Free Fire When Ready (Manor House Mystery) by Kate Kingsbury

talk about it, so he might not tell you very much."
    "That's all right. I won't pressure him. I'd just like to know if he saw something that might help . . ." She broke off, aware that Polly was looking at her rather intently. She hadn't intended to voice her suspicions that the fire had been deliberately set. Then again, it would be only a matter of time before word got around. The village grapevine was more active than bees in a bed of roses.
    "Ray said the fire was an accident," Polly said, looking uncertain. "He said as how the firemen said someone's cigarette fell in a bin of rags. They asked him lots of questions about it."
    So Ray Muggins was the young man Dave Meadows had mentioned, Elizabeth realized. "Well, there's no reason to think otherwise at this point."
    "But you think someone might have done it on purpose."
    There was a tinge of fear in Polly's voice. Elizabeth hurried to reassure her. "Not at all. I just want to get everything straight, that's all. The fire chief seemed to be going on a lot of assumptions, and I thought I owed it to Mr. McNally to find out exactly what happened if I could."
    It sounded lame, even to her ears, but at this point Elizabeth was not about to admit her doubts. For one thing, if someone was guilty of arson, it wouldn't do to alert him that she was on his trail. Better to let him, or her, think he got away with it.
    "You think it was the three musketeers?"
    Elizabeth frowned. She had to admit, that hadn't occurred to her. The musketeers were a band of mischief makers, possibly from an airbase near London, who seemed intent on causing as much grief as possible to the American airmen based near the village. So far the miscreants had been accused of everything from preventing the local farmers' chickens from laying to spoiling the milk at the Adelaide's dairy farm to poisoning several American airmen.
    It had turned out that the musketeers had been guilty of none of these catastrophes. Nevertheless, they were responsible for damaging American Jeeps, causing accidents on the road, and generally making themselves a thoroughly unpleasant menace. It was only a matter of time before they became more reckless and caused more serious damage. Perhaps this was one of those times.
    Elizabeth glanced at the clock. "I think I will take a run down into the village. I shan't be long. Perhaps you can take a look at these bills for me and sort out which are the most important. As usual, we won't be able to pay them all this month."
    "I'll be happy to." Polly jumped up and gathered up the letters from Elizabeth's desk. "Better be careful, though,going down that hill. It's turned bitter cold out there again. There was ice on the road this morning when I came up on me bicycle. All the way up the driveway, too. And on the front step."
    "I'll be careful," Elizabeth promised, touched by the young girl's concern.
    Polly nodded, then said awkwardly, "I hope I didn't say nothing out of place just now. About the fire, I mean. I wouldn't want to get no one in trouble."
    Elizabeth smiled. "Don't worry, Polly. I'm sure the firemen are right and it was all just an unfortunate accident." At least she would have been sure, she told herself as she hurried down the steps to the front hallway, if it hadn't been for that locked office door.
    George seemed surprised to see her when she walked into the police station a little later. "I was just thinking about you, your ladyship," he told her, as she sat down on the visitor's chair. "I have some news that will please you, I do believe."
    Elizabeth tugged off her fur gloves. "You've found out who set the fire at the factory?"
    George's smile vanished. "Pardon me for saying so, but I've already told you the fire was an accident. I do hope and pray you're not going to make this out to be more than it is. We have enough trouble on our hands without going looking for more."
    Elizabeth sighed. "George, have you ever known me to make trouble where none exists?"
    "No, m'm, but I