When Secrets Strike

by Marta Perry

  Someone was in here with them.

  Should he continue trying to find the light or go back to Sarah? A stifled sound from her decided him. He bolted back toward her, letting the closet door slam. In its echo, he heard stealthy movement toward the direction where Sarah must be.

  “Who’s there?” he demanded.

  No answer, but he could sense the man heading inexorably toward Sarah and closer to her than he was.

  “Sarah, be very still. I’m coming.” Aaron lunged forward, forgetting the chair, and barreled into it again, sending it flying and losing his balance for an instant. Sarah, where was Sarah?

  There was no sound but the harshness of his own breath as, groping wildly, he rushed toward the spot where he’d left her. If he caught the man, he’d—

  Not strike, no. But he’d keep him away from Sarah, whatever the cost.

  His outstretched hands hit the wall, then the row of switches. But no Sarah. Where—? A movement behind him alerted him. He shoved out, encountering grasping hands that fell away instantly when the man realized he’d caught Aaron instead of Sarah.

  Aaron flung out his arm, hoping to grasp the intruder, hold him, but that quickly he was away, footsteps fleeing toward the front of the building. But Sarah...

  “Sarah, where are you?” The lobby door swung open, letting in a shaft of light as a dark figure bolted through it.

  “Is he gone?” Sarah’s voice was small and breathless.

  “Ja. Where are you? Are you hurt?”

  “Down here.” Her voice shook.

  He followed the sound of it, groping until he connected with her head and shoulders. She was crouched against the wall in a small niche just past the switches. He drew her to her feet, supporting her as he pulled her close.

  He shouldn’t. But he had to. And Sarah came willingly, closing her arms around him and hanging on tight.

  “It’s all right,” he soothed, smoothing his hand down the sweet curve of her back. “You’re safe now.”

  “He got away again.” There was a catch in her breath.

  “Not for long,” Aaron said grimly. “I saw just enough to recognize him. It was Gus Hill.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  SARAH FELT AS IF she was outwardly composed and hoped she was right about that, especially since most of Laurel Ridge’s small police force milled around her. The fact that she was still shaky inside was no one’s business.

  Allison, sitting on a folding chair next to her in the now brightly lit theater, edged a little closer. “Sure you’re okay?” she asked quietly.

  Nodding, Sarah made an effort at a smile. “Just thankful I wasn’t alone in this place.” She glanced around and shivered despite her resolve. With all the lights full on, the theater was just a large, windowless room now, without much character. But half an hour ago, it had been a terrifying place.

  “We could go out into the lobby,” Allison suggested.

  “Mac said people are gawking in the windows. That would be worse.” She hated being looked at as if she were an object in a display, to be stared at. Strangers did that often enough when you were Amish.

  Mac came over to her, dragging a chair behind him. He flipped it out and sat, giving her an encouraging smile. “Feel able to talk about it?”

  “Ja...yes,” she amended, aware of Fielding, the arson investigator, lurking a few feet away, as if he wasn’t invited to be part of the inquiry, but intended to hear what was said nonetheless.

  Aaron made no pretense of lurking. He moved behind her chair and stood there, his fingers resting lightly on her shoulders. Even without turning, she could feel his solid presence close to her.

  Would Mac object? Apparently not, because he glanced briefly at Aaron and then at his notebook before focusing on her.

  “I think we’re doing this too much, right?” His serious expression relaxed in a quick smile. “Just tell me what happened in your own words. We’ll get it down in an official report later.”

  She sucked in a breath and seemed to feel strength flowing into her through Aaron’s hands. “You know, more or less. Aaron and I came over to decide on what quilt racks and display areas we’d need for the festival. I had the key, so we let ourselves in.”

  “Did anyone else know you were coming?”

  She shrugged, spreading her hands. “Plenty of people, I guess. We talked about it in the store. Anyone might have heard.”

  Mac nodded. “And if they didn’t hear, they might have guessed you’d be back to the building soon. Did you come straight in here?”

