Fire When Ready (Manor House Mystery) by Kate Kingsbury Read Free Book Online

Meanwhile, you have a nice young man to take care of you, haven't you?"
    To Elizabeth's relief, a reluctant smile tugged at Polly's mouth. "Yes, m'm. He's really nice. I'm going to see him tonight. I'm just glad he wasn't there in the factory when it was bombed."
    "Well, I'm sure all this will be forgotten soon." Elizabeth went back to her desk. "Now, let's get started on this pile of letters. I promised George I'd stop by the police station this morning, and it's nearly lunch time already.
    "Tell you what, m'm." Polly left her desk and came over to collect the letters. "I'll take care of these, and you go on down to the police station. If there's anything I'm not sure about I'll ask you about it later."
    Elizabeth beamed at her assistant. "Thank you, Polly. You have no idea how comforting it is to know I have such an efficient secretary."
    Polly's face warmed with pleasure. "I do my best, I'm sure."
    "And it's a very good best at that." Confident that Polly's smile meant she was feeling better, Elizabeth left the girl to her task.
    George was at the front desk when she entered the police station an hour later. As usual, his mouth was full ofBanbury cake from Bessie's Bake Shop, and he chewed frantically as he staggered to his feet.
    "Good morning, George," Elizabeth said brightly. Giving him time to answer, she called out to his partner in the back room, "You as well, Sid!"
    "Morning, your ladyship," Sid's voice echoed back from behind the half open door. "Bit of excitement here last night, I reckon."
    Having choked down the remnants of his cake, George said hastily, "Have a seat, your ladyship. I was hoping you'd drop by. I've got some important news for you."
    Elizabeth took the chair he'd indicated, hoping it wasn't more bad news. Right now the people of Sitting Marsh had enough to deal with. By now the news of the bombing would be all over the village, and she would have her work cut out over the next few days trying to calm their fears. She folded her hands in her lap and tried to sound composed when she asked, "All right, George, what is it? What's happened now?"

CHAPTER
    4
    George coughed, then put on his official face. "We got the report from the fire department, your ladyship. It weren't no bomb what set the fire at the factory last night, after all. It were someone on the ground what did it. Which accounts for the fact that no one heard any airplanes."
    Elizabeth stared at him in dismay. "Someone deliberately set fire to the factory?"
    It was George's turn to look startled. "Oh, no, m'm. Not deliberate, no. Dave, the chief fireman, said it were an accident. Someone chucked a lit cigarette in a bucket of rags. Must have smoldered all evening and then caught fire. Course, once it reached the ammo, up it went."
    "Oh, my." Elizabeth clutched her throat. "That musthave been quite an explosion. I'm surprised the whole village didn't hear it."
    "Well, luckily, most of the explosives are stacked behind the main building. Dave said there were just a few boxes of ammo in that part of the factory, otherwise it would have taken out Fred Shepperton's farmhouse along with it. I always said he was taking a chance letting them build that thing on his land. His wheatfields are right alongside it."
    "I understand it was Fred Shepperton who raised the alarm," Elizabeth said.
    "Yes, m'm. Rode his bicycle down to the Tudor Arms, he did. Doesn't have a telephone. He told me he didn't want one of them newfangled things ringing in his house all day and night." George sniffed. "As if that many people would be bothering to call him."
    "I still can't believe Douglas McNally is dead. I was just talking to him a week ago." She caught her breath. "How very ironic."
    George looked puzzled. "Beg your pardon, your ladyship?"
    "Oh, I was just remembering something Mr. McNally said." Elizabeth frowned. "He told me someone had been pushing threatening letters through his letterbox. Something about meeting his Maker. It just seems strange that this