Anyone looking at Gene Taylor would see the quintessential little old man. With his unruly shock of white hair and his faded blue eyes, no one would ever guess he had the mind of a crack detective.
During his thirty years as fire marshal, not a single arson went unsolved. Bran was counting on those skills to pull this one off.
Bran spent the ride downtown filling his grandfather in on what little he knew. He also gave him all the details of the H. and G. Dry-cleaning case. Gene was silent, but Bran could almost see the old man’s mind working.
The ruins of The Book Barn were still smoldering when Bran whipped his SUV into the parking lot. Luckily, the blaze was contained before the fire spread to the surrounding businesses. Several anxious tenants and shopkeepers stood outside, most awa
