Of Horses And Waterfalls

39. Deadlines

The next morning Harry and Draco woke up slowly, holding onto each other, reassuring themselves that no, the fire hadn't been a terrible nightmare, and that they were going to get to the bottom of it.  There had been no chemicals left in the barn, Harry forbade it.  He would always double check before bedtime anyway, not that he didn't trust his staff, it was the hero in him.  He hated conflict, and didn't want to be the cause of any wrongdoing or damage.

Chemicals were stored in a separate building anyway, and it was kept locked.  The only one to have a key was Harry himself that he carried on his person at all times.  

He suddenly pinned Draco to the bed, kissing him with such passion, that had Draco's eyes going wide.  After the kiss, Draco smiled at him.  "Harry?", he asked, as if he thought that kisses were the answer to all the world's problems.  Well, Harry's kisses were.  That man's kisses could make him come in his pants like a teenager, so yeah.  Harry pecked him on the lips, and climbed out of bed.  

"Shower with me baby", he said in a dry voice.  His body was sore from the physical work that he had done last night, but he had to face the day.  They were going to get answers on how the fire started, and from there they would start their investigation.  Draco smiled at him and got out of bed.

After their very hot and steamy shower, they got dressed and went outside to take a look at the damage that had been caused.  The sun was up so they were able to see more than they had last night.  The other staff members were already busy with their chores, but Harry asked them to stop and stand with him.  

Together they would get the answers they were looking for.  Harry had also reminded Draco that they needed to make a decision on the land that Eugene Rayne had spoken to them about.  And should they tell the other staff members if they were to purchase it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the fire department.  Winston and his next in charge, a man by the name of Jonathan, got out of their truck and asked everyone to stay away, so that they could go through the wreckage alone.  Harry wasn't pleased about that, because he really wanted to go through it with them, but he knew that they were experts at their jobs.  They knew what to look for, whereas Harry and the rest of the staff would probably just become too emotional.

So, armed with cameras, notepads and long reaching sticks, the two men made their way towards the pile of ash that used to be a barn.  Harry was pacing back and forth, always with his eyes on them, waiting for them to finish and to come and relay what they had found.  Draco had asked his maid to supply glasses of lemonade, so that when they were done, they could all enjoy a drink together.  It was when Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, that he turned around and saw a serious look on Winston's face.

"Perhaps we should talk inside", said the man.  Harry frowned, but he and Draco led him towards the main house.  After they were seated at the kitchen table, Harry took hold of Draco's hand and waited for them to speak.

"Mr Malfoy, Mr Potter.  I am terribly sorry to inform you that the fire looks like it was caused by an act of arson", he said.  Taking out his digital camera, he showed them the photos that Jonathan had taken.  Pointing to a particularly dark spot in the middle of what used to be the floor, he said, "Here is where an accelerant was poured, and it's also where the fire was started".  

Both Harry and Draco looked at each other in horror.  But at the same time that they were thinking who the hell would do this to them, they were also wondering how it had been possible for someone to gain entry and commit the crime.  They were told that they needed to press charges, and if they had any security measures in place, like cameras, then they should view the footage, if only to make their case that much stronger, and present it to the authorities.

Thanking the gentlemen and after seeing them off, neither men wanted the other staff members to know just how deep it went, so decided to keep the arson result from them.  But one thing was for sure, and that was that their whole day was going to be spent going over what the cameras had picked up.

Harry told Draco that he had to see to his duties first, and clean up had to happen.  But they were also going to take their own photos, on the off chance that the firemen missed something.  While Draco did this, with a lot of urging from Harry to be careful, he went about his day, tending to the animals, and reassuring the staff that nothing like the fire would ever happen again.  He would make sure of it.  

He had let Sirius know what had happened, and suffice it to say the man was shocked, but his first thought was that it was Draco's father.  Maybe not directly, perhaps he had hired someone to do it, and Harry said he would definitely be looking into that angle.

After the horses and cattle had been taken to new pastures, Harry made his way back to the house and to ask Draco about the deadline on purchasing the land next to them.  He had a lot of ideas on what he wanted to do with the property.  Yes, it was going to cost a lot of money to get the barn rebuilt, but together they would be able to accomplish anything.  They both said that buying the land was something that they should do, if not only to keep them busy, but to stick it to his father as well.

When Harry told him of Sirius suspicions that the fire had been caused by Lucius, Draco went ape shit crazy.  Not in the bad sense of the word, he had unwavering faith in Harry, and had told him that he would stick by him no matter what.  But rather in a sense of disbelief.  Yes, he knew his father was an arsehole.  He too knew that his father would stoop to any level to get what he wanted, and his father had also told him that he would be sorry.

He really hoped that they were wrong, but only the images on the cameras would tell them that.  He picked up his mobile and called the bank manager, putting him on speaker.

When Eugene picked up, he had no idea it was Draco who was calling.  "Rayne", he answered in a gruff voice.

"Mr Rayne, it's Draco Malfoy.  I'm phoning about the offer on your contract.  Yes that's right, the land next to my ranch.  Harry and I would like to purchase it please.  Yes.  So, we will sign and bring the signed paperwork in tomorrow, would that be all right?".  Draco then ended the call after Eugene said congratulations again.

He looked at Harry and when Harry winked at him, he realized that they were in for a long night.  They weren't going to sleep until they had found the answers that they were looking for.  They needed to know who started that fire.

And if it was Lucius Malfoy, he would swallow the bitter pill, but he would enjoy the look in his father's eye even more, when he realized he had been found out, and the ranch - HIS ranch - wasn't going anywhere.  Least of all to him.

Harry wrapped him in his arms, and hugged him tightly to his chest.  It was emotionally draining, having everything dumped on you.  But they were managers of a ranch.  And if there were deadlines to meet, they would do so.