Finally, she couldn’t resist asking, “What do you think, Sheriff Crow? Why would someone set a fire here? Why do people ever set fires?”
“The most common reason is they’re kids playing around. Fire is fascinating. Did you ever set tiny fires when you were a little girl?”
Becky shook her head.
The sheriff smiled. “Well, lots of kids do. I did.”
Becky tried to imagine Sheriff Crow as a child. She must been one of those little girls who hadn’t been scared of anything, like Meredith or Jennie. Becky had always wished she was like that.
“But this couldn’t have been a kid, right? They’re not allowed this far out of town, and someone would have noticed if they’d gone out through the gates.” As soon as Becky spoke, she thought, What a stupid thing to say. Of course the sheriff already knows that.
But Sheriff Crow didn’t give her a scornful look. Instead, she nodded as if Becky had said something smart. “No, I don’t think it could have. As for fires people set on purpose, the usual reasons are to destroy something that belongs to an enemy, or get rid of something they need to hide. But this area doesn’t belong to anyone, and we didn’t find the remains of anything. Can you think of any other reasons?”
The sheriff sounded as if she genuinely wanted to hear Becky’s thoughts. Timidly, Becky suggested, “Everyone knows about my power now. And they know you had me touch things at the barn. Maybe someone wanted Summer to be blamed for the fire.”
The sheriff nodded. “Someone seems to have gone to a great deal of trouble to arrange that. So if all the arsonist wanted was to harm Summer, then who hates her enough to endanger the entire patrol?”
“She broke Will Preston’s arm. He couldn’t have set the fire himself, but maybe someone—” Becky caught herself before she could say “someone in his family.” She couldn’t accuse the mayor or the Ranger chief or an elderly council member or even Felicité of arson.
“Go on.”
Becky cleared her throat. “Everyone says the story Summer told, about how her town was destroyed when the Norms turned against the Changed, cost the election for—”
“Tom Preston,” the sheriff said, smiling. “Interesting how all theories lead back to him.”
Becky didn’t dare to voice her thought, but she was dying to ask Sheriff Crow if she believed he might have done it.
Sheriff Crow took pity on her. “I don’t think it’s his style. But you’re right to ask the questions. Speaking of questions, I agree that Summer is probably the victim here, but we still have to check. Let’s find out where she was when the fire happened.”
* * *
Sheriff Crow had Jennie check the week’s student roster for Saturday morning jobs. Summer had been assigned to assist Mrs. Riley.
But when Becky and Sheriff Crow arrived at the corral, Mrs. Riley was alone. And annoyed. “Yes, Summer was here. For about three minutes. I left her to rake out the back corral while I fed the horses. When I came out, she was gone with nothing done.”
As they walked away, Sheriff Crow remarked, “And sometimes our neat little theories blow up in our faces. Let’s see if anyone in town saw her.”
“Should we start with Ross?” Becky asked.
“Just what I was thinking.”
They found Ross hammering stakes into the ground in the Vardams’ orchard. He’d half-finished the raccoon-proof electric fence Mia had designed.
In the few days since Becky had last practiced martial arts there, the raccoon city had gotten even larger. The biggest and best raccoon house had acquired a fourth story, and nearly every tree had at least one raccoon-crafted vine-bridge or swing. And the raccoons had once again diverted the stream into their city.
“But why won’t you take me into the ruined city? You took your girlfriends!” Summer was saying loudly.
Ross’s hammer came down extra hard on a stake.
Summer’s voice rose above the banging. “I could protect you. You wouldn’t get all beat up, like you did the last time. I bet your girlfriends never killed an armored bear. Well, I have. Two!”
“I told you before, it’s too dangerous. It’s not the armored bears, it’s the crystal trees. I can’t . . .” His voice trailed off as Ross returned to his work.
“What else is there to do?” Summer demanded. “This town is so boring.”
“They’ll have a dance for Lunar New Year,” Ross said.
“And what, hop around in a circle while somebody plunks a banjo? They don’t even have a theater!”
