Chapter 6 - The Trap Sprung
It was 11:30 PM on Wednesday night.
The moon was buried behind thick clouds over the Texas hill country.
Two figures dressed in dark clothing slipped through the tree line near Warehouse B—the massive timber and corrugated iron structure that housed fifty thousand oak barrels of aging bourbon.
One of them carried a heavy yellow canister of industrial accelerant; the other held a heavy pair of wire cutters.
They reached the rear electrical junction box behind the warehouse. The first man uncapped the accelerant, splashing it heavily over the dry timber wall and the exposed wiring harness.
"Hurry up," the second man hissed, looking around the pitch-black yard. "The security guards patrol every hour."
"Relax," the first man muttered, pulling a road flare from his tactical vest. "This whole place will go up like a tinderbox in three minutes."
He struck the flare. A brilliant, crimson light burst into the darkness, casting long, grotesque shadows against the wooden wall.
"I wouldn't drop that if I were you."
A high-powered floodlight suddenly cut through the night, blinding both men instantly.
From the shadows of the barrel racks stepped six uniformed Texas Rangers, their sidearms drawn and leveled directly at the two men.
Behind the Rangers walked Eleanor Blackwood, accompanied by Attorney Arthur Montgomery and County Sheriff Robert Keller.
Beside Eleanor stood thirteen-year-old Lucas, holding his phone connected to a portable speaker.
With a click of Lucas’s thumb, Richard Blackwood’s voice echoed sharply across the quiet yard through the speaker:
"...Tell them I need two men who know how to handle industrial electrical fires. Make it look like a faulty transformer in the dry house..."
The two hired arsonists froze, dropping the flare and the accelerant canister into the mud, raising their hands slowly into the air.
Sheriff Keller stepped forward, clicking a pair of steel handcuffs around the first man’s wrists.
"Arlen Vance and Jerry Cobb," Sheriff Keller said smoothly. "You are under arrest for attempted commercial arson, conspiracy, and criminal trespass."
Sheriff Keller turned to Eleanor, adjusting his hat. "Mrs. Blackwood... I believe we have a warrant to execute at the guest cottage."
May you like
Eleanor looked at the dark silhouette of the main manor house in the distance, her coat snapping in the cold night wind.
"Make sure Richard and Margaret are dressed sharply, Sheriff," Eleanor said quietly. "I want the press to see them when you lead them out."
