Fatal Footsteps

by Brenda Donelan

  Burn, baby, burn!

  Chapter 12

  After Tim regained consciousness, the situation became calmer. Adam was no longer swearing, Jasmine wasn’t freaking out, and Marlee had resumed breathing. The three dragged Tim to the purple bean bag chair in the corner and hovered over him until he began moaning and moving his limbs.

  “What happened? Did you beat me up?” Tim asked Adam as one eye looked directly at him while the other eye roamed the room.

  “You fell down the stairs and landed on your noggin,” Adam said. “Nobody beat you up.”

  “Do you want to go to the hospital?” Jasmine asked. “You took a nasty tumble down the stairs.”

  “And you were out for a few minutes,” Marlee added.

  Tim rubbed his head in different spots as if the pain was moving all over rather than concentrated in one area. “No, I don’t need a doctor. Maybe just some aspirin for my headache.”

  Adam jogged upstairs to retrieve the pain reliever Tim requested. He continued to recline haphazardly in the bean bag chair but then began to get antsy. Struggling to get up from the swishy chair, he slipped and fell backward into its plushness.

  “You might have a concussion. I think you should go to the hospital to get checked.” Marlee didn’t know much about medicine or first aid, but she recalled an episode of Magnum P.I. in which someone suffered a concussion from a fall.

  Adam galloped down the stairs, unafraid he could stumble and suffer a fall just like his roommate. “I called my mom. She’s a receptionist at a doctor’s office. She said someone will have to stay with you all night and wake you up every few hours to make sure you’re still alive. Mom said you shouldn’t have any aspirin.”

  “Can you do it, since you live here and all?” Marlee asked.

  “Yeah. And I think it might be time for you two to take off now,” Adam said, irritation returning to his voice.

  “But Tim was going to give us a ride home because it’s so cold,” whined Jasmine, not relishing the bitter cold return walk to the dorm.

  “Well, he can’t drive now, and I’m not leaving him alone,” Adam growled as he helped Tim to his feet.

  “That’s fine. We’ll be alright,” Marlee lied, knowing without looking that Jasmine was furious about the promised ride falling through. “I’ll stop back tomorrow to see how he’s doing. Do you need any help getting him upstairs?”

  As Adam waved them off with a glare, Marlee and Jasmine found their coats upstairs and headed back out into the cold night. By the time they arrived back at the dorm their faces, hands, and feet were partially numb.

  “I hate your stupid ideas,” Jasmine grumbled as she put a second pair of pajamas on over the first pair. “I’m never going to get warm.”

  The hair dryer buzzed as Marlee waived it in front of her feet. “Do you want me to turn the hair dryer on you?”

  As they did their best to get warm, a thought occurred to Marlee. “When Tim fell down the stairs he had just heard me tell Adam that Beth was pregnant. I wonder if hearing that was what made him fall?”

  “Why would he be so shocked by that? He knew Beth was a prostitute, and he’s the one who found her dead outside. Why would learning that she was pregnant be such a jolt to him, given the other things that have happened in the past few days?” Jasmine asked, her head becoming clearer now that she was warming up.

  Marlee shrugged. “I don’t know, but after I told Adam that Beth was pregnant, I heard Tim repeat it back, and he sounded upset. Then he fell down the stairs. It seems like an odd sequence of events.”

  “I guess, but unless Tim was the father, why would he care so much?” Jasmine asked. “I mean, I’m sure he cared because he knew Beth, but he told us himself that he’d never been a customer of hers.”

  “He said he wasn’t a paying customer, but maybe they had been seeing each other. Or maybe they had a fling,” Marlee suggested.

  “But if Beth was a hooker, then she’s been with a lot of guys, and any of them could be the father, regardless of whether or not she and Tim had sex,” Jasmine said.

  “That’s a good point. I’m going back over there tomorrow to check on him and see how he’s feeling,” Marlee said. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to go.”

  “Now you’ve got me curious about Tim, and I want to go too. I just hope it’ll be warmer tomorrow!” Jasmine said as she continued to pile on layers of clothing before going to bed.

