Mack walked over with a scowl, looking like he’d gotten about as much sleep as Zane had.
Liam held up his hand. “Don’t worry. There’s a logical explanation. But it’s something I’ll tell you, not him. Because he’s going to go find Mabel.”
Mack grinned, but before he could say anything, a compact car pulled up on the shoulder of the country road, and a woman in a business suit got out and walked toward them.
“Mack Duncan? Hello.” It was Liza Jorgenson. Her lips knit together tightly as she gave a slight nod. “And Zane.” She smiled as she reached up to pat him on the shoulder before surveying the scene. She gestured to Mack and Liam. “Looks like you’ve been hard at work.”
It was unsettling having Liza there on their territory with such a mess of destruction everywhere.
“I saw the post,” Liza said to Zane. “The one with the photo of you with our family?”
Mack only stood, looking back and forth between them, a confused expression on his face.
At Zane’s nod, she continued. “It bothered me. And it kept bothering me for the longest time. I know Marlene personally, and she seems to have put our little tiff all those years ago at the front of her mind. Finally, I got so sick of what was eating at me, and Iwanted to come and apologize for the fallout that has happened, as evidenced by all the comments on that post.”
“Comments?” Zane asked.
“There are more than a hundred comments on Marlene’s post, back and forth from Silver Plum lovers and haters to Bartlett lovers and haters, and everything in between,” Mack said, biting down on his lip.
Liza glanced at each of the men. “Anyway, I’d like to offer an olive branch.”
“I’m listening,” Zane said. He doubted this olive branch could be related to the real problem at hand: that Mabel was hurting from a perceived connection between Liza’s daughter and him.
“I have information about the arsonist.”
That was not at all what Zane expected her to say.
Liam let out a grunt.
“Somehow I doubt that someone with a vested interest in Bartlett’s water supply could be a reliable source,” Mack cut in.
“I assure you it’s legitimate. I’ve just come from the county sheriff’s office. There will be an investigation, and I hope it will help in repairing this landmark in your community.” She looked across the way at the pieces of lumber charred and stacked in haphazard piles.
She handed a paper to Zane. “You can show this to your mayor when you’re done.” She offered a smile to Mack. “It details how the perpetrator came forward early this morning.”
“Already? Are you sure?” Mack asked, stepping near to Zane so he could see the paper.
“Yes, I’m sure. So far, his story checks out.” She glanced around them and dropped her voice. “It was a family feud of some kind. The rancher who owns this property outside the fifty-yard perimeter around the tower? He was the one who built that illegal dam. But get this. His brother, who lives in Bartlett now, started the fire.” Hercountenance darkened. “The dimwit only intended to burn down some rickety old fence of his brother’s. Out of anger that he built the dam? I don’t know. All I know is the fire got out of hand, he got scared and bailed, and this is the result.” She held out her arms and took in the scene.
The men could only stare, their mouths dropping open. It was too crazy of a story to be believed. Zane read through the paper as quickly as he could. It did seem to line up with his initial thoughts on the area of origin.
A pained look crossed her face. “I’m truly sorry that a citizen of my town did this,” she said. “I promise you I will do whatever I can to get him prosecuted and to get you the funds needed to recoup this loss.” She lifted a shoulder. “I think this can be a wake-up call. Yes, this was a family argument gone wrong. But I hope it serves the purpose of highlighting the need for change. I hope bringing this to light can be a step toward healing our two communities.”
“Zane Taylor, I advise you to leave the premises,” Raylene warned, glancing behind her. As no-nonsense as her words were, her expression and tone were light.
He approached the nurse’s station where she sat. “I’m not here to work. And the suspension will be over in less than two weeks.”
“Then why are you here?” She continued to type on her computer, but her slight smile couldn’t be contained.
“Is there some sort of rule that says I can’t be in here?”
“As far as I know, there isn’t. Especially if you’re in need of emergency services.” She smirked as she looked him over.
“I need to talk to Mabel, if she’s available. For just a couple of minutes. Please.”
Raylene shook her head and rolled her chair away from her desk to better look at him. “She’s not here.”
Frustration built inside of him. He’d stopped at Mabel’s place first, but Bryce had told him she was at the hospital. Maybe he’d given him false information?
