Kenzie thought she saw Tara roll her eyes again as she looked at the truck, but she said nothing as the two ascended the stairs and entered the building.
Once inside, Kenzie saw the back of a young man talking to an officer behind the counter. He turned around upon hearing the two women approach, and Kenzie almost fell over. The guy was the most handsome one she'd seen in quite a while. And considering Twinbrook, this guy was quite a prize.
Instinctively, she reached up to check her hair, then bemoaned the fact that it was still up in the messy ponytail. Not to mention her clothes were bound to be dirty after her rummaging through ashes. Then she wondered why she even cared. So what if the guy had sandy-colored hair with deep brown eyes and the start of a beard? So what if it looked like he had nice muscles over his sandy-colored arm hair, with a tattoo peeking out of his right shirt sleeve? And so what that he smiled in such a nice way, she almost went week in the knees?
What was wrong with her?
"Haven't you gotten your payment yet?" Tara asked him, snapping Kenzie back to reality.
"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you," the guy replied in a deep, masculine voice. Kenzie felt her shyness take over. Suspects and criminals she could handle. Handsome guys? That was another story.
"Logan, I already told you, you can't look into these arsons," Tara was saying. "I don't care how many crime shows you watch on TV, they tend to be a lot different in real life."
Logan. His name was Logan. He looked like a Logan.
But Kenzie stopped trying to keep her jaw snapped shut when she heard what Tara said next:
"And you can't bring anyone in unless we have a bounty out on them. That's how it works. You have to bring in a named person, alive, to get paid for them. That's what being a bounty hunter means. Surely you haven't forgotten."
A bounty hunter. That just figured. He would be a bounty hunter. The one type of person Kenzie couldn't stand. The outcasts who don't officially work with the police but try to do their work for profit. Just her luck.
Not that she was interested at all. She didn't even know him! This was undoubtedly the same bounty hunter Tara had been discussing on her phone back at the house.
At that moment, Logan turned to face her and said, "Hey, I know you. You're that girl from Riverview, right? The detective?"
"Yeah, and you must be the bounty hunter I've heard so much about."
"Yeah, that's me. I just came in to get my payment for bringing in someone that didn't pay his bills. I was just trying to convince Tara here, again, that I can look into these arsons."
"What makes you think you can? You're not a detective, or a cop, or anything of the sort. What makes you think you can find something the professionals can't?"
Logan raised his eyebrows, but he was grinning. "Shame on me, how dare I think about doing something other than what I'm already doing!" He threw his hand to his chest dramatically. Kenzie rolled her eyes.
"All right," Tara said at last, "Logan, I get the picture. But we've got Kenzie here now to help us figure out what's going on behind these fires, and if anyone can figure it out, it's her."
Kenzie tried not to cringe. No pressure there. Sure, she was one of the best, but that didn't mean she could solve every single one of her cases.
"Well, maybe she needs a partner," Logan piped up. Before Kenzie could protest, she saw with dismay that Tara actually seemed to be considering that offer.
"Well, I guess that's different. But still, you're not a licensed detective..."
"Yeah," Kenzie cut in. "I don't think it would be legal for him to check out crime scenes and things unless he's licensed to do so."
"Nice try, but I checked it out," Logan said. "If I'm with someone who's licensed, and it's approved by the right people, I can do just that. Think of it as an internship."
"Why would you want to do that?" Kenzie wanted to know.
"Why not? Maybe I'd rather be a PI someday instead of a bounty hunter," Logan replied with a wink.
"You two come with me," Tara said before Kenzie could wonder what the heck was up with the wink. So she found herself following Tara back to her office, Logan behind her. She hoped her butt didn't look too big in her tight jeans. But again, why did she care?
When they arrived back at Tara's office, Tara sat behind her desk and Logan and Kenzie took the two seats in front of it. Kenzie was crossing her fingers that she wouldn't have to actually work with this guy. He was a bounty hunter, for crying out loud!
"All right," Tara began, "first of all, Logan, I'd have to first obtain and file the appropriate paperwork for you to do what you're suggesting. But you also have to realize you wouldn't be paid for that. It would be, like you said, basically an internship. Ms. Howell would be getting all the pay."
"I don't care about that," Logan replied. "I just get tired of chasing criminals around all the time. I want to try a different side of catching them."
"So why don't you get a job with the police instead?" Kenzie asked in what sounded, even to her own ears, like an icy tone.
"Because that takes college," Logan replied, "and an education is something I'm lacking right now. Not to mention the money it would cost to go."
"You could always go back. How old are you, anyway? It's not like you're too old to go back for a secondary education."
"How many 27-year-olds do you know that are still in school?"
Kenzie bit her lip. Logan had a point, but she'd heard of several people even older going back to school to further their careers. And 27? Logan was 27? She never would have guessed he was that old; he looked like he was her age.
But in his case, that wasn't a bad thing.
Before she could respond, however, Tara asked, "The most important factor here is catching the arsonist before more homes are lost, and eventually lives. Kenzie, like you said earlier, criminals can escalate. I'm worried that eventually people will start dying. I know you'll do your best, but Logan knows this town really well. He's lived here his whole life, he knows great places to stake out, and he knows most of the people here in town. I think it would be a good idea if you two worked together. We want to catch this crook as soon as possible."
Kenzie was sure her jaw hit the floor. A partner? Her? No way! She'd never worked with a partner, not in elementary school, not in high school, and certainly not in her job. She'd always preferred to work independently. She got more accomplished that way, and felt as though others held her back.