  Marlee shut out the light and climbed into her lofted twin bed. Jasmine was already settled into hers with an extra blanket pulled up to her chin. It was nearing midnight, and they’d both been busy that day. Plus, fresh air and exercise made them tired. It was nearly four a.m. when their phone rang.

  “Dammit, who calls this early?” Marlee growled as she got out of bed as fast as possible without slipping from the lofted bed. “If this is a prank call, I’m gonna be pissed!”

  “Hello!” Marlee yelled into the receiver, wanting to make sure the caller knew they had disrupted her sleep. “Oh, no. Is everyone okay?”

  After hanging up, Marlee said to Jasmine. “There’s been a fire at Stairway to Hell!”

  “A fire? Who was on the phone?” asked a drowsy Jasmine.

  “It was Barry from the police department, and he said the whole place is ablaze. The fire department won’t be able to save it.”

  “Did everyone get out?” Jasmine asked, worry in her voice as she woke up.

  “They don’t know for sure. Tim’s roommates all made it outside, but no one could find Tim or his dog.”

  A dog is a man’s best friend. But why would a man with a head injury take his dog for a walk on one of the coldest nights of the year… while his house burned down? Does that make any damn sense?

  Chapter 13

  “Oh my God!” Jasmine shrieked. “Tim must still be in the house, passed out from his concussion. Adam was supposed to be watching him!”

  “Barry said he would swing by and pick me up because he knows Tim’s a friend. He and another cop were on a stake out. That’s why they knew about the fire. Do you want to go over there too?” Marlee asked as she pulled on sweat pants and a sweat shirt over her pajamas.

  Jasmine threw back her covers and maneuvered out of bed in seconds. “Just give me a minute,” she said as she scrambled for sweats and warm footwear. The two stood inside the lobby door as Barry and Doug drove up. Marlee and Jasmine hopped in the back as Marlee began with the rapid-fire questions.

  “Did the firefighters go in to look for Tim? He was knocked out earlier tonight and didn’t want to go to the hospital. He may have passed out or gone into a coma from the head injury,” Marlee said, hoping there was still time to locate and revive her friend.

  “Two went in, but the fire was so intense that they had to leave. Tim still hasn’t been located, but his roommates were hopeful that he’s alright since his dog is missing too,” Barry reported.

  “Where would Tim and his dog go in the middle of the night? Is his car gone?” Marlee asked.

  Barry shrugged. “I’ll see if I can get some answers from one of the firemen I know. You two can’t go with us, but I’ll let you know what we find out.” The two officers left their unmarked police car and walked three blocks to the smoldering house.

  “We can’t go with them, but we can still walk up there. It’s a free country,” Marlee pointed out as she opened the back door.

  Jasmine, more worried than her roommate about getting into trouble, hesitated before following Marlee. “Nobody will tell us anything. We don’t know any firemen.”

  “No, but we might overhear something. And maybe talk with the roommates,” Marlee said, not even noticing the cold even though she had already walked several miles in it during the past twenty-four hours.

  Adam was standing across the street from the fire along with his roommates, EMTs, and multiple bystanders. Firefighters were in front of Stairway to Hell, most standing and waiting for the fire to burn out without spreading to surrounding homes. Adam stood alon
e, while John talked to a police officer, and Blake’s arm was being tended to by medical personnel.

  “Are you okay?” Marlee asked as she and Jasmine approached Adam. “Where’s Tim?”

  “I don’t know where he is. I checked on him at 1:00 and again at 3:00. He was alright both times. I woke him up and everything. He said he still had a headache and was really sleepy. The next thing I knew, Blake was yelling at me to get up because the house was on fire. I ran to Tim’s room, and he wasn’t there. The other guys said he wasn’t in their rooms, and I didn’t see him on the main floor when we ran out.” Adam was visibly shaken and seemed to forget that he had thrown Marlee and Jasmine out of the house just hours before.

