Chapter Eleven

"Fire!"

The cry penetrated Martin's sleeping mind and brought him halfway to consciousness.

"Fire!"

The second cry galvanized him into wakefulness. He came to in Claudia's arms and stared at the window. Faint orange light flickered around the gaps in the blind.

"Oh bugger!" he cried, shaking Claudia. "Not again!"

"What?" She looked up at him, mouth agape, her face a pale oval amidst her tousled deep-red hair.

"There's a fire nearby! We'd better get out in case it spreads."

Quickly pulling on his robe, Martin headed to the window and opened the blinds. Orange light flooded into the room and behind him Claudia swore softly. "Oh, Martin, this is just like the hotel all over again!"

"This fire's all too real," he said, peering out. "One of the staff cabins is alight!"

The bed creaked as Claudia got up and pulled on her own robe. She came over and pressed against him to peer out. An alarm bell began to ring insistently from the direction of main building.

"We'd better go and see what we can do to help," he said.

They hurried out and made their way to the scene. Other half-clad figures were already there. A cabin was well ablaze, the flames licking up to singe the branches of an overhanging tree. Greg was standing there, a fire extinguisher hanging uselessly in one hand, just staring as sparks flew in the up draught to drift on the breeze towards the main building.

"Has anyone called the fire department?" Claudia asked.

Greg looked at her open-mouthed. "I… I don't know!"

"Oh, for!" Claudia hit him on the arm. "Go and call them! Go on!"

Laurel came up, staring anxiously at the flames. She drew her robe around her and tied the belt. "I'll check the nearby cabins, there may still be people in them," she said.

"I'll help!" Claudia said.

Just at that moment Pete arrived dragging a fire hose from a nearby hydrant. Bracing himself, he aimed the nozzle at the base of the blaze and pulled the lever. A thick stream of water jetted out to drop hissing onto the fire and steam shot up to mingle with the smoke.

"Help me out here!" he yelled to Martin. "The pressure's high, and we need to control the jet!" Martin tallied on behind him and took hold of the bucking hose. Pete nodded approval. "We need to try and contain this until the volunteer fire boys get here from town. The way things are around here, I guess we're lucky this fuckin' hydrant works!"

Out of the corner of his eye Martin saw Laurel hammer on the door of the next cabin along. It opened, revealing a very naked Joanne in a state of panic. She yelled something to Laurel, who stared at her then rushed inside.

She came out a few seconds later and made her way through the slush and the mud to the hose party. "Pete, I'll help Martin with the hose! I think you'd better go see Joanne, she needs someone stronger than me to help her!"

Pete shot her a glance then looked back at the fire. Part of the cabin roof collapsed, sending more dangerous sparks and even burning brands into the air. "Hell's teeth!" he growled. "Here, Martin, take it! Keep the jet on the base of the fire as much as you can!"

With this, he ran to Joanne's cabin. Laurel took hold of the hose but her help made little difference to the feel of it. Martin glanced at the other cabin as Pete went inside and saw a corner of it beginning to burn. By using main force on the heavy, vibrating hose he redirected the jet onto the spot and was rewarded with a cloud of steam.

Joanne shot out of the door followed by Pete, who held a naked and stunned Bruce Baker in an arm-lock. Two pairs of handcuffs were fixed to his wrists and another two to his ankles. Distracted by the situation Martin had time to feel puzzled as to why Bruce should be under arrest before he had to turn his attention to the fire.

"You bastard!" came a scream of rage from behind him.

A woman he vaguely recognized as Bruce's wife Ursula ran over to Joanne and began kicking and punching her with fury. Joanne screamed and grabbed the older woman around the waist and tried to hurl her away. They slipped and fell into the mud and slush and began to kick, bite and slap at each other, tearing hair and screaming like wildcats.

"Oh, brother!" Pete growled, coming up. "Who the fuck would be a father?"

He took over control of the hose from Martin and Laurel and ran his eyes over the blaze. "I don't think we can do any good with this cabin!" he yelled over the noise of the fire and the fight. "Let's keep it from getting to the main building!"

"Aaaagghh!" Ursula had Joanne's hair in a two-handed grip and was pulling her head back with a look of furious concentration, the wild-women effect heightened by the liberal amount of mud plastering their bodies.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Pete growled and turned the full force of the hose on the two women.

The jet caught them completely by surprise, sending them bowling over and over until they fetched up in a heap, winded and crying. Laurel ran over to help them.

Greg reappeared and ran up to Pete. "The fire department's on its way. What the—?" He goggled at the two women, who were being kept apart by a grim-faced Laurel with the help of some of the other staff.

"Never mind them, boy," Pete said, glaring at him. "Just you go and help make sure everyone's out of there!"

