Page 137 of The River We Remember

So they stood huddled on that porch, watching the barn as if it were the lair of a monster.

It wasn’t long before they saw black smoke roll out the windows of the loft and tongues of flame begin to lick at the walls. In the stillness of the late afternoon, they heard the boom of a single shotgun blast from inside that burning building.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

WHEN HE GOT the call, Brody was driving slowly just south of Jewel, along a dirt road paralleling the Alabaster River and running through a thick stand of mixed hardwoods. It was a place he thought a man on the run might considering hiding a truck.

“Base to Unit One. Come in, Brody.”

“This is Unit One. What’s up, Hank?”

“Just got a call from the Quinn farm. Creasy’s there. He’s got a shotgun.”

“What’s he doing?”

“Nothing so far. Just threatening.”

“I’m on my way.”

Asa Fielding broke in on the transmission. “Unit One, this is Unit Two. Over.”

“Go ahead, Asa.”

“I’m at the north end of town, Brody, but en route now to the Quinn farm. ETA fifteen minutes.”

“Ten-four. Call Noah Bluestone’s place, Hank. Tell Connie I want him on this, too.”

“Roger that, Brody. Base out.”

Brody was still a good two miles from the Quinn farmstead when he saw black smoke rising in the sky above the green fields. Almost simultaneously, Hank Evans hailed him on the radio.

“That son of a bitch Creasy set fire to the barn, Brody.”

“Get Norm Castle and his guys out there,” Brody said, speaking of the town’s fire chief and his men.

“Called ’em before I radioed you.”

“Good work. Did you get hold of Connie?”

“He’s on his way.”

Three minutes later, Brody rolled his cruiser into the Quinns’ yard. He leapt out and ran to the porch, where Charlie Bauer and the Quinns stood together. His eyes quickly took them in, especially Charlie, whose presence surprised him.

“Everyone okay?” he asked.

“We’re fine,” Charlie said.

“Creasy?”

“He’s still in the barn,” J.P. said. “But, Sheriff, before Creasy got here, Able Grange and me, we were mucking out the cattle pen. I came in to have supper, but Able stayed up at the barn. He wanted to sharpen the blades on the disc harrow before he went home. He hasn’t come out.”

“After the fire started, we heard a shotgun go off inside,” Charlie said. “Creasy wasn’t shooting at us.”

Brody stepped to the railing and studied the barn intently. “You all stay here,” he said. “Deputy Fielding and Deputy Graff are on their way.”

He left the porch and returned to his cruiser. He opened the trunk, bent inside, and came up with a shotgun in his hands.

A moment later, Connie Graff sped up the lane. His truck skidded to a halt near Brody’s cruiser, and the old deputy jumped out, bringing a rifle with him. He met Brody and they talked strategy for a moment, then Graff headed toward the big equipment shed that lay on the other side of the lane directly opposite the burning barn, where he took up a position that would allow him to fire into the open barn door, if necessary. Asa Fielding arrived moments later, and Brody sent him to a position behind the long feed trough of the cattle yard, which gave the deputy a clear view of the back of the barn. Then Brody got into his cruiser and drove within thirty yards of the flames.