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

should happen to him now. I don't suppose he happened to mention anything about them to you?"
    "Letters? Not so I can recall. I didn't have much to say to the gentleman. He always seemed to be in a big hurry. I don't reckon he could have been that worried about them letters though, or he would have reported it."
    McNally's words were now echoing clearly in Elizabeth's mind.
Someone out there wants rather desperately tosee me dead and buried. And I have not the slightest doubt he means business
.
    He'd certainly sounded concerned about them. She was the one who'd made light of them. "The firemen are quite sure that it was an accident?" she asked sharply.
    "Quite sure." George picked up a sheaf of papers. "They went over everything as best they could. Of course, the place were in a bit of a mess, seeing as how it had been blown up, set on fire, and water poured on it, but the official word is that it were an accident."
    "You mentioned the fire chief. David something . . . what was his name?"
    "Dave Meadows. He's only part time, of course. All of them are, aren't they. Volunteers, every one of them. All the real ones are off fighting the war. Dave owns a repair shop for bicycles in North Horsham. Does a bit of tinkering with motorcars as well, I believe."
    How well
, Elizabeth wondered,
would a part-time volunteer fire chief be able to conduct an official investigation?
It wouldn't hurt to find out. Remembering McNally's letters had made her uneasy. And now that her mind was working on the possibility of arson, there was something else bothering her. If only she could remember what it was.
    "I have called this meeting," Rita Crumm's shrill voice announced, "to organize an official petition to close the munitions factory for good."
    Crowded into Rita's tiny front room, the members of the Housewives League gazed at their leader with varying expressions on their faces, most conveying boredom.
    "What do we want to go and do that for?" Marge Gunther demanded. "It's already closed down."
    "That's as maybe." Rita wore her hair pinned back,except for a bunch of curls on top of her head that wobbled back and forth whenever she was agitated. The curls bounced joyfully as Rita tossed her head. "But there's talk that they're going to make repairs and reopen it as soon as possible."
    "Who told you that?" Marge demanded over a chorus of muttered exclamations from the rest of the group.
    "Never mind who told me." Rita preened, obviously enjoying her importance. "I just know, that's all. So we need to draw up a petition. After what's happened down there, we shouldn't have any trouble convincing people that a place like that is a death trap."
    Nellie Smith sat on the floor in the corner and gritted her teeth. She was dying to say something sarcastic, but she'd already been suspended once from the Housewives League for mouthing off at Rita, and these days she did her best to keep her thoughts to herself. But it was hard. Especially at times like this, when that silly old cow acted like she was the only one who knew anything.
    Nellie sighed. She didn't know why she bothered coming back to the League. She wasn't even a housewife, her not having been married and all. She'd had boyfriends, plenty of them. But none she'd wanted to marry. Besides, most of the young ones were off fighting the war.
    In any case, British blokes were too bossy. From what she'd seen, they treated their wives like blooming slaves, expecting you to wait on them hand and foot and never a thank you at that. As for the Yanks, all they wanted was a good time. Come the end of the war, they'd be off back to America, with never another thought for the girls they left behind. She'd seen that happen already. To Polly Barnett for one.
    Nah, women were better off without men. Much better off. Bloody savages, that's what men were. No better thanthe ape men in the Stone Age. All they wanted a woman for was to cook their meals, clean their houses, wash their clothes, and satisfy them in