Benton reached for his phone to text his family that he was on his way back to the fire hall in Hopewell. He had a standing agreement to let them know that everybody was okay as soon as it was safe to do so whenever he went out on a call with the Hopewell Volunteer Fire Department.
He sighed heavily. The fire had been a bad one. The Melita Dairy’s offices were gone. They’d fought to contain the blaze before it got to the milking barns, and it had been too close for comfort. The Hopewell Fire Department was not lacking in volunteer manpower, and they had good equipment thanks to the Hopewell Reunion Charitable Fund providing the last of the money they needed to upgrade all their gear; the fire had simply been that big.
Chief Michael Zazney tapped him on the thigh, then flashed him a thumbs-up and gave him a questioning look. Benton nodded and returned the gesture. He’d be fine as long as he had time to decompress and process the day’s events.
He called up his contacts then had to stop. His first text had almost been to Claire and not to his mother. It hadn’t been deliberate. When he’d been thinking about needing to decompress, he started thinking about who would understand that best. Claire would get his current frame of mind. Needing to talk to someone about the events of the day didn’t mean he was overwhelmed, but he couldn’t discuss what had happened with his family without them freaking out or worrying about him. Claire had told him the same thing when they’d dated—that she’d had some police cases she’d never be able to tell her mom about.
Speaking of the police… He leaned forward to watch the RCMP cruiser speed by them in the passing lane, lights flashing a warning to everybody on the highway. Corporal Owen Random was in a hurry.
“The ambulance got a call out to the Neufeld farm a couple minutes ago. That’s the direction that Owen was headed. We’re going to stop by and see if we’re needed since they’re on the way home,” Chief Zazney said. The bald leader of the fire department nodded at Benton’s phone. “Texting your new girlfriend to let her know her big strong hero is unscathed after single-handedly battling a major fire?”
“Single-handedly? Really, Zaz?” Benton countered. He held up his hand, his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “I had a little help from my minions.”
The others in the cabin brayed with laughter. “So, where’d you meet her?” the chief asked.
The rumour mill in town moved fast. This was exactly what he and Claire had hoped for, but it was going to mean many more explanations. “In Alberta when I went out to help my uncle a couple summers ago.”
“And now she’s working in Hopewell? That must have been some summer.”
Benton wasn’t going to touch that one. “It’s temporary until her fall semester starts.”
“And what are you two going to do in the fall?”
“That’s a long time from now, Zaz.” Benton gripped a handle on the door as the fire engine slowed for a turn. “We’re here.”
They didn’t use the lights or the siren, since the flashing lights on the police cruiser were already on. Rob Boiko, the driver, looped around the front of the house and parked the engine so it was pointed back down the driveway toward the highway. Benton and Zaz were the first two out of the cab. “Hey, Corporal Random. We heard the ambulance was called, and we were in the area. Do you need an extra hand?”
The tall redheaded officer shook his head. “No thanks, Chief Zazney. We’re good here.”
Dave Neufeld, the farm’s owner, nodded in agreement as he rocked on his feet while keeping an eye on his family, who were sitting on the porch.
“Can you tell us what happened, Dave?” Owen asked.
“We came back from Justin’s after-school soccer practice, and two of our snowmobiles and our small horse trailer were missing,” the farmer said. “And they got into the house.”
Benton’s blood turned to ice. It was exactly the same thing as had happened in Alberta. “Was anybody home?”
“Thankfully, no. I dragged Donna and Benji along instead of leaving them at home.”
Owen Random clapped Dave on the shoulder. “The important thing is that nobody’s hurt. The ambulance was called to help Mrs. Neufeld with shock. She’s on the mend now. Just a lot of nerves and might-have-beens. The boys are sensing the stress, though.”
The chief nodded. “We’ll take off then. Unless there are a couple junior firefighters around here who would like to test the fire engine’s siren before we go.”
Dave Neufeld offered him a real smile. “I think they’d enjoy that. I’ll get them.”
After the chief went to warn Rob that they’d have visitors onboard, Benton lingered for a word with Owen. The constable adjusted his peaked hat, then looked at him cautiously. “What’s up, Lawson?”
Benton spoke slowly, unsure if Claire or her superiors had clued the local constabulary in on the sting operation in progress. “Something similar happened to my uncle a couple years ago. Except those guys brought their own horse trailer. Stealing one on-site seems like they either got lucky or…”
Owen nodded. “Or they scoped out the property well enough to know there would be one here to take. That’s even more worrisome.”
The siren whooped behind them. “We have to get back to the station to reset and restock. If I can help in any way, please, let us know.”
“Thanks for checking in here. The fire truck is a good distraction for the boys, and if the boys aren’t upset, it’ll be easier for the parents.”
“Do they need somebody to fix their door?”
“Don’t worry about it. Fred Turnbull is sending somebody out.”
Freddy was a local contractor and a friend of Benton’s brothers. He’d get it straightened out. Benton made a mental note to talk to him later in case the Neufelds mentioned something else to him that Claire would find useful.
With the rest of the fire crew gossiping about the fire and the robbery, Benton was surprised when Zaz pulled him aside for a private conversation. “Not today, but you and I need to have a sit-down soon.”
Benton quickly ran over his actions at the scene of the fire and couldn’t come up with a single thing he’d done wrong. But if he had made a mistake, he wouldn’t have recognized it. “Did I goof up somewhere, Zaz?”
“No, and that’s part of what we need to discuss, but not here. I’ll shoot you a text later, and we’ll set something up, okay?”
“Sure, Chief.”
Zaz might say it was nothing, but that wouldn’t stop Benton from worrying.