Blue Moon

by C. D. Ledbetter

  The fire continued to spread across her clothes. Wave after wave of pain seared across her body as the burning material clung to her skin, fusing tissue and fabric together. She rolled over to put out the flames, but only managed to knock over the kerosene can and coat her face and hair with the flammable liquid. Screams of agony filled the air as nearly every inch of skin on her body burned with a sickening intensity, filling the air with a terrible odor.

  Soon the screams became shorter and shorter. The writhing lump of charred flesh that once was human, twitched a few more times, then stilled.

  Chapter 40

  Mary placed the empty mug on the coffee table and massaged her arms, which still ached from carrying firewood. The pain lessened and she struggled to her feet. Her well-deserved break was over. It was time to go back to work.

  She forced weary legs to climb the stairs and paused in front of a storage room at the rear of the hallway. Only two rooms left. This morning's find had been thrilling, but deep down she knew the panel in the hallway wasn't her answer. Her excitement grew as she gazed at the contours of the room. It was shaped differently. Perhaps she'd find something here. She eagerly ran her hands across the angled walls. Thirty minutes later, her enthusiasm evaporated as she closed the door behind her. Another dead end. What happened when she ran out of rooms?

  She brushed aside her fears and walked to the kitchen. The only room left. Maybe if she used her head instead of her hands, the answer would come. She pulled out a chair, closed her eyes and concentrated. If she had to hide a secret room, how would she do it?

  A light cough behind her brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes, and turned around. Audrey's nurse hovered in the doorway.

  "I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Corbett," the woman said. "But it's time for me to leave, and Mr. Windom isn't back." She shifted from one foot to the other. "Do you want me to wait?"

  Mary got up. "No. If you'll show me what to do, I can stay with Audrey until he returns."

  A slow smile spread across the nurse's face as she led the way to Audrey's room. "It's not hard. I've just given her a pain injection, so all you have to do is make sure she doesn't choke if she starts coughing. She should sleep until it's time for her next shot." She checked her watch. "I understand the night nurse isn't coming back, but Mr. Windom knows how to give the injections."

  Mary thanked the woman for her help and returned to Audrey's room. The figure under the covers looked more like a child than a woman. There was little, if any, movement as she breathed, and Mary's heart thudded nervously as she waited for each slight rise and fall of the covers. Maybe if she sat closer, that would help.

  She pulled her chair next to the covers to make sure she could tell Audrey was still breathing. Jack better come back soon. This bedside vigil was already making her a nervous wreck. She felt like a vulture circling its prey. No wonder Jack needed a break.

  Audrey's breathing settled into a shallow rhythm, and Mary slowly relaxed. She placed Audrey's hand in hers, more for her own comfort than Audrey's. Warm meant alive--cold meant dead.

  A feeling of unease gradually settled over her, but she wasn't sure why. She leaned forward and listened to Audrey's breathing. It hadn't changed. The feeling still persisted, so she walked over to the window and peered out. Nothing there--the yard was empty.

  As she walked back to the bed, the faint odor of smoke filled her nostrils. Panic squeezed her heart. Fire? Had one of the logs fallen out of the fireplace? She raced into the drawing room, but the smoke wasn't coming from there. It was the same story with the other two fireplaces. Where was the source of the smoke?

  She reached the kitchen, saw flames flickering outside the windows, and felt the door. It was red-hot. The house was burning from the outside! She grabbed the fire extinguisher from under the sink, sprayed the door and surrounding areas, then ran back to the drawing room and dialed 911, fire extinguisher in hand.

  "This is Mary Corbett at Maison de Fleur plantation. We have a house fire. Please send fire trucks." Before the operator could ask any questions, she hung up. Her first thoughts were for Audrey's safety. Horrible screams filled the air as she opened Audrey's door, sending goose bumps down her arms. Who was screaming? She and Audrey were the only ones home. Chills raced down her spine as scream after agonized scream echoed in her ears.

