Damn it, what was taking him so long?
Michael stepped through the doorway with the extinguisher in his hand. His face was covered with sweat, and he was out of breath. He fumbled with the pin.
A ceiling panel curled downward, then fell softly to the floor, bringing with it a shower of sparks. Michael got his extinguisher going just as mine emptied out.
'I'll be right back,' I yelled.
I ran down the aisle and skidded to a stop alongside the spigot. I turned the pressure on full and ran backward, uncoiling the hose as I went. Michael was holding his own, but the fire was stubborn. I turned the nozzle full-on. The water sizzled when it hit the flames, and smoke mushroomed toward us. We backed up.
When the last of the fire was out, the barn was suddenly quiet except for our breathing and the sound of water dripping off the rafters. We stared in at the gutted feed room as a stream of black water spread past our feet and meandered down the barn aisle.
I set the hose down.
Michael's sweat pants and shirt were streaked with soot. His face, too. I looked down at my bare chest and arms and legs, at my shorts that had once been white but would never be again and started to giggle. In a minute or two, we were both laughing so hard, my side hurt.
Michael set his extinguisher at the base of the wall and shivered. 'God, that was awful.'
I took a deep breath, which brought on a spasm of coughing. I nodded and braced my hands against the wall. When I caught my breath, I said, 'Do you remember what the person looked like?'
'Hell, I wasn't even sure there was a person. It was more an impression that someone was there, it was that quick.'
I went back into the feed room and examined the damage which, to my untrained eyes, appeared superficial. 'They must not have planned this,' I said.
'Why do you think that?'
'If they had, we wouldn't have had a prayer of stopping it ourselves.' Or getting out alive, but I didn't say that. 'They would have brought gasoline or something like it to speed up the process. Greg, the guy who owns this place, is fanatical about keeping the barn neat. He doesn't stockpile any chemicals or hay or let piles of junk accumulate around the barn. The fire hadn't spread much before I opened the door.'
'What do you think they were planning?'
'I don't know.'
He snorted. 'When they saw you had company, they changed their plans.'
I blinked.
'God, Steve. You'd better watch your back.'
I rubbed my face. I didn't feel safe at work, not at night anyway, and now I wouldn't feel safe in my own home. Not until Ralston rounded them up. We went upstairs, and I phoned Greg and told him to come down to the foaling barn. He didn't ask why.
We met in the parking lot. When he was close enough to see us, his face went white.
'What the hell?'
'Someone started a fire in the feed room.'
He skirted past me and stopped in the doorway. He looked relieved, as well he might. 'How do you know it wasn't electrical?'
'The fire extinguishers were outside,' I said, 'in the grass.'
His face paled even more. He looked back into the feed room and muttered, 'God.'
That just about summed it up.
When Greg turned around, he seemed to notice Michael for the first time. I made introductions. Greg was still dressed in the navy blue coveralls he wore to work.
'How long have you been home?' I said.
'About an hour. Had an emergency colic.'
'Did you notice any vehicles parked where they shouldn't have been? Anything that strikes you odd, now?'
He shook his head. 'No. To tell the truth, I was half asleep. Three nights in a row I've been out on calls. If I'd seen anything unusual, I would've checked it out.'
'No! Don't!'
They both looked at me in surprise, then Greg with understanding.
'You, more than anyone, ought to know.' Greg stepped back into the feed room and tested the phone. The line ran up the wall along the doorjamb, and it still worked. He called the police.
Michael turned to me. 'What did he mean by 'you ought to know?''
I shrugged. 'Beats me.'
'You're a terrible liar, you know that?'
'No, I'm not.'
'Yes, you are.'
I crossed my arms over my chest. 'Damn, it's cold.'
Michael chuckled. 'Stop changing the subject.'
Greg stepped out of the feed room and gave him a look that shut him up pretty quick. Michael looked at the floor and cleared his throat. I suggested we go upstairs.
The authorities arrived in time, poked around the feed room, took statements, then left, leaving behind a clutter of empty coffee mugs and soft drink cans.
I picked the empties off the counter and tossed them in the trash. 'I'm sorry about all this, Greg.'
'It wasn't your fault. Hell, your quick reactions kept the whole barn from burning down.' He stood up and stretched. 'If you're worried about sleeping here, you could stay at the house for a while.'
I thanked him for his offer but declined immediately. The skin around his eyes seemed to relax, and I realized he was relieved. His good nature had moved him to ask, but if danger was following me around, his house was the last place I should be. More than anything, he had his kids to think about.
Greg yawned. 'What about your parents'?'
'I'll work something out,' I said, but I didn't have a clue.
Chapter 18
It was three-thirty by the time Greg headed home. I asked Michael if he still wanted to go in early.
'Might as well,' he said. 'Too late to get any sleep now.'
He was right, of course. 'Should have gone to a hotel, huh?'
'Damn right… but I'm glad I didn't.'
'Why, for Christ's sake?'
'If we weren't talking, if I hadn't thought I'd seen someone on the deck, you might have been asleep when the fire broke out… or when they came through the door.'
I didn't say anything.
I scrambled some eggs while Michael toasted half a loaf of bread.
When he'd downed his third slice, he said, 'You trust your landlord?'
'What?'
'You said he knows some of the players. Maybe he's involved. Maybe he-'
'No way. You don't know what you're talking about. Plus, it's only natural that he'd know a lot of people in the industry.'
Michael shrugged.
'He even offered me a place to stay.'
'Sure. Forget it. Like you said, I don't know him. You going to tell Rachel what happened?'
'I don't think so.'
'You should. She's a nice girl, and she cares for you, but she doesn't like it when you keep things from her.