Greg gave him a scared look before running off.

* * * *

The distraction was perfect! It took only a few moments to gather enough energy to swoop down from the mountainside and into the cabin through the door the humans had conveniently left open in their hurry. The place reeked of goodness, but Joe Minotti forcibly held his fear in check until he located the object he wanted in a drawer.

It took even more effort to open the drawer but his will overcame the physical resistance it offered his ghostly form. When he drew the bottle out the spirit of the pilot surged into being and jumped violently. "You!"

"Me!" Minotti grinned, already taking the advantage of surprise.

He hurtled out the door and into the air, relieved to get out of the cabin and its stultifying confines. He didn't bother to look back; it would take a moment to do and he knew the pilot was in hot pursuit. In the blink of an eye they were over the mountain.

Minotti found the spot he wanted and twisted in the air. The pilot was hurtling toward him a look of desperation on his face.

"Too late, my friend!" Minotti sneered, and let the bottle fall onto the rocks below.

He did enjoy the look of horror on the pilot's face as he faded away.

Chuckling, it used the residue of its poltergeist power to move an object on the slope then sauntered off into the darkness whistling.

* * * *

The Gainesville Volunteer Fire Department arrived with a scream of sirens and took over the fight. With their equipment they soon prevented the blaze from spreading and confined it to the single cabin.

Released from hose duty, Martin had time to rest and look around. Joanne had been given a blanket and was standing off to one side, draped in it and staring wretchedly at the ruins of the cabin. Ursula Baker had stormed off somewhere. Bruce had also disappeared. Laurel was rounding up the remaining staff and shepherding them out of the way of the firefighters. Pete had taken Greg into the deep shadows and was engaged in a low, fierce diatribe, the gist of which Martin couldn't make out.

Unable to help any further, Martin and Claudia retired to their cabin. Both were mud-stained and sooty, and Martin's lungs felt raw from the smoke. He leaned against the wall of the shower whilst Claudia washed him down, having to lean into the cramped space of the shower cubicle. "I'm exhausted!" he groaned as she soaped him. The shower produced another gout of tepid water and he glared at it, too tired even to swear.

"You're a hero, Marty." She laughed softly. "The way you helped Pete with that hose, you helped save the cabins and possibly some lives tonight."

"Marty?" he said, giving her an old-fashioned look.

"Yeah; Marty." She chuckled. "I've called you that before, darling. Is this the first time you've noticed?" He nodded. "Don't you like it?"

"I don't think I can get used to it!"

"Aw, never mind; I'll think of something else. Now c'mon, let's get you dried and into bed…"

* * * *

They lay together in sleepy companionship, staring up at the ceiling and listening with half an ear to the continuing activity up near the scene of the fire.

"What was with Joanne and Ursula Baker?" Claudia asked.

"Joanne was with Bruce in the cabin next to the one where the fire started. They were engaged in some kinky sex-play."

"What?" she turned on her side and looked at him. "How do you know that?"

"Laurel Kratzmer told me. Joanne ran out to get help, saying Bruce was trapped. Laurel went inside to see what she could do and found Bruce naked and securely handcuffed to the bed!"

"Oh my God!" Claudia laughed long and loud until tears ran down her face. "Oh, sugarlips, that is just too priceless! Jesus, it's just the worst thing anyone in that situation could go through! What happened next?"

"Joanne's dad went in and prized Bruce free. He still had the cuffs on his wrists and ankles when he came out of the cabin. From the look on Pete's face I think he wished he could have left him to burn!"

"Oh, that's so bad!" Claudia stifled her laughter but Martin felt every little tremble of her supple body against his. "Oh, the poor man!"

"It can't have been nice anyway, knowing your daughter's screwing her boss. To have to rescue him after he was caught in flagrante delicto in front of all those witnesses must have hurt."

"Yeah." Claudia settled herself alongside him again. "We had the advantage; we knew they were screwing each other. It's going to be tough to keep a straight face when we see them all in the morning."

"Yes." Martin gave a deep sigh. "Much as I want to press on and finish this case, I think we'd better postpone tomorrow's trip until we can see what's what." He paused. "Sugarlips?"

* * * *

Martin was sitting at the table, checking his e-mail on the laptop when a knock came at the door. "Can you get it, hunnybunch?" Claudia called from the bathroom.

"Yes, no problem." He stood up and looked at the open door to the bathroom. "Hunnybunch? Claudia, please!"

"You don't like it?"

"I think I'd prefer Marty to that or sugarlips!"

"Okay, then, Marty it is!"

He grinned ruefully at the delicate note of triumph in her voice, just as the knock came again, more insistently.

