Hard Hat Man (25 page)

“Yeah,” Kyle said. “Just the two of us out here.”

“
Damned suspicious to have a second fire within days,” Sheriff Casey remarked. “How did it start?”

“I have no idea. We were asleep. The smoke made me cough and woke us up,” Kyle said. “The door was hot, so we came out the window.”
He pointed to the now screen
-
less lower window through which they’d exited.

“Damn, guess I’ll have to call in the state fire marshal again. Maybe he’ll find enough evidence this time to catch the guy.”

Kyle frowned at Casey. “I think it’s likely the same arsonist who set the barn on fire. Wouldn’t you?”

Casey nodded. “Sure seems likely. But we need some evidence to catch him. Can’t do it on guessing. Seen anyone suspicious around here lately?”

Kyle shook his head
and slapped at a buzzing mosquito
. “Nobody who
didn’t
ha
ve
business being here, Casey.”

“Well, who was here today that did have business here?”

Kyle named his men and Jan told him about her visitors.

“Hm. None of them sound like possibilities to me,” Casey said. “Well, you can’t sleep here, that’s for sure. Where will you go?”

Kyle glanced at Jan, who shrugged.
Kyle said,
“I think we’ll just go over to my house.”

Casey nodded. The fire chief came over then and said, “We’re out of water to fight with, Kyle. I sent the tanker to town for more water and asked for the next town’s help as well, but I think we’re losing this battle.”

“Well, just like the barn, this house was to come down anyway, so let it burn,” Kyle said. “If you can keep it from spreading to the trees
,
or
to neighboring farms through the
field
, that would sure help.”

“We’ll do our best,” the chief said, and headed back to give the orders to his men.

Casey eyed Kyle. “You can’t claim fire damage if you don’t fight it, you know.”

“I know. I won’t be filing a claim.” Why did everyone worry about his insurance?

“Well, stop into my office in the morning and we’ll fill out the paperwork. I still need to file a report for the fire marshal.”

“Sure thing,” Kyle agreed.

Soon, despite the late hour, more cars with neighborhood people stopped to see what was happening.

Then Harry pulled into the yard, wheels spinning on his red pickup. He honked loudly and waved at the sheriff. Casey hurried over to him.

“Wonder what’s up?” Kyle asked as he and Jan followed the sheriff. “Harry was on watch tonight, I think.”

Harry stepped out of his pickup and he slammed the door and tipped back his hat. “
Saw someone
running from the house with a gas can,” he told Casey
.
“H
e got
a
way, but I found the gas can thrown into the woo
d
s. I didn’t want to touch it.”

“Thanks, Harry,”
Casey said. “I can’t leave here right now. Deputy, get some backup and take the dogs. See if you can trail him. And get the gas can
for evidence
. Maybe we can find some fingerprints on it.”

The deputy hurried off to her car, talking on her cell phone.

Kyle thanked Harry for doing a good job of watching the house.

“Sorry I didn’t catch the bugger before he set the house on fire, though,” Harry said. “I saw you at the window, so figured you and Jan would get out okay
.
I took off after him
, but he was too fast for me
.
Guess I’m a bit out of shape.
Glad you’re safe, Boss.”

Kyle
and Jan got into his car to escape the night chill and the ever hungry mosquitoes. He put his arm around her and hugged her close.

“I hope that’s the end of the dirty tricks,” Kyle said.

“
Yeah. But w
hat about Aunt Esther?” Jan asked, watching the flames leap high into the night sky. “Do ghosts survive a fire? Will this make her go on to the here-after?”

Kyle shrugged. “I have no idea.
But fire can’t hurt somebody already dead, can it? I n
ever thought about that before. Have you seen her lately?”

She shook her head, staring at the leaping flames.
“Not since the night you caught me talking to her.”

“I guess she was right about you being in danger.”

“
Yeah.
How did she know?”

“I don’t know. Can ghosts read minds? Or see the future?”

Jan just pulled her shoulders and cuddled closer. Sparks danced through the air and floated on the night breeze. A blaze started in dry grass under some evergreens and a fireman hosed it down, then wet the area of dry grass and dead pine cones where sparks kept landing.

