Burning Truth (Lost and Found Columbus #3)

Chapter 15

15

A s they drove back to Lost and Found, Dan explained that he’d found disturbed earth beneath a tree stand, like the guy had fallen out or something. He’d taken pictures of a very definite body shape where the summer foliage had been broken down.

“And how far away was this deer stand,” Addie asked. She still had a death grip on Severn’s hand as he drove, but neither one of them seemed to want to let the other go. He’d pressed a kiss to her lips as he’d helped her into the truck, and as soon as he was settled and on the road back to the office, he’d reached for her hand again. She was not complaining, even though it was mid-eighties outside.

“It was across the street in a stand of trees. There’s a rectangle of about thirty acres of woods, and the stand was fairly new. No way to know if he put it up or the landowner. I’m going to assume the landowner, because they would have been the ones to strap the game cam around that opposite tree. It has a perfect view of the tree with the stand in it, as well as the woods beyond it.”

Man, if luck was with them, they could possibly see the arsonist that had been stalking her.

Severn cleared his throat again, and she knew his throat had to be raw. There had been a lot of smoke billowing out of the van, and both Jake and Severn had been breathing it in. Jake had been transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Since he’d been sitting higher in the driver’s seat, and unable to move, he’d taken the brunt of the smoke. Severn had been on the floor of the van, away from most of it. Though his legs had been red from the proximity of the flames. She’d seen that herself.

Later, she’d head to the hospital to check on Jake.

After they looked at the memory card from the game cam.

Parker met them at the front door of the building. “You okay, buddy?” he asked, reaching for Severn’s shoulder.

Addie watched Severn nod, then cough. His skin was dark from the smoke, and he reeked. She wondered if they had a shower here he could clean up in.

Parker led the way up the stairs to Gabbie’s office and they all crowded inside. Gabbie wrinkled her nose at Severn’s smell, and tossed him a bottle of water, then took the memory card from Dan. She slid it into a device, then reached for her mouse. Within seconds, Gabbie had pictures up on the large TV where they’d watched footage before. Severn sank down into the chair, and Addie sat in the one beside him. Once again, he reached for her hand.

Addie’s stomach was in knots as she watched green pictures of woods flash by. They needed a break in this situation so badly.

Then something tan flashed on the screen. Gabbie paused, but it was just a deer. She started scrolling again. There was a flash of dark blue. Gabbie stopped and scrolled back. There were jeans and tennis shoes, heading up the ladder to the tree stand. Just the lower half of the man.

Gabbie went to the next one, and Addie could have leapt for joy. She settled for squeezing Severn’s hand.

There was a man laying in the grass at the base of the tree, his hands held upward like he’d just been holding onto something. He was a little lopsided, like he had something on his back. Maybe a backpack. She watched as he tried to sit up slowly. The game cam was about twenty feet from the base of the tree, and the quality wasn’t great, but they could see his face in profile. Longish nose, light, wispy brown hair. He looked very average, and a little familiar. He was scowling in pain, and Addie hoped he’d broken something.

“Is that BrikBrak?” she whispered.

“Well, he’s not wearing camo, so he’s definitely not hunting. And the time stamp lines up. It looks like he fell right after Severn made it out of the van,” Dan said, and she saw he was right.

“That’s him, then,” Severn said.

The man sat, dazed, and it looked like he was struggling to breathe. If he’d fallen out of the tree stand, it had obviously knocked the breath out of him.

The man glanced toward the mechanic’s lot, and they finally got a full-face look. Gabbie paused the video and swung her chair around. She started typing furiously into a second keyboard, and it looked like she took a screenshot of the man’s face.

“I’ve seen him somewhere,” Addie murmured. “But I can’t remember where exactly.”

She’d seen and talked to so many people in the past few months. There was no way she could remember everyone’s name. She could remember faces, though, and this one definitely seemed slightly familiar.

If she could get back to the studio and start scrolling footage, it might knock something loose in her mind.

“Did you tell the detective about this evidence?” Parker asked.

Dan got a strange look on his face, but Severn stepped in. “I became aware of the evidence after I spoke with the detective.”

Addie snorted. Technically, that was true she supposed.

“Well, you’d better let her know we found this just so we don’t get an obstruction charge thrown at us. And maybe they can help identify him.”

Gabbie snorted. “Right...” she drawled. “Already got him, I think.”

A snapshot popped up on the screen, and Addie gasped. Yes, she definitely knew the man. She’d talked to him a few weeks ago... definitely at one of the fires. He wasn’t a firefighter... But he’d been with them. Had it been at the warehouse fire?

“I think he was at the warehouse fire. Gabbie, can you pull up that footage Jake sent you from Java Joy?”

