The Ranch Solution

“I can give you a general account of the incident,” Officer Rizolli said slowly. “The student was sneaking a cigarette in the girls’ locker room. She hid it in a trash can when a teacher entered the gymnasium unexpectedly. The paper caught fire, then a wood bench and a cabinet where the towels were stored. Fortunately, there were limited combustibles in the area since the floors are stone-and-glass tile and the lockers are metal.”

“You don’t have any reservations about the situation?”

“I’m confident it was an accident, Ms. Weston, and so is the fire chief. I also spoke with the school counselor. The student tried to put the flames out with an extinguisher and pulled the fire alarm when she was unsuccessful. Nobody was injured, including the young lady at fault.”

The knot in Mariah’s stomach began to loosen. She’d never forgotten a frightening drought-stricken summer when she was a child. Dry lightning had set dozens of fires on the ranch and her parents had canceled all the guest reservations to protect both their visitors and the U-2. For two months they’d lived with a silent, uneasy anticipation of something that might happen.

“That’s a relief to hear.”

“I understand, Ms. Weston. I’ve dealt with juvenile arson and it isn’t pretty. You’re wise to be cautious, but I wouldn’t worry on this particular count. I...” He hesitated. “I couldn’t let the parent or student know how I felt, but I was rather sorry for her. She was truly terrified, though by the time her father arrived, she’d masked it well with belligerence.”

Mariah laughed. “Having met Caitlin, I can imagine. She has attitude to spare. I appreciate your speaking with me, Officer.”

“We’re here to help, Ms. Weston. I’m sorry you had trouble getting through.”

Mariah disconnected. In a way it would be easier to have an excuse to evict the O’Donnells, yet it was good to know she hadn’t read Caitlin wrong.

As for Jacob...the jury was still out. He wasn’t just a closed book she couldn’t fathom; he was an entire library of closed books.

CHAPTER FIVE

ON FRIDAY MORNING Jacob dragged himself from bed and took a walk around the perimeter of the ranch complex to loosen his muscles. It helped, though there was a distinct ache when he sat down with a cup of coffee in the mess tent.

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