  “We stood in the lobby for a few minutes, talking about what we’d need out there. Then we started inside and found it was dark.”

  “Had you expected the lights to be on?” Mac looked up, alert.

  “I’d called this morning and left a message on the answering machine for the custodian as to when we’d be here. But anyway, I knew where the switches are, back along that wall.” She pointed. “Aaron blocked the door open with a chair so we’d be able to see our way a little.”

  Mac’s gaze switched to Aaron. “You’re sure the door couldn’t have swung free?”

  “I am certain sure. I checked it twice. The chair could not come out on its own.” Aaron’s voice seemed to rumble through her, he was so close, and she tried not to think of those moments when she’d clung to him.

  “When we hit the switches, nothing happened. I knew the circuit breakers were in the closet opposite us, so Aaron went to find it while I stayed put. We were talking, you see, so I knew where he was the whole time. He had gone into the closet when suddenly the chair clattered and fell and the door swung shut, leaving us in the dark.” Despite her efforts, her voice trembled a little.

  “Just take it slow,” Mac said. “Did you hear or see anything to make you think someone else was in here?”

  She nodded. “I couldn’t see, but I could hear him. He was coming toward me from the door. And Aaron was coming, too, but was farther away. Aaron shouted at the man. He didn’t answer, but I could tell he was getting close.”

  She stopped, swallowed, and Aaron’s hands tightened on her shoulders as Allison gripped her hand. If they could do this instead of her, they would, she knew.

  “So I slipped back along the wall a little. I knew there was a corner where the wall was set back a few inches. When I reached it, I crouched down.”

  Sarah’s throat closed, and she couldn’t go on. She was kneeling there in the dark again, feeling the rough plaster behind her back, trying to make herself so small no one could find her.

  “That’s enough.” Aaron’s tone was hard. “I already told you who it was. I saw him. It was Gus Hill.”

  “I know.” Mac sounded as if he was trying to be patient. “I just need to know what Sarah saw.”

  “I didn’t see him,” she managed to say. “I had my head down when I heard him go out. But before that...” She stopped and cleared her tight throat. “When he was close, I could smell him. Aaron is right. It was Gus.”

  Fielding made a derisive sound at that, but Mac nodded. “Yeah, he could be pretty fragrant, couldn’t he?”

  “Why aren’t you out looking for him?” Aaron interrupted. “He’s getting away.”

  “He won’t get far if he tries to run. I’ve put an alert out for that old rattletrap pickup he drives, and I’ve notified other local law enforcement. My guess is he’ll leave the truck somewhere and take off into the woods. This time of year, it’ll be a job to find him.”

  That was true enough. Julia said her husband had claimed that Gus knew the whole ridge like the back of his hand. If he wanted to disappear, they wouldn’t locate him until cold or hunger drove him out.

  Sarah rubbed her forehead, feeling the tension there, and wished this was over.

  “I still don’t see why Gus would do
it,” Allison said. “Set the first fire, I mean. He must have known that burning the barn on her property would make Julia more likely to sell, and he’d lose his home.”

  Mac nodded. “That’s why I haven’t seriously considered him up to now. But there might be something else involved we don’t know about. Suppose someone wanted to buy the land. Gus might very well be glad to pocket the cash for making that happen.”

  “I was going to talk to you about that.” Aaron’s hands tightened a little on her shoulders. “Sarah began to wonder if the land might be behind these fires, since most of them have happened in the same area. If someone wanted to buy up the land, barn fires would be sure to make folks more likely to consider an offer.”

  Sarah nodded. “And Julia did say that someone had called her about selling her property not too long ago, but she turned them down.”

  “Did she say who it was?” Mac’s tone had quickened.

  “She said she didn’t remember.”

  He nodded. “I’ll talk to her about it, anyway. We hadn’t really considered that kind of a motive for the fire, not when it looked so much like the rash of barn fires we had years ago. Of course Gus might easily have set one for a payoff, decided he liked the excitement, and gone on to set more.”

