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“What do you mean?”
“He stopped and looked around. It’s a guess, but it was like he wanted to make sure no one saw him.” She released a shaky breath. “He was dressed all in black. That’s not too unusual except he had one of the beanies on his head.”
“A knit watch cap?”
“Right. It was pulled down low.”
“Color.”
“From the porch, it looked black. I remember thinking about him being a cliché of characters I’ve seen on television.” She fell silent as if recalling what she saw.
Aiden waited a minute before interrupting her thoughts. “Did you recognize him?”
“What? Oh yes. I mean, no.” She shook her head. “I didn’t recognize him.”
“And you’re sure it was a man?”
Her brows drew together. “Well…I was. I suppose it could’ve been a woman.”
“We’ll figure that out later. Did you see him start the fire?”
“No. But when he ran out, it wasn’t long before I saw flames.”
“What did you do when you saw the flames?”
“I ran to the cabin where Virgil and Lily live. He took care of things from there.”
“All right, Laurel. Which way did he run when he left the barn?”
“That was also strange. He ran around the barn and disappeared.”
“He didn’t run to one of the cabins?”
“No. Around the barn toward the back.”
Aiden thought a moment before continuing. “Is that when you saw the flames?”
“Maybe a minute later.”
“That’s when you ran to Virgil’s cabin.”
Her head bobbed in a grave nod. “Yes.”
“You didn’t tell Virgil about the man?”
“I didn’t connect the fire to him until later.” A cloud crossed her features. “Seems obvious now.”
He waited a bit before sliding the pad and pen into a pocket. “Don’t beat yourself up. You figured it out pretty fast compared to most people. Doesn’t count the people who don’t want to get involved and wouldn’t have gone for Virgil. People are a strange bunch, Laurel.”
“How well I know.”
Logan thought he’d prefer to work outside, helping the ranch hands do whatever the fire chief directed. Wyatt and Virgil had other plans for him and a few of the guests who volunteered their time.
Beth put him to work alongside Sam, fixing sandwiches for the entire crew. Abbie and Benny assembled large bowls of macaroni, Ceasar, and fruit salads, while Daisy, with Reece sleeping nearby, and Lily, baked cookies. The biggest challenge was rescuing fresh, warm chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies from the hands of those working in the kitchen.
“Do you believe one of the guests may have started the fire?” Sam glanced at Logan as she smeared mustard on another slice of sourdough bread.
“If it was arson, anyone could’ve started the fire. Including a ranch guest.” Layering meat and cheese on the bread, he handed it to Margie Bonner, who added lettuce and a tomato slice before sliding it down the counter to Monica Redstar for packaging. “The fire inspector will be able to tell if it was an accident, freak occurrence, or arson.”
