“I’ll be praying the guy is caught.”
“One more thing.” She turned back and hated her next words before they were uttered. “Would you mind turning your rifle over to the forensic team so they can prove you didn’t shoot at the lodge?”
“Mind, yeah, I would, but I’ll do it.” He shook his head. “Was a day when a man’s word meant something but now it’s all newfangled science stuff. Just tell me who you want me to give the gun to.”
“We’ll send the tech to your house to collect it from you.”
He nodded, but looked disappointed in her. She wasn’t disappointed in herself, though. If they were going to find the person threatening her, she had to ask the hard questions.
She exited, and Ryan looked at her expectantly. She didn’t want to talk where Nico could overhear them. She took Bandit’s lead and started for the lodge. Once a safe distance away, she told Ryan about the conversation.
“Nothing like accusing someone you’ve always respected of something you should never even think they would do,” she said.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
Holding up?She was even too tired to argue that he thought she needed a babysitter on this walk, but he was just being careful and kind and deserved an answer. “Honestly? Not so good. I just want Russ to figure out who’s doing this and make it stop, so I can get on with my year. Honor Uncle Wally’s wishes. Help Eddie and maybe other kids if you still need me.”
“At least Russ apologized to you.”
“Yeah, that was unexpected, but I am thankful for it.” She glanced at Ryan. “He reminded me of the Russ I knew from the old days.”
Ryan nodded. “The Russ who’s not a sheriff doing his best to do his job. I have to remember that when he makes me mad with the questions he asks you.”
She smiled tightly. “Do you think he’s right about my father being innocent in all of this? Even after what Colin had to tell us.”
“Sorry, but yeah, I do.” Ryan held her gaze. “Your father might have hurt you in high school, but I don’t think it was intentional. He just didn’t know how to recover from his grief. But this?” He waved a hand at the barn as they approached the ruins. “This was done on purpose. The shots fired too. No way that was accidental.”
One part of her was relieved that maybe her father hadn’t intentionally hurt her, giving her hope for reconciliation. The other part of her was terrified to find out who willingly would do something as harsh as fire bullets into the lodge, risking hitting or killing someone, and burn down the barn.
Bandit suddenly shot off. Ripping his leash from her hand, he raced toward the end of the barn near the only standing wall. The section that hadn’t been engulfed in flames before the firefighters put it out.
“No, boy, come back,” she called out, going after him and climbing under the yellow crime-scene tape.
Bandit continued running until he reached the far corner of the barn. He stopped and sniffed in the rubble. He yipped in little excited barks, and she started for him.
Ryan reached out to stop her. “Let me go first.”
“Here, Bandit,” she called in a soothing voice that did nothing to stop Bandit’s excited barking.
She picked her way through the muck behind him. The door she’d been trapped in lay in the ruins only ten feet away. As long as she was in the area, she should take a quick peek to confirm it’d been locked.
She took careful steps through the thick gunk to the door. The handles remained intact, but no chain. No lock. Just like the other end. The lock could only have been removed with a key or bolt cutters. She squatted and picked at the rubble to look for other clues. Nothing but charred wood and muck and maybe some footprints, but they could well belong to the firefighters. Maybe Sierra could locate something Mia was missing.
The charred wall suddenly exploded in an ash-laden cloud and a loud crash of timber.
She jerked back. Landed with a plop, gray particles raining down on her. She coughed out the chest-clogging dust. Just as Ryan predicted. The wall was too unstable to be around.
Ryan. Bandit.Were they hurt?
She pushed to her feet.
“Are you okay?” Ryan yelled from the other end of the barn.
She looked up. He stood, safe and unharmed. Thank goodness.
“Where’s Bandit?” She plodded through the murky gunk toward him.
“He’s here.” Ryan lifted the dirty dog into his arms. As Ryan rose to his full height, he paused and released a shudder. He shook his head then peered at her.