Ross pounded the hammer harder, then saw Becky and Sheriff Crow. His frustrated expression changed into one of relief. “Hi. Are you looking for Sujata?”
Summer picked up an apple and flung it at a raccoon who was trying to steal the coil of electric wire. It caught the fruit in its clever paws, hissed viciously, and hurled it back. She ducked, and the apple smashed against a tree.
“Summer!” Ross exclaimed. “I told you, stop bothering the raccoons.”
“It was stealing your wire.”
Sheriff Crow turned to Ross’s sister. “Summer, where have you been all morning? You were supposed to be at the corral.”
“The foals were with their mothers, and it was boring. I didn’t want to rake poo.” In a jeering tone no one else in town would have dared use on the sheriff, Summer asked, “Are you going to arrest me?”
Sheriff Crow didn’t smile. “Ross, has she been with you all morning?”
Ross wiped his damp forehead on his sleeve. “I think so. Most of it, anyway. Why?”
“I want to know where she was when the fire started,” said Sheriff Crow.
Becky could swear that Summer’s eyes widened in genuine shock. She waved a stick at the nearest raccoon house and snapped, “I didn’t set it! Why would I do that?” She poked the stick into the wall of hardened mud. “Why would anyone do something that stupid? Do you think I’m stupid?” Poke, poke, poke, right into the raccoon’s front door.
“Where did you go when you left the corral?” The sheriff’s tone was calm, not accusing, but the girl reacted as if she’d been threatened.
“I looked for Ross! I figured I could help him, if I had to do something. I notice he never has to rake horse poo.”
“I raked it last week,” Ross put in. “We all have to.”
Summer jabbed the stick angrily into the raccoon house. “Well, I—”
A loud hiss emanated from within, and the stick shoved itself back. Summer stumbled backward as a raccoon leaped out and lunged at her, teeth bared. She jumped into the air, rising up and up until she landed atop the town wall.
She stuck out her tongue at the raccoon, then leaped into the corn fields and vanished. Leaves rustled as she ran off. The raccoon glared with its beady eyes, then retreated back into its home.
Ross broke the silence. “Sheriff, do you really think she set the fire?”
“I don’t know. If she didn’t, someone went to a great effort to make it seem that she did. Know anything about that?”
Ross muttered, “A lot of people went to a great effort to get me in trouble when I came here.” He wiped his forehead again. “But not like that. I wish I’d noticed when she got here. But Mia might have. She was here when Summer arrived. But then she, um, left.”
Becky could imagine why. She wouldn’t want to face Summer’s glares, either.
As they went to find Mia, Sheriff Crow said, “I’d like to keep you with me for the day.”
“More things to touch?” Becky asked.
“Could be,” the sheriff replied. “But also, I like the way you think. You might be able to add something to my report to the council, since you’ve been with me for the entire investigation so far. Are you ready for that?”
Becky’s stomach churned with the old, familiar terror. “I have to speak in front of the council?”
“Not if you don’t want to. But if you think of anything I missed, you can mention it to me.”
“Okay.” Becky’s fear didn’t wear off
instantly. But a different feeling also shivered through her, more in her nerves than in her stomach. It was . . . excitement. And curiosity. Being a sheriff wasn’t just about arresting people, or even keeping the peace. It was also about solving mysteries.
And there were some mysteries that Becky had wondered about for a long, long time.
* * *
“. . . and according to Mia, Summer showed up about half an hour after the time Mrs. Riley thought she’d left the corral,” Sheriff Crow concluded.
“That might have been enough time for her to set the fire and get away, as fast as she is,” Mr. Horst said. “I hear she’s always running off. Especially if she is asked to do chores.”
“There is at least a partial explanation for her disappearances,” Mr. Preston said.
When Sheriff Crow had brought her to the town hall, Becky had been surprised to see Mr. Preston sitting in his old place beside the mayor, even though he was no longer on the council. Maybe nobody had the nerve to throw him out. He was in his old chair, too. Mr. Horst sat in a new one.
“What’s that?” the mayor asked. “Where does the girl go?”
