Page 38 of Lethal Game

"He has to be connected to your father."

She shook her head. "Just because my dad isn't here doesn't mean he's working with a terrorist."

"Hang on a second."

She frowned when he left the room. He came back a moment later with a laptop computer and set it on the island. "What are you doing?"

"I'm pulling up my email. The devices in this house go through an encrypted server. I want to show you something." He hit a few more keys, then turned the computer around to face her.

It took her a second to realize she was looking at a video taken across the street from her parents' house.

"This is footage from a doorbell camera on your parents' block."

"When was this taken?"

"A few hours before the fire started. Do you recognize the man coming out of the house with suitcases?"

With each passing frame, unease churned in her stomach, tightening into a knot.

"Alisa," Jason said, forcing her gaze to meet his. "Who is that man?"

"That's my father." She took a deep breath as anxiety ran through her. "I think I'm going to need a drink."

CHAPTER NINE

Seeing the distress in Alisa's big brown eyes, Jason turned the computer back around and closed the lid. "I could use a drink, too. Let's go to the other room."

Alisa nodded and followed him into the other room. As she sat down on the big comfortable couch in the living room, he set the computer on the dining room table and then moved over to the bar. "What would you like? Wine, whiskey, tequila?"

"I'll take red wine if it's there."

He opened a bottle of wine, poured two glasses, and then took them into the living room. He sat down on the couch next to her and handed her a glass.

She took a long sip, then set her glass on the coffee table and slipped off her shoes. Getting more comfortable, she tucked her legs up under her and picked up her glass again.

"So, what do you think your father was doing at the house?" he asked.

"It looked like he was taking suitcases and putting them in his car for his trip."

"You said he left Tuesday. The video is from early this morning. He was still in town last night when you were attacked."

She stared back at him with a troubled gaze. "Maybe he left, came back, then left again."

"Why would he do that? And he didn't just take out one suitcase, he took several other items. I think he knew the house was going up in flames."

Her brows raised in surprise. "What? Why would you think that? The fire happened hours later."

"The fire started in two places. The initial report from the fire department was that there were probably at least two incendiary devices that triggered the fire. It's possible your father started the fire by either setting the devices before he left or triggering them with a remote."

"Why would he burn down his own house? That doesn't make sense, Jason."

"If he was responsible for the toxins that made your mother sick, he might have wanted to hide his tracks."

She started shaking her head before he could finish his sentence. "No. He would never hurt my mother. Never. He adores her."

"I understand you want your father to be a good guy."

"He is a good guy," she said fiercely. "You're making assumptions, but you don't have evidence that he did anything except take some things out of the house. You don't know him, but I do. He's been in my life for twenty-eight years, and he's been an amazing father. I don't have any reason not to believe in him. He's always been a great person. You can ask anyone who knows him. Every year, he's voted the most popular teacher in the school. He's not evil. He's not a killer."