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Friday
The old chicken factory was every bit as empty as the first barn had been. As Finn swept up the next rise to the third location on his list, he wondered if his assumptions about Trevor Vollmar had been completely off track. But after he crested the hill, a glow of flames greeted him. Leaning forward in his seat, he pressed his foot harder on the gas pedal.
No! He couldn’t be too late.
Pressing the button on his steering wheel, he called 9-1-1, identified himself, reported the fire. Then he asked to be connected with Detective Melendez.
“I heard the call go out,” she said on answering. “I’m on my way.”
“I’m almost there.” He screeched around a curve.
“What are you doing there?”
He missed the turnoff to the barn, identifying the gravel lane out of the corner of his eye as he passed. “Later, Sara.” He punched end.
He stomped on the brake, his tires squealing as he wrestled the car around. A loud crash sounded somewhere near the fire.
Then he was tearing down the gravel road, trees whipping past, and then he slammed his car into park ten yards back from the flaming structure. The barn was fully engulfed, the roof already falling in. He was too late.
Although there were no other buildings in sight, two pickups were parked nearby, a white one back near the trees, a black one far too close. He watched as a chunk of flaming debris from the barn roof tumbled onto the cab of that one.
The sirens neared. The fire department volunteers were on their way. But once again, they’d be too late to save anything.
He grabbed his flashlight, stepped out of his car, and quickly inspected both vehicles. Empty. Then he heard what sounded like pounding.
Was that a shout? He raced toward the front of the barn where the doorway revealed that the barn was completely ablaze. Flames licked up the walls and crawled across the roof above, and everything below was obscured by dense black smoke. The structure groaned as a wall shifted, and Finn had no doubt that the building was within minutes of collapsing.
Then he noticed that a long water hose stretched from the shadowy woods across the dirt and then snaked into the flaming interior.
“Mia!” he yelled. “Mia Valdez! Is anyone inside?”
