Trial by Fire by J. A. Jance Read Free Book Online Page B

three-thirty. Once there, she changed into jeans and headed to the library for another session of hitting the books. When it was time for dinner, she ventured into the kitchen. In the fridge she discovered the artfully arranged plate of Caprese salad Leland had left her. The sliced tomatoes were plump and fresh, the mozzarella smooth and creamy, and the fresh basil delightfully tart, especially once they were doused with a generous helping of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Ali wasn’t sure where in Sedona Leland Brooks managed to find such wonderful produce, but he did so day after day and week after week. For that Ali was incredibly grateful.
    She had settled back in for what she had anticipated to be a long, quiet evening of reading. When her phone rang at nine, she thought it might be Chris or Athena, but caller ID said Restricted. That meant it was more likely to be an aluminum siding salesman.
    “Ms. Reynolds?”
    “Yes.”
    “This is Frances Lawless with Yavapai County Dispatch.”
    Ali felt her heartbeat quicken.
    “There’s a serious house fire burning just south of Camp Verde. Fire crews and deputies have been dispatched to the scene, but Sheriff Maxwell said you should be summoned as well.”
    “Yes, of course,” Ali said. She was already kicking off herslippers and shedding her jeans. On her first media relations on-camera appearance, she couldn’t risk showing up looking Friday casual.
    “Do you need directions?” Frances was asking.
    “Just give me the address,” Ali said. “The GPS should be able to find it.”
    “Probably not,” Frances replied. “Verde View Estates is a new development. The fire hydrants aren’t hooked up yet. They’re having to truck water to the fires in Camp Verde’s old pumpers.”
    Fires, Ali thought. As in more than one. “Directions then, please,” she said aloud.
    “Take the General Crook exit,” Frances said. “Cross under the freeway, then turn north on the frontage road.”
    “Got it,” Ali said. “General Crook exit, north on the frontage road.”
    Her Kevlar vest was now an essential piece of daily attire. She needed to be safe, but she also needed clothing that made her look businesslike. Finding blouses and blazers that worked with the vest was a challenge.
    As Ali dressed, she noticed her hands were shaking. She wasn’t sure if that was from fear or stage fright or a combination of the two, but it made buttoning the last button on her blouse particularly challenging. She grabbed a navy blue pantsuit out of her closet, remembering Aunt Evie’s advice as she did so.
    “You have to dress the part,” her always fashionably dressed aunt Evelyn had often told her niece. “You only have one chance to make a good first impression.”
    Expecting uneven footing, Ali opted for penny loafers instead of heels. Then she spent a few seconds in her bathroomretouching her makeup. On her way out of the bedroom she paused for a quick examination of her reflection in front of a full-length mirror.
    Maybe not ready for prime time in L.A., she told herself critically, but good enough for late-night Yavapai County.
    Out in the garage, she stuck the blue emergency bubble light on top of the Cayenne and headed out. Even with the flashing light encouraging other drivers to get out of the way, it seemed to take forever to get through the construction zone and out to I-17.
    Driving south, Ali caught sight of the fire from several miles away across the Verde Valley. At first glance it appeared as little more than a pinprick of light, but as she came closer, that one pinprick became two separate ones. Both blazes roared skyward, and surrounding them on all sides were the flashing lights from clots of emergency vehicles. Clouds of smoke, dotted with flaming embers, billowed skyward as well. It was dark, but as Ali approached, she noticed that the once black smoke was now a lighter smudge against a much darker sky. She knew enough about fires to understand that if the color of