“Luc told me he’s been hearing footsteps on his roof whenever he has musicians playing or even rehearsing,” Mr. Preston explained. “He thinks she’s dancing. The footsteps keep rhythm with the players.”
“Why would she dance on the roof instead of inside?” Mr. Appel asked.
“Why does she do anything, except to be annoying?” Mr. Horst looked straight at Mr. Preston as he said sarcastically, “Maybe she set the fire in between rooftop dance shows.”
Sheriff Crow held up her hand to catch everyone’s attention. “I haven’t finished. Another possibility is that the purpose of the fire was to frame her. In which case we should ask, who in town has that much personal animosity against Summer Juarez?”
Becky’s breath drew in a quiet gasp as everyone but the mayor looked at Mr. Preston.
He didn’t look guilty. Nor did he seem worried or defensive. Instead, he addressed the council in the same calm, interested tone Sheriff Crow had used to discuss the reasons for setting fires. “If you’re looking at motivation, I’ve got one for you. Maybe someone wanted to be a hero. I’ve seen that before. And one person was very noticeably heroic, from what I hear, because I was nowhere near either fire. That was Alfonso Medina. Not only that, but he was the only person capable of being heroic in that barn fire. Furthermore, he was the only one who could be sure to survive being trapped between a fire and a steep cliff.”
“As usual, Thomas blames the Changed person,” Grandma Wolfe said tartly. “I’ve taught Alfonso his entire life, and nothing in his character leads me to believe him capable of such a thing. Moreover, being a hero doesn’t benefit him. He’s not trying to get into your Rangers,” she glared at Mr. Preston in a way that made Becky want to duck, “which is the only motivation I can see for being perceived as a hero.”
Mayor Wolfe said smoothly, “One never knows what people may want, or what they’re capable of. Let us stick to facts rather than speculation. Sheriff, please continue your investigation.”
Mr. Horst raised his voice. “What about that Changed girl? I’m not happy having her wander loose around the town causing trouble. Especially when she can get into anything, grass-hoppering from roof to roof. At the very least, she should be under restrictions.”
“I agree,” said Judge Lopez.
“I do as well,” said the mayor.
“What sort of restrictions are we talking about?” Dr. Lee inquired. When no one spoke, he continued, “I would vote for having her brother or some other responsible adult watch her, at least until the question of the fire is cleared up.”
“You’re calling Ross a responsible adult?” Mr. Horst demanded. “For all we know, he held the match so she could strike it.”
Grandma Wolfe gave Mr. Horst a cold look, then turned away. “A splendid idea, Dante. I call for a vote.”
Mayor Wolfe said, “All in favor raise your hands.”
All the adults but Mr. Horst raised their hands. Mr. Preston began to raise his, then quickly changed the movement to adjusting his glasses.
“The ayes have it,” Mayor Wolfe announced. “From now on, Summer Juarez is to be watched 24/7 by either her brother or some other adult he hands her off to.”
Becky was relieved that Summer hadn’t gotten in worse trouble. But when she imagined being with that girl 24/7, she felt sorry for Ross.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Ross
Ross and Paco sat on the beach, doing the breathing exercises Yuki had taught them, as Summer poked around behind them. He didn’t enjoy them—Ross was never going to like feeling suffocated—but the more he practiced, the more precious seconds he gained.
“I can hold my breath longer than you,” Summer called. “When are you going to teach me to swim?”
“Now, if you want,” Ross said, glad that she was asking for something he could actually give her, for once. “I’ll walk you back so you can get something to swim in.”
Summer glanced over her shoulder at the distant town walls shimmering in the heat haze. “Ugh. What a slog! By the time we get back, you’ll tell me you have something else to do.”
Ross looked down at his hands, unsure what to say. She was right. He’d promised Mia that he’d do the oil-collecting, taking people’s used oil and replacing it with fresh jugs, once he was done with the sea cave. And Summer would have to come with him.
Much as he loved Las Anclas, sometimes the rules and expectations still made him feel like the walls were closing in.
“I’ll go first.” Paco’s voice broke into his thoughts. He jerked his sharp chin at Summer.
