Page 45 of Forged By Fire

The smoke wasn’t visible until they followed the driveway around the house to the back of the property. A red barn came into view. It was relatively small with double doors that rolled open like a garage door, and another normal-sized door beside that. Across the rest of the front were windows, and it looked like there were some down the sides as well.

To Leslie’s surprise, the barn itself wasn’t engulfed at all. In fact, the only thing she could see burning was a stack of hay bales sitting out front. Flames were quickly consuming the dry hay and beginning to lick the side of the barn, blistering the dark red paint.

They all immediately got out of the ladder truck and got to work as Chet called out assignments.

“Cho, grab the water can and see if you can get that under control. Keyes, let’s get this line stretched and ready in case we need it. Granger, find the breaker box and kill the electricity.”

Leslie noted where the electrical pole was and the line coming off it going behind the barn. She jogged past the barn and around back to find the breaker box attached to the rear of the building. Hastily, she opened it and flipped the main breaker, cutting off electricity to the barn and making it safer for them to enter the building if they needed to.

When she got back to the ladder truck, Jin was using the pressurized water extinguisher to douse the flamestraveling up the side of the barn. Bryce had gotten the line hooked up and was holding the nozzle.

“Cho,” Chet called across the way. “Fall back. You and Granger back up the line.”

Cho stopped using the extinguisher and set it down next to the truck before picking up the hose, and Leslie took up her place behind him.

Bryce opened the nozzle, and water began to flow. Leslie worked with Jin to absorb the force created by the water and provide stability so that Bryce could maintain control as he directed a stream of water onto the hay bales as well as the side of the barn.

It took next to no time to put the fire out, leaving a steaming stack of blackened hay. There was certainly some aesthetic damage to the outside of the barn, but it didn’t look like there would be any structural damage.

They all removed their helmets and set them on the truck.

Leslie had noticed that the couple who lived on the farm had been watching them from their ATV and were now on foot and approaching.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” The man reached out to shake Chet’s hand. “I’m Gary Tippin, and this is my wife, Francie. We appreciate your quick response.”

“Of course. I’m glad the fire wasn’t any worse. You’ll want to take a look and make sure there’s no damage to the wood along that wall, but I suspect most of the damage is cosmetic. This type of fire can spread quickly. Honestly, I’m surprised that it wasn’t worse. You must’ve seen the fire the moment it broke out.”

The couple looked at each other in confusion, and Francie shook her head. “Our dog started barking like crazy, so Garywent to look out the back window to see what he was barking at. That’s when he saw some smoke coming out of the hay bales and then flames. I immediately called 9-1-1, but they said that someone had already reported the fire, and that a unit was on the way. I’d barely had the chance to tell Gary when we heard the sirens. We had to rush to get the gate open for you all.”

Someone else had called it in? Leslie hadn’t even noticed the smoke until they had neared the Tippin’s house. She took in the area around them. The house and barn stood in a large clearing that included at least an acre between them. But beyond that, trees and shrubs lined the property. There was no way someone had seen the smoke from the road or a neighboring house.

Goose bumps peppered her skin, and the hair stood on the back of her neck. She had the unmistakable feeling they were being watched followed by an urgency she couldn’t explain.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Leslie sidled up to Chet. She lowered her voice. “Something’s not right. I think we need to get out of the open and call in the police.”

“Agreed.” Chet didn’t hesitate. He turned to the older couple. “Mr. and Mrs. Tippin, why don’t we go inside and take a look around. Make sure none of that fire damage came through the wall.” He gave Leslie a nod as he quickly escorted the couple into the barn.

Mr. Tippin had to dig his keys out to unlock the regular door. As he did, the urgency she’d been feeling intensified.

Come on, come on, come on!

Mr. Tippin got the door open. Leslie ignored the urge to look over her shoulder as she spoke to Jin and Bryce. “Guys, we need to get inside. I think the shooter set the fire, and he’s still out?—”

A gunshot pierced the air.

Wooden splinters flew as a bullet struck the side of the barn near the door.

All three firefighters ducked and ran for the doorway.Another gunshot, and a burning pain erupted in Leslie’s upper arm.

They worked together to close the barn door to provide more coverage from the gunfire. Light filtered in through the large glass windows, making it possible for them to see inside, but it also meant the shooter could potentially see them as well.

Chet was helping the Tippins get onto the ground and under a workbench along one wall. As soon as they were set, he spoke into his radio linking them to dispatch. “We have gunshots fired at our location. We and the residents are inside the barn behind the house.”

Jin, Bryce, and Leslie dropped to their hands and knees, a motion made difficult by their turnout gear. Her co-workers began to shed their boots, pants, and jackets. While their gear was absolutely essential when fighting fires, the weight and thickness made it difficult to move around freely, to take cover, or, God forbid, fight the gunman if he forced his way into the barn.

Fear swept through Leslie. Dispatch would make sure they got help, but she needed to call Clint and tell him this was the same shooter from the warehouse.

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