The Buried by Kathryn Casey

Author:Kathryn Casey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: Kathryn Casey
Published: 2019-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-one

The captain had Ernie and his arson dog, Smoke, airlifted as soon as I called. He arrived shortly before I did. While I climbed out of the Suburban and walked over to Del, Ernie stalked up and down near the firetruck, apparently trying to figure out who was in charge of the brigade.

Getting nowhere, Ernie yelled at the men with the hoses. They either couldn’t hear him or ignored him. Flustered, Ernie walked toward us, Smoke at his heels.

“Hi, Ernie, thanks for coming –” I started, but he walked right past me.

“Sheriff, I need that water turned off now. That fire is out, been out for a long time, and they’re destroying my evidence. They need to back up and get away from the building.”

“Ernie, you sure it won’t –” Del started.

“Sheriff, I said now!” Ernie sputtered.

Del looked at him for a moment then glanced at me, as if implying I was responsible for bringing this madman into the investigation. Which, of course, I was.

A glint of determination in Del’s narrowed eyes, he stalked toward the firemen, shouting, “Whoa, whoa! Turn that water off!”

Vintage Ernie, he’d never been good at politics. Single-minded, he honed in on what he wanted and expected it done. Working for the state fire marshal, he had authority, but that wasn’t always easy to get across to the locals. The hoses finally cut off and shouting ensued, Del yelling at the fire chief to let Ernie take over, the chief shouting back that he had to make sure the fire wouldn’t flare up.

“You got it out!” Ernie shouted, walking away from me and heading toward the squabble. “I promise you, it’s not flaring up unless one of you relights it!”

“Okay, everyone, get back to the truck,” Del yelled. “Let the fire marshal take over.”

Unhappy, the fire chief shot them both angry looks as he pulled his men back. “That church burns any more, it’s on your heads,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about it,” Ernie said. “I do this for a living, you know.”

Once he had Ernie settled down, Del looked at me and shook his head. “You know, I didn’t think Beau would light another one so fast, not with us searching for him. How damn stupid or brazen is this guy?”

“Del, we can’t assume he’ll lay off,” I cautioned. “Beau Whittle is an addict, and this is what gets him high. Lighting a fire gives him a sense of power, of being in control.”

“I know, but…,” then he stopped and looked at me, furious. “Sarah, there were people in that church!”

“I understand. And that’s what’s most disturbing. When he chose to set it.”

Across the street a small gathering of reporters mixed in with curious townsfolk. The church’s redbrick front was blackened, parts seared, but there wasn’t a lot of damage. It didn’t go up the way a wooden structure would have.

For the next two hours, I watched as Ernie processed the scene while I went over with Del what he’d done the evening before to look for Beau Whittle.

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