The flames were out now, but the air still shimmered with heat. Smoke curled from blackened beams. The street ran with ashy water that reeked of a thick stench that began to burn the back of my throat.
“Why?” My voice cracked. “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?”
“Nothing, sweetie.” Miki rubbed my arm. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We’re just… being tested. The powers that be want to see how tough we are.”
“I’m tired of proving how tough I am. Why can’t I catch a lucky break?”
I edged forward, toward what was left of the doorway, but a police officer blocked me.
“I’m the owner,” I said. “Do you know how the fire started?”
“No,” he said, “but the fire department will investigate.” Then he moved off to shoo away a couple wanting selfies with the wreckage.
“Where’s the respect?” Miki muttered. She turned back to me. “Do you think… maybe we did something? Like left a stove on? Or maybe it was an electrical thing?”
“It’s impossible to leave the stoves on. I triple-check every night. But wiring? That’s possible. Something we could never have known.”
“We have fire insurance, right?”
A fresh knot formed in my stomach. “Jiro would’ve handled that. If we had coverage, the paperwork was in the office.” I glanced at the charred heap. “Which is gone.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
I scanned the wreckage. The steel counters and prep tables might be salvageable with enough elbow grease, but every appliance was toast. “I’m still stumped,” I said.
“I’m suddenly not.” Miki tilted my chin toward the edge of the crowd. “See someone familiar?”
Standing in the crowd was Keiko. She had a hoodie pulled low, maybe to hide, but there was no mistaking her. Miki and I would’ve recognized her anywhere.
My legs moved before my brain caught up. I tore through a gap in the crowd. Keiko spotted me from the corner of her eye and bolted. Didn’t matter. We’d raced once before; I knew I’d win again.
I closed the distance fast, dropped my shoulder, and slammed into her. She tumbled across the sidewalk. I hit the ground with her, pinning her before she could squirm free.
“How could you?” My hands locked around her forearms, pressing them to the pavement.
“I didn’t do it! I swear. I came to apologize!”
“For burning down the restaurant?” Miki cut in, breathless, as she caught up.
Same excuse as the first night I’d caught her. The same pathetic lie. Rage swelled, hot and blinding, and before I knew it my fists were moving, hitting her wherever I could land a blow.
“Stop! Please stop!” she screamed.
Miki was the last person I expected to stop me, but she yanked me off Keiko.
“Enough! The last thing we need is her crying to the police about assault.”
“She burned my restaurant down!”
“I didn’t,” Keiko said.
“If not you, then who?” Miki pressed. “Who else would have reason?”
“Look, I get why you think it’s me after what I did. But I’m telling the truth. I came to apologize and… to see if I can still help. I want to make things right.” She reached up, fingers brushing my forearm like we were old friends.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Miki groaned. “How many times does she get to screw with you before you stop giving her a pass?”
We stood over Keiko. Tears streaked her face. Her chest heaved with quick, irregular breaths. For a moment, she just sat there, eyes unfocused, like she was somewhere else entirely.