  “Where would Tim be? Is his car gone?” Jasmine asked, marching in place and swinging her arms to keep warm.

  “His car is parked right over there.” Adam motioned to the driveway along the side of the house. “Tim’s dog is gone, and he loves that dog, so I think they went somewhere together.”

  “Where would they go on a freezing cold night like this? And why wouldn’t he take his car?” Marlee asked. Adam’s assertions just didn’t ring true.

  “Maybe somebody picked him up,” the roommate offered.

  “Did he seem confused when you checked on him?” Marlee asked.

  “No, why?”

  “Because Tim could have woken up and forgot who he was or where he was. Who knows what was going on in his mind?” Marlee said.

  “Where does Tim’s dog usually sleep?” Jasmine asked.

  “Inside the house during the winter. During the warmer months, he stays in a kennel outside at night. Rufus usually sleeps in Tim’s room on the bed,” Adam said.

  “If Tim and Rufus were in the house when the fire started, I bet the dog would’ve barked, don’t you?” Marlee asked, recalling what little knowledge she had about dogs.

  “Definitely. Rufus was very protective of Tim and would have woken him and the whole house up with his barking if there was a fire,” Adam relied.

  “Were all of the other roommates home when the fire was discovered?” Marlee asked.

  “John and I were here. And Tim, of course. Blake was the one who discovered the fire. He came home from his girlfriend’s place and saw the blaze, so he ran in to wake us up and call the fire department,” Adam reported.

  “Any idea what caused the fire? Or what part of the house it started in?” Jasmine asked.

  “No, we don’t know anything yet.”

  “Did you look in the basement for Tim?” Marlee asked.

  “No! The living room was full of smoke and flames were leaping up all over the walls. If I went downstairs, I might not have made it out alive,” Adam said defensively, apparently feeling guilty for not taking extra measures to look for his roommate.

  “We’re not accusing you,” Jasmine said quickly, not wanting him to feel any worse than he already did.

  Marlee elbowed Jasmine and gestured for her to look across the street. Barry and Doug finished their conversations and were walking back toward the car. The girls took off running through back yards so they could make it to the car before Barry and Doug.

  Huffing and puffing from the exertion of running through snow, Marlee and Jasmine hopped in the backseat of the unmarked patrol car just as the cops rounded the corner. Marlee worked to control her breathing by taking slow, deliberate deep breaths.

  “What was happening?” Marlee asked innocently as Barry and Doug got in.

  “Don’t bullshit us. We saw you across the street,” Barry growled as he turned in his seat to face Marlee. “I told you to stay away from the house!”

  “No, you said we couldn’t go with you. We didn’t go with you. We walked over there by ourselves and didn’t interact with you at all. No one knows you drove us over,” Marlee corrected, even though she was on shaky ground with this argument. It seemed much more logical before they went.

  “If I’d known you were going to do this, I never would have told you about the fire, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have brought you over here,” Barry said, disgust in his voice.

  “We wanted to see for ourselves what happened, and we didn’t think it would hurt anything if we just hung around like some of the other bystanders,” Marlee said, doing her best to act contrite. She even stuck her lower lip out a bit in an attempt at a pout.

  Barry turned back around and started the car. He was giving them the silent treatment and would not be forthcoming with anything he and Doug learned through official channels.

  Marlee gave Jasmine the elbow. She was a pro at using her feminine wiles to get men to talk. With a toss of her hair, Jasmine said, “Barry, we’re sorry. It was my idea to walk over to Stairway to Hell, and it was a bad one. I take full responsibility. But we just wanted to find out about our friend Tim. Can you please tell us what you know about him?”

  Not even taking a beat, Barry said, “Tim still hasn’t been located. His roommates all indicated that they didn’t see him in his room or anywhere upstairs or on the main floor as they fled the house. Nobody had time to look in the basement, but there would be no reason for him to go there.” Barry might be a good cop, but he didn’t even realize that he’d fallen for Jasmine’s charms.

  “Did anybody check with the hospital?” Marlee asked, giving a recount of Tim’s possible concussion.

