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one-two punch. He’d been hurt. His buddy had died. He’d lost it by becoming too focused. So sad. He seemed like a nice guy. But she understood his sorrow and his quest for justice. If she’d lost someone on the job, she’d take it personally, too.
    Tyler’s last sentence stirred her curiosity. “What do you mean connected? To the mob?”
    “Worse. To the president.”
    She blinked. “Of the United States?”
    The chief leaned forward and pierced her with his I-mean-business gaze. “He’s the First Lady’s nephew. And she’s very fond of him. As soon as you made the 911 call, word passed all the way up to her and back down to me. I don’t like to be threatened by the folks in DC. I love my job. If you don’t keep North out of trouble, neither one of us will have a job.”
    She couldn’t wrap her head around the information chain. “I don’t understand. How did the First Lady even know? The event happened less than an hour ago. I’m fine. He’s fine. I don’t see what’s the big deal.”
    “I keep telling you, he’s big time. These people at the top have systems set up to rapidly detect information on key personnel. Listen up. Wyatt North is considered essential personnel to our government.”
    “Why don’t they have Secret Service or other people down here keeping tabs on him?”
    “This was supposed to be an easy assignment where he could relax and go boating. If we don’t keep him out of hot water, they will come down on us hard. You wanted to move in different circles? This is as big a circle as you’ll ever get. I’d pull you off the case and give it to Harlow in a heartbeat, except I have no confidence in him. You need to step up your game, Dinterman. If not, we can forget having jobs in Georgia again, or anywhere in the United States.”
    Laurie Ann worked her back teeth apart. She didn’t like the pressure she was feeling, but she wanted her job. Oh, did she want it. She didn’t agree that North was fragile, but she’d keep him under scrutiny from now on. Nothing would happen to Wyatt North on her watch.
    “I understand, sir. I’ll wrap him in a bubble.”
    “You’d better. Where is he now?”
    “He drove to the post office to express mail his samples. From there he was headed back to the hotel to sketch the site and further study the case files I provided. I believe he said he wanted to grab takeout from the Chinese restaurant by the highway and turn in early.”
    “Good. Check to make sure that’s what he does. Keep an eye on him over the weekend. Take him out in your father’s boat. Anything you can do to keep him entertained and out of trouble will go a long way toward our job security. We don’t want this fragile VIP to break down in our town. Expedite his investigation. If he wants to talk to people over the weekend, make it happen. The sooner he leaves town the better.”
    While the idea of keeping close tabs on North appealed to her on several levels, there was one point that bugged her. Wyatt appeared to be a man of action. “Has anyone told North he’s fragile?”
    “Hell, no. And you better not be the one to break the news. Take care of it. Do whatever it takes to make him happy and move him on down the road.”
    Laurie Ann walked out of the chief’s office in a daze. She understood her overarching mission was to assist the arson investigator, but the chief was asking her to do more. He’d been very specific about making the Atlanta man happy.
    Whatever it took.
    Because she was attracted to him, her thoughts veered off on a wild tangent.
    Keep him happy.
    Whatever it takes.
    Not a hardship.
    Not at all.

Chapter 9
    Laurie Ann flipped through the dresses in her tiny closet. Too high school. Too summery. Too floral. The moss green one might work. But when she held it up to her, the hemline was shorter than she remembered. Not happening. She shoved the dress back into the recesses of her closet.
    Why was this so hard? She’d invited Wyatt to the church picnic