Page 22 of Moonlight Over Montana

She caught sight of the sheriff coming down the hall toward them. Standing up, she crossed the room and Jed was right behind her. This kind of support from him was something she could get used to, but she quickly reminded herself it was the circumstances and he was being a good friend.

“Thanks for coming in, Maggie. Good to see you, Jed.” He gestured to a closed door. “Let’s talk in there in case someone comes in.”

A shiver of fear raced down her spine. Was there something more going on than potentially that man taking out his anger on her?

The sheriff held open the door and let them go in first. The room contained a table and two chairs on each side. Tye pulled one out and sat down so Maggie and Jed followed suit. Once they were seated, Maggie leaned forward, her clasped hands resting on the table top.

“Have you discovered who the man was that had been eating at the diner?”

“We have and it turns out he is homeless, but by choice not by circumstance. He’s actually quite wealthy. Seems he’s had a falling out with his family over money and said he was about to prove to everyone just how little a person needed, and he’s taken it a step further to see if the kindness of strangers would pan out. It seems it’s more of a social experiment than anything.”

The air escaped Maggie’s lungs with a slow hiss. “Now that’s ironic. I help a rich man eat and my reward was my diner burns down?” She shook her head.

“After following up on the man’s whereabouts, he was fifty miles away and had checked into a motel.”

“So much for living a simple life,” Jed said as he placed his hand over hers. “Where do we go from here?”

It didn’t escape Maggie’s notice that he said we, not she. Lifting her eyes, she looked at Tye. “Sheriff? If this man—”

“His name is Montgomery Johnson.”

“If Mr. Johnson wasn’t responsible, then who was?” Her words seem to hang in the air as she waited for an answer.

“Maggie, I don’t know yet. But on a positive note, you can bring a crew in to remove the debris and prepare to rebuild once your insurance money comes through.”

Her shoulders slumped. It was good news, but just this morning she got an email stating the insurance might not cover the full cost to rebuild. She needed to go to the bank and apply for a loan.

“Thank you.” Maggie stood and the chair slid back across the linoleum floor. “I’ve got some calls to make and if you’re sure I can get rid of the rubble, that is good news.”

Jed stood up. “Just one question. That can I tripped over, was it used to help the fire spread?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t want to say anything until Tye had determined it was arson, but when I ran down the alley, I tripped over a can. I told him about it, and I didn’t want to add more stress to you. So I didn’t mention it.”

Maggie looked at the serious expression on the sheriff’s face. “By the look you’re wearing, I’m guessing that’s a yes.”

“There’s a strong possibility that it was used to help the fire spread to the front of the diner. We know the fryolator was the main accelerant, but there was more to it than just grease.”

Jed put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a comforting one-armed hug.

“I appreciate your honesty.” Looking at Jed, she said, “Care to drive me home so I can make those calls?”

He stepped back so that she could walk ahead of him, and he pushed open the door as she put her hand out to give it a shove. Tye followed them into the lobby.

“Maggie, don’t worry. We’ll find the person responsible and prosecute them.”

“I appreciate your conviction, but it doesn’t sound like you have a lot to go on.” Wrapping her arms around her waist, she willed her body to stop shivering.

Jed took his jacket off and slung it over her shoulders. She pulled it close around her body and smiled her thanks to him.

“I’ll be in touch, Maggie, and if you or Jed think of anything at all, please call me.”

She nodded. “Thank you for all you’re doing.”

“It’s all part of the job.” For a tall and imposing man, his voice could be surprisingly quiet.

Deputy Barker caught her eye and gave her a small nod, his face somber. “Take care, Maggie.”

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