  Aaron moved slightly, and Sarah could almost sense his frown. “If it’s bigger than that—well, some out-of-state company just bought up the Gibson place, don’t forget. I can’t think why someone would take such risks to buy property out our way, but it wants explaining.”

  Mac rose. “We won’t ignore that possibility, believe me. The important thing now is to find Gus. Then we’ll get some answers.”

  Aaron’s hands tightened into fists. “If you need a search party, I’ll help. He has to be made to pay for what he’s done. Letting my brother be blamed for his actions, and hurting Sarah the way he did...”

  Mac glanced from Aaron to Sarah. “I know what you mean. We’ll get him. Meantime, Sarah, I’ll send you home in a police car, so—”

  “No,” she said quickly. “Mac, it would scare my little brothers to death if they saw me coming home in a cruiser.”

  “I’ll take Sarah,” Aaron said.

  “It will be faster and simpler if I run her home.” Allison rose. “Aaron, if you could go back to the shop and ask your sister to close up, that would be a big help. She must have thought I was crazy when I went running out of there.”

  Aaron’s hand lingered on Sarah’s shoulder for another moment. “Ja, you’re right. I’ll tend to it. You get Sarah home safe.”

  “I will.” Allison put her arm around her. “I parked in the alley. If we go out the side door, we can avoid the crowd.”

  “Denke. Thank you.”

  Aaron nodded briefly. “I’ll come by tonight to be sure you’re okay. Don’t worry. Gus won’t dare come near you again.”

  “I know.” Sarah managed to smile at him, and she had to be content with that. If she’d hoped for a warmer goodbye...well, that would be foolish in front of all these people, even if he felt it.

  * * *

  SARAH PAUSED IN the act of shaking out the back doormat at the sound of tires on the gravel lane. The boys, on their way into the house, stopped and stared as if Mac was a stranger in his uniform, instead of someone they’d known all their lives. She forced a smile, hating that recent events had changed their perception of the world.

  “Look, here’s Mac come to visit.”

  They weren’t taken in by her cheerful words, watching him warily as he got out of the police car.

  Daadi came out to stand beside her. “What are you boys standing around for? Greet Mac and then head upstairs. Jonny, you play a board game in your room with your brothers until bedtime.”

  “Farm Race,” Noah shouted, scrambling for the porch.

  “No, Chinese checkers.” Thomas was right behind him.

  Jonny nodded to Mac, his gaze solemn, before he headed after his brothers. “Maybe we can do both,” he said, playing peacemaker.

  “Don’t slam—” Sarah began, and paused as the screen door banged against the frame “—the door.”

  Daadi didn’t even give Mac time to speak before he rushed into the question that was on everyone’s mind. “Did you catch Gus Hill yet?”

  Mac’s jaw seemed to tighten. “Not yet. We’ll get him, don’t worry.” His voice seemed to soften as he looked at Sarah. “He won’t dare to try anything else.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” But if she was certain, why were her nerves jumping as if they were on fire?

  “Komm.” Daad held the door. “You’d best have some coffee while you tell us about it.”

  Mac nodded. “Sorry,” he muttered, looking for all the world the way he had as a boy when he’d confessed to breaking a branch on Daad’s cherry tree.

  Daad seemed satisfied, because his stern expression eased as they went into the kitchen. Mamm was already cutting wedges of the shoofly pie left from breakfast, while Grossmammi poured coffee.

  “There’d be snitz pie to offer you if those greedy boys hadn’t finished it up for dessert,” Mamm said. She knew Mac especially loved her dried apple pie.

  “Next time tell me before you let them at it.” Mac grinned, taking a seat at the kitchen table as he’d been doing since he was a boy. He looked from Mammi to Grossmammi. “Sorry I don’t have better news about Hill. We found that pickup of his run into the woods a mile or so from the cottage, but no sign of him yet.”

  “I still have trouble seeing what made Gus think I was a threat to him.” Sarah tried to look at it calmly. “Even if you’re sure he was the arsonist—”

  “We’re sure.” Mac’s face was grim. “We searched the cottage and found the evidence. Kerosene cans, oily rags... The wonder is he didn’t kill himself, careless as he was.”