Within seconds, they found the man. He’d been wearing a suit. It was his car that had burned in the front of the warehouse. There was just a glimpse, but Addie recognized him immediately. “Was it Russ? Or Russell?”

Gabbie nodded. “Russell Dunn. He works at the Department of Ohio Emergency Medical Services. He oversees paramedic certifications.”

Severn looked at her incredulously. “Seriously?”

Gabbie nodded. “Yup. He started there six years ago. Oh, hold on...” A smile crossed her mouth, and she glanced at them. “There are several notes in his personnel file. Issues working with women. Well, that explains a lot, doesn’t it?”

Addie frowned. “That doesn’t explain why he’s been doing it, though. He’s supposed to be helping people.”

“Maybe that’s not the job he chose,” Parker murmured. “Gabbie, print that picture off. We need to share our info with CPD. I think we’ve found our arsonist and Addie’s stalker.”

Addie stared up at the man. He was so nondescript. She’d met him and forgotten him within seconds. Had that been the only interaction she’d had with him? Had she missed something vital?

“He was also named in a lawsuit about three years ago,” Gabbie continued. “A woman filed the suit, claiming that Russell had been sexually harassing and stalking her and that the Department of Emergency Services tried to cover it up.”

“She might be a good resource to talk to,” Parker said.

“Hm, she would have been. She won her case and died in an apartment fire six months ago.”

A news article flashed onto the screen from the Columbus Dispatch, and Addie gasped. “I remember that! It was one of my first segments!”

Gabbie tapped a little more, and a Youtube video with Addie’s face popped up. She reported on the tragic loss of life, and even though she hadn’t been in the job long, she could see how much she’d grown in her reporting. She remembered the scene, and the victim’s mother wailing. It had broken her heart. Victoria Sincenze had been loved, and she hadn’t deserved to be murdered.

“Well, that seems incredibly suspicious, doesn’t it,” Dan murmured.

Addie looked at Severn. “If he was getting rid of the woman that accused him...”

“And you were there reporting, that’s the first connection.”

In a way, it was a relief. Now she didn’t have to wonder what she’d done to attract his attention. She’d reported on the last woman that he’d stalked.

“Call Detective Johnson,” Parker said, looking at Severn. “See if she can come down.”

Johnson and Rodrigo weren’t happy. They should have been told about the evidence. But when Severn talked over them to let them know they knew who the arsonist was, they both snapped their mouths shut.

Addie sat slumped in the chair, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were tired, and he knew she was emotionally wrought. So much had happened today. She sat through the meeting, though, and added in commentary when needed.

While they’d waited on the detectives to arrive, Severn had jumped into the shower to de-smoke himself. They had an employee locker room in the back, with toilet stalls and several showers, and he always kept a spare change of clothes at the office. There had been nights when he’d just been too tired to go home, and he’d crashed on the couches out front.

Addie had smiled at him when he’d returned. “Now you won’t make my eyes water,” she’d laughed, and winked at him.

Severn had grinned at her spunk, and nodded, then leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. Parker had given him an evil glare when he looked up, but Severn didn’t care. Or rather, he did care, but it wasn’t going to change his mind about her.

Gabbie handed each of the detectives hard print outs of everything they’d talked about.

“I’ll place a call to the judge and get on the search warrant,” Johnson told them. “I don’t want you people to do anything,” she said firmly.

Severn grimaced, but he understood where she was coming from. They needed to be legal about everything going forward, because they didn’t want Russell Dunn to slip through any administrative cracks. The man had killed people without remorse, and they needed to tie him up without a hitch. “Agreed,” he murmured.

“Don’t talk to him or respond to any messages.”

“I haven’t even had a chance to check my phone,” Addie murmured, digging in her purse. She found her phone and swiped through the unlock screen, and messages. Her face chilled and she held the phone out to him.

That was a close call. But not close enough. Soon you will be with me, Addison. Want to know what’s next???

Severn showed the message to Parker and the detective. Parker’s mouth tightened. “You guys are still in danger,” Parker said.

“We have a team of officers on Jake’s hospital room,” Detective Johnson told her, “since he was the primary target.”

Addie shook her head. “I think Severn was the primary target. Jake was inconsequential.”

The detective’s smart eyes narrowed on Severn, and she nodded. “You’re probably right. I have a feeling if I try to put an officer on you, though, they’ll be given the slip.”

Severn grinned at her, all teeth, and Addie chuckled.

“You’re right, Detective,” Severn said. “Thank you for the offer, but I think it would bring more attention to us.”

Detective Rodrigo had been on his phone most of the meeting. He entered the office now and looked at Johnson. The man was grinning, an expression they’d never seen before. “They found a full thumb print on the C4. And it immediately pinged in the system. It’s a guy named Russell Dunn. Years ago, he was denied admittance into the Columbus Police Academy because he failed his psych eval.”

