Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich [35]
Matt understood frustration. He was frustrated that his night’s business was literally going up in smoke. He was angry that someone had made jerking him around their new hobby. And he was furious with himself for permitting them to mess with his ability to coolly sort through the facts.
Kate briefly settled her hand against his arm. “Hey, this isn’t going to go on forever. It’s going to be okay.”
“Now would be a good time for it to end.”
“Agreed,” she said. “Should we talk to the fire chief?”
“That’s up next.”
“Mind if I come along?”
“Not at all. A set of objective ears is good. But you should know that Norm’s more about putting the fire out than any kind of investigating. That’s one of the quirks of having a volunteer fire department.”
“Still, if you tell him about all the other things that have happened, he’ll have to see a pattern.”
“You and I might, but unless you’ve been living through it, it’s a tough pattern to see.” He led her to the back of the fire truck, where Chief Norm stood talking to Clete Erikson.
“Sorry about this, Matt,” Norm said as they neared.
The fire chief had been of average size in his active days as a charter fishing boat captain. Retirement had caught up with him, though. Now he was shaped like his favorite bowling ball. Still, he remained surprisingly agile.
“Thanks for getting the fire put out,” Matt said.
Norm nodded. “A few of us are going to stick around awhile in case any hot spots flare up.”
“Great. Will you start your arson investigation tonight or wait for first light?”
Norm looked surprised. “It’s a Dumpster fire, Matt. What makes you think it’s arson?”
“The fence was burning. You can’t believe that the entire enclosure sparked and went up without an accelerant.”
“Son, what does a Dumpster hold but trash?” Clete asked, but gave no time for an answer. “The ember from one cigarette butt could have set it off. I’ll interview your employees, but I don’t see any point in rattling the whole town with talk of arson.”
“The town will be talking anyway,” Kate said.
The police chief turned his head. “What did you say?”
“I said that the town will be talking anyway. That’s what Keene’s Harbor does, especially when the topic is as high-profile as Matt and Depot Brewing. They bring more money to this town than any other five businesses combined. Failure to investigate won’t make the talk go away. It will just get worse.”
Clete moved a step closer to her. “Well now, little lady, I’m not sure what business any of this is of yours.”
She looked up at Matt. “Little lady? Did he just call me little lady?”
Yeah, that had been a critical error on Clete’s part, Matt thought. And Matt was happy to urge her on. If anyone could help him quickly shake loose an investigation, it was Kate. “I believe he did,” Matt said.
She turned back to Clete. “I might be little and I might also be a lady, but I am not a little lady any more than you’re the ghost of John Wayne. And even the ghost of the Duke playing a sheriff blindfolded would know this is arson. If you and Chief Norm aren’t interested in investigating it, I’m sure someone is.”
Clete was more puzzled than annoyed. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar?”
“She’s right, Clete,” Matt said. “If you don’t step up, I’m going to have to call the county sheriff’s office and bring them in. You don’t want that.”
There wasn’t enough light to catch the look in Clete’s eyes, but Matt was betting it wasn’t a happy one. Somehow Kate had hit his hot button without even knowing it. Or maybe she’d sensed it. Keene’s Harbor wasn’t flush with money. Clete lived in fear of the town cutting back on its police coverage and using county services.
Clete stood taller, probably trying to make up for the fact that he was in civilian clothes. “Norm, if you’re going to be staying, could you put crime scene tape around the Dumpster area once it’s cooled down?” He turned to Matt. “Could you tell your employees to stay in the restaurant until I can interview them?