Page 150 of Not Quite Dead Yet

She just needed the name. ‘Who?!’

The chief dipped his head. ‘I can’t give you the name, but they aren’t a suspect. It was someone who got an alert when the alarm was triggered, went to the scene to investigate. Saw your truck outside and knew it was important to get a photo.’

Jet shook her head. ‘What are you talking about? Got an alert from … do you mean my dad?’

The chief didn’t answer, didn’t move.

That was answer enough, Jet’s mind ticking, turning over, working around the ache.

‘No.’ She sniffed. ‘You mean Luke, don’t you? Luke was at the scene before the fire department?’

‘The witness saw your truck outside at 11:22 p.m. after the fire started, and took a photo because –’

‘– It was Luke.’ Jet almost laughed, the sound hollow in her chest. ‘The alarm went off at 11:17 and Luke told you he got all the way over to Mason Construction from his house in five minutes to take that photo? Bullshit. He was already there.’

And there was only one reason Luke could have been there already, the last piece sliding into place, held together with metal screws and wire mesh, like the rest of Jet’s head.

‘Luke handed this photo in to you, did he?’ Jet asked, showing half her teeth, a one-sided grimace. ‘Must have felt real guilty about that, handing you a piece of evidence that pointed to his little sister. What a helpful littlewitness.’

The rage dripped down her spine to her gut, caught fire. Jet kicked out, feet catching the table leg, a growl at the back of her throat.

Jack flinched, picked his hands up from the table as it shuddered.

‘That fucker,’ Jet hissed. ‘It was him. Luke set the fire. And he’s trying to fucking pin it on me.’

And the other thing Jet couldn’t say. That Luke saw her truck, must have known Jet was inside when he doused the place with gas and set it on fire. Her brother tried to kill her, or didn’t care if she burned to death with the building. And now he’d gotten her arrested, when he knew she had no time left. That was almost worse. Jet was going to kill him.

‘Jet,’ Jack said, voice firm but calm, ‘I know this is a stressful situation for you –’

‘– Oh, you think?’

‘But we need you to tell us what you were doing there.’

What was she doing there? She couldn’t tell them the truth – that she was the one who’d taped up the security cameras, that had disabled the alarm. How would that look? Think. Think.

‘You know the code to the gate and the key safe,’ the chief said, hardening his gaze, moving in for the kill. ‘That’s how you got in.’

‘Don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘You put tape on the cameras, so they wouldn’t record you being there.’

True, but not to fucking burn it down.

‘Someone taped the cameras?’ Jet asked.

‘You knew the code to disable the security alarm.’

‘Are you asking a question or …?’

‘It’ll be easier if you just confess,’ the chief said.

‘Will it?’ She shifted, handcuffs rattling.

‘Is that a burn on your hand?’ The chief pointed to it.

‘I did that cooking.’

‘What did you cook?’