Seeds of Deception: A Kate Burkholder Short Story Read Free Page B

licking at the sky thirty yards away.
    “I’m going to get Mr. Zimmerman.” Jacob tossed a hard look at Katie. “Stay here. Do not get any closer to the fire. Do you understand?”
    She nodded.
    At that, he took off at a sprint toward the Zimmerman house.
    Katie and Mattie watched the flames expand, the smoke pouring like a twisting, writhing tornado into the clear blue sky. Though they stood a safe distance away, Katie could feel the heat against her face, the acrid stink of the smoke climbing into her nostrils.
    It seemed like an eternity before the wail of sirens sounded in the distance. Relief swept through her when the first fire truck rumbled through the gate, emergency lights flashing. Two firefighters clad in protective gear dragged a hose from the truck and began to spray water onto the flames.
    “It’s a good thing you and Billy got out when you did,” Katie said after a moment.
    “That’s for sure,” Mattie replied.
    “I wonder how the fire started.”
    When her friend didn’t reply, Katie looked her way. “Mattie?”
    Glancing left and right, Mattie lowered her voice. “I think Billy Marquart might’ve … done something.”
    Though she was sweating, the hairs on Katie’s arms stood on end. “Done something like what?”
    “When we were in the barn,” Mattie began, “We smoked for a bit and then he … you know, tried to … kiss me. I pushed him away, and he got angry. He … called me bad names and punched the wall with his fist.”
    “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
    “No, but he scared me.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “Because it was my fault for going into the barn with him in the first place.” Mattie blew out a breath. “Bad idea, huh?”
    A second fire truck arrived on scene. Two additional firefighters disembarked. Beyond, flames devoured the barn, the dry wood snapping and popping like firecrackers.
    All the while Katie tried to absorb everything her friend had told her. “Did Billy start the fire?” she whispered.
    “He was so angry with me.” Looking miserable, Mattie shrugged. “He had a lighter. What if he did?”
    A crash sounded, making both girls jump. Katie glanced over in time to see part of the barn’s roof cave in, sparks flying high into the air, gray smoke billowing. The firefighters continued to battle the blaze. In the gravel driveway beyond, a sheriff’s department cruiser pulled up next to one of the fire trucks.
    “We have to tell someone,” Katie said after a moment.
    “You mean the police?” Mattie asked.
    “They’re probably going to want to talk to us anyway. All we have to do is tell the truth.”
    For the first time Mattie looked frightened. “Billy’s going to be pissed.”
    Katie felt something protective rise up inside her. “I have a feeling the police are going to keep him busy for a while.”
    *   *   *
    Twenty minutes later, Katie, Jacob, and Mattie stood in the gravel driveway of the Zimmerman home. They’d been instructed by the Holmes County sheriff’s deputy to wait for their turn to be interviewed. Mr. Zimmerman was talking to the deputy, gesturing angrily toward the barn. Both men’s faces were grim, their voices low.
    A dozen yards away, the barn smoldered and steamed. The fire had been extinguished. The structure was still standing, for the most part, but the contents inside—a tractor, spray equipment, and a hundred bales of hay—had been destroyed.
    Through the door, Katie saw the outline of the tractor listing at a cockeyed slant, the tires burned off. Once the firefighters had gotten the blaze under control, the deputy motioned them over and brought them here, to the driveway. Katie, Jacob, and Mattie watched, unspeaking, while the police had methodically talked to everyone—workers and customers alike. Billy Marquart was nowhere in sight.
    The uniformed deputy approached them, his expression grim, his demeanor professional. “Is everyone okay here?” he asked.
    “We’re fine,” Jacob told