It was Greg and Donna, looking pale and nervous, hovering on the deck like a pair of newlyweds. Donna clung to Greg as if stopping him from running away. "Mr. Grey, we really need to talk to you," she said, glancing up at Greg. "It's important."

Greg flushed. The bruise on his cheek stood out nicely, and Martin felt a guilty twinge of pleasure at the accuracy of his blow. "You'd better come in," he said, stepping back.

Claudia emerged from the bathroom, barefoot, wearing a brilliant scarlet robe and her hair tied in a towel turban. "Oh! Hi," she said. "Sorry, we weren't expecting company."

Martin ensured the e-mail attachment had downloaded properly, and shut down the laptop before he turned and looked the pair over. "You both look tired out. Won't you sit down?"

With a glance at one another they sat close together on the edge of the bed. Donna nudged Greg, who cleared his throat.

"It's about last night, Mr. Grey; about the fire. I started it."

"What?" Martin and Claudia uttered the word simultaneously and glanced at each other.

"I was forced to set fire to the cabin," he said miserably, his head hanging. Donna slipped her arm through his to support him.

Martin stared at him. "You were forced to do it? By whom, and why?"

"Bruce made me do it. He threatened to fire me over my taking a pass key and hiding under your bed." He looked up imploringly at Martin. "He would've done it too! And I love this job. If I got fired from here, I'd lose my college place and never get a good job anywhere else." He put his arm around Donna's shoulders and held her close. "I was going to refuse, but then something told me I'd got no choice, if I didn't we'd be ruined. We plan on living together soon, so we'll need the money."

Donna hugged him. "Greg told me all this last night. And I told Greg I wouldn't stay here if he got fired," she said in resolute tones. "There's no way I'd work with that man again, if he fired Greg!"

Martin looked at them nonplussed. Claudia came up and put her arm around his waist and stared at the two younger people. "I'm not saying we aren't flattered that you're telling us all this," she said quietly, "but I would like to know why you've come to us instead of Mrs. Kratzmer."

Martin looked at her; her eyes met his and she gave him a tiny nod.

Donna's eyes were moist. "I told Greg we should ask your advice, Mr. Grey. You were fair to him after his moment of stupidity, and you're not connected with the resort in any official capacity. Laurel's okay, but she has her loyalties."

"Indeed. Why would Bruce want you to set fire to his own resort?" Martin asked. "Especially when he was…occupied, next door. What's his motive?"

"I didn't know they'd be in there, Mr. Grey," Greg said, spreading his hands. "I'd have gone somewhere else to do it. As for why, it's down to insurance. Bruce is in over his head with the bank. He was careful not to let me see all the resort paperwork, using some excuse or other to justify it, but I know; I've seen some figures which just don't add up. I suspect even his wife and partner don't know about it. A nice insurance check would see him clear for a while.

"Bruce told me he wanted a small fire which would burn out a cabin or two so he could collect. I thought I'd choose one of the more dilapidated ones near the end of the row." He flushed. "I really didn't know he'd be in the next one with Joanne last night!"

"I think he knew Greg was beginning to suspect something wasn't right," Donna chipped in. "That's why Bruce was so glad to use his stupid frat-boy stunt to gain a hold on him. It would force him to side with Bruce. He even told Greg that if he did as he was told, it would save the resort and his job!"

"Greg, arson is a pretty serious charge in England," Martin pointed out. "I'd guess it has the same weight here. By telling us, you're placing a great deal on our shoulders. Are you seriously looking for our advice?"

"Yeah, Mr. Grey. Me and Donna talked all through this last night and we can't come up with anything. We trust you. We'll accept anything you advise."

"Then why don't you go to the police?" Martin said in an even tone.

"Because we've got no proof he blackmailed me into doing the job," Greg said wearily. "It'll come down to my word against his."

"And Bruce has an alibi for where he was last night. He was kinda tied up," Claudia murmured.

Martin smiled. "Joking aside, you're right. He could claim he couldn't have incited anyone to commit arson, especially as he would've been with Joanne in the cabin next door. It's a matter for the divorce court, not the criminal court."

"There's one other thing," Greg said carefully. "Pete Ashby saw me at the rear of the cabin just as the fire broke out."

"Ah." Martin sighed. "That complicates matters."

"Pete's weird anyway." Donna shivered. "I've seen him out and about at all hours of the day and night. God knows what he's doing."

"I think Mr. Ashby has a good reason for that," Martin said, shooting Claudia a glance. "In fact, I think it would be necessary for me to have a word with him. He may be able to help you."

"But he's just the general maintenance guy," Greg cried.

"Don't knock it," Martin said firmly. "It's just possible he could help you out of this hole."