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The Haileys arrived at the farm that evening.
"This is just for a night or two," Jim said to Tom as they came up the porch steps. "Just to give my women some peace of mind; then we go back home. I don't want to be a burden."
"You'll stay as long as you need to," Doris replied. Jesse ran past her to help carry their things in.
The evening was more comfortable than any of the past several days. The adults played dominoes and drank coffee. Jesse and Katy played with the dogs on the porch.
"Watch Barker," Katy said and tossed the ball to Midge." They both laughed when the competitive Springer Spaniel overtook the slower mutt, Midge, who snatched the ball. Toby, jumped up trying to take the ball away, but the larger dog was too smart for him.
"It's getting late, kids." Malinda said, as she came to the screen door. "We have church tomorrow so we'd better get some sleep."
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The house was quiet except for the typical nightly sounds. The clock on the dresser ticked away the seconds. The limb of the Crape Myrtle scratched the living room window in the rising wind. The refrigerator produced a constant hum and somewhere in the distance was the hoot of an owl.
Barker sat up, his ears alert and listening. Then the other dogs heard it and they started barking. They ran, circling and scratching at the door. When they got it open they raced down the stairs barking an alarm.
Jim and Ted were the first ones down the stairs.
“Easy,” Ted called at the dogs, who were scratching at the kitchen door.
"What is it?" Jim asked.
“I don't know,” Ted opened the door and the screen door and stepped out on the porch. The dogs flew out the door, down the steps and headed for the orange grove.
As Ted and Jim followed the dogs into the yard, they saw taillights fishtailing onto the road. Then they smelled it. Smoke! Billowing smoke was rising over the trees, but the flames were sporadic, a little here, a little there. The barn was alive with the sounds of bellowing cows and barking dogs.
Tom ran back into the house, “Fire! The grove is on fire,” he yelled. "Doris, call for help! Jesse, you and Katy come help.
“The bees!” Katy said racing down the steps. "What about the bees?"
“Jesse, get to the fence and start the hose,” Tom yelled. Do what you can to wet the trees. Katy and Malinda, check the barn. If there's fire there get the cattle and chickens out. Otherwise grab some buckets, use the water in the trough to fight the fire till help arrives."
They all ran to their assignments. Tom caught up with Jim.
Jim was panting. "Several hives are totally engulfed. We're going to lose them all. The smoke will taint the honey and we can't get close enough to save them. What's worse, the heat and flame will set the barn on fire." "We'll hose down the barn and maybe that will minimize the damage there. Then we need to work on the trees. They're green and won't catch fire easily, but that's only a guess. It will depend on what accelerant was used and how quickly we get help. We have to keep the fire from taking hold and destroying everything!"
Adrenalin was high and they all worked as quickly as possible. Jim took the hose and tried spraying the hives, but the fire was hot and the flames too high. He turned the water on the barn. Some of the boards were already aflame, but as long as the water ran down the wall the flames failed to take hold.
Doris and Malinda had water buckets and were trying to wet down the edge of the fire to keep it from spreading. The fire was too hot to get any closer.
Ted was on the fence spraying the trees. Jesse was on another hose spraying trees he could reach. The smell of gasoline was strongest near the hives. That was probably were the fire started. A line of burnt ground left no doubt that the gas had been taken from the hives to the trees. They worked steadily, wiping perspiration and smoke from their eyes in the warm May night. Finally, they heard sirens approaching.
The pumper and a rescue truck raced through the yard, past the house and to the barn side of the grove. Tom jumped down and met Jeff Gardner, the rural fire chief. He quickly pointed out what they had accomplished. The four firefighters were well rehearsed and got their equipment up and working in a matter of minutes. Jeff shouted instructions to his team and to the civilians. They acted quickly and got the fires out before everything was ruined.
Jesse took charge of the hoses and put them back in their places. Katy and the women rounded up the buckets and put them away, refilled the trough, checked and calmed the cattle in the barn. As the emergency abated and the work of putting things back came to an end, exhaustion took over.
"Jeff, come have a glass of something cool before you head back. Please," Doris wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
"We'd like that, Mrs. Sullivan."
Tom and Jim stood off to the side inspecting the damage to the hives.
"Jim, I'm so sorry."
"Tom, this might never have happened if we hadn't been staying here."
"Nonsense, it would have happened here or at your place. We both know who did this. He might have set fire to your house if you'd been home and asleep in your beds! The things that saved us here were the dogs and all of us working together."
"We’ve lost the hives,” Jim was saying to Tom when Katy approached. “We’ll have to start you over with some new ones.”
“Thanks. Next time we won't set them so close to the barn." Tom and Jim both chuckled at that, more from irony than glee. Katy just shook her head.
"Men."
"Let's go inside. I'll call the police,” Ted said. Jesse caught up with them as they walked back to the house.
"Jesse," Katy said as he stepped into the kitchen. He stopped and turned to her. "Look at you all sweaty and smudged with smoke."
