CHAPTER 26
Colt
The sun finally breaks over the edge of the pine trees that border the end of the vineyard, casting an almost mystical orange glow over the land. Three solid rows of vines went up in flames last night. Stretching a couple of hundred yards back to the tree line, I can see nothing but the blackened T-shaped trellises looking like a row of crucifixion crosses. Not only were the trellises destroyed, but the vines in between were charred beyond saving.
Picking up my thermos of coffee sitting beside me on the tailgate of my truck where I’m sitting, I take a sip. I didn’t get a minute of sleep last night after the fire department and the sheriff left. I was heartsick over what had happened, and I took it out directly on Darby. She had shown up last night with Linnie out of pure concern for me. And when she asked me how she could help, I only told her that she needed to go home because there was nothing she could do.
The vineyard was beyond a mere offer of help.
Her face crumpled because her offer had nothing to do with the burning vineyard but rather it was an offer of emotional support, and I had turned my nose up at it.
Last night, I wasn’t thinking clearly at all. I know I need to apologize to her for my behavior.
After everyone left, I went to my cabin and took a hot shower. It seemed that no matter how hard I scrubbed, I couldn’t get rid of the smell of charred wood and ashes. I laid on my bed all night staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out how I could potentially recover from this. The economic losses were insurmountable in my opinion, and there’s no way I’ll be able to replace what we lost.
My thoughts went even darker as I laid awake. It seemed to me this was an ominous sign that perhaps I had no business squandering that grant on a pipe dream. Even darker yet, my mind suggested I was not the person who needed to be running Mainer Farms.
The sound of an approaching truck catches my attention, and I look over my shoulder. It’s Sheriff Brown’s old Ford Bronco bumping down the dirt road toward me.
Sheriff Ollie Brown is actually a Yankee transplant down here, same as Pap. He retired from a small police department in New Hampshire, and he and his wife came down South for better weather. It appears he wasn’t all that ready to give up law enforcement because he ran for sheriff about fifteen years ago and won the election hands down. He’s run unopposed since then because everyone knows he can’t be beat. He is a tough but fair lawman, and he’s respected by everyone around these parts. Since Mainer Farms is outside the Whynot city limits, the Sheriff’s department will be investigating.
Ollie parks next to my truck. When he gets out, I see he has two cups of coffee from Central Café. Even though they have lids on them, the fall air is chilly enough I can see the hot steam coming out of the small openings on top.
“Morning, Colt.” He hands me one of the cups, and I open my thermos to pour it in.
“Ollie,” I acknowledge his greeting.
“Got some information for you,” he says, and my head jerks up in surprise. When Ollie was out here last night writing up an arson and vandalism report, he didn’t think we would have much luck in catching the perpetrator. This part of the farm is well off the beaten path, and anyone could stealthily drive down here to sabotage the vineyard.
Ollie plops down on the tailgate beside me and says, “Do you know a Mitch McCulhane?”
I’d like to say his name surprises me, but it doesn’t. I’d like to say I never once considered him, but I did. In fact, Mitch was the only person I could think who had enough malice to do something like this. The only problem was I couldn’t figure out how he could pull it off. There’s no way that city-slicking corporate type with his fancy sports car and three-hundred-dollar loafers would be able to set a vineyard on fire.
“Yeah. I know him.” I purposely leave out Darby’s name and how I know him, although Ollie probably knows. There’s not much that slips by him. The way the gossip mill operates in this town, there are probably not many people who don’t know I’m seeing Darby.
I don’t say her name, though, because it actually hurts a little. Knowing I hurt her last night when I brushed her off and knowing this is about to get very, very complicated.
“What did you find?”
Ollie takes off his cream-colored Stetson with the sheriff’s badge pinned to the front. He scratches his head before putting the hat back on. “It appears Floyd did a little investigating of his own last night.”
Floyd had come out last night as the vineyard was burning, but he didn’t stay long. In fact, I remember him saying something like, “I’ve got something I gotta do.”
“What did Floyd find out?” I ask.
The sheriff’s body shakes with amused laughter for a moment, and he looks at me with a smirk. “Turns out he had been in Chesty’s at the time the fire was being set. He remembers just before getting the call about what happened, that Travis Robbins and Gil Ellis came into the bar and they were already drunk.”
“Typical for those boys,” I observe.
Ollie nods. “Floyd distinctly remembers that both boys smelled like gasoline. Once he got out to the vineyard and saw what happened, he connected the dots. Went back into the bar, hauled those boys out by the scruffs of their necks, and held them by shotgun until I arrived.”
My eyes go wide, and my jaw drops open. “You’re kidding me?”
“Nope. Not kidding you. I took them into the station to question them, and they both admitted to doing it.”
My brows draw inward, totally confused. “What does that have to do with Mitch?”
“The boys claim they were hired to do it for a thousand dollars each. They don’t know the guy’s name, but they described Mitch to a T. Of course, I only know who Mitch is from Floyd. He helped me connect the rest of it up, and I figure this Mitch guy has a bone to pick with you since you’re dating Darby.”
I shake my head in disbelief. Travis and Gill would definitely have the ability to set the vineyard on fire. In fact, the tire tracks we found running down the rows indicated it was probably somebody with a large barrel filled with gas and a sprayer attachment that let them put out so much fuel over such a large area. Once they got it sprayed down, it was simply a matter of tossing a match on it and watching it burn.
