by Misty Simon
“Oh, thank you so much for seeing that. I was just about to check because I got those notifications you set up and was wondering what had happened. I can make it work, though. I’ll just hand the big job to Annie, then ask if I can move the schedule back for the one extra. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Where’s Jenna?”
“She said she can’t come in and might actually be quitting, depending on what happens with Nathan.”
“What? We’re going to have to hire someone new ASAP then. Let me know if you know anyone. I’m a little peeved that she didn’t talk to me, but I guess there’s not much I can do about that now.”
“Will do, boss lady.”
“Okay, well the Stapletons aren’t going to be happy about having to be moved back.” I paused and flipped through my own calendar. As much as I liked the one on my phone, I still had to keep paper. I remembered things better if I wrote them down instead of typing them. Witness my own little folder of info at my elbow of all the things I’d found out so far. I still hadn’t made any other connections and might have a clearer picture once I talked with Burton’s father, but that wasn’t scheduled until later this afternoon, around three. Right after bingo. Yes, bingo. I couldn’t get away from it.
“I don’t have anything at the moment, now that I know what day it is. Why don’t you ask Camilla to help with the Stapletons and I’ll come to the Clemenses’ with you?”
“You’re not supposed to be helping this week. Remember, you were taking a vacation? I’m supposed to be able to handle this all by myself.”
“Seriously? You do so much, and unless you’re offended that I’m trying to step on your toes, I’m helping. In fact, even if you are offended, you’ll just have to get over it.”
She laughed. “Hey, it’s your company. I’m certainly not going to turn down help from the boss.”
“And while we’re there, I’d like to talk to you about the things we heard at Hoagie’s daughter’s house.” That felt like a week ago but was mere days. “A couple of things have been bothering me, and I just haven’t had time to get with you on them. This way we can get paid while we talk.”
I could almost hear her shrug over the phone. “Whatever works for you. I want this person caught too, and anything I can do to help I’ll do.”
“See you in forty minutes, then.”
We said our goodbyes and I checked in with Max to find him screwing some bookshelves into the wall.
“I thought you were going to work with my father this morning.”
He looked up with a mask over his mouth and nose and his eyes crinkled. “I can do this.” The words were muffled, but I’d heard them often enough that I knew exactly what he was saying.
“Whatever floats your boat, but I thought maybe we could go out to lunch today if you’re free from training with my father and because you’re no longer going to be looking for tax clients.”
He shrugged and took off the mask. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I offered without talking to you, but I saw a way to help out you and your family and took it instead of thinking it all the way through.”
“Are you having second thoughts? Because no one will blame you if you are.”
“No. Actually, I’m not having second thoughts at all. I think it will be interesting to try this out and see what it entails. And then I was thinking I might go back to school to get the degrees I need if I like it enough.”
Wow, that was a step or seven beyond just helping out with the family business, but he looked like he meant it. And after everything he had done to support me in whatever my current career choice was, I certainly wasn’t going to keep him from pursuing whatever he wanted to do.
“The training is extensive. I’m not saying that to put you off; I just don’t know how much of your current schooling will count toward what you want to do. There’s a lot of anatomy stuff if you want to be able to prepare the bodies.” I knew, because I had looked into all the classes and had used my complete lack of wanting to manhandle dead people as a reason for not pursuing it in college.
Funny that I still seemed to deal with the dead, even if I didn’t have to actually touch them beyond checking that they in fact really had no pulse.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I can help with a lot of the business stuff and am going to look over the business taxes to see if there’s anything I can do, or any suggestions I can make to save some money on what your dad pays out every year.”
“I’m sure he’ll love that.”
“And I’m making your mom cash your checks for rent.”
I laughed long and loud. “How’d you get her to do that?”
“I told your father she hadn’t been doing it, and that any checks they wouldn’t honor because they were outdated would be replaced immediately by me. And because I can’t stand my accounts being out of order, they’d have to take them to the bank immediately or I’d hand them cash.”
I laughed some more and kissed him on the cheek. “You know, the day you snuck into town and pretended to be a flower delivery guy is ranked as one of the best days of my life—even if I did try to have you arrested for leaving flowers on our doorstep.”
“Every day since then has been a good one.” He smiled back at me with dust in his hair and a mask hanging around his strong neck.
“Even the one when you got nailed in the face with a vase of flowers?”
“Even that one.” He hugged me tight and then got back to work.
I had to get to work myself, so I ran for a quick shower to wash off the dust he’d just transferred to me and then dressed for more dust and dirt. The Clemenses weren’t unsanitary people; they just weren’t much for picking up after themselves. When I’d written their contract and priced their house, I had been careful to take into account how much I’d have to do. And now that Letty primarily handled their house, I was very thankful I had.
She was faster than I was, but it still took time. And she deserved to be paid for that.