  Audrey remained unconscious, oblivious to the events around her. Mary wrapped all the blankets she could find around the frail woman, lifted her off the bed and tried not to drop her or the fire extinguisher as she opened the front door. The icy grass made walking treacherous, and she nearly fell as she carried Audrey away from the house, to the safety of her car. She gently laid the unconscious woman across the back seat, tucked the blankets around her frail body, and shut the door. Fire extinguisher in hand, she raced to the back of the kitchen.

  By now, flames blazed across most of the rear of the house, sending fiery tendrils across lengths of dry wood. Plumes of smoke billowed into the air, carrying hot ashes and soot skyward. A steady stream of white foam spewed out of the fire extinguisher as Mary lifted the hose in a wide arc to spray as big an area as possible. All too soon the supply of foam trickled down to nothing, and she tossed the empty canister to the ground in disgust.

  The burning inferno crept ever forward in its quest for fresh wood, and she suddenly remembered the fire extinguisher in the trunk of her car. She paused for a moment to check on Audrey and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized Audrey hadn't awakened.

  She stumbled to the side of the house and turned the narrow hose toward the corner window, ahead of the flames. It wasn't much, but maybe she could keep some of the fire from spreading. The foam ran out, and as she walked around the back, she realized to her horror that a body lay smoldering on the ground. Had it been lying there before? How could she have missed spotting it?

  The putrid smell of burnt flesh filled her nostrils, and her stomach heaved. Was the person was still alive? Despite her revulsion, she took a deep breath, reached underneath the arms, and pulled the charred hulk away from the house. Bile rose as pieces of skin came off in her hands. It was female, but that's all she could tell. She took off her sweater, bundled it under the little hair that remained on the back of the woman's head, and prayed for the fire trucks' swift arrival.

  Chapter 41

  Jack pulled in behind the sheriff at the crowded hardware store. Row after row of cars filled the narrow parking spaces, and he worried that there might not be any supplies left. As they entered the store, he slipped on a piece of cardboard and nearly lost his balance. Gazing down, his eyes grew wide when he scanned the remains of a tattered, hand-painted sign that read: Limit: 2 Cans of Kerosene Per Person.

  More concerned than ever, he grabbed a cart and followed Sheriff Laroux's burly figure. Boxes of plumbing supplies, electrical items, and household tools were stacked haphazardly, leaving little room for the bulky shopping carts. The sheriff forged ahead, leaving Jack to negotiate the narrow path.

  Several men muttered obscenities as he passed, and more than once boxes toppled from their perch, blocking his way. Jack gritted his teeth and held on to this temper, telling himself that now was not the time to lose his cool. He let out a sigh of relief when the sheriff held up two kerosene lamps and waved them through the air. There weren't very big, so he added a third for good measure. As he pushed the cart forward, he spotted a packet of replacement wicks hanging on a pegboard, and tossed them into the cart.

  The sheriff shoved his way through the crowd to the rear of the store. Several rows of empty shelves lined the back wall, their supply of kerosene nearly depleted. An overhead sign reminded shoppers of the purchase limit, and Jack's eyes grew wide when he saw there were only two cans left. Could he get them before someone else did? He quickened his pace, grabbed one with each hand, and set them inside his cart. At least they would have light if the electricity went out. The sheriff stopped to talk to a group of men, so he continued his search for the last two items on his list
--matches and household candles.

  When he approached the rear of the checkout line, all conversation ceased. Jack hid his nervousness behind a mask of indifference, but felt better when he spotted the sheriff out of the corner of his eye. Sheriff Laroux strolled over to the exit door and leaned against it, his arms folded over his chest. A frown replaced his customary smile, and Jack's nervousness returned ten-fold. Was the sheriff expecting trouble?

  When his turn came at the register, the clerk informed him that supplies were reserved for local patrons. The man's eyes grew wide as the sheriff grabbed his arm and ordered him to ring up the purchase. Murmurs of disapproval echoed through the line, but nobody challenged the sheriff's orders.

  Once outside, Jack held out his hand. "Thanks for your help. I don't think we could have got this without you."

  "Glad to help. Where you headed next?"

  "Pharmacy, then grocery store."

