Page 12 of Moonlight Over Montana

Withdrawing her hand, she buttoned up the jean jacket she had on. There was still a fire truck in front of what was left of her place and as soon as Jed parked on the curb near The Lucky Bucket and the truck was off, she pushed open the door. A plume of water was streaming on the pile of rubble. Any hope of salvaging much was gone like a puff of smoke. She glanced to each of the stores on either side and other than covered in soot, they looked to have escaped damage.

“Mom.” Susie’s voice was laced with a restrained sob. “It’s all gone.”

Maggie pulled her into a hug close to her chest so she didn’t have to face the debris. Trying to lighten the mood, not just for her daughter but for herself too, she glanced at Jed before saying, “It’s okay. I wanted to redecorate anyway. You know Gram loved the old blue vinyl seat cushions.”

“I love those.” She pulled back, her face wet with fresh tears. “We have to have blue cushions and the black tile floor. We’ll make it just like it was, won’t we?”

She placed her hands on Susie’s cheeks and said, “If that’s what you want, then blue, black, and white it is. We’ll rebuild, only we’ll add more padding to the booths. They were getting a little worn out and ready to be replaced anyway.”

Jed placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Heck of a way to redecorate, Mags.”

She turned Susie around to face the mess and with a shrug, she said, “I’m making lemonade out of lemons; it’s the best I can do right now.” She gestured to the group near the fire truck. “There’s the sheriff. I want to talk to him before he leaves.”

Looking both ways, she crossed the street, not that there was any through traffic as the road was one lane due to the hoses and all the vehicles around. The sharp smell of smoke filled her nose as they grew closer. It was time to face what had happened and ask how fast she could get equipment in to level it and rebuild. She supposed she’d have to wait for the insurance company adjuster too. It was a good thing her policy was always paid at the first of the year; there was no chance that she didn’t have full coverage.

Sheriff Tye Blackstone looked their way as they approached and strode in their direction. She stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, and he joined them.

He dipped his head. “Morning, Maggie. Glad to see you and Susie are doing okay.” He gave Jed the once-over. “How are you feeling?”

“No worse for wear.” Jed nodded in the direction of the diner. “Tye, any news on how the fire started?”

He gave Maggie a long look before saying, “It was arson.”

She placed a hand over her heart as her throat went desert dry. Dang, he didn’t beat around the bush at all. “What are you talking about? Why would anyone want to burn down the diner?”

Sheriff Blackstone said, “Has anyone given you any trouble lately? A disgruntled customer, someone you’ve been dating?”

“First, I don’t have time to date, and I’d like to think all my customers are full and happy when they leave the diner.” She was proud of her cooking and service, and if anyone had ever mentioned their order wasn’t up to par, she’d offer free dessert or comp their meal. Her customers always came first. That’s what her parents had drilled into her from an early age—happy customers meant a happy bank account. Not that running a diner in a small western town was a get rich quick enterprise, but she made a decent and honest living.

He turned to her daughter next. “Susie, has anyone been harassing you?”

The girl’s eyes grew wide. “No, sir.”

Jed touched Maggie’s arm. “Tell him what happened yesterday with Gasperini.”

The sheriff’s dark eyes rested on her. “What is Jed referring to?”

She stuck her hands in her jacket pockets, suddenly feeling chilled to the bone despite the sun beating down on them. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. A real estate developer came into the diner; he’s been in a couple of times this week. I didn’t think much about it, but I knew from talking to Renee Shepard and Annie Grace that he wanted to buy both their properties. And he gave me a hefty offer for the diner. I politely declined. He left his business card and asked me to think it over and that he was staying at the River Run Inn for a couple more nights if I changed my mind.”

“Was he upset when you turned down the offer?”

Maggie threw her hands up in the air, frustrated and angry at the mere thought that turning Gasperini down might have resulted in him setting her business on fire. “No, not really. He did say I’d regret my decision. He seemed keen on buying it, but why would he want to do that?” She pointed at the pile of burnt rubble. “It’s not worth much like that. Besides, you haven’t said why you think it’s arson.”

“There was evidence on what was left of the back door that it had been jimmied open. It was good you’d replaced it with a steel door. A wooden one would never have made it through the fire.”

“Two points for me.” She dropped her head. “I’m sorry. This is just a lot to handle right now. Was there anything else that would indicate it was deliberate?”

“An inspector will be in from Bozeman later this morning, but I have a few things for him to investigate.”

Maggie didn’t want to continue to dwell on arson and was grateful when Susie diverted the conversation.

“Sheriff, did any of our things survive the fire?” Susie took a step onto the sidewalk. “Mom’s SUV, any of our personal items?”

He rested his hands on his belt. “The SUV is pretty badly damaged, and I don’t think it’s repairable. As far as other personal items, when the second floor collapsed, it just continued to feed the inferno, so I’m afraid there isn’t much left.”

Jed placed a comforting hand on Maggie’s shoulder and Susie stood apart from them.

“Everything’s gone,” Maggie’s words came out in a whisper and she remained quiet until the silence threatened to overwhelm her. “Why are they still putting water on it?”

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