Breathing Fire by Dianne McCartney

Author:Dianne McCartney [McCartney, Dianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller; suspense; murder; killer; firefighters; arsonist; small town
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2023-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

When all the assorted chores at the firehouse were finished, and there were no current fires to deal with, Rocky helped Aaron look for similar suspicious fires in the surrounding counties. There were a few that looked linked to their arson and a couple of other possibilities, but the fire scenes wouldn’t yield clues at this late date. All they had at this point was a working theory. If the fires were, in fact, connected, clearly the arsonist had spread his sites around in an attempt to evade detection. Until now, the sneaky plan had worked.

At the same time, he had heard whispers that Arne was over-extended financially. The owner of Harper’s rental was, according to what he’d heard, quite fond of gambling and had suffered an extended losing streak. Was there any possibility that he had set the fire himself? It would hardly be the first time someone used an insurance check to net some ready cash, but that theory seemed off to him. As unlikeable as the man was, Aaron still didn’t see his problems as a reason for burning a house that was bringing in regular revenue. Just the same, he would have Ty check his alibi of being on a work trip out of town.

Which one of their theories rang true? Or were they off track with both of them?

****

Harper felt like a total klutz. While working on a set of drawers, she had jammed her finger and then tore her skin open on an old, previously undetected nail. Blood dripped all over her shirt as she hurried across to the cottage to wash the wound out and put hydrogen peroxide on it for good measure. She clenched her teeth as those evil, cleaning bubbles hit the open wound. Her tetanus shot was up to date, thank goodness, so she wouldn’t have to worry about that possibility. A vaccination was essential when she handled old metal pieces all the time. She tried to be careful, but accidents happened.

Wrapping cotton pads around the digit, tight, she bandaged it. The bleeding finally slowed to a mere drip which left dark shadows against the dressing. Grabbing a cold drink from the refrigerator afterward, she carried it back up to the barn. Before she made it to the door, a motion caught her peripheral vision. She turned to see a small, black car crawling past on the road. When she stared at it, it picked up speed and disappeared in a cloud of dust. Unable to see who sat behind the wheel, she shrugged. Probably someone searching for an address.

Forgetting all about it, she got back to work. At supper time, she heard the sound of a truck and poked her head out to see Aaron coming to a halt by the house. He climbed up the hill to join her. Taking his hat off, he wiped his brow. “How was your day?”

Holding up her bandaged hand, she said, “Other than slicing my one useful hand like an idiot, I’m good.

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