  “Nobody with Tim’s name or fitting his description went to the emergency room in the past twelve hours,” Barry said, irritation still in his voice when he addressed Marlee’s questions.

  “What did you find out from the other cops and firemen at the scene?” Marlee continued, hoping for more information and also that she could wear Barry down.

  “Nothing other than the fire is contained. There’s no longer a worry that it will spread to the houses next door, so the neighbors will be allowed to return home soon,” Barry said.

  “When will the fire fighters go in to see if anyone is still inside?” Marlee asked.

  “Soon. Akers, my buddy from the fire department, said he would let me know after they’ve looked around, and the fire investigator will be coming later this morning to make a determination as to the cause of the fire.”

  “Did they have any theories about what started the fire?” Jasmine asked.

  “It’s an old, college party house, so there are several plausible theories. It may have been from an electrical problem in the house, somebody smoking and falling asleep, or something that was not fully extinguished was thrown in the trash, where it started a fire. Since the blaze began in the early morning hours, it probably wasn’t a cooking fire,” Barry reported.

  “So, because the house is old and decrepit, and since college students live there, it won’t be given as much attention as a fire in a family home or an apartment?” Marlee asked, forgetting she was trying to get back on Barry’s good side.

  “No, not at all. It will get the same level of careful investigation as any other fire. I was just pointing out that it was an older house with possible maintenance issues, and since it’s a party house, a lot of people are coming and going and not necessarily being careful,” Barry said, quick to clarify his position. “I was just trying to give some explanation for what may have caused the fire.”

  “Okay. Sorry, Barry. I’m just really worried about Tim. Where do you guys think he is? He didn’t take his car, so he’s either on foot or someone picked him up,” Marlee said.

  “Or, worst case scenario, he’s still in the house,” Barry said.

  “What’s the likelihood he’s still in the house? Honestly,” Jasmine asked, wanting but not wanting to know the answer.

  “I’d say it’s more than likely that he’s in the house somewhere. His roommates said he wasn’t in his room, and they didn’t see him as they left, so that’s good, but the smoke was thick, and they didn’t have much time to look around. He could have been in a number of different areas since the house is so big. And nobody made it to the basement, so Tim could be down there,” Barry said.
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br />   “Adam told us that Tim’s dog followed him everywhere and even slept on his bed at night. So they must be together now. Somewhere,” Marlee said, hating to think of their burned bodies in the basement or elsewhere in the house.

  “Why didn’t Rufus bark and wake everyone up when he smelled the smoke and saw the flames?” Jasmine asked.

  “Maybe he barked, but Tim didn’t hear because of his head bump,” Barry suggested.

  “But if Rufus barked, the other roommates would have heard. He’s a fairly big dog, so I’m assuming he has a mighty bark,” Marlee concluded.

  “Not if Rufus and Tim were in the basement, especially if the door was shut,” Jasmine countered.

  “Good point. We know Adam was probably really tired since he was getting up every two hours to check on Tim. Blake was at his girlfriend’s place most of the night and is the one who discovered the fire when he returned home. John was there, but I don’t know anything about his situation,” Marlee said.

  “Where will the guys from Stairway to Hell stay now that their house is gone?” Jasmine asked.

  “One of them told Akers that they would all be staying with a relative outside of town,” Barry said. Marlee felt relieved knowing they had a home, even if it was only temporary.

  The cops dropped the girls back at the dorm, where they were able to get a couple hours of sleep before going to class. Marlee was so tired she didn’t even bother showering or changing her clothes. She wore her sweats over pajamas to her morning classes, and when she realized she hadn’t brushed her teeth that morning, she found a stick of gum in her book bag.

  Classes dragged, as they always did when she was tired or had more important things to do. She was tempted to skip her 1:00 class, but knew a test was coming up, and she needed to learn as much as possible from lecture since the textbook made no sense to her. Philosophy was not her best subject. She found the material interesting, but her mind just didn’t seem to bend the way necessary for understanding it.