Heading over to Coover Street, I took in the way the town was still festooned with lights. Most people kept them up until at least New Year’s Day, after the wrench dropped from the fire truck on Main Street at midnight. Then we’d take down the decorations and eat pork and sauerkraut on the first day of the year for good luck.
Trees were naked of their leaves but decked out in lights for all the world to see. The smell of snow on the breeze came in my window, and so did a whiff of . . . smoke?
As if in answer to my question, the fire alarms in town—all three of them—started blaring. Within seconds, the trucks were running, with sirens lit up and letting any traffic know they were coming through.
Could this be a Sherman firebug fire? I quickly turned onto the street before any trucks could come up behind me. The streets were narrow in this section of town, and with so many people parking in front of their houses instead of at the back of their long but narrow properties, it could be hard to pull over to let the trucks pass. As soon as I made the right, though, I knew I wasn’t going to be cleaning today, at least not in the way I normally did.
The Clemens house was the one on fire, and Letty’s car was there, but I didn’t see her on the sidewalk or in the driver’s seat.
Chapter Twenty
I parked my car and jumped out. Spotting a passerby, I called out to the kid walking down the street with his earbuds in to get him to call 911, but he must not have heard me. Dang technology! I was of course smart enough not to go into a burning house for my friend, but the temptation was overwhelming to do just that. I had made it to the sidewalk and was about to ignore my better instincts when the first fire truck pulled up.
Sherman was out in full gear and shoved me back.
“I think Letty might be in there,” I yelled, in case he couldn’t hear me through his helmet and whatever else they wore on their heads to protect themselves. He gave me a thumbs-up and then must have communicated that to his guys because they picked up their pace a
nd took down the door in one move.
I moved back out of their and harm’s way, knowing that they’d do their job and do it well. And would save my friend in the process.
What followed was the longest three minutes of my life. Hoses were run and hooked up, men ran back and forth to make sure everything was in place and then water shot from the hoses like a typhoon.
And a man emerged carrying out my friend and employee in his arms. I had never in my life felt such relief and anger at the same time.
Sherman pushed me back when I automatically went for her. My anger rose to overshadow my relief, but then I saw how dirty everyone was and tamped down my first reaction to wait for what happened next. At least she was breathing and coughing, and she looked pissed enough to take on the world all by herself.
That was my girl.
I used the time while the EMTs checked her out to text Max to make sure he knew where I was and that I was okay. I also asked him to start looking harder at that firebug file. If this was the same person, we had moved to a new level and things had just gotten very personal. I wanted to find out who had killed Ronda. I really did, but this had just moved up to the top of the list of things I wanted taken care of. After I talked to Burton’s dad, I would leave the rest to Burton. Maybe this once I needed to step out and do what I could where I was needed most.
Ray, the EMT who constantly harassed me every time we met, had no laughs today. He did beckon me over once he’d checked Letty over.
“Some smoke inhalation and a definite scare, but we got her out in time. She’ll be at the hospital being processed if you want to follow behind.”
Letty sat huddled in a blanket with tears running through the soot on her face.
“Do you have clean underwear on?’ I asked her. “Your mom’s gone, so someone has to ask before they take you to the hospital.”
That got a smile and a laugh. “My God, how scary was that? It was like the whole place went up in flames after that little jerk ran away.”
“Wait, little jerk? Who did you see?”
“I have no idea. All I know is he had dark hair and was about six feet tall.”
Which made him not so little compared to my just-five-foot-tall friend. But I was thinking it meant that her impression of him had been that he was younger. I could work with that, because dark hair and male described about a quarter of the people in town. Young meant it cut that number in about half.
“Let these guys take care of you. I’ll find out what happened from Sherman.”
“You’d better get him, Tallie. He set the thing on fire with a lit piece of paper in a can and then ran down the street toward the church on Frederick.”
The fact that she remembered that impressed me immensely. Always on the lookout, that was my Letty, and I had never been so thankful that someone was paying attention.
“I’ll let Sherman know. Good powers of observation.”
“Not that it got me out of the house in time, because I was already upstairs when the flames started licking at the floor, but it’s something.”
“Why don’t I follow you to the hospital, make sure you get settled in and then I’ll come back and talk to Sherman?”
“No, I can take care of myself. Just text Jenna to see if she wouldn’t mind bringing me some new clothes. She’s at the Stapletons’ but at this point they can wait for all I care. I want clean clothes. And then, when you’re done, you can come by if you want.”
Expecting someone else to take care of her while I stayed to talk to Sherman didn’t sit very well with me, but I understood where she was coming from.
Once the ambulance drove away, I looked around. I’d promised Letty I would be there soon, but she’d told me again to do this instead of following her around because she could take care of herself. I found Sherman standing next to the new fire truck with his gloves tucked under his arm.
“Letty says she saw a guy running away from the house when she was upstairs and he used a lit piece of paper in a can to ignite the fire. He ran off toward the church on Frederick.”
