— Jim Barnes — was working the hose, helping guide the stream of water that, though massive, still had to struggle with the fire feeding off whatever had caused it to erupt so explosively.
Jack saw Alan walk over to Tim Bell who stood there, face impassive, almost as if he too expected something like this.
Then Jack turned, seeing another car racing down the road.
Sarah.
*
She had parked behind the Sprite, not at all surprised to see Jack here.
Then she ran up to him, the only witness to the fire besides the firemen, Alan, and Bell himself.
Jack turned to her as she ran and the torch-like fire finally sputtered to a stop.
“Sarah. Thought something like this would happen,” Jack said.
“Soon as I heard the siren, I knew … felt like it was about Bell.”
“Yeah. Find out anything from Dinah’s friends?”
And Sarah told him about her meeting with Jen and Michelle, the night at the carnival when they last saw their good friend, and the dashed hopes of Dinah’s music teacher, Rik Chase.
Jack nodded.
As usual, taking it all in.
“And you? Who do you think has done this?”
“Her father? And her ex-boyfriend? Both of them could have easily done this — or arranged for it to be done …”
Jack gestured to the dark, sodden site of the fire, the mailbox and post reduced to a black skeleton.
“And I’m afraid this might not be the end of it,” Jack said.
Chief Barnes had his crew coiling the hose while Alan stood with Bell.
“Let’s see if Alan will let us chat with him a bit.”
Sarah nodded. And she walked beside Jack, stepping around the black crater of the fire, to the front door.
Bell’s lips were pursed, and as she got close she heard Alan …
“You’ll have to come down to the station to fill out a report, Tim.”
She watched Bell shake his head.
“No, I don’t. Don’t have to file any damn report. Not if I don’t want to.”
Alan looked up as she and Jack got to the door. He gave her a look … as if saying … please help. Make this guy see sense.
But Bell didn’t seem to be looking for any advice.
“Alan, Tim …” Jack said. “Nasty business.”
“I was telling him, Jack, that he really should fill out a report. We can have a proper investigation then, maybe get a forensics team down here.”
Sarah watched Bell. His eyes locked on the site of the fire. If it was meant to scare Bell off … it didn’t seem to working.
“Tim,” she said, “any idea who did this?”
Bell’s eyes slowly moved from their position locked on the smouldering mailbox to Sarah.
“I’d say … anybody in this town, wouldn’t you? ’Cept maybe you two. Guess—” he forced a grin, “you’re off the hook.”
Jack took a step closer. “Might help us if you let Alan do his job.”
Tim looked to Jack now. Then the smallest of nods.
“And maybe,” Alan added, “…maybe think about leaving the village for a while. Let things settle down. While we look into things.”
With that Bell shook his head.
“Leave? Oh I left, didn’t I? A good long twenty-five years ago. Not now. You see—”
And now he took in all three of them …
“—whoever did this, why maybe that’s just what he wants. Because there’s someone here, in lovely Cherringham, who knows what happened to Dinah. And I mean to find out who the hell that is …”
Sarah looked to Jack. She didn’t like Bell. But his anger at what happened, today — and so long ago — now had her judging him less harshly.
Not a nice guy at all.
But a murderer?
She didn’t think so.
“Look Tim,” Jack said, “how about this. You let us know if there are any threats, anything else that happens. Okay? And we’ll keep digging. But in the meantime — you file the report with Alan here. Who knows what they might find in that mess on your front lawn?”
For a second Tim kept his arms folded, locked against any suggestion of “what he should do.”
But then Sarah watched as, in that near magical way Jack had of
Jack saw Alan walk over to Tim Bell who stood there, face impassive, almost as if he too expected something like this.
Then Jack turned, seeing another car racing down the road.
Sarah.
*
She had parked behind the Sprite, not at all surprised to see Jack here.
Then she ran up to him, the only witness to the fire besides the firemen, Alan, and Bell himself.
Jack turned to her as she ran and the torch-like fire finally sputtered to a stop.
“Sarah. Thought something like this would happen,” Jack said.
“Soon as I heard the siren, I knew … felt like it was about Bell.”
“Yeah. Find out anything from Dinah’s friends?”
And Sarah told him about her meeting with Jen and Michelle, the night at the carnival when they last saw their good friend, and the dashed hopes of Dinah’s music teacher, Rik Chase.
Jack nodded.
As usual, taking it all in.
“And you? Who do you think has done this?”
“Her father? And her ex-boyfriend? Both of them could have easily done this — or arranged for it to be done …”
Jack gestured to the dark, sodden site of the fire, the mailbox and post reduced to a black skeleton.
“And I’m afraid this might not be the end of it,” Jack said.
Chief Barnes had his crew coiling the hose while Alan stood with Bell.
“Let’s see if Alan will let us chat with him a bit.”
Sarah nodded. And she walked beside Jack, stepping around the black crater of the fire, to the front door.
Bell’s lips were pursed, and as she got close she heard Alan …
“You’ll have to come down to the station to fill out a report, Tim.”
She watched Bell shake his head.
“No, I don’t. Don’t have to file any damn report. Not if I don’t want to.”
Alan looked up as she and Jack got to the door. He gave her a look … as if saying … please help. Make this guy see sense.
But Bell didn’t seem to be looking for any advice.
“Alan, Tim …” Jack said. “Nasty business.”
“I was telling him, Jack, that he really should fill out a report. We can have a proper investigation then, maybe get a forensics team down here.”
Sarah watched Bell. His eyes locked on the site of the fire. If it was meant to scare Bell off … it didn’t seem to working.
“Tim,” she said, “any idea who did this?”
Bell’s eyes slowly moved from their position locked on the smouldering mailbox to Sarah.
“I’d say … anybody in this town, wouldn’t you? ’Cept maybe you two. Guess—” he forced a grin, “you’re off the hook.”
Jack took a step closer. “Might help us if you let Alan do his job.”
Tim looked to Jack now. Then the smallest of nods.
“And maybe,” Alan added, “…maybe think about leaving the village for a while. Let things settle down. While we look into things.”
With that Bell shook his head.
“Leave? Oh I left, didn’t I? A good long twenty-five years ago. Not now. You see—”
And now he took in all three of them …
“—whoever did this, why maybe that’s just what he wants. Because there’s someone here, in lovely Cherringham, who knows what happened to Dinah. And I mean to find out who the hell that is …”
Sarah looked to Jack. She didn’t like Bell. But his anger at what happened, today — and so long ago — now had her judging him less harshly.
Not a nice guy at all.
But a murderer?
She didn’t think so.
“Look Tim,” Jack said, “how about this. You let us know if there are any threats, anything else that happens. Okay? And we’ll keep digging. But in the meantime — you file the report with Alan here. Who knows what they might find in that mess on your front lawn?”
For a second Tim kept his arms folded, locked against any suggestion of “what he should do.”
But then Sarah watched as, in that near magical way Jack had of
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