  “It might be he thought Sarah had seen those things in the cottage when she looked for him the day of the first fire,” Daad said slowly.

  “But I didn’t. And he must have known I’d have told Mac if I had.” The frustration ate at her. Bad enough to think someone wished her harm, and it was even worse not knowing why.

  “He’s been pickling his brains with alcohol for so many years I’m not sure he thought anything through,” Mac said. “Although he’s been clever enough to escape us for weeks,” he added, his tone wry. He bit into a wedge of Mamm’s wet-bottom shoofly pie, eating it as if he hadn’t stopped for supper.

  “Cunning, maybe,” Daad said. “Sarah, you spoke to him a time or two. Did you say anything he might take to mean you knew something?”

  Her mind scrambled back over that encounter at the shop. “I don’t know... I don’t think so. I remember I mentioned saying something to Julia, but I was just trying to get him to leave, not threaten him.”

  Mac shrugged. “It might have been enough. And after you interrupted him when he was trying to set a fire, he could have figured you knew more than you were saying. Anyway, it was stupid of him to come after you at the theater today.” The lawman paused then, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t have thought he’d do that, not right in town and when Aaron was there. Hill must have been crazy to think he’d get away with it.”

  “It’s hard for a righteous man to understand the ways of the wicked,” Daad said. “We don’t blame you. At least now young Jonah is cleared. And surely Gus wouldn’t dare try anything else now that everyone in the valley is watching for him.”

  A little shiver crept down Sarah’s spine. They all kept saying Gus wouldn’t try anything more. Rationally she knew that was true, but some instinct inside seemed to tell her they hadn’t finished with this trial yet.

  Feet pounded on the stairs, and they all swung round to see Jonny racing toward them, his face white, the other two boys stumbling behind him in their haste. “Fire!” he shouted. “The Kings’ barn is on fir
e.”

  Sarah gasped, her heart seeming to stop for an instant. Mac had already pulled out his cell phone, snapping instructions through it as he ran to the door, with Daad right behind him.

  “Jonny, you come to help!” Daad shouted. “Thomas and Noah, ring the bell to alert the neighbors. Keep ringing until you’re sure everyone has heard.”

  Mamm was saying something to Sarah, but she couldn’t seem to hear anything beyond the rushing urgency in her blood. She ran after the men, her thoughts tumbling.

  They’d said Gus wouldn’t dare try anything, but he had. He’d set another fire, and at Aaron’s place this time.

  When she reached the yard she could see what Jonny had spotted from the upstairs window. The back corner of the barn was blazing. Figures struggled in the distance—they’d be trying to get the animals out.

  She ran, her breath coming sharp and painful. Aaron. Gus had started a fire in his barn, and had good reason to hold a grudge against Aaron after what had happened. Her mind filled with an image of Aaron lying helpless, unconscious, inside the burning building, maybe lying dead the way Matthew Gibson had—

  Run, she ordered herself. Just run. Don’t think.

  Jonny and Daad got there first, Jonny running to help Becky as she wrestled sections of hose together, and Daad dashing into the barn behind Mac. Where was Aaron?

  Sarah couldn’t stand here worrying—there was work to be done. She ran over to grasp the halter of the buggy horse Jonah had just led out. “I’ll take it.”

  He nodded, racing back inside. The animal tried to rear, and she jerked the halter. “Stoppe!” she commanded, and led it to the gate into the nearest field. When she released the halter the horse cantered, bucking once or twice, to the far end of the pasture.

  Hurrying back, she met Jonah again, and again started to take the frightened animal, but he shook his head. “We can do this. Better you help my daad with the chickens.”

  “Where’s Aaron?” She couldn’t hold back the question, and Jonah grinned, his teeth white in a soot-blackened face.

  “He’s okay. Trying to fight it from inside.” Jonah ran back, and it seemed to her she could see him turning from a sulky teen to a man all in a minute.