Brody by Kathy Ivan

Author:Kathy Ivan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic suspense, Contemporary Romance, Small town Texas, Mysteries and thrillers with intrigue and betrayal, Clean and Wholesome Romance, Cowboy and Ranch, Sweet romance, Action and adventure, Series romance, FBI, Kidnapping, Missing Person
Publisher: Kathy Ivan
Published: 2020-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Brody climbed out of the cab of the pickup and sprinted toward the smoldering ruins of the Summers’ barn. Plumes of white smoke spiraled upward from the charred remains, and he kicked at a clump of dirt, needing an outlet for his frustration and anger, but unwilling to show any emotion while Greg stood mere feet away.

“What happened?”

“I wish I knew. When I came by here yesterday, nothing had changed. Most of the barn burned, but some portions of the walls still stood. Now, here,” he pointed to a new pattern of burn wear, “there’s evidence of accelerant use. Here and here.”

“Wait…wait! Are you telling me somebody burned this down a second time? I don’t understand. Are you saying this is arson? Why? Who? This doesn’t make any sense.” Greg started forward, and Brody grasped his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“You can’t go in there, Greg. It’s too dangerous. Besides, this is an active crime scene.”

“Crime scene?” Shock laced Greg’s words, and all the color leeched from his face.

“I wasn’t going to say anything yet, not until we have definitive proof from the lab in Austin, but, yes, we suspect arson.” He watched Greg closely, trying to gauge his reaction. He didn’t suspect his friend, but then again, he couldn’t automatically discount him. Hadn’t he shown up only hours after the barn had been torched again? Somebody was attempting to cover up their crime. Too bad he’d already collected all the samples and evidence and delivered it to the Arson Laboratory’s investigative teams in Austin.

“Why? There’s nothing here but an abandoned, rundown barn and the house.” He turned abruptly and took off running toward the farmhouse, Brody on his heels. He caught up within a few yards, and pulled Greg to a stop, keeping him from getting any closer to his old family home. With this second attempt at burning the barn, the entire Summers’ property was now considered an active scene, and he couldn’t let Greg get any closer to contaminate any evidence.

“Stop, Greg. I need to call this in. I’m sorry, but you can’t go in there.”

Greg’s head hung low, shoulders slumped. “I don’t understand, Brody. Who would do this?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. But you can’t be here, Greg. I’m going to call one of my brothers, get you a ride. I’ll need to ask you some questions, go over what we know thus far.”

“Okay. Do what you need to do, find out who did this. Why they did this.” He paused and stared into the distance, and Brody wondered what he saw. It had to be hard; this was Greg’s childhood home. “I need to call Dad.”

“I’ll handle it. I’m going to have them take you to the sheriff’s office, where we can talk without interruptions, okay?”

“Whatever.” Greg shook his head, staring at the charred remains of his family’s barn. “I can’t believe this. I’ve wracked my brain trying to figure out why somebody burned the barn down in the first place.

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