  "It's three blocks down, on the left. The folks are pretty good, and it has a pharmacy. I have a couple of things to check on, but I'll drop by in about thirty minutes, to make sure you don't have any more problems."

  Jack climbed into his car. "Thanks again."

  He found everything he needed without any hassles. By the time he spotted the sheriff turning into the parking lot, he'd already loaded his supplies into the trunk.

  Sheriff Laroux pulled along side his car, but didn't get out. "Get a move on, Jack," he said. "I just got a 911 call. There's a fire at the plantation."

  Uncontrollable fear gripped Jack's heart. "Is--are Audrey and Mary all right?"

  "Don't know. Dispatch said a woman called in the alarm, but hung up before the clerk could ask anything. I've ordered an ambulance. Stay close behind."

  Jack followed the sheriff through red lights and stop signs as they sped through town. In the distance, a thick plume of smoke billowed upwards, and panic flooded his veins. If he lost Mary he didn't know what he'd do. It was bad enough losing Audrey to cancer, but Mary! That idea was too terrible to contemplate.

  He pulled into the driveway and parked as far away from the flames as he could. Two fire trucks pumped thick ribbons of water onto the fire, which blazed across the entire back of the house. Tall billows of smoke rose into the air and the smell of burnt wood brought tears to his eyes. A lone ambulance waited near the trucks, and next to it, a paramedic leaned over a charred body. Fear froze Jack in place. He took a deep breath, calmed his pounding heart, and forced one foot in front of the other. He had to know who it was.

  The sound of Mary's voice echoed in his ears, and he felt sick with relief, then guilt, as he realized the charred body wasn't hers. Was it Audrey?

  She stood next to the sheriff, talking quietly. Something made her look up, and her eyes met Jack's. She ran to him, arms outstretched. "Oh, Jack, I'm so glad you're here."

  He hugged her close, then gazed at the charred form. His voice strained, he said, "Audrey?"

  She patted his shoulder. "That's not her. She's in the back of my car, with the other paramedic. You better go over. It doesn't look good." She accompanied him to the car, but stepped aside as he knelt beside the paramedic.

  "I'm her husband. How is she?"

  The man shook his head. "She's pretty bad off. Vital signs are way down." He raised his arm and pointed a finger at Mary. "The lady over there said a nurse who was here earlier gave her a shot with pain medication. She told me this woman's in the last stages of ovarian cancer. Is that true?"

  Jack nodded.

  "I'm very sorry." He patted Jack's arm. "I've ordered another ambulance and made her as comfortable as I could. It should get here soon." He pulled off plastic gloves and squeezed Jack's arm. "She doesn't feel a thing."

  The arrival of another vehicle took them by surprise. Philippe Martine jumped out and raced toward the house. "Where is she?" he cried.

  Mary ran after him. "Who?"

  "Nicole! I know she's here." He grabbed Mary and shook her violently. "Where is she? I tried to stop her from setting the fire, but she wouldn't listen. I told her I was going to stop her crazy plan, but she just wouldn't quit. I have to find her! Where is she?" he screamed.

  Mary turned her gaze to the charred body, now covered by a sheet. Philippe screamed out Nicole's name, released her, then ran across the yard. She watched as he knocked the paramedic over and threw himself across the charred remains. His agonized moans filled the air as he cradled what was left of his wife, gently in his arms, rocking back and forth.

  Unshed tears clouded Mary's vision as she watched his feeble attempts to fend off the sheriff and the second paramedic. They finally separated him from the body, sedated him, and placed his limp form onto a stretcher.

  The paramedic returned to the car. "The ambulance should be here any minute. We'll wait until it arrives before we leave."

  Jack shook the man's hand. "Thanks for everything you've done."

  One of the firemen walked toward Mary. "The fire's out," he said. "We managed to save most of the house."

  "Thank you." She glanced toward Audrey and Jack. "Is it safe to go inside?"

  He shook his head. "Best to wait until we've finished. My guys are still checking for hot spots."

  "What about smoke?"