“We’ve arrested both boys,” Ollie tells me gravely. “I’ve got men out trying to find Mitch to bring him in for questioning. I expect he’s going to deny it and he paid them boys cash, so there’s no trail.”
“Is that going to be enough to arrest him?” I ask.
“That’s going to be up to the prosecutor,” Ollie says with a sigh “But I don’t see why not. Those two boys’ testimony is evidence. It would be up to a jury to figure it all out.”
I nod, letting my gaze wander back over the burned rows of trellises. Those vines hadn’t even had a chance to prosper. All because some nut job was jealous of me seeing his soon-to-be ex-wife.
It just doesn’t make any sense, and I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
Ollie claps me on the back before hopping off the tailgate. “Just wanted to tell you the news in person. I’ll fill you in after we’ve talked to Mitch.”
“Thanks, Sheriff. I appreciate it.”
I sit out on my tailgate long after Ollie leaves and finish my coffee. I do a lot of thinking.
Around eight o’clock, I get in my truck and head over to Farrington Farms.
I need to talk to Darby.
♦
I no more get pulled in front of Darby’s house and turn my truck off before she is walking out the front door and down the porch steps to greet me. She must have been near the kitchen window and heard me pull up.
She looks concerned for me and wary all at the same time.
I get out of the truck and wait for her to come to me. It’s better we have this conversation out here where Linnie can’t hear it.
“You haven’t been returning my texts or calls,” she says with a hint of accusation in her tone.
I rub my hand across my jaw and give her an apologetic look. “Yeah… I’m sorry about that. Also for the way I blew you off last night. I just had a lot on my mind.”
A look of utter relief breaks across her face, and it makes my guts twist I’m getting ready to cause her anxiety again. “Listen… Darby… Sheriff Brown has found out who set the vineyard on fire.”
The expression of relief on her face matches the tone of her voice. “That’s wonderful news.”
There’s no sugarcoating what I have to tell her, so I don’t. “It was Mitch. He hired two local boys to go out and do it.”
Darby’s face drains of all color, her hand covering her mouth in shock. “Oh, God.”
“Sheriff Brown has got his guys out looking for Mitch right now. They’re going to bring him in for questioning, but they’ve already arrested the two guys who admitted to doing it. I expect Mitch is going to be arrested as well.”
Darby’s eyes cut over to the farmhouse before coming back to me, “Maybe they’re lying. I just can’t imagine Mitch doing something like that.”
A wave of white-hot anger floods through me that she would even think to defend the man. “How could you think he wouldn’t do it?” I ask bitterly. “He’s a nut job. He’s completely obsessed with you, and doesn’t want anyone else to have you.”
Either she doesn’t recognize that the anger in my voice is directed at her or she’s not thinking straight because she gives a shake of her head and says, “It’s just so out of character for him. And what would it accomplish?”
I growl in frustration. “Come on, Darby… Crazy people don’t need motivation other than they are crazy.”
She blinks in surprise, taking a step backward from the fury in my voice. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be defending him. This is just a shock, and I don’t even know how to go about telling our daughter that her father may have been involved in something like that.”
“Was involved in something like that,” I correct her. “Not may have been. Was.”
Darby seems to understand at this point that my anger is multi-focused. She straightens her spine and asks me point blank, “Are you blaming me for any of this? Because you seem to be directing some of that anger toward me.”
I sigh as I give a slow shake of my head. “No. I’m not blaming you. I am blaming myself for not taking him seriously, but none of this is your fault, Darby. I swear to you.”
“I’m just trying to understand this,” she says, her voice sounding lost and unsure.
“He approached me last Saturday when I was helping Lowe and Jake move furniture into Millie’s. He was making some veiled threats.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she demands angrily. “I could have confronted him.”
I throw my hands out in frustration. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to worry you. I didn’t think he would do something so heinous. Like you, I didn’t think he’d come after me in such a criminal way.”
Darby takes a few steps back, putting her hand over her mouth again. Her eyes are wide and frightened. She glances back to the house again and murmurs, “How am I going to explain this to Linnie? She’s going to be so confused.”
This is the part that kills me. That I could possibly be hurting Linnie with my decision.
“I’m going to make sure that Mitch is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” I tell her softly, but my words almost seem to knock her over. She turns her gaze to me, and it kills me how bleak it is. “It’s not going to bring back what I lost, but I need the justice. I hope you can understand that, Darby.”
Darby’s expression is troubled when she nods. Her voice is soft. “Of course. I understand.”
I take a step toward her, bringing my hand up to her face. It should be a reassuring touch, but it’s really nothing more than a goodbye. “This complicates things too much, Darby. I think we need to take a break.”
Her eyes widen, and her voice is accusing. “You said you weren’t blaming me.”
“I’m not,” I assure her. “But I’m getting ready to go after your husband. And I know he’s not really your husband in truth, but he is in name and that makes things very messy. Let’s not forget… he’s Linnie’s dad. I really don’t think either of you need the man trying to bring her father down in your life right now.”
If I expected Darby to fight to keep this relationship going, I would be sorely disappointed. She takes a step back from me and nods. Her voice is clear and strong. “I understand.”
And then she turns away from me and walks back into the house.