The Spark (White Gates Adventures Book 4)

by Trevor Stubbs

  “Yes. But it wasn’t me, Inspector.”

  “Thank you, Mr Yulli. Stick around.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. I haven’t anything to hide.”

  “Good.” Inspector Dollod’s mind was working – he had finally identified someone who may have had a grudge against a gentle but principled, woman. Here was another lead worth investigating.

  14

  Kakko texted her boss, Prof Rob: Fire at cottage last night. Can’t come in today. Sorry. Kakko :(

  She had barely got the message to say he had received the text when her phone rang. It was Prof Rob.

  “A fire!” he said. “Are you all OK?”

  “Yeah. Just. We’re at the hospital – they’re keeping Nan here under observation. Smoke inhalation. But they reckon she’ll be fine.”

  “Goodness. Not a small fire, then?”

  “The roof. Apparently the damage is pretty severe. I haven’t seen it yet.”

  “How are you?”

  “I’m OK. It was pretty bad but we all got out. Nan’s the worst; she passed out with the smoke. Bandi had to drag her out. Yeka was affected, too, but I got her outside quickly enough. She’s OK this morning.”

  “Look, I’m coming to the hospital. I live just round the corner. I won’t be long.”

  “But Prof Rob,” protested Kakko, “it’s—”

  But Prof Rob had hung up.

  ***

  Yeka had eaten her ice cream and now sat behind the biggest piece of cake ever. It seemed to Kakko it was half as big as her head. It was amazing the speed children could bounce back after a shock. She, herself, didn’t feel much like eating; she had bought herself a large, hot tea.

  Kakko saw her boss enter the front doors and go towards the reception desk. She called out to him from the café area.

  “Prof.”

  He was out of breath. He must have run.

  “Why do they put hospitals on the tops of hills?” he asked.

  “Because the rich people have already built their houses at the bottom of them,” suggested Kakko.

  “Yep… you’re right… Gosh. You’ve had a rough night.”

  “Do I look that bad? I told you not to come in. Yeka says I smell.”

  “Suffice it to say that I don’t have to guess that you were inside when it started.”

  Kakko told him the story.

  “So where are you going to stay now?”

  “Dad says we should go to a hotel. As soon as Yeka is alright to leave we’ll go somewhere we can get cleaned up.”

  “Come to us… All of you.”

  “But… we can’t—”

  “There is just me and my wife these days. It’s plenty big enough. A large house at the bottom of the hill where the ‘rich people’ live – you know it?”

  “Yeah. But—”

  “No buts.”

  “Thanks. But it isn’t my decision. You’ll have to work that out with Dad and Mum.”

  “Can I see them? I mean, are they receiving visitors?”

  “I think the wards are supposed to be closed to visitors in the mornings. They let in our neighbours, Hatta and Callan Giroonan, because they arrived in the middle of the night, I guess… and the police got in… Well, they are the police. Although the nurse was pretty bossy even with them. Mum’s supposed to be resting.”

  “That’s fine. That makes sense… Police? Why did they need to come in so early?”

  “Suspicious circumstances. Callan says it was started deliberately. He saw it.”

  “Gosh!” Rob said again. “Look, will you pass on my invitation to your parents? You can just turn up. I won’t go into work today, so we’ll be ready whenever.”

  “I’ll tell them,” promised Kakko. “But I don’t think they would want—”

  “Tell them my wife and I insist.”

  “OK. If you think—”

  “I do.”

  Yeka was getting impatient again. Her large piece of cake had vanished.

  “Stop pulling, Yeka… I’d better go now… but thanks. Thanks for coming round… If we did come, Mum would need to rest… and Shaun’s leg’s not great… And there are seven of us – eight with Nan.”

  “Understood. No problem. Absolutely no problem.”

  Yeka was tugging at Kakko’s arm with both hands.

  “OK, madam. Don’t be rude. Excuse us, Prof…”

  “Bye for now. God bless you.”

  “Thanks,” said Kakko, again.

