Free A Pint of Murder by Charlotte MacLeod

Adam’s apple for a while, then muttered, “Let ’em run loose and some darn fool Yankee’s apt to shoot ’em for deer.”
    Bert chuckled and went to get the tool. Janet was bringing out the cookie jar for Bobby when yet a fourth visitor arrived. This one was Fred Olson.
    “Howdy, folks. What you doin’ over here, Elmer? I heard you’d moved into the Mansion.”
    Elmer stammered something about “Paw’s idea.”
    “How come you ain’t workin’?”
    “Got a week’s holiday.”
    “Still foreman over at the lumber mill?”
    “Yep.”
    “Goin’ to make your million, eh, even if it’s only a million toothpicks?”
    “Elmer does all right,” said Gilly belligerently.
    “Never said he didn’t. Might as well scratch for yourself, boy. Ol’ Jase is bound to figure out some way to take his wad with him when he goes. He give you any idea what that patent’s worth?”
    “Nope.”
    “Did he say what it’s for?”
    “Said I’d know it when I seen it.”
    “How?”
    Elmer shrugged. “Dunno. Ain’t seen it yet.”
    The marshal grunted. “Gilly, how about you tellin’ me real careful what happened last night?”
    “About what?”
    “The fire, o’ course. What else?”
    “Well, there was that little business of my father, in case you hadn’t remembered.”
    She swallowed hard. “All right, Fred. I didn’t mean to be nasty. I was down at Ben Potts’s place with Mama. Visiting hours weren’t supposed to be till tonight, but people started dropping in. What with one thing and another, we didn’t get out of there till after ten o’clock. I was beat right down to the ground by then, and I guess my mother was, too. Anyway, she went straight along home, and so did I. I just looked in on Bobby to make sure he was all right, then I shucked my clothes and fell into bed.
    “I’d already dropped off to sleep when the dogs started kicking up a racket. I thought it might be Schnitzi having her pups, so I jumped up. Then I heard a roaring noise and smelled smoke, and realized the front room was on fire. I ran and woke Bobby and got him and the dogs out of the house, then I think I went in once more to grab a few clothes. I think Bobby started to follow me, but I yelled at him to stay back and get the dogs away from there. He’s a good kid,” she added defiantly.
    “Then what happened?” Olson prompted.
    “To tell you the truth, Fred, I can’t remember much. I know people were yelling at us to get away from the walls, and there was one great big bang that was probably my car blowing up. The dogs kept yapping and I couldn’t seem to think about anything but Schnitzi and her puppies. Then I got soaked with the fire hose and the cold water sort of brought me to my senses. I saw Bert with the firemen, and went over and asked if he’d drive us up to Aunt Aggie’s. I—I think I forgot she wouldn’t be here any more. Anyway, Marion’s been as nice as anybody could want, and Schnitzi had her pups and they’re doing fine. Gosh, Bert, I hope she didn’t mess up your car’s upholstery too much.”
    “Don’t worry, it’s plastic,” Wadman assured her.
    “You got any idea how the fire might have started, Gilly?” the marshal persisted.
    “All I can think of is what I said last night: Somebody must have thrown a cigarette or something into the smoke bush out by the front door.”
    Olson shook his head. “I don’t think so, Gilly. Seems to me I recollect seein’ that bush go up in one big puff as we was runnin’ toward the house. Can you remember, Bert?”
    “Come to think of it, yes I can, a great ball of flame that died right down. I thought it must be the gas tank on the car, but that went later, just before Gilly spoke to me. I remember the bang well enough. So the bush couldn’t have had anything to do with it. The fire was already going great guns when we spotted it from the Owls’ meeting room.”
    “Then I don’t know what to tell you,” said Gilly. “All I know is that it started in