, which was the way she wanted it.

Dawson gave her a disapproving look. She ignored his displeasure and left soon after. Once in the car, she took out her phone and checked her messages. There were six emails, which she’d take care of later. Eight texts. And two phone calls. She’d deal with them later, too, she thought, until she saw one at the bottom from Chase Talbot. Sitting in the car, she pressed voice mail.

“Hello, Vanessa. I’d like an update on your parents’ health, and I’d also want to meet soon to discuss where we go from here on the investigation. Bob Zeleny said he’d have something for us by Sunday night. Are you free for dinner then?”

Dinner, hmm. But she needed to consult the fire marshal and had planned to call him after he’d had time to determine the facts.

Vanessa put away her phone. As she backed out of Dawson’s long, winding driveway, she thought about Chase.

He was a genuinely nice guy.

She respected his taking on two girls at his age.

At his age? He looked great at fifty. She noticed how well he’d aged.

He seemed to be a competent fire chief, though she thought he was too lax with his men and women. But he made it a point to hire a lot of female firefighters for the department.

She was halfway home before she realized she was enumerating his good points. Hell. She had to keep her guard up against all the men in power in Rockford or they’d eat her alive. With that in mind, she drove the rest of the way thinking about other things.