But from her tone and look of determination, it didn't look like Tara was offering her an option. And it was for the greater good. Kenzie wanted the arsonist caught as soon as possible too. And Tara was right; the arsonist could easily escalate to killing instead of just burning. And even the points she'd made about Logan were correct.
She could agree, but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"I suppose we can do that," she said at last.
"Great!" Tara exclaimed. "First, I'll have to get the paperwork ready for Logan, so I can okay it that he goes with you to crime scenes, to talk to suspects, the whole works. That shouldn't take longer than 24 hours. It's getting late now, so why don't you go check into the hotel while you wait?"
Kenzie looked at her watch and saw that it was nearing 7. She hadn't realized how much time she'd spent at the crime scene. And that was only one of the reported two. She only hoped there wouldn't be any more.
"That sounds good," she said as she stood up.
"I guess I better head back too," Logan said as he also stood. "Tara, call me when you've got the papers ready for me to sign."
"Will do. You guys have a good evening, and I'll see you later."
Kenzie headed for the door, but Logan beat her to it, actually holding it open for her. But surely he was just being a gentleman. Something to redeem his being a bounty hunter.
"So," he said as they walked toward the parking lot, "what should we do first, as soon as my paperwork comes through, partner?"
Kenzie turned to face him, jabbing her finger in his direction. "Let's get one thing straight. This partner thing wasn't my idea, and it certainly isn't my preference. I'm only agreeing to it because I want to catch this arsonist as fast as possible. I don't want any more houses to burn and I don't want anyone to die. If Tara hadn't suggested, and basically insisted upon, it, I never would have gone along with it."
Logan took a step back. "Whoa, chill. We barely even know each other and you're already mad at me. Geez. Here, why don't we properly introduce ourselves?"
Logan thrust his hand out. "Logan Hawkins."
Kenzie looked at the hand Logan held out for her to shake. It looked like a strong one, one that could easily take down criminals.
Then she realized she better stop staring at his hand like an idiot and shake it.
"Kenzie Howell," she said. She was right; Logan's grip was firm, yet gentle as he held her hand in his.
"Listen, I really want to help in any way I can," Logan said with what Kenzie almost mistook for sincerity. "This is my home town. I've lived here my whole life. I don't want to see anyone else lose their house. That's why I care so much about this and want to help."
"Did you know any of the people who lost their homes?"
"Oh yeah, one of them was an old high school buddy. He's got a wife and two kids now, and they all had to pack up and live in a shelter until their insurance pays for the damages. Of course, that's easier said than done, since it'll only pay for so much, and he only makes so much."
"You don't think they'll be able to go back to their house?"
"It's pretty doubtful. I don't make enough to help him out either, or I'll lose my place."
"And where's your place?"
"Plan on stalking me?"
Kenzie restrained a sigh. "No, it's just if I need to contact you, since we have to be partners now."
Logan laughed. "10 Poker Flats Drive. It's by one of the bridges. You can't miss it."
"Right. Well, I better get to the hotel and get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."
"We do?"
"Of course we do. We want to talk to the suspects before they leave for work, so we have to get up early."
Kenzie was teasing, of course. She wanted to see how miserable she could make this (albeit handsome) bounty hunter. Maybe after a while, he'd get fed up and she'd get to work on the case solo, like she'd hoped.
Logan replied, "And what do we do if the suspects work the night shift and just got home and want to go to bed? Or what if they're still asleep because they don't go in until the afternoon?"
Darn. She hadn't thought about that. This guy wasn't as intellectually deficient as she'd hoped he'd be.
"All right, fine. Tara didn't give me the addresses or contact information of the two suspects, and I'd like to talk to the victims tomorrow. Either way, we'll both need to get plenty of sleep. We won't miss anything if we're not tired."
"Fine, tell you what. Give me your cell number, and I'll give you mine, and just call me tomorrow when you're ready. I'll meet you at the hotel and we'll go interrogating."
With reluctance, Kenzie gave Logan her cell phone number, and she programmed his into her phone in return. At last, they departed, though Logan did tell her the best way to get to the hotel.
When Kenzie arrived at the hotel and checked in, she carried her suitcases in (thankfully this room was on the ground floor; she'd dreaded having to heave up the stairs in her new size 14 shape, since Twinbrook hotels were too small to have elevators) and looked around. The room was a typical hotel one; one double bed (though some rooms had two double beds), two night stands, a circular table with two chairs, a TV across from the bed above a dresser, and a small bathroom off to the side of an alcove to hang coats, which had extra counters and sinks. There was one window with long blinds in front of it. A floral pattern decorated the walls and bedspread, and neutral-colored carpet was on the floor.
The first thing Kenzie did was jump into the shower. She hadn't realized how grungy she felt after digging through charred remains all afternoon. She turned the water as hot as she could stand it, took down her hair, undressed, and climbed in. She let the water run through her hair for a long time, and took her time getting clean. It was a relief to wash all that dirt off of her.
Finally refreshed and clean, Kenzie put on her pajamas and dried her hair. She still couldn't believe she was stuck with a partner. Sure, there had been times when having a partner would have come in handy, like her near-death encounters with vampires and a gang, but still. She'd gotten out of those situations, hadn't she? She could take care of herself.
With a sigh of resignation, she finally accepted defeat, knowing she had no other choice, and turned in for the night.
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