A Killing Tide Read Online Free PDF

lately to assess its state of repair. Still, it would have been suicidal for Gary to let something as critical as bad wiring go unnoticed—a fire at sea was every waterman's worst nightmare.
    Kaz frowned as a new thought occurred to her. Ken never spent time on the trawler when it was in port. He usually had a beer or two at the Redemption and then went home early to Julie and the kids, particularly now with Bobby so sick from the chemo treatments. So why had he been on board at this time of night?
    She needed to talk to Gary, to see what he knew. Setting aside the oxygen mask, she stood and scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Nothing. Surely he knew about the fire by now. Why wasn't he here? Increasingly uneasy, she begged a cell phone off the EMT.
    No answer at home. She left a message on his cell phone, then disconnected.
    Hugging herself, she turned back to the fire scene just in time to watch the Anna Marie's spool of fishnet and winch disappear in an explosion of flames.
    #
    After ordering the nozzle man to redirect his hose to the bow of the trawler, Michael turned and studied the Jorgensen woman. Her naturally pale complexion was washed of all color, and she looked unsteady on her feet. He wasn't surprised, given what she'd just been through.
    Civilians always thought they could handle a fire, but they couldn't, dammit. In any blaze, there were enough toxic chemicals to take out even the strongest person. His jaw clenched. He doubted he'd ever forget the breathless panic he'd felt when he'd seen her dive into those flames.
    He didn't like what he was seeing with this fire. It was burning way too hot. That would've screamed 'suspicious' to him, even if he hadn't hauled a body out of the hold. According to one of the firefighters, Kaz and her brother co-owned the boat. And the brother was on parole for assault—the near-brawl Michael had witnessed in the tavern evidently hadn't been out of character. He'd also seen Gary Jorgensen going at it with the guy who was now lying on the dock, dead. And his sister was the first person on the scene of a suspicious fire.
    He frowned as he noted a look of renewed determination on her face that spelled trouble. When she started walking toward the dock, he stepped into her path, placing a hand on her arm. "Sorry, but you can't go any closer."
    She gave him a brief, impatient glance, her expression distracted. "She's taking on too much water. You'll sink her."
    Touching her was like touching a door with a raging inferno behind it. Disconcerted, he stepped back, removing his hand. "I'm keeping an eye on the water level," he assured her, only to have her shake her head.
    "I need to talk to the firemen myself."
    "Can't let you do that." He started to pull out a pencil and a small pad he kept with him for taking down notes. "Why don't we go over what happened here tonight."
    Her expression was perplexed. "That's ridiculous—I have the right to protect my boat."
    "She's a crime scene, for now. No one goes near her except authorized personnel."
    "Excuse me?"
    "That fire was deliberately set." Her face blanched of all remaining color, and he shot an arm around her slender waist. "Whoa. Maybe you'd better sit—"
    "That can't be," she whispered, staring in the direction of the docks.
    He studied her closely. Most people weren't that good at acting, but he'd seen all kinds. "I'm afraid it's a very real possibility."
    After taking several deep breaths, she seemed to pull herself together, stepping away from him. Recognizing the pride and fierce self-control behind the move, he let her go.
    "When will you know for sure?" she asked, her voice sounding more composed.
    "After I go over the areas that burned, find the source of ignition."
    She raised a slender hand to push her hair away from her face. When he saw the red, watery blisters that had formed along the outside edge of her palm, he reacted without thinking. His hand shot out, clasping hers, and he gently turned it so