They all shared a look as so many of the pieces fell into place. No wonder all of the law enforcement spots had been burned. Russel had to be bitter about being denied.

“That’s definitive evidence that he is the one doing the bombings,” Johnson said, her voice hushed. “Rodrigo, get the captain on the line and put SWAT on alert. Use the phone, not the radio.”

Rodrigo stepped out, his phone going to his ear.

“Wow,” Gabbie breathed, her big brown eyes wide. “He’s been waging a war, with the city and the police and everyone...”

“If he discovers what we know, he’ll become reckless,” Severn said, looking directly at Johnson. “Whatever surveillance you do on him, you have to be sure it’s kept very quiet. If he’s the head of the department of emergency services, he may have access to any and all radio chatter.”

“Every time he heard a call out for a fire, I bet he got a thrill,” Addie mused. “And then I recapped everything, stroking his ego even more.”

Severn reached out and cupped her shoulder, and she gave him a wan smile. He needed to get her home, or somewhere where she could relax. As if she sensed his thoughts, she gave him a look. “I need to go to work.”

He started to protest, but she held up a hand. “I feel like I need to carry on like everything is normal. I can’t give any indication that we know anything, so I need to behave like normal.”

“I agree,” Johnson said, nodding. “It’s going to take us a while to get some things set up.”

Severn heard a buzz, and Addie lifted her phone again. I know you’re reading my messages. You’d better respond.

Addie looked at him, a question in her eyes, and he nodded, then looked at Johnson. She seemed torn for a minute, but she eventually nodded that Addie could respond.

Addie immediately started typing, and Severn watched over her shoulder. You know what I think of you, Monster. That’s what I’m going to call you from now on. Monster.

Monster sent her back a wink emoji. I’m okay with that, for now, Addison. I like having a pet name.

You’re disgusting.

Why am I the disgusting one? You’re with that abomination. For a little while...

Severn winced internally, the word abomination striking a little close to home. Compared to beautiful Addie, he was an abomination.

Addie’s thumbs were poised over the screen, like she was thinking about what to say. “I’m going to bait him, tell him he’s a nobody. Tell him I think he’s lashing out at law enforcement because he’s a low-life criminal, or something.”

She looked up at Severn for input. It wasn’t a bad idea.

“Just don’t let him know you know who he is,” Johnson warned.

Nodding, Addie’s thumbs flew over the screen. I think you’re a bitter, low-life criminal who has nothing better to do with his time than terrorize innocent people.

There was no response for a long time.

No, Addison, I’m just a concerned citizen trying to sweep the city free of corruption.

Is that why you keep going after law enforcement?

He sent her the wink emoji again.

Then you’re even worse than a low-life criminal. You’re a snake in the grass, going after the people who protect us. I hope they find you and take you out.

They won’t find me. They’re too busy chasing their tails.

Gabbie had been typing in the background, and a couple of scenes flashed up on the big screen. Severn recognized the government building downtown, where he presumed the Department of Emergency Services was. Then she switched to a different building. It was obvious Gabbie was scrolling through CCTV cameras in the area. “I have the GPS localized to this area. He’s at work at the Charles D. Shipley building and responding to her.”

“This guy is pissing me off,” Addie growled, and Severn grinned at the expression on her face. Then he sobered. This wasn’t the time to be registering how beautiful she was. Again.

“The Shipley building is where we get our private investigator licensing done,” Parker said, laughing lightly. “This guy is a dick.”

“There are several smaller departments in there,” Gabbie said, “and a lot of people work there.” She looked at Johnson. “You shouldn’t take him out there. There are so many people in that building.”

Rodrigo entered the room and handed Johnson his phone. Everyone listened to her side of the conversation, and it sounded like they were confirming a time to serve the warrant and the use of SWAT. Then she started to argue.

“Sir, I don’t think that’s wise. We have the fingerprint on the C4 and video footage of him.” She paused, her mouth tightening. “No sir. No, sir. Yes, sir. I will, sir.”

She hung up the phone and huffed out a sigh. She looked at Addie. “He wants us to watch him for a bit, get more evidence on him. So, you will have an unmarked tail on you all night tonight.” Severn narrowed his eyes at her, but didn’t disagree. “Don’t look for them, but they’ll be there.”

Severn’s expression had gone dark. “And does he realize that the longer we take to bring him in, the more chance he has to hurt people?”

The detective held both of her hands up in a frustrated gesture. Her hands were tied as well. He looked at Addie. She seemed resigned, her brow furrowed as she worried at a fingernail. “I think he’s going to do something, because he wants me to report on it tonight.”

“Unfortunately, I think you’re right. Detective,” he said, turning to look at her. “You’d better get eyes on him now because people are going to die.”