represented his department. “ Beach Haven Fire, stand by for dispatch to a possible barn fire .” The dispatcher read off an address that was becoming uncomfortably familiar to him.
Ben Jacobs’ barn was on fire.
The barn where Maggie had hidden Devon Rock’s car.
Griswold thought the arsonist might escalate at this point, burning buildings instead of open fields. And if Tim was the arsonist, he had Maggie with him.
Griswold’s orders to stay away were forgotten in an instant. Sean ran with lights and siren.
Chapter Sixteen
Thick black smoke was pouring out the door of the sagging old barn when Sean arrived. He recognized Tim’s new Ford F-250 parked out in front and swore out loud. Right up until that minute, he hadn’t wanted to believe that the rookie firefighter was really an arsonist. He’d repeated it to himself over and over all the way here: It can’t be him, I must be wrong, it can’t be Tim.
Sean parked beside Tim’s truck and hopped out. On impulse, he reached inside and grabbed the other man’s keys.
“Spiffy?”
Sean spun around. Tim stood just a few feet away, staring at him. The younger man’s face was flushed and streaked with black soot. His lip was swollen and there was a long row of deep, painful looking scratches across one cheek.
“Where’s Maggie?” Sean demanded.
“I--I don’t . . . the barn was already burning . . .”
“Where is she? ”
Tim said nothing. He reached up to touch the scratches and winced before glancing over his shoulder at the smoke billowing toward them.
She must have put up one hell of a fight. Sean tried to push the other man out of his way, but Tim caught his arm.
“It’s too late, Sean,” he said. “Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Don’t you see? It was just a few extra bucks, that’s all. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.”
“Let me go!” Sean jerked his arm away and broke into a run. He had made it only a few steps, however, when he was hit from behind in a jarring tackle. Both men slammed into the ground.
“Nobody was supposed to get hurt!” Tim repeated.
“Get off me!” Sean twisted, turned, and felt a brief moment of satisfaction when he landed a solid blow to the other man’s jaw. Tim reeled back but clung doggedly to him.
It was time to try something else. “Tim, please. Listen to me,” he begged. “This is murder. You’re not a murderer. Let me go get Maggie.”
“Nobody was supposed to get hurt.”
“I know. You said that. So let me go get her. Come on, Tim, you don’t want anybody to die.”
The rookie sat back and blinked, suddenly looking confused. In doing so, he relaxed his hold on the Lieutenant. Sean seized the opportunity and shoved him aside, springing to his feet. When Tim tried to grab him again, Sean slugged him so hard that his own arm ached from the impact.
Tim went down as if in slow motion. Sean didn’t wait to see if he got up again. He left the rookie sprawled in the dirt and dashed into the old barn.
“Maggie? Can you hear me?” There was so much smoke! He could barely see, and he didn’t know where to start. There was no time for a search.
Then he heard a faint cry from somewhere off to his left.
Maggie !
Coughing, he ran to a row of stalls and bent down low to peer inside each one. He found her in the third one, curled up on the floor with her hands tied in front of her and her ankles bound. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror, and tried to speak.
“Save your breath,” he told her. He tugged at the ropes at her ankles, but the knots were too tight.
She said something he couldn’t make out.
He took his own advice and saved his breath. Without another word, he hauled her to her feet and hefted her across his shoulders.
For the second time in less than two days, he found himself struggling for air as he made his way through a burning building without any gear. Stupid, stupid, stupid , he told himself, although he wasn’t entirely sure whether he was scolding
Ben Jacobs’ barn was on fire.
The barn where Maggie had hidden Devon Rock’s car.
Griswold thought the arsonist might escalate at this point, burning buildings instead of open fields. And if Tim was the arsonist, he had Maggie with him.
Griswold’s orders to stay away were forgotten in an instant. Sean ran with lights and siren.
Chapter Sixteen
Thick black smoke was pouring out the door of the sagging old barn when Sean arrived. He recognized Tim’s new Ford F-250 parked out in front and swore out loud. Right up until that minute, he hadn’t wanted to believe that the rookie firefighter was really an arsonist. He’d repeated it to himself over and over all the way here: It can’t be him, I must be wrong, it can’t be Tim.
Sean parked beside Tim’s truck and hopped out. On impulse, he reached inside and grabbed the other man’s keys.
“Spiffy?”
Sean spun around. Tim stood just a few feet away, staring at him. The younger man’s face was flushed and streaked with black soot. His lip was swollen and there was a long row of deep, painful looking scratches across one cheek.
“Where’s Maggie?” Sean demanded.
“I--I don’t . . . the barn was already burning . . .”
“Where is she? ”
Tim said nothing. He reached up to touch the scratches and winced before glancing over his shoulder at the smoke billowing toward them.
She must have put up one hell of a fight. Sean tried to push the other man out of his way, but Tim caught his arm.
“It’s too late, Sean,” he said. “Nobody was supposed to get hurt. Don’t you see? It was just a few extra bucks, that’s all. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.”
“Let me go!” Sean jerked his arm away and broke into a run. He had made it only a few steps, however, when he was hit from behind in a jarring tackle. Both men slammed into the ground.
“Nobody was supposed to get hurt!” Tim repeated.
“Get off me!” Sean twisted, turned, and felt a brief moment of satisfaction when he landed a solid blow to the other man’s jaw. Tim reeled back but clung doggedly to him.
It was time to try something else. “Tim, please. Listen to me,” he begged. “This is murder. You’re not a murderer. Let me go get Maggie.”
“Nobody was supposed to get hurt.”
“I know. You said that. So let me go get her. Come on, Tim, you don’t want anybody to die.”
The rookie sat back and blinked, suddenly looking confused. In doing so, he relaxed his hold on the Lieutenant. Sean seized the opportunity and shoved him aside, springing to his feet. When Tim tried to grab him again, Sean slugged him so hard that his own arm ached from the impact.
Tim went down as if in slow motion. Sean didn’t wait to see if he got up again. He left the rookie sprawled in the dirt and dashed into the old barn.
“Maggie? Can you hear me?” There was so much smoke! He could barely see, and he didn’t know where to start. There was no time for a search.
Then he heard a faint cry from somewhere off to his left.
Maggie !
Coughing, he ran to a row of stalls and bent down low to peer inside each one. He found her in the third one, curled up on the floor with her hands tied in front of her and her ankles bound. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror, and tried to speak.
“Save your breath,” he told her. He tugged at the ropes at her ankles, but the knots were too tight.
She said something he couldn’t make out.
He took his own advice and saved his breath. Without another word, he hauled her to her feet and hefted her across his shoulders.
For the second time in less than two days, he found himself struggling for air as he made his way through a burning building without any gear. Stupid, stupid, stupid , he told himself, although he wasn’t entirely sure whether he was scolding
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