He chuckled, “Me? Have you looked in a mirror lately?" He pulled her close. "But you look good to me even if you are all sweaty and smudged with smoke... and stinky." She laughed.
"My King, newly back from fighting with the fire breathing dragon."
Tom was on the phone as it rang into the station. The clock read 8:46. "Hello, this is Tom Sullivan. Is Sheriff Haywood coming in today?" There was a short pause as he listened to the night Sergeant. "Well, get hold of him and tell him that someone tried to burn down my barn and orchard. Have him come by and see for himself. Yes, we'll be here."
Jeff walked into the hall just as Tom was hanging up the receiver on the round base rotary dial phone. "I will have to make a report and our arson investigator will come by and look at the damage too.”
“Thank you, Jeff. We owe you a debt of gratitude." Tom said, shaking his hand.
"Well, your wife has fed my men so many cookies they won't be worth a wooden nickel till they get a nap." Both men chuckled.
Jesse, Doris, Malinda and Jim sat at the table drinking coffee and eating cereal.
"Come have a cup. You look like you need it," Doris said patting the place next to her at the table. "Katy is taking her bath now. We'll all follow in turns and then naps are in order all around. Jesse you go next."
"Okay, if I happen to fall asleep at the table, just push me over on the floor. I'll probably sleep till September." He yawned hard enough to make his jaw crack.
Just then Katy called from the head of the stairway, "I'm finished. The bathroom is clear."
"That's my signal," Jesse said and kissed his mom. "I'll see you all later."
Jim waited until he heard the bathroom door shut. "We saw someone driving off across the yard and out to the road. That someone is the culprit. We couldn't see the car, but we saw the taillights."
"There's no doubt in my mind," said Tom. "It was the same car that harassed us at the wedding."
"You think it was Brice Bachlund?" Doris asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"I do."
"But Tom, he's ordered to stay at home or his father is out of all that money."
"You expect a boy like that to obey his father?"
"But, wouldn't his father..." Jim interrupted her.
"That boy has no respect for anyone, and his father has never been able to control him. He probably just waited for his father to go to bed, slipped out of the house..."
"He could easily have gotten his hands on the gasoline to set the fire." Tom added.
"All he had to do was drive into the yard and to the barn. Who would have seen him at that hour?"
"Thank God for the dogs." Tom took another sip of his coffee. "I can only imagine what would have happened if they hadn't awakened us."
Almost as if those words were a command the dogs began barking again. Tom looked out and saw Hayward’s cruiser had turned into the driveway and stopped in front of the porch. Haywood opened his door and stepped out. His passenger, a young officer got out too. The dogs raced from one to the other giving each their equal attention.
Tom walked down the steps and shook Haywood's hand.
“Hi, Burt. Sorry to have to call you out on a Sunday morning. Obviously you got my message.”
“That’s what they pay me for, little as it seems sometimes," Haywood said with a grin. "What happened here?”
Tom and Jim took him out to the orchard. They showed him the damage to the trees, hives and barn. They told him they were sure whose car it was that drove off. Sheriff Haywood jotted notes in a notebook while the younger officer took pictures. Freddie here will get statements from the women, but I'd like the two of you to come down and make a full report." He signaled the officer to go. "Brice just keeps digging himself in deeper. The attempted rape charge is bad enough, but breaking bail, and now arson. If he's not careful he might never again see daylight outside of a prison."
"I'm not so sure. His father will get him a good lawyer.” Jim said. "Time will tell, I suppose."
––––––––
The rest of the day was spent catching up on lost sleep. Even the dogs remained quiet.
Jesse thought he was the first one up until he found Katy sitting on the fence near the burned hives. The smell of smoke and burnt wood from the trees and hives hung heavily in the air. Katy’s cheeks were moist from crying. “The poor bees.” Her hair hung down, washed but not brushed out. “Dad will replace the hives. I don't know what they'll do with the trees."
"None were ruined. I imagine several will have to be trimmed but they'll grow back for next season."
"This is my fault.”
Jesse pulled Katy off the fence and shook her by the shoulders. “Don't you dare think that, Katy Hailey! This is not your fault! We know Brice did this; it's his fault! He’s a spoiled brat and a bully, who likes to hurt people. His father has let him get by for so long, his kid thinks he's untouchable.
“Jesse, don't be mad at me."
He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm not mad at you, my dear one. I love you, and the thought of that... that son of a ... well, I can't bear him hurting you. But it does make me angry that you would blame yourself. He loosened his hold on her and kissed her gently to reassure her. “Katy, I love you and always will. We will replace the trees and the hives, and the barn, if we have to. But there would be no replacing you. What Brice tried to do to you is unforgivable. He’s mad at me and taking it out on my family and me. He picks on you because he knows it hurts me." Jesse kissed her again. Katy laid her head on his shoulder and clung to him with all her strength.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything, Katy Hailey.”
“Can we go to another dance one day? I liked dancing with you.”
Jesse hugged her tightly, “Of course we can.”
"Thank you, my King."
