The help he’d given Beau Reese and the Pleasant Hill Police Department during a hostage rescue two months ago had made him even more recognizable—unfortunately.
Josh climbed out of the truck and walked up the cement path, climbed the steps, and knocked on the front door. It took a while, but when the door finally swung wide, Randy Stevens stood on the other side of the opening.
“You got a minute?” Josh asked.
The lanky black-haired teen glanced over his shoulder as if checking to be sure no one was around. “I guess so.” He stepped outside and closed the door.
“You hear about the fire over at my place?”
Randy shrugged his slim shoulders. “Everybody in town heard about it.”
“Sheriff Howler talk to you?” Josh asked.
“About what?” Randy stuck his hands into his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels.
“About the possibility you stole five gallons of gas from me, I fired you, and as payback you used the gas to burn down my barn.”
Randy’s dark eyes flared, then went hard. “You got nothing on me, soldier man. You think I burned down your barn, prove it.”
“I didn’t say you did it. I asked you if the sheriff talked to you about it.”
“He and my dad are friends.”
“Fine, then I’m the one asking you. Did you burn down my barn?”
Randy smirked. “You shouldn’t have fired me.”
Josh clamped down on his temper. “You aren’t even going to deny it?”
The kid just shrugged. “I didn’t say I did it. I know my rights. I’m not sayin’ nothin’.” But the look on his face made it clear he was the one who’d set the fire and he was proud of what he’d done.
Fury sent a jolt of adrenaline into Josh’s veins. “What about the horses, Randy? Killing helpless animals didn’t bother you?”
Randy’s spine stiffened. “I knew you’d get ’em out. They weren’t in any real danger.”
“You little shit.” Josh grabbed the kid by the front of his T-shirt and shoved him up against the wall. “You damn near got a woman killed! You really want to spend the rest of your life in prison for murder?”
“Let me go!” Randy squirmed.
Josh slammed him up against the wall again. “You come near my place, I swear I’ll shoot you on sight. And one thing you’ve probably heard about me—I don’t miss.”
The door swung open and Randy’s father appeared. “What’s going on out here?”
Josh let Randy go, but stood between him and escape. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. That spoiled kid of yours burned down my barn and nearly killed my horses.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Jim Stevens was black-haired like his boy, but filled out in the chest and shoulders from years of hard work. “Randy would never do a thing like that.”
“You don’t think so? Why don’t you ask him?”
Stevens’s gaze swung to his son. “Tell the man you had nothing to do with that fire.”
Randy glanced away.
“Randy, tell Josh you weren’t involved in the fire.”
Randy looked at Josh. “Okay, I didn’t do it. He’s just making it up.” He turned back to his dad. “Happy now?”
Stevens caught his son’s chin and held it immobile. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t set that barn on fire.”
