“Thank you. But since I was almost barbecued, I think I deserve to know who did this. The arson investigator who interviewed me wouldn’t give me any information. But now here you are. What have you heard?”
He blinked, his gaze growing shrewd. “I heard I’m not liable for the break-in or the subsequent damage.”
“That’s not what I meant. I want to know if the authorities know who did it.”
“Not that they’re sharing.”
Something overhead caught her attention. A big smile broke over her features. “What about the footage from your security cameras?”
She pointed to the one nearest camera, mounted on a lamppost and aimed in their direction. “What did you see on that footage, Burt?”
The big man flushed. It wasn’t pretty. He was suddenly the stroke-inducing color of a tomato. “Wasn’t nothing to see.”
“Why not? Did the perpetrator disable all the cameras?”
“Not exactly.” He frowned at the device. “They don’t actually record.”
Carly dropped her pose. “What actually do they do? Are they monitored at a center station? What?”
Burt frowned at her sharp tone. “Do you have any idea how expensive monitored security is? All surveillance companies do if there’s a problem is call the police or fire department. Any tenant would do that much. It’s a rip-off paraded as peace of mind.”
He must have seen something alarming in her expression because he rushed on. “Before you get your panties in a twist you should know you signed a lease in which the coverage of our security services is stated in black and white.”
“You didn’t spend any time pointing that out.”
He snorted. “Not my job. And this isn’t my only property. No, sir. Wise Developers oversees more than two dozen other buildings in the county. And not one of those tenants wants to pay the additional cost for monitored services. Way I figure it, my paying for and installing cameras was expense enough. Got them at Costco. Saved a bundle, let me tell you. To my way of thinking, if the criminal thinks he’s being recorded, he’ll move on to easier pickings. That’s why I put signs all over the property saying that tampering with the cameras will result in an alarm being sent directly to the police.”
“But it’s fake peace of mind.”
“Oh really? We haven’t had a single break-in anywhere since those cameras were set up.”
Looking at his smug face, Carly couldn’t decide whether she was more annoyed or appalled by his risk-taking. “You had a fire Friday night. One of your tenants, namely me, nearly died.” No point in bringing up Noah’s name now.
He shrugged it off. “Yet here you sit, safe and sound. I rest my case.”
“Who put the system in for you?”
He drew in his chin. “Why’re you asking so many questions? You thinking about suing me?”
Maybe. When the dust settled. “I have insurance. My agent wants to know.”
“You tell them to talk to my lawyer. You signed a contract. Everything’s in there.” He stood up, clearly annoyed now. “I’m within my rights to secure my property as I see fit.”
Carly thought fast. She was losing him. She stood up. “Thanks for the conversation. By the way, I should thank you. I got a discount on my reclamation needs because I’m using the same company as you.”
“That so? I do throw a lot of business their way.”
“So you’ve had other fires?”
“No, nothing like that. They do jobs for my historic preservation projects.” He pointed at the building behind them. “Most developers don’t want to take on old buildings like this one because of the costs. Nearly all need rewiring, new plumbing, and things like asbestos removal and mold remediation. That kind of stuff can increase my overhead something fierce. But I’m a city backer, proud of our heritage. So I cut a deal with CowTown for all my renovations to lower the upfront layout of cash. Saves me money. Bam.” Wise was suddenly as animated as Emeril showing off a new recipe.
“On top of that, I get a break from city hall for reclaiming historic properties. Bam. Saves me more money. And then there’s Historic Site Tax Exemptions for historic preservation from the Landmarks Commission and the City Council. Bam. I’m golden.”
Carly smiled. “I’m impressed.” She did wonder if he’d be so golden if the City Council knew about his security shortcuts.
He shrugged, but a smile of satisfaction won out. “I do okay.”
“So then, we’re agreed. I will be let out of my contract. Penalty free.”
“What gave you the idea I’d do that? You signed a two-year lease!”
She pointed at her back door. “Do you see anything like business going on in there?”
“Not my problem.”
“You’re absolutely right—if you let me out of my lease. Otherwise, I’ll see you in court. And you’ll get loads of publicity because I am a celeb.”
He watched her through hard eyes tight in the corners. “You think you can play hardball with me?”