Shotgun Sheriff

“Will the fire department make it in time to save the cabin?” Livvy asked between short bursts of air.

“No.” And as proof of that, the flames shots up, engulfing the front door and swooshing their way to the cedar-shake roof. The place would soon be nothing but cinders and ash.

Reed was about to tell her that they’d have to stay put and watch the place burn since there was no outside hose to even attempt to put a dent in the flames. But he felt Livvy tense. It wasn’t hard to feel because her back was right against his.

“What’s wrong?” Reed whispered.

“I think I see someone.”

Reed shifted and followed her gaze. She was looking in the direction of the county road, which was just down the hill from the cabin. Specifically, she was focused on the path that Woody had taken earlier. He didn’t see anyone on the path or road, so he tried to pick through the woods and the underbrush to see what had alerted Livvy.

Still nothing.

“Look by my SUV,” she instructed.

The vehicle was white and barely visible from his angle so Reed repositioned himself and looked down the slope. At first, nothing.

Then, something.

There was a flash of movement at the rear of her vehicle, but with just a glimpse he couldn’t tell if it was animal or human.

“There’s evidence in the SUV,” she said. Her breathing was more level now, but that statement was loaded with fear and tension. “I’d photographed the cabin and exterior with a highly sensitive digital camera. Both it and the photo memory card are inside in a climate controlled case, along with some possible hair and fibers that I gathered from the sofa with a tape swatch.”

Oh, hell. All those items could be critical to this investigation.

“The SUV’s locked,” she added.

For all the good that’d do. After all, the person out there had been gutsy enough to throw Molotov cocktails at the cabin with both Reed and a Texas Ranger inside, and he could have broken the lock on the SUV or bashed in a window.

Livvy grabbed her equipment bag from the ground and repositioned her gun. Reed knew what she had in mind, and he couldn’t stop her from going to her vehicle to check on the evidence. But what he could do was assist.

“Stay close to the treeline,” he instructed.

He stepped to her side so that she would be semi-sheltered from the open path. Another automatic response. But this time, Livvy didn’t object. However, what she did do was move a lot faster than he’d anticipated.

Reed kept up with her while he tried to keep an eye on their surroundings and her SUV. None of the doors or windows appeared to be open, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it’d been burglarized. Obviously, someone didn’t want them to process that evidence.

He saw more movement near the SUV. A shadow, maybe. Or maybe someone lurking just on the other side near the rear bumper. Behind them, the fire continued to crackle and burn, and there was a crash when the roof of the cabin gave way and plummeted to the ground. Sparks and ashes scattered everywhere, some of them making their way to Livvy and him.

Livvy didn’t stop. She didn’t look back. But when Reed saw more movement, he latched on to her arm and pulled her behind an oak. This was definitely a situation where it would do no good to try to sneak up on the perp because the perp obviously was better positioned. Despite the cover of the trees, Livvy and he were in a vulnerable situation.

“This is Sheriff Hardin,” he called out. “Get your hands in the air so I can see them.”

He hadn’t expected the person to blindly obey. And he didn’t. Reed caught a glimpse of someone wearing a dark blue baseball cap.

Reed shifted his gun. Took aim—just as there was a crashing sound, followed by a flash of light. Someone had broken the SUV window and thrown another Molotov cocktail into the vehicle.

“He set the SUV on fire,” Livvy said, bolting out from cover.

Reed pulled her right back. “He might have a gun.” Except there was no might in this. The guy was probably armed and dangerous, and he couldn’t have Livvy running right into an ambush.

“But the evidence …” she protested.

Yeah. That was a huge loss. Like Livvy, his instincts were to race down there and try to save what he could, but to do that might be suicide.

“He could want you dead,” Reed warned.

That stopped Livvy from struggling. “Because of the evidence I gathered from the cabin?”

Reed nodded and waited for the rest of that to sink in. It didn’t take long.

“Shane couldn’t have done this,” she concluded.

“No.” Reed kept watch on the vehicle and the area in case the attacker doubled back toward them or tried to escape.

“But someone who wanted to exonerate him could have,” Livvy added.

Reed nodded again. “That means the fire starter must have thought you saw or found something in the cabin that would be crucial evidence.”

That also meant Livvy was in danger.

Reed cursed. This was turning into a tangled mess, and he already had too much to do without adding protecting Livvy to the list.

In the distance Reed heard the siren from the fire department. Soon, they’d be there. He glanced at the cabin. Then at Livvy’s SUV. There wouldn’t be much to save, but if he could catch the person responsible he might get enough answers to make up for the evidence they’d lost.

More movement. Reed spotted the baseball cap again. The guy was crouched down, and the cap created a shadow that hid his face. He couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman. But whoever it was, the person was getting away.

“Stay put,” Reed told Livvy.

Now it was her turn to catch onto his arm. “Remember that part about him having a gun.”

Reed remembered, but he had to try to find out who was behind this.

“Back me up,” he told her. That was to get her to stay put, but the other reason was he didn’t want this cap-wearing guy to sneak up on him. Reed wouldn’t be able to hear footsteps or much else with the roar of the fire and the approaching siren.

Keeping low as well, Reed stepped out from the meager cover of the oak. He kept his gun ready and aimed, and he started to run.

So did the other guy.

Using the smoke as cover, the culprit darted through the woods on the other side of the SUV and raced through the maze of trees. If Reed didn’t catch up with him soon, it’d be too late. He ran down the hill, cursing the uneven clay-mix dirt that was slick in spots. Somehow, he made it to the bottom without falling and breaking his neck.

Reed didn’t waste any time trying to save the SUV. The inside was already engulfed in flames. Instead, he sprinted past it, but Reed only made it a few steps before there was another sound.

Behind him, the SUV exploded.

He dodged the fiery debris falling all around him and sprinted after the person who’d just come close to killing them.

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