  As she found her way back to the ward, Kakko reflected on the wonderful generosity of a man whom she only really knew as her employer. He did not have to offer them anything other than to understand Kakko’s need to be off work for a few days but he and his wife had recognised their plight and were willing to open their home to a large family worse for wear.

  “Dad,” said Kakko when they got back to the ward, “Prof Rob came round. I saw him downstairs just now. He says when we leave here, we can all go round there for lunch… or whatever. And he is offering us his bathroom.”

  “That’s kind of him,” murmured Jalli, still half-asleep.

  “Yes. But he wouldn’t expect us to take him up on it,” said Jack. “We wouldn’t presume—”

  “Dad! He meant it,” said Kakko a little forcefully. “He said to tell you he insists.”

  “I know he meant it but—”

  “He did actually mean it. He wasn’t just saying it. He really wants us to go to his place. He said it was only just down the hill. He got here in five minutes after I texted him to say I wasn’t coming in today.”

  “But he couldn’t have asked his wife—”

  “He has. She said I could have a bath.”

  “Kakko, you haven’t… What did you say to him?”

  Kakko explained the course of the conversation, concluding: “I thanked him for his invitation and, when he insisted, I said the decision was yours… yours and Mum’s.” She felt tired. They were all tired. Exhausted. Jack knew, too. He felt a bit annoyed. It was irrational, he knew. Kakko realised she had to back off. Her mum was asleep again. But Yeka was bouncing – revived by her breakfast.

  The nurse popped her head in to check on them. “Yeka needs something to do,” said Kakko. “She’s getting very restless.”

  “I’ll get the doctor to see her, and if he says it’s OK you could take her out for a bit if you want.”

  Fifteen long minutes later the doctor came. Jalli was sound asleep and Kakko had been struggling to protect her from Yeka.

  “Now, young lady, how are you?” asked the doctor. Seeing that something different was happening, Yeka paid attention.

  “Let’s listen to what your chest is doing,” he said. He put his stethoscope into his ears and lifted Yeka’s top. She stood still for him.

  “Now the back… mmm. That’s fine. I dare say you would like some breakfast?”

  “No,” stated Yeka, firmly. “Lunch.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want any breakfast? Why not?”

  “Already had it!” she stated, decidedly. Kakko explained.

  “I see. So you’re now ready for your lunch.”

  “But it isn’t lunchtime yet,” said Kakko. Yeka pouted.

  “I don’t think we need to concern ourselves about you, young lady. You kept that food down alright, it seems.”

  “Sorry, wasn’t I supposed to feed her?” asked Kakko.

  “No problem. I think we can discharge her… What about your mother?” Jalli was fast asleep and Jack was now nodding beside her. “I think we can leave these people to nature’s healing properties. Are you alright?” he asked Kakko, Bandi and Abby.

  “Fine,” said Kakko lightly. “We’re a bit worried about Shaun, though. He got out quickly enough but… Where is he?”

  “Bathroom, I think,” answered Bandi.

  Just then, Shaun appeared at the door. He looked a bit brighter. He had received a text from Wennai.

  The doctor looked towards Shaun. “How’s the leg?”

  “I
just need to lie down properly,” said Shaun. “It’s just a little achy.”

  “We could probably find you a bed.”

  “No!” Shaun almost shouted. “Sorry, I’ve spent too long as an inpatient here already.”

  The doctor smiled. “Understood. You’re not on my list anyway… I think it would be a good idea if you all got some rest in a proper bed. I think I can let you all go.” He looked down at Yeka with a smile. “What do you say to that, young lady?”

  “I want to go home!” Yeka stated emphatically. Jack was now all attention and Jalli was coming round.

  “That won’t be possible, I’m afraid,” Jack explained to her gently. “The house got spoiled in the fire.”

  “I think we should take up Prof Rob’s offer… At least for now,” said Kakko. “Then we can make some proper arrangements with a hotel and the insurance… We need to get Yeka out of here. And we’ll only be five minutes from Nan.”

  “OK,” agreed her father reluctantly as he held Jalli’s hand. He needed to get her somewhere comfortable. “That does make sense. We can make it up to them later. How should we let them know?”

