“There’s a fire. In Chester.”
She saw concern in his eyes and tone, but also something else, something she’d seen before when he was chasing down a story. “Go,” she said.
He nodded, then paused. “I could use a driver. I’ve got phone calls to make on the way, and it would be safer if I wasn’t behind the wheel.”
She didn’t even have to think about it. “I’ll get my purse.”
The next twenty minutes were a blur. She’d never been on a story assignment before, and while it was exciting, her emotions were tempered by the seriousness of the situation. Sebastian made calls to different first responder agencies and police dispatchers, giving her directions in between as they hurried to Chester. When he was done, he snapped his phone shut. “The apartment building is in a rural area,” he said. “That’s fortunate because it won’t spread to other buildings or businesses. But it’s bad, Jade. Real bad.”
“How did you find out?”
“Isaiah has a scanner, and he was listening in. He would have come himself, but he sprained his ankle square dancing yesterday. Take a left here.”
Jade complied.
“Sorry to drag you into this,” he said.
“I’m not.” Her problems were fading into the background compared to the fire. Suddenly she smelled smoke through the car vents. “We’re almost there.”
“Yeah.” His tone was somber.
Blue flashing lights appeared, and two police cars were blocking access to the road. Sebastian rolled down the window as an officer came over. “Hey, Scott. I’m here to cover the story. Can you let us through?”
Scott nodded. “Just stay out of the way. It’s a dangerous scene, and we still have people inside the building.”
Jade gripped the steering wheel. Sebastian merely nodded.
Scott moved his cruiser and let them pass. She looked in the rearview mirror as the police car reclosed the gap.
The air was thick with smoke as she pulled into the lit parking lot, getting as close as she could without being in the way of the first responders. Fire and emergency crews were dealing with the blaze. She said a silent prayer for all of them.
“Stay here.” Sebastian reached into the chaotic back seat of his car, grabbed a camera case, and looped the strap around his neck.
“But—”
“Stay. Here.” He dashed out the door and headed for the ambulance.
Jade sat back and stared at the flames bursting out of the three-level building. Sebastian was speaking with the ambulance crew, and then he moved on to several witnesses standing by. She felt so helpless. But what could she do? She didn’t have any first responder experience.
Then she noticed a woman standing separate from everyone else, her head in her hands. Jade’s heart went out to her. She might not be able to help with the fire, but maybe she could offer some comfort. She rushed out of Sebastian’s car and went to her, ignoring the smoke, ash, and heat coming from the building.
Once she was close, the woman lifted her head. “I’ve lost...” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’ve lost everything.”
Oh no.“I’m so sorry.” What else could she say? She put her arm around the woman’s shoulders and held her for a moment, then heard shrieking.
“My baby! My baby’s in there!”
Jade looked up and saw a hysterical woman being guided out of the building. When she tried to run back inside, the firefighter held her back.
Rational thought drained out of Jade. All she could think about was the baby. She ran toward the building.
“Wait!” a male voice yelled. “You can’t go in there!”
She ignored it, instinct blocking out everything else. She couldn’t let that baby die.
* * *
Seb had just jotted down a quote when he heard one of the firefighters yelling for someone to stop. “Thanks,” he said to the witness, then spun around to see what was going on.
