“I’m…um…no.Definitely not,” I snap, scooping my purse from the couch and going for my coat.“That’s my businessandmy home.”
He already has his hand on the doorknob, and rolls his eyes to the ceiling, clenching his jaw.
“Fine, but you ride with me.Son, I need you to drive Tate home and make sure to take Ragnar with you.”
“Why can’t—” I start objecting, when he jabs a finger in my face.
“Do you wanna argue, or do you wanna come?”
I snap my mouth closed and shrug into my coat, bristling when he adds under his breath, “Smart choice.”
Hugo gets on the radio as he backs his cruiser out of the driveway.
“All units.Possible burglary in progress.One forty Main Street.Be aware; front entrance, side alley entrance, and fire escape entrance in the rear.”
“She said it might’ve been the reflection of a headlight,” I share, worried maybe we’re overreacting.
He briefly takes his eyes off the road to look at me.“What does your gut tell you?”
When I don’t immediately answer, he adds, “Yeah, mine too.”
The moment we turn onto Main Street, I can see a couple of patrol cars already parked in front of Strange Brew.Then I spot Lola’s blue Volkswagen Beetle, it’s driver’s side door wide open.
“Dammit, Lola,” I grumble, as we pull up to Strange Brew.
That’s when I see the shop’s front door wide open, smoke streaming out, and my heart lodges in my throat.
“Stay put,” Hugo barks, jumping from the cruiser.
But he shouldn’t have bothered; I’m right on his heels when he runs straight into the smoke-filled coffee shop.
Hugo
Even as Lloydupdates me with the fire chief’s report, I don’t take my eyes off Bess.
Stubborn woman ran in right after me without thinking, sucking in big lungfuls of smoke.Even coughing so hard she couldn’t stand up straight, she blundered her way into the kitchen, which apparently was the source of the fire.
Lola had stuck around, keeping an eye on Strange Brew from the street.She didn’t see anyone leave—we later discovered they exited through the side door and likely went behind the buildings—but she did notice the smoke filling the coffee shop.That’s when she called 911, unlocked the front door, and went in.
KC Kingma arrived on the scene moments later and followed her inside.Between the two of them, they were able to knock down the fire.It had been a simple setup; a couple of kitchen towels liberally doused in cooking oil and left on the industrial-sized range.One burner was left on low, igniting the fire.
Luckily, as per safety regulations, Bess had a couple fire extinguishers.Lola had grabbed the one in the kitchen and directed KC to the second one behind the counter in the shop.When the fire department showed up shortly after Bess and I got there, they doused the area of the fire with the hose, making sure nothing could flare up again.
If Lola hadn’t already been keeping an eye on the coffee shop, it’s unlikely anyone would’ve noticed the fire until it was already too late.Other than the occasional second-floor apartment, most of the buildings on this section of Main Street are businesses.It’s quiet here at night.
Unfortunately, even as quickly as they got to it, the damage to the kitchen is quite extensive.Only the side of the range and hood was directly affected by the flames, but the smoke and water damage affect the entire kitchen and beyond.At the very least, the range, ovens, and exhaust hood, as well as any and all supplies and staples will have to be replaced.
It’s a massive loss, and I can see the impact starting to hit Bess, as she sits on the stretcher in the back of the ambulance, staring out blankly while the medic checks her over.She didn’t want to leave her shop, but I forced her to get looked at when the EMTs showed up.
“What the hell is going on, man?”Lloyd asks, staring down the road.“First Clem’s place, and now Strange Brew.Do we have a firebug?”
“Fuck if I know.”
Chance sure as hell couldn’t have had a hand in this one; he’s still in the hospital.Are we dealing with two firebugs?In a town our size that seems a bit of a stretch, to put it mildly.With little evidence to suggest otherwise, Chance’s guilt seemed a foregone conclusion, but I’m thinking we might want to reexamine that.
I don’t believe in coincidence.
The sound of squealing brakes has me whip around to see Savvy’s cruiser come to a stop behind the fire engine blocking most of the road.She comes flying out of the vehicle and starts running toward us, leaving her door wide open.