  “I’ll text,” said Kakko. “Anyway, he said he wouldn’t be going into work – just to rock up.”

  Jalli became aware of the way the conversation was going.

  “You can’t just appear on someone’s doorstep with seven people in our state,” she protested. “Give me your phone and let me talk to Mrs… I don’t even know her name!”

  “It’s Tlasa. Rob and Tlasa… OK. I’ll get the number and give you to them.”

  Kakko rang. Prof Rob answered. “Hi,” said Kakko. “I think we would like to take you up on your offer…”

  Jalli looked daggers at her daughter as she reached for the phone.

  “Mum wants to talk to you…” Kakko handed her mother the phone.

  “Professor Rob, I’m so sorry about this,” she began; “we shouldn’t be bothering you like this. Kakko can be rather—”

  She broke off as Prof Rob insisted they would be delighted to take them in. He would be up to the main doors with his car in ten minutes. Would that give them enough time?

  “Thank you very much, Professor. You are too kind…” She looked at her husband, “He says he’ll come with a car.” Jack shrugged his shoulders – he couldn’t think of a better solution. He knew his mother would have resisted vigorously because she would see it as an imposition, something they could never repay. But he was less of that mind. Community would never work unless people looked after each other – and that meant receiving at times as well as giving.

  “OK,” he said. “Until we can sort something out with the insurance company.”

  “Alright. We are most grateful. While we get ourselves sorted out with the insurance company,” said Jalli. “But give us a bit longer, would you? We’ll be ready in twenty minutes.”

  Outside the front door, the traffic was in full flow. Life had started up in earnest as people were going about their morning business – some arriving for work, others coming back after dropping off their kids for school and making their way to the shops that had begun putting out A-boards to entice people inside. Kakko spotted a place for fast food and began to realise she was now hungry. She took Yeka to a bench beside a flowerbed near the roadside and the rest of the family followed.

  In less than three minutes, a black car had driven up and Prof Rob’s wife, Tlasa, got out and came over to them. “Kakko? Yeka?” she asked. “Hi. I’m Tlasa, Rob’s wife. He’s in the car waiting for us. Oh, you do need to get cleaned up. Poor you.”

  “Hi… This is my family: Dad, Mum, Shaun, Bandi and his girlfriend, Abby… I told Rob we were seven… Are you sure you can cope with so many of us?”

  Tlasa shook everyone’s hand in turn. “Of course. We have a big house.”

  “We are so grateful—” began Jalli.

  “Nonsense. You need somewhere and we have this great big house… Come on. The pleasure is all ours… Kakko, you know how to find our house?”

  Kakko nodded.

  “Well, can I suggest that you take Bandi and Abby… You are all OK to walk?”

  “Sure,” said Kakko.

  “And the rest of you come in the car.”

  Taking Yeka’s hand, Kakko followed Tlasa to the car and tried to hand her over to her mother. Yeka decided she didn’t want to leave her sister and protested. “She can walk with us,” said Kakko. “The walk will do her good.”

  ***

  When they had all entered the large old city-centre house, Kakko could not remember being fussed over so much since the time Tam had been kidnapped by the Wanulkans in the Medlam system. Tlasa led her and Yeka to the bathroom and showed them how to turn on the water. She gathered all sorts of soaps, oils and perfumes and urged Kakko to make use of them. “Pamper yourself,” she ordered. “When you are ready, I will see what we can find for you in the wardrobe.”

  Yeka was already finding things to throw into the water and began stripping off. She was no more of a retiring child than Kakko had been when she was three.

  Soon they were both in the water and Yeka was delighting in pouring water over Kakko’s head. Kakko let her.

  Jalli and Abby were taken upstairs to Rob and Tlasa’s en suite bathroom.

  Meanwhile, downstairs, Prof Rob was explaining to Jack and Shaun that he and Tlasa had already agreed they could use their beach house until the cottage was repaired.

  Tlasa joined them.

  “Your young men can use the bathroom as soon as the girls are finished,” she smiled. “I hope you don’t mind waiting.”

