COLLATERAL CASUALTIES (The Kate Huntington mystery series) by Kassandra Lamb Page A

up.
                “Be there in a minute.”
                A minute? Kate went to the back door and pulled the curtain aside to look out. She didn’t see him but she knew Mac was out there, slipping through the shadows under the trees.
                Anger battled with gratitude. She and Mac had grown up together. Their parents had been best friends. Mac was an only child, a year older than Kate, and he’d always treated her like a little sister.
                Leaving the back door unlocked, she made a pass through the living room to check on the kids, then sat down at the kitchen table to wait for him.
                When Mac walked in, he looked even scruffier than usual. She suspected he’d spent the night in the back alley watching the house. “What happened to acting normal?”
                He gave her an offended look. “Ain’t nobody gonna see me when I don’t wanna be seen.”
                Kate decided to let it go. She handed him the newspaper. “That’s my client’s house. I need to call his wife but I’m not sure how to do that safely.”
                Mac pulled a cell phone from the pocket of the jeans hanging from his skinny hips. “Pre-paid throwaway. Lemme do another sweep of the house first.” He produced what looked like a small radio with an oversized antenna from another pocket.
                When Mac had finished, Kate placed the call. A mechanical voice invited her to leave a message. “I’m calling for your house guest. Tell her to stay gone for now–”
                “Kate, is that you?” a voice in her ear interrupted.
                Kate filled Jill in on the house fire and her visit from the mystery ambassador.
                “Dear God! I’m so sorry I involved you in this.”
                “I think this guy had already figured out my connection to Miller, before you and I spoke,” Kate said. “But the house fire doesn’t fit with what he said, so either he’s lying through his teeth or he’s still got a loose cannon on his staff.”
                She gave Jill the number of the disposable cell phone. “Use that instead of the number I gave you, and I think you need to stay out there for awhile longer.”
                “I’ve already enrolled the kids in school here. I think we’ll be staying for good,” Jill replied. “But I’m just worried about you. It sounds like the killer is tying up loose ends.”
                “The ambassador said that no one knew he was coming to my office, so whoever it is probably doesn’t know I exist,” Kate said, giving the ambassador’s reassurance more credence than she believed it deserved. She figured Jill had enough on her plate without worrying about her. “And I have help now. A friend of mine has experience with these things. I’ll be okay. I’ll call you if anything else happens.”
                “Thank you. Be careful, Kate!”
                “I will. You, too.”
                After Kate disconnected, Mac said, “I think we need some insurance. Let’s go talk to Rob.”
                “I don’t want to involve him any more than I already have.”
                “Don’t worry, sweet pea. I’ll get us there without anybody following.”
    ~~~~~~~
                Mac had called Rose to ask her to join them. When they were all gathered around Rob’s desk, Kate summarized the latest developments.
                “The ambassador may be behind the arson or he may not even know about it,” she said. “He may think he’s stopped whoever’s doing this.”
                “But he hasn’t,” Rob said.
                “We need an insurance policy,” Mac growled.
                “Some surefire way to blow the whistle,” Rose said, “if anything happens to