Mike looked down at the dog sprawled at Noah’s feet. He’d never seen Harley more than a couple of feet away from his handler at any time. “Maybe you let him in on the other side first. Like you said, we can’t tell squat about what’s happening on the other side.”
Noah paused the video. “Harley and I have a routine. We exit and enter the same way, every time. Driver’s side, both of us. And what about the coveralls? That’s not me, Mike.”
“Then who is it?”
“That’s the million-dollar question.” Noah hit Play. “I need you to pay close attention for the next twenty minutes. It’s vital that you see this for yourself.”
Mike sighed and subsided into his chair. “You’re buying the beer plus two pounds of ribs and a pound of sliced brisket.”
The truck left the lot.
After six more minutes of boring footage, a car pulled up near where the truck had parked, and a woman got out. In the glare of the activated security lights she had no distinct features. But it was plain to see she was young and slim, wearing jeans, heels, and a skintight top.
Mike leaned forward. “Now that’s the first interesting thing on here.”
Noah didn’t respond, just watched intently as Carly unlocked the back door to Flawless. Her timeline said she’d been in her store less than five minutes the first time she thought she heard a dog and gone out the front door to check. That they couldn’t see on this footage. Ten minutes more passed before she exited the rear door of Flawless.
She was carrying an armload of things to her car. They saw her pause and turn her head, as if listening. Then she put her things in the car and closed it. She stood there a few more seconds then crossed back toward the building into the shadowy area where the door to the next-door store was, where Noah lay unconscious inside.
“Did you see that?”
Mike yawned and pulled out his phone to place an order. “Man, I haven’t seen anything interesting, besides the woman, in forever.”
“Exactly. If I drove the truck off to park it somewhere else, how did I get back in the building for Carly to find me?”
It took Mike three seconds to process Noah’s words. Then he leaned forward. “Let me order some food before I die. Then I need you to play that part again. Starting from when the truck leaves.”
Noah played that section three more times, both men watching for images of a shadow or silhouette that could be a figure returning. There weren’t any.
Mike shook his head. “Durvan showed the unit the first part of the video before your arrest. He didn’t say anything about this.”
“That’s because he can’t place me in the building and still explain the truck being driven away. He’s got loose ends.”
“That’s a hell of a loose end.”
The two men stared at each other.
Finally, Mike sprawled back in his chair, its front two feet rising off the floor. “I guess I never did think you did it. I just couldn’t figure out another way it could have happened.”
Noah nodded. Durvan must be sweating bullets over his not-so-neatly tied-up case. “You want to talk about the case now?” They’d agreed the first day that all subjects pertaining to Noah’s arrest were off limits.
“Get in my truck. You can explain your theory while we pick up our food.”
“What’s with you and food? You got a tapeworm?”
“It takes fuel to keep this body in prime condition. Speaking of bodies, you can buy me a car air freshener. Man, you need to hit the shower before someone calls the board of health.”
Noah grinned. “Harley goes too.”
Mike glanced down at Harley, who had perked up at “food.” “Scratch the air freshener. You’re paying for my truck to get detailed this weekend. Can’t have dog hair all over my date.”
As they drove to The Railhead, Noah explained what seemed the most likely scenario. “The light in the truck cab was out for a reason. No one would be able to easily identify who was driving, and if there was a passenger. The video doesn’t show the passenger side of the truck. I could have been out cold when the arsonist dragged me into that store. Everything to start the fire must have already been in place. He just needed to add the body. He probably put on the coveralls to keep from leaving incriminating evidence. The bastard’s smart.”
Mike nodded. “Yeah, man. It makes a kind of sense. But who is it?”
“That’s how you help me. Who do you remember being at The Collective Brewing Project that night? Maybe not at the party but in the place. Other firefighters. Police. Friends. Anyone.”
Mike rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t stay long. I had to work the next day, like you. There was that one dude I ran into on my way out. John Wayne somebody.”
“You mean J.W.?”
“Maybe. He’s a wannabe firefighter. Plays volunteer over in Edgecliff Village.”
“Yeah. That’s him. Did you talk to him?”