The Beekeeper's Daughter (Harlequin Super Romance) by Janice Carter

the barn a few months back. He was using it basically as a storage shed and the premiums were getting higher every year so…” He shook his head. “Damn bad luck.”
    “So you think it was arson?”
    “Oh yeah. One of my men found an empty gasoline canister in the bushes over there that Warren says isn’t his.”
    “The same person who’s been setting the other fires?”
    “We won’t know for sure till the marshal’s had a look around, but my guess is a yes. Why is another big question.”
    “Someone obsessed with fires?”
    “Possibly, but here? In Garden Valley?”
    Maybe Andrews considered the valley some kind of Eden but personally, Will was a bit more skeptical. Life so far had convinced him paradise existed more in the imagination than the real world. “So what other reasons have you been tossing around?” he asked.
    Andrews absently patted down his jacket pocket before pulling out his pack of cigarettes again. He offered one to Will, who shook his head. “Oh yeah, sorry. Forgot. I have to quit—so the doctor says. I’ve been having some angina.” He took a long draw, blowing out the smoke in a satisfied sigh. “I promised the wife this would be my last pack.”
    “That you bought? Or borrowed?”
    Andrews gave a sheepish grin. “Right. I’ve been working on that. Anyway, at first we thought the fires were part of some kind of insurance fraud thing. Couple of the farmers were really down and out—on the verge of bankruptcy. But then about a week ago, oneof the most prosperous outfits in the area lost its hay barn.” He took another drag on the cigarette. A sprinkle of embers from its tip flew into the air with the evening breeze.
    Will had a sudden vision of calling back the trucks, this time to put out a blaze started by the captain. “No pattern to the victims then?”
    “None we can see. Except all of the barns and sheds have been used for storage or whatever. No animals.”
    Interesting. The perp has a heart? “When did the fires begin?”
    Andrews shrugged. “About three months ago. It took a while for us to realize we had a serial arsonist at work.”
    “Serial arsonist? That doesn’t sound like teenagers.”
    “Could be, though. You know—one with serious problems.” Andrews finished off the cigarette and carefully ground the butt into the earth with the heel of his boot. “You ever encountered a serial arsonist?’
    “Can’t say I have. The only arsonists I’ve met were hired.”
    “I thought of that, too, along with the possible insurance fraud. But the one thing every victim had in common was a different insurance company. Or, like poor Warren here, no insurance at all.”
    “Poor guy,” Will muttered.
    “No kidding. Anyway, knowing folks in the valley, there’ll be a barn-raising organized before the end of summer. Okay, that’s it for me,” said Andrews with aloud sigh. “I’m beat. You wanna follow me? There’s a pretty decent motel about five miles this side of Essex.”
    “Sounds good,” Will said.
    “Motel’s got a sports bar attached.”
    “Better still.” He turned to open the van door, but caught Andrews’s appraising stare.
    “Too bad you’re not planning on hanging around a bit. I could use some big-city expertise on this.”
    This meaning the fires, Will assumed. How could he let the captain know fighting fires was the last thing he wanted to do? Did the man think the sheen of sweat on Will’s face had been put there by the fire’s heat?
    Something in Will’s face must have been answer enough for Andrews. “Oh well, can’t blame a guy for trying.” He signaled to one of his men, who began to climb behind the wheel of the fire engine. “Give us a sec to turn the truck around and we’ll lead you right to Traveler’s Way Motel.”
    Will could just as easily have found the motel himself, but the gesture was meant to be hospitable. He got into the van and watched the engine reverse until its nose was aimed toward the main road. As he