I gave him the details she’d given me as best I could. Sherman’s eyes went wide and he barked out orders like an army sergeant. I waited, not wanting to interfere if it meant we could catch this guy right now instead of later.
“Already helping, I see.” He smiled at me, even though he looked incredibly weary.
“Trying, anyway.”
“No, it’s more than we had before, so I appreciate it. I just wish I could figure out what he was using so we could get a lead on where he’s getting it.”
I looked around for any clues without leaving my spot by his side. The fire still was not contained, though they were working diligently on it. I’d never been this close to a scene like this, and part of me was fascinated by the way the flames jumped and danced behind the curtains before consuming them. The other part of me was seriously proud of our men in town who went in and out without hesitation to save not only the structure but also themselves.
“I want this guy, Tallie, and I want him now. He went too far this time.”
“Do you think he believed the house was empty? The Clemenses always leave for us to clean. Maybe he knew that, or watched them all pile into their car, and decided to go for it, not knowing that Letty was coming in?”
“It’s possible and would stick with what he’s done before. But is he watching certain streets waiting for people to leave? Does he already have a house picked out or just a street? I can’t seem to get anything to make sense right now and it’s irritating me, not to mention making me angry and look bad in town. We have to get this sorted out.”
I patted his big, rough jacket. “We will. We can’t do anything at this point, so I’m going to go home and go through that paperwork you gave me with a fine-tooth comb. I promise.”
“You come up with anything, you let me know immediately.”
“Of course, Uncle Sherman.”
And with that, I took myself to my car and went home.
Well, at least I’d helped a little, though I was sure Sherman would have gotten the same information when he talked with Letty after her stay in the hospital.
Arriving back at home, I knocked on the wall to let Max know I was here. He was so engrossed in the stack of paper in front of him on the kitchen table that he just waved a hand at me.
It was nearing lunchtime, so I went about putting together some leftovers from my mom’s house and microwaving them. Fuel for the brain was going to be necessary if I hoped to find anything to help Sherman.
What was going on in our town? First murderers started cropping up a little over a year ago, and now an arsonist.
Well, we’d have one down before too long because I wasn’t going to sit on my rear end waiting to see what happened next. Proactive was about to become my new middle name. Forget Tenacity and Beverly.
* * *
Max and I must have sat for three hours poring over things. Letty had called to tell me that they were releasing her from the hospital, so there was no need for me to come down to sit with her before she left.
She called me again when she got home and said she was going to take a nap. I asked if she wanted me to bring her car around, but she said she’d pick it up later.
Still, I wanted to go check things out again. Maybe there was something there the guys had missed. No matter what, I wanted at that house. It might not be a dead body, and I might not have to catch a murderer, but this was still superimpor-tant.
Whether he’d meant to or not, he’d hurt my friend, and that just was not acceptable in my book.
Taking Max with me this time, we went back to Coover Street. The whole house was intact as far as I could see. The outside looked like it had every other day I’d I driven by it.
But there was a faint tang of smoke still hanging in the air. At least the fire hadn’t jumped to any other houses. That was a constant concern with how close things were built around here. The side of your house was the beginning of the next per
son’s yard, with only about ten feet of grass or open space. We had tons of row homes too, and those were even more concerning.
That wasn’t my problem at the moment, though. The house in front of me was.
“Do you see anything out of the norm?” I asked Max.
“Other than the fact that inside is as black as night, I’m not really sure what I’d be looking for, Tallie. Is that swing set usually there? Shouldn’t they have shoveled their sidewalk by now? Toys on the front lawn are normal for someone who has kids, I would think. But what about that kitschy water fountain and the wishing well? Isn’t it normal to shut those things down during winter in case the pipes freeze?”
“You’re not helping.”
Max shrugged. “This is all very new to me.”
“Me too. I have no idea what I’m doing here, and Sherman keeps asking me to find something, anything, to help him and I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay not to fill in all the gaps for everyone.”
“But he was so nice with his compliments and his ego stroking, while Burton used to yell at me. Sherman is actually asking me to help and I feel like I should be able to just hand him the arsonist on a silver platter.”
Max took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. “This is what happens when you show people how smart you are.”
I laughed. “Not necessarily Einstein, but I’m not an idiot either, and I feel like there’s something here we should see.”
“Same thing with all the paperwork. But that’s not how you do things. Why don’t you see if you can get in to clean this house like Sherman asked you to? Maybe whatever it is you’re supposed to see is actually inside.”
“And what might I ask are you doing here?” With that kind of phrasing, that really could have been anyone behind me because I always seemed to be where I wasn’t supposed to be.
I turned to find Bertie Myers and his crew crossing the street from their van. I’d been so deep in concentration that I hadn’t heard a car on the street at all, much less his big, old van, which had seen better days. For all the cleanup he’d been doing lately, I seriously hoped he might invest in a higher-quality vehicle, then maybe get a professional to stencil the side of it instead of using a permanent marker and some stencils he’d made with paper bags.