  "Shouldn't be too bad. Most of the fire stayed outside."

  She thanked him again for their prompt response and walked toward Jack. "We can go inside in a little while if you want to," she said gently. "It's awfully cold out here. Maybe we ought to bring Audrey inside."

  He nodded. "There's no telling how long we have to wait until the ambulance gets here."

  The fireman walked over a few minutes later and told them they could take Audrey back inside, as long as they stayed in the drawing room.

  Jack carried Audrey inside and laid her on the couch.

  She watched the two of them for a moment, then shifted from one foot to the other. "Why don't you stay with Audrey while I make sure there's nothing else to do," she suggested as she wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. From his dazed look, it was obvious he hadn't heard her. She patted his shoulder, then walked back outside.

  The sheriff waved her over. "How's that woman doing?"

  "Not very well. I'll be glad when the other ambulance gets here." Mary pointed to the remaining firemen. "Any idea how long before they're through?"

  He scratched his chin. "They're checking the roof and attic to make sure the fire doesn't start up again. I'd say about an hour." He peered into her face. "You okay?"

  "I think so. Did you hear Philippe when he told me Nicole started the fire?"

  "We all heard it. Once he wakes up, I'll talk to him and find out what happened." He placed his hand on her arm. "You and I also need to talk. There's several things you need to explain."

  The arrival of the ambulance forestalled further conversation. Mary walked back to the drawing room and watched silently as the paramedics lifted Audrey onto a gurney. Jack's face registered no emotion as he stepped aside for them to pass.

  Mary's heart ached for him. She touched his arm, and he lifted tormented eyes to hers. "Would you like me to drive you to the hospital?"

  He nodded and she led him to her car. "I'll be right back," she said gently, after he climbed inside. "I just need to tell the sheriff we're leaving." She asked the sheriff to lock up and explained that she was taking Jack to the hospital so he could be with Audrey.

  Jack sat like a statue, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Mary drove as quickly as she could and stopped in front of the Emergency Room. Jack sighed once, then climbed out and disappeared behind double doors. By the time she entered the crowded waiting area, he'd already left to talk to the doctors. She found an empty seat in the corner and made herself as comfortable as possible.

  It suddenly dawned on her that she hadn't informed Elizavon about the fire. Even though she wasn't looking forward to making the call, she decided she might as well get it over with. Anything was better than sitting here doing nothing. As expected, Elizavon was furious
and blamed her for everything that happened. She waited until Elizavon finished screaming, then mentioned Philippe's statement about Nicole starting the fire.

  Elizavon threatened to have her attorney fly down the next day and Mary warned her about the impending ice storm. She suggested that he might want to wait a day or so, especially since there could be additional damage.

  She wasn't surprised when Elizavon hung up mid–explanation. Well, she'd done the best she could. Elizavon would do exactly what she wanted, no matter what. Sighing softly, she replaced the receiver and returned to her chair in the corner.

  Thirty minutes ticked by, then forty. Still, no sign of Jack. Worried, she walked up to the nurse's station and asked about Audrey's condition.

  "Are you a family member?" the nurse asked.

  "Yes, I'm her sister," she lied. "Can I please see her?"

  "Come with me," the woman said, leading Mary through a set of double doors. Every bed they passed was occupied, and the nurse stopped in front of a curtained area at the rear. She patted Mary's shoulder, then retraced her steps.

  Jack sat next to Audrey, holding her tiny hand in his. He glanced up as she entered.

  "What did you find out?" she asked gently.

  Two tears fell from his eyes, rolled down his face. "They asked me if I wanted to put her on life support. The doctor told me she won't last the night without it."

  Mary walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Jack. What are you going to do?"

  He rubbed Audrey's hand against his face. "Nothing. I don't want to prolong her agony, so I told them no life support." He raised anguished eyes to hers. "Please, Mary. Please tell me I did the right thing."

  Unshed tears blurred her vision, but she refused to let them fall. "You did the right thing, Jack. There's no cure for what Audrey has, and she's suffering. Her death will be a release. She would've wanted you to tell them no life support."