“Why don’t you let my mom take Birdie and Sage for one of their sleepovers next weekend? She’s always asking for more time with them.”
Calder broke off a piece of his donut but didn’t eat it. “Your mom does more than enough for us already.”
“And she loves every minute of it. You know she’s ready to throttle her kids because she doesn’t have grandchildren yet. You take some of the pressure off.”
He chuckled. “She playing matchmaker again?”
I stood from my chair and wrapped my donut in a napkin. “Thankfully, she hasn’t ambushed me lately, but I know it’s coming.”
“That’s one good thing about my parents moving to Florida. I only have to deal with their in-person meddling a couple of times a year.”
I scowled in his direction. “Rub it in, why don’t you?”
Calder stood to follow me out of the station. “You wouldn’t give up your family for anything.”
I wouldn’t. As many issues as we had, I couldn’t imagine living across the country from them. And it pissed me the hell off that Calder’s folks had up and left when they knew he needed help. But my parents had simply brought him into the fold. He was an honorary Easton now, and he’d eventually learn that being one of us meant someone was always there to help—or meddle.
I gave him a chin lift of farewell as we headed down the department steps. “Grab a nap today.”
He paused. “You taking backup?”
“Not for this.”
“You sure that’s smart? If they had something to do with this, they might not take kindly to you saying as much.”
My back teeth ground together. I’d accused Young of being reckless, and I was about to do the same damn thing. “You might have a point.”
He grinned. “Are you saying I know what I’m talking about?”
“Don’t push it.”
Young pulled into the small parking lot in her cruiser, waving as she stepped out. “Hey, boss. Smoke-eater.”
Calder nodded in her direction. “Donut-pusher. Why don’t you go with Hayes and make sure he doesn’t get himself into trouble he can’t get out of?”
She turned to me. “Sheriff?”
“Come on, let’s go. Call Mom, Calder.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He waved as he took off down the street.
Young climbed into the passenger side of my SUV. “Where are we going?”
I set my coffee in the cupholder and balanced my donut on my thigh as I started the engine. “We need to pay the Kemper family a visit.”
“What happened now?”
“That fire that started at Everly’s last night? It was arson.”
“Shit,” she whispered. “How is she holding up?”
“She’s fine. I can’t say the same about her barn.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
I glanced across the vehicle. “You like her, huh?”
Young’s mouth curved. “She was going to take a punch so she could lay her uncle out. That makes her a badass in my book. And my gram brought her cat to the vet because she wasn’t eating. Didn’t have an appointment, but Everly worked her in and was really kind. That makes her good people, too. So, if I can do something to help, I’d like to.”
“I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.”
For the rest of the drive, we talked over what had happened last night. The likely timeframe we were looking at. I wasn’t exactly sure what I hoped to gain by talking to the Kempers. They sure as hell weren’t going to give me any sort of truth. But I needed to see a reaction, at least.
My SUV bumped and jostled as I navigated the potholes in the dirt road. There was no sign overhead, like most of the other ranches. Only a gate propped open with a log.
“I kind of expected locked gates and armed guards,” Young muttered.
“I don’t think they’ve gone that far.” But it didn’t mean they couldn’t. I kept a close eye on any FBI reports about militia activity in the area. It certainly wasn’t unheard of. Most of the people out here wanted a peaceful life away from the trappings of the city. But some thought it was the Wild West, and they were certified outlaws.
I guided my SUV down the road until a cluster of buildings came into view—an old, large farmhouse, a smaller guest cabin, and a series of barns and outbuildings. As I came to a stop, Allen stepped out of the barn, Ian on his heels. A couple of other men followed behind.
I parked so I faced the road, just in case things went south. “Remember, play it cool.”
“I’m not sure Allen is a friend of mine after I took him in.”
He glared at my SUV. Allen wasn’t a fan of any woman putting him in his place. I checked the gun at my hip. “Hold steady, and we’ll be fine.”
Young and I slid out of the SUV, and I nodded at the group of men. “Morning, gentlemen.”
Not a single friendly face greeted me. Allen took a few steps forward. “You’re on private property, and you’re not welcome here. Leave.”
“You’re free to request that, and I’ll abide, but then I’ll have to take you and Ian in for questioning.”
“What the hell for?” Ian asked.
A door clapped against a wood frame, and I looked to see Everly’s cousin and another older woman appear on the porch. “Ma’am. Ma’am,” I greeted.
The older woman scowled at me, but Adaline looked panicked. Young eyed her carefully, looking as if she wanted to go over and ask her if she was okay. I gave a slight shake of my head. That would take things from bad to worse.
“My nephew asked you a question,” Allen gritted out.
“Does that mean you’d rather answer my questions here?”
He straightened. “We don’t recognize your authority here. This land is sovereign and not under your corrupt power.”
“Is that a yes, or a no?”
Allen spat onto the dirt. “I’m curious enough to see why the hell you’re bothering me.”
“Need to know where you and Ian were last night.”
Ian stepped forward, shoulder to shoulder with his uncle. “Why?”
Young and I had turned our backs towards each other slightly so our positions protected us from any possible ambush, but both had eyes on the two women and the group of men. I drummed my fingers against my thigh. “You answer my question, and I’ll answer yours. Seems like a fair trade.”
“We were here all night. You can ask Cybil and Addie,” Ian gritted out.
I looked to the women. “They were both here? All night? You know for sure?”
Neither woman said a word, but Addie’s eyes shifted to the side as if she didn’t want to respond.
“Answer the man,” Allen barked.
“They were here,” Cybil said.
Addie nodded. “I went to bed early, but I didn’t see anyone leave.”
That was an interesting way to put it. “Did you hear anything out of the ordinary?”
Addie blanched, and Allen stepped between his daughter and me. “That’s enough. We’ve answered your questions. Now, tell us your business here.”
“Someone set Everly’s barn on fire last night.”
Allen’s expression was carefully blank, but Ian took a few steps forward, his knuckles bleaching white. “That’s my land. So, it’s my barn. If we had burned it down, it would’ve been within our rights to do so.”