Chapter 39
Thirty-Nine
E than and Scotty were inspecting the barn when Jane arrived, her footsteps crunching on the gravel. A hint of acrid smoke still filled the air. Jane’s stomach clenched, and it was hard to dismiss the feeling of anger and danger.
“Sweetheart,” Ethan greeted her warmly and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Stepping back, he added, “You remember Scotty?”
Jane glanced at Scotty, who was crouched in front of the greenhouse. “How could I forget? Thank you for coming out.” The devastation looked worse in the daylight, and she wanted to cry.
“Well, I’m here to hopefully determine what started the fire.”
She gazed at the remains of the greenhouse, once filled with life and potential, now reduced to twisted metal, shattered glass and blackened wood. All her dreams of a garden had gone up in smoke. “How will you be able to determine if someone set a fire intentionally or if the heater was just faulty?”
“I’ll start by examining the heater and the condition it’s in,” Scotty explained. “Then look for any physical damage before I inspect the propane tank.” He began to carefully sift through the debris.
Jane tilted her head in confusion. “But the metal parts are warped, and I’m sure what wasn’t metal burned in the fire.”
“True,” Scotty agreed. “But there are still clues I can look for. This is going to take a while, so feel free to do other things while I work on this.”
Jane was anxious to hear the results, but she still had a farm to run. “I have to feed the animals, then maybe I’ll head back to the house.”
“Let me help with that,” Ethan offered. “Then I need to get Bucky’s statement.” He turned his attention back to Scotty. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Scotty nodded and continued picking through the debris.
Jane and Ethan walked back into the barn. Jane unlocked the door to the feed bin and grabbed a bucket. Ethan ran his hand over the top of the wooden bin. “This is original to the barn, isn’t it?” he asked. “Looks good. Did you repaint it?”
“Yes. It was here when I moved in. I spray-painted it to give it a fresh look.”
Beyond the greenhouse, the air had a faint aroma of hay. The chickens were scratching the ground and clucking, oblivious to the chaos from last night, which gave her a sense of comfort that things could return to normal.
Ethan collected some eggs for her, avoiding the rooster’s display of aggression at his ankles.
Then they walked to the pasture on the other side of the chicken house. Jane had a pail of feed for the sheep who crowded around the trough. As they were walking back to the house, Ethan asked how Bucky was doing.
“He’s exhausted and might be sleeping when we get there.” She looked at her watch. “I’ll give him another hour before waking him up.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
She shook her head. “I feel so bad for him. Losing his girlfriend and best friend, going to prison, released with no job prospects, being hired here and now this … ending up in the hospital.”
Ethan enveloped her in his arms, pulled her toward him, and gently kissed the top of her head before tilting it to meet his gaze. “Bucky’s a survivor. And so are you. We’re going to catch whoever did this and put them away for a long time.”
Ethan’s phone rang, and he released her to answer it. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Great.” He hung up, a small smile on his lips.
“More police work?”
Ethan raised his brows. “Nope. I called a demolition company to take away the greenhouse once Scotty has made his determination. They’ll come out whenever you’re ready.”
He must have noticed the surprise on her face, because he frowned.
“Damn.” He grimaced. “I shouldn’t have assumed. I can cancel it if you already have somebody.”
She shook her head. “Ethan, that’s so sweet of you.” She let out a deep breath. “Unfortunately, it’s going to have to wait. I don’t have cash now, and the insurance company might take time to pay me.”
“It’s not a problem,” he replied. “The company is used to dealing with insurance companies, so they’ll handle all the paperwork and payment details.”
Jane felt thrilled and relieved by the unexpected news, knowing that she didn’t have to handle it. She didn’t know how much it would cost to have the debris taken away or if she even wanted another greenhouse.
Oh, heck, yes, she did. The greenhouse gave her the opportunity to grow her own food. When she was out there working in the soil with her hands, inhaling the earthy scent of fresh dirt and planting seeds—planting her future, as it were—she felt at peace.