“Right.” Ross would much rather dive with Paco. He didn’t feel entirely secure diving to the cave alone. But now he wasn’t allowed to leave Summer alone.
Kerry came riding up on Nugget, leading Sally. Gold and silver coats gleamed in the brilliant sunlight. “There you are!”
Summer’s pout vanished. “Kerry!”
“Hi, Summer,” Kerry said. “Ross. Paco.”
A splash behind Ross made him turn. Paco was gone.
Ross tried to find a way to word his question without starting another argument. “Summer, are you going to ride with Kerry?”
Kerry shrugged, smiling at them both. “She can ride with me or watch you dive. Up to her.”
“I’ll ride,” Summer said instantly. “This is boring.”
She leaped into the saddle in one graceful move, and the girls galloped off.
Ross watched his sister leaving him just like Paco had fled from Kerry. Six months ago, neither he nor Paco had known they had sisters. And though Kerry seemed to want to get to know Paco and Ross was trying hard to be a brother to Summer, neither of their siblings seemed interested.
Not that he blamed Paco. Maybe he’d feel the same after finding out that his father was none other than King Voske—and that Kerry had been raised to attack the town and conquer it for her own.
“But I’m not Voske,” Ross muttered. Though probably Summer would think he was cooler if he were.
He grimaced, torn between being glad his sister had never known Voske and worry that if she stayed, she might. Desperate for a distraction, he dove under a wave. The icy shock was a relief after the heat of the sun and the unsettled way he always felt around Summer, as if she were unstable dynamite about to ignite.
Paco’s dark head surfaced, and he took a deep breath. Ross didn’t miss his look of relief when he saw that Kerry was gone.
Treading water, Ross asked, “Find anything?”
Paco shook his head. “I didn’t go inside. Something’s stirred up the water.”
A whiskered head popped up between them. Ross started, thrashing in water that he’d forgotten how to swim in. When he caught his balance, he heard Paco laughing. That was a sound Ross hadn’t heard in a long time.
“It’s the harbor seals,” Paco said. “I’d forgotten that they come back to Las Anc
las for the winter. I guess the water’s warmer here than wherever they live for the rest of the year.”
The whiskery head blinked huge black eyes at Ross. He looked down through the water at a cylindrical body with spotted fur and four flippers. One of the flippers gave him a light whack on the thigh.
“They’re harmless?” Ross asked doubtfully, remembering the soulful blue eyes of Princess Pit Mouth.
“Completely. Follow me.” Paco dove beneath the surface.
Ross gulped in a breath and followed. He slitted his eyes for a quick peek. The seal had friends; at least twenty sinuous shapes moved gracefully through the water. The seals clustered around Ross and Paco, bumping them with their muzzles and prodding them with their flippers. Ross put out his hand, palm out. A seal slapped it with a flipper. Ross had to stop himself from laughing underwater.
Paco and Ross surfaced to catch their breath. Several sleek heads popped up around them.
“Ark, ark!” A seal barked.
Others added their voices, from babies no longer than Ross’s arm to one almost the size of a fishing skiff.
“Watch this.” Paco flung his arms around the neck of the nearest seal. The creature gave a powerful flick of its back flippers. To Ross’s amazement, seal and Paco went skimming over the water together, diving in and out of the breakers.
Several seals nudged Ross, gazing at him in a way that he couldn’t help reading as hopeful. Imitating Paco, he caught the nearest seal in his arms. It was wet and furry and warm, contrasting with the chilly water. Slippery, too. He almost lost his grasp as the powerful muscles bunched under his arms. He tensed as the seal took off.
Then he was flying across the water, fast as a horse could gallop, cold spray in his face. But the movement was far smoother than a horse’s gait, and unlike any horse he’d ever encountered, he had the feeling that the seal found it fun to have Ross ride him. Ross hung on tight as the seal leaped into the air, then came down with a huge splash. Salt water flooded Ross’s mouth as he laughed with sheer delight. It was the first time he’d enjoyed riding anything but his burro Rusty.
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