Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

certain that with the doors open you can see completely through the house to the outside, front and back. Levi realized the arsonist was out there and went out to confront him.”
    “You didn’t call me right away, Blythe?” Again it was a reprimand.
    Quiet, but the man was very annoyed. “All of you could have been killed.”
    Blythe, usually composed, looked away, color staining her cheeks.
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    Rikki stirred beneath her blanket, her dark eyes going nearly black.
    “She would never go against my wishes. I was afraid to call you.” Her chin tilted. “I haven’t had much luck getting cops to believe me.”
    Jonas nodded. “I can understand that, Rikki. I found a few things in those reports that seemed to be overlooked. I was afraid this man would find you.”
    “You knew about all of this?” Hannah asked.
    He took her hand as he nodded. “Blythe told us about buying the farm with five other women and...” He shrugged.
    “You investigated them,” Hannah concluded.
    “Of course.” There was no apology.
    Lev liked him for that. He would have done the same thing. “What was overlooked?”
    Jonas brought Hannah’s hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before releasing her. “Timing for one thing. Her burns were severe in the first fire. She was hospitalized for weeks and then needed special care because she was so traumatized. She wasn’t anywhere near her houseboat when the fire consumed it and killed her fiance. There were several witnesses who saw her down at the harbor cleaning a boat.”
    Rikki pressed her hand against her mouth and rocked, speaking behind her trembling fingers. “I was late. It was the first time he’d ever been to my houseboat. I get focused on something and I don’t notice time passing.” She sounded distant, as if she was far away from them. “I should have been there. He was waiting for me. I didn’t realize what time it was until one of the divers asked me where he was. We usually cleaned the boat together, but he wanted to shop for food for dinner.” She looked at Jonas with shocked eyes. “I don’t cook.”
    Jonas nodded. “It’s all right, Rikki. I read everything carefully and made notes. I looked them over before I came, that’s why we didn’t get here right away. I think he searches for you and when he finds you, he plans out his fire and then takes action. It took him a while to find you after the first fire. You went from the hospital to a care-taker and then to a foster home.
    When he found you, he tried to kill you with the same method as before.
    You were able to alert the family. The couple as well as their son all said you’d saved their lives, but the investigators were suspicious because you were unable to answer their questions satisfactorily. There were a few gaps in your story.”
    A tremor ran through Rikki. Blythe stirred, but Jonas sent her a sharp look.
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    “I’m filling in the blanks with my own guesswork. You were traumatized after losing your parents. Being autistic and needing routine, another fire must have sent you spinning again. You probably were incapable of answering questions.”
    “They should have known that,” Blythe said in a low, angry tone.
    “I agree.” Jonas kept his eyes on Rikki, obviously judging her abilities to cope with his narration of her past.
    Rikki moistened her lips and swallowed hard. “I’m fine. I just want him caught.”
    “Again he lost track of you, and I suspect he was growing angry, and that he continued to start fires, although probably not so public ones. I had my brother-in-law check for me and there were several suspicious fires in the city where you grew up. Abandoned warehouses. An empty store. Two dilapidated houses, again empty. Several grass fires. I think he was practicing. Waiting for you and biding his time, keeping himself amused.”
    It made sense. Lev had had the same thoughts even without the information. Rikki’s stalker would never be truly happy without his mistress
    —fire. He would need her, and the need would grow like a craving for a drug until he couldn’t resist and he would succumb to temptation. The cycle would repeat itself over and over. If he had managed to kill Rikki, he would still never be able to stop, although it was likely he told himself that he would.
    “He found you a third time, and again, you somehow managed to save the family and everyone got out alive.”
    Rikki shook her head and a small sound escaped. She began to slowly rock. “Not