Ethan followed her into the house. They walked back to the kitchen, the warmth enveloping them.
“Want a sandwich?”
“Only if you’re making one for yourself,” Ethan said, leaning against a counter. “Otherwise, I’m fine.”
Jane opened the fridge, pulled out cold cuts and cheese, lettuce, pushed some items around and found the homemade pesto. From the bread box, she got a loaf of bread. “I made rosemary and garlic bread. Does that sound okay to you?”
Ethan shrugged. “Never had it, but it sounds delicious.”
She offered him a choice of mustard, mayonnaise or red pepper pesto. “I’ll make one for Bucky, too. I bet he’ll be hungry since he didn’t eat yesterday.” She nodded toward a cabinet. “Grab some plates, will you?”
Ethan got up and placed three plates beside her. She finished making the sandwiches, choosing mustard for Bucky’s and wrapping it in plastic until he was ready for lunch.
She handed the sandwich to Ethan and joined him at the table. “Sorry, I don’t have chips to go with it. If I have them in the house, I can’t stop eating them.”
Ethan laughed. “That’s been my problem, too.” He took a bite of the sandwich. “Yum. The pesto really livens up the sandwich.”
“Right?”
They talked about mundane things for a while, which was perfect for Jane. Her brain needed a reprieve from talking about the devastation. After they finished their sandwiches, Jane stood and brought the plates to the sink.
“I have double chocolate brownies, if you’d like one,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.
“I’d like one,” said a faint voice from the hall.
“Bucky! You’re up,” Jane exclaimed as he entered the kitchen. “Just in time for lunch.”
Ethan rose to shake his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Crappy but better.”
Bucky’s face had a little more color on it. He’d changed into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt with only socks on his feet.
“Sit,” Jane instructed. “I’ll get your sandwich. Water or juice?”
Bucky chuckled. “I’d really like a beer, but I guess that will have to wait a couple of days. Juice will be fine.”
Jane busied herself with getting his sandwich and a glass of juice and placed it in front of him.
“When you’re finished, I’d like to get your statement,” said Ethan.
Bucky nodded as he took a bite of his sandwich, chewing slowly.
Jane brought out the brownies and made coffee while he finished eating.
“Jane, that was delicious, thank you,” Bucky said. He blew out his breath and looked at Ethan. “I’m ready. Ask away.”
Ethan took out a small notebook. “What do you remember?”
“I was cleaning out the chicken house,” Bucky began. “I put the spent hay in the wheelbarrow and dumped it in the compost pile. Then I went up to the hayloft and threw down a bale of straw to put in the boxes for the hens.”
Bucky’s jaw tightened. “That’s when I heard a whooshing sound from the greenhouse and ran over to see what was happening. I saw a small fire and quickly ran to fill a bucket with water.” He closed his eyes as if reliving the memory. “I felt a rush of air at my back, and as I was going to turn, my world went black, and I woke up in the hospital.”
“So, you didn’t see anyone in the barn or running from it?” Ethan asked.
“No.” Bucky frowned and shook his head. He bit his lip in thought and then continued. “But there was something strange. I thought I saw a shadow lurking near the greenhouse earlier. But when I looked again, it was gone.”
“That’s all you can remember?” asked Ethan.
Bucky nodded.
Ethan rubbed his neck and leaned forward. “Do you think the shadow was a person? A man or woman?”
“A man. The shadow was too big to be a woman. And it wasn’t an animal,” Bucky replied.
Jane questioned if Bucky truly saw a person or if he just imagined it. Then the question of who would want to destroy the greenhouse crossed her mind. Was the fire accidental, as she hoped, or was someone targeting her? And if so, for what reason?
Bucky was lucky they saw the fire and rushed over to the barn. Otherwise, he would have died. She was anxious to hear what Scotty discovered but couldn’t help wondering what was next.