Soon
the roof cave
d
in. The flames devoured the house until only a heap of smoldering
ashes and
melted
metal appliances remained. Finally, Jan got into her own car and followed
Kyle
as they drove to his house to try to catch a few hours of sleep.

***

Harry showed Deputy Carol where he’d found the gas can. In a few minutes, Deputy Mike joined them with two
police dogs.

“Thanks for your help, Harry,” Carol said. “We’ll handle it from here.”

“Okay. I sure hope you get the bastard.”

“We will.”

Mike let the dogs sniff the can, then let them lead them through the woods. The dogs had no trouble leading them straight to Alex Porter’s two story white frame farmhouse. A light still showed in an upstairs window.

They knocked on the door, then stood aside.

“Yeah? What
do
you want?” Alex asked.

“Where were you for the past couple of hours, Alex?” Mike asked.

“Right here, reading my Bible and writing my Sunday sermon. It’s my turn to lead services this week,” Alex said.

“Did that Bible mention it was a sin to start a house on fire with people in it who might get burned alive?” Carol asked, stepping forward.

“What are you talking about?” Alex blustered.

“I’m saying our dogs got your scent off a gas can that was used to start Horace’s house on fire a couple hours ago. They led us straight over here to you. You’re under arrest, Alex Porter.” Carol nodded to Mike to cuff him and began reading him his rights.

Instead, Alex swung a beefy fist at Mike, kicked out at him and took off running across the farmyard. But the two deputies quickly
caught and
subdued him
, then
phoned for another deputy to bring their car
around.

In a few minutes two cars pulled into Alex’s yard. Sheriff Casey was in the second. “The fire’s down to watch mode,” he said. “So I thought I’d see what you found. Glad you got him.”

“The dogs say he’s the one. We had
to bruise him up a bit to git him to
agree to
come with
us
, but here he is
, Sheriff,” Carol said, tucking him in the back seat of her car.

Alex glared at them through the windshield, then stuck his head out the open window. “I didn’t do nothin’. Th
ose
nut
s
of yours just took after me. ‘Course I was skeered and ran from ‘
e
m. Any fool would. And that’s all I’m a sayin’.”

“Well, we’ll see if sitting in a cell overnight loosens your tongue a bit,” Casey said. “My deput
ies
will fix you right up with one, so’s you have plenty of time to think about it.”

Carol checked the cuffs Mike had put on Alex.
“I reckon th
ose
’ll hold you until we get to the jail.” She slammed the door, got in
beside Mike and he
drove away.

***

Kyle was still sleeping when Jan woke early the next morning.

She showered and dressed then went to the kitchen to make coffee. As she sat drinking it in his kitchen, she realized she no longer had any reason to stay in Minnesota. All of Esther’s things that survived the fire were in her car. The sheriff would call Laura when he was ready to release Nancy’s remains and she would arrange for their cremation.

Jan sipped her coffee, her heart heavy. She could say goodbye to Kyle and drive back to Chicago today. But she found she no longer wanted to. She was in love with Kyle. Teaching in Chicago no longer held the appeal it had earlier. But he probably didn’t return her love. He’d said nothing to indicate he did.

At least, she could make him a nice farewell breakfast.
Rising, she checked his refrigerator and cupboards for ingredients. The sight of a muffin pan reminded her of the apple cinnamon muffins Aunt Esther used to make.

“I’ll bet the recipe for them is in her recipe notebook,” she said and went out to her car to retrieve it.

Pouring another cup of coffee, she paged through the book until she found it and turned on the oven to preheat. In a few minutes, the muffins were baking and she again sat reading the recipe book.

Toward the end of the notebook, she found pages of Esther’s handwriting. It
said
,

I hope someday someone finds this and will see that justice is done for my only daughter. I’m sorry I
didn’t have the courage to go up against Horace and go to the sheriff myself.

The night Nancy disappeared, Horace came
h
o
m
e very late. He’d said he had a church meeting as he often does, so I didn’t question it until he came in, all dirty and bloody. He threw all his clothes in the fireplace and burned them.

When I asked what happened, he broke down and said,
‘
Nancy’s gone.
’

‘
What do you mean, gone?
’
I asked.

‘
Gone to her maker. Dead,
’
he said.
‘
Dead and buried.
’