  “Not at all,” said Shaun. “Kakko has always got places before me – even when I didn’t have a broken leg to contend with…”

  “And in a strange place, I need Jalli to help me,” said Jack. “I’m in no hurry.”

  “I was just explaining,” said Rob to his wife, “that we can make our beach house available to them…”

  “Nonsense,” interjected Tlasa. “There are eight of them over three generations; how do you expect them to squeeze into that place?”

  “They haven’t anywhere else. You agreed they could have it… Kakko was talking about a hotel.”

  “I hadn’t quite realised how many they were then. No, they can stay here. They can take over this place and we can go to the beach house,” said Tlasa in a determined voice.

  “Well, I suppose that would work. It’ll be weeks before they get back into their house, by all accounts,” said Prof Rob.

  “That settles it, then. They can’t live in our beach house for weeks. Even renting a furnished place large enough would be difficult, let alone expensive.”

  “We have insurance—” began Jack.

  “You are a family. It’s not just about rooms…” said Prof Rob decisively. “Tlasa has spoken. This house is yours. We’ll move out this afternoon. It’s about time we used the beach house anyway. I like it there. And it’s only fifteen minutes further from the space centre.”

  Neither Rob nor Tlasa would brook any dissent. The decision had been made before Jalli returned. No amount of Jalli protesting, “We couldn’t possibly…” made any difference. The house was theirs – Rob and Tlasa were going on holiday.

  ***

  Kakko dressed herself in some of Tlasa’s things. They looked entirely wrong on her – and not just because they were grossly over-sized. She joined them at the table and helped herself to heaps of stuff that Tlasa had conjured up. Yeka was hungry too, despite the big cake and ice cream. Rob and Tlasa were revelling in the opportunity to help such appreciative refugees. Just to see them both eating heartily was a joy. Kakko’s phone buzzed. It had been buzzing with messages ever since she’d left the hospital and she had ignored them. This one was, however, from Tam. Where was she? Could he come to her? Kakko told him her whereabouts. He replied he was on his way.

  After the meal, Hatta rang to say she couldn’t get into White Gates Cottage to look for the insurance documents. She had gone round
but a policeman wouldn’t let her inside the house. They said it was too dangerous. It was surrounded by red and white tape.

  ***

  Just minutes later, Tam was greeted without restraint by a clean but oddly dressed and funny smelling girlfriend.

  “Oh, Tam. It was horrible.”

  “I don’t doubt it. The place is gutted.”

  “Gutted?” said Kakko alarmed.

  “Well… almost. The roof beams are all charred, and they poured so much water on it… I dare say, though,” he added hurriedly, “most of your stuff will be wet but OK. Being downstairs and everything. It’s all taped off with police no-go tape. No-one is allowed in.”

  “Oh, Tam… Look, someone’s got to get back to the hospital to see Nan and tell her where we are and what we’re doing. Mum’s not up to it, and Shaun… I’ll tell you about him on the way. I must find some clothes. I can’t be seen in these,” she whispered.

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “We’ll go to the hospital,” chimed in Bandi. He was wearing some of Prof Rob’s stuff that didn’t look as out of place as Kakko’s. “You get off to the shops.”

  “Oh. My purse. I hadn’t thought of that… My cards are still in the house. I had a note stuffed in my jeans but I spent most of that on food for Yeka. ”

  Tam smiled. “No problem. My treat.”

  ***

  That same afternoon, Inspector Dollod, accompanied by a detective constable, decided to call upon Salma. They had obtained his address from Mrs Trenz’s secretary. Pulling up across the street, they noticed a car in the drive which was on a slope, giving them a perfect view of the car’s rear tyres. “Look familiar?” asked the inspector as they passed it.

  “Could be,” answered the constable.

  They found Salma at home, alone. He had evidently not been up long because he was only partially dressed, and unshaven. He opened the door to the plain-clothes officers.

  “Yeah?” he asked, gruffly.

  “Mr Salma?”

  “Yeah. What d’you want?” He looked annoyed.

  “Police. Do you mind if we had a word?”