“Yes, sir.” Winston was by their sides in an instant. “Is your wife hurt?”
“Not physically.” Maureen spoke for herself, although her voice kept breaking. “But that phone call…”
“I saw your reaction. Who was it and what did they say?”
Maureen told him, conveying what had occurred to both him and to Garrison Miles, the Forensic Instincts security expert who’d also reached her side.
“We’ll have many questions,” Agent Winston said. “But they can wait until things calm down. One of our agents is already searching the area to see if there is any suspicious activity going on.” He stopped short of elaborating.
But Maureen understood. “Thank you,” she whispered. “This nightmare never ends. It just keeps getting worse.”
As she spoke, Garrison turned to one of his FI counterparts. “Stay with Kennedy,” he instructed him as another FBI agent strode over to do the same. “Let’s let the firefighters and medical professionals come through.”
The fire truck had already stopped, and firefighters were leaping out, rushing around to the back of the house to extinguish the blaze before it could rage out of control. EMTs were climbing out of their mini ambulance, going from person to person to help in any way they were needed.
Ryan’s Corvette screeched to a halt at the curb, and he and Claire were out of the car almost before it stopped moving.
“What the fuck?” he exploded, shoving his way onto the scene and trying to take everything—and everyone—in all at once.
“Ryan!” It was Kennedy who spotted him first. She was shaking and weeping, cringing in Fiona’s arms. But when she saw Ryan, she leaped to her feet and practically flew over to him. “The flames were tall. I was so scared. First the blackout. Then the crash. And then the fire.”
Ryan held her to him, then squatted down, scrutinizing every inch of her. “Sunshine, are you hurt?” He’d heard every detail she’d provided. “Did you get burned or inhale lots of smoke?”
She shook her head, gripping his forearms. “I think the agents and your security guys got us all out in time. And the fire is back there.” She pointed. “We were in the front of the house when it started.”
An EMT appeared beside them. “Sweetie, I need to check you out,” he told Kennedy. “Just for a minute.”
Kennedy refused to release Ryan. “This is my uncle. He has to come with me.”
“No problem.” The EMT gestured for Ryan to follow and guided Kennedy over to the medical van, where he did a few routine tests. “All good,” he said with a smile. “You were stronger than the fire.”
Ryan was gazing around, like a wolf scenting danger. At the same time, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Claire at his mother’s side. His mom was weeping and gesturing about, obviously filling Claire in on what had occurred. Well, there was no one better to confide in.
Turning, he grabbed his brother Garret’s arm as he exited the mini ambulance with a clean bill of health.
“Can you tell me if everyone is safe?” Ryan asked.
“We sure are.” Garret squeezed Ryan’s shoulder, speaking guardedly since Kennedy was hanging on to his every word. “We McKays are a tough bunch. It takes a lot more than a porch fire to bring us down.”
“Thanks,” Ryan said, once again, awash with relief. “You go take it easy.”
Holding Kennedy’s hand, Ryan went over to his parents, opening his mouth to speak just as the firefighters came around front, their equipment turned off.
“We used chemical fire extinguishers to put out the fire,” one of them said, looking troubled as he spoke—probably because he guessed what the fire marshal would determine, given the absolute evidence of an incendiary device. A broken glass jar. A gel that stuck to the siding of the house that was obviously napalm. There was no explanation other than arson.
He continued speaking. “The fire ate up the entire porch, and the back of the house and roof overhang have severe fire damage. The rest of the house is fine.” He cleared his throat. “The fire marshal has been notified and is on his way.”
“We understand,” Colin replied, knowing full well what the firefighter was implying.
The firefighter was looking about, taking in the number of family members assembled on the lawn. “You and your family are going to need major construction for the repairs. It’ll be tough to live here. It’s your choice whether you do or whether you stay elsewhere while it’s done.”
Ryan didn’t miss a beat. “Dad, you, Mom, and Kennedy are coming with Claire and me to Forensic Instincts. There’s more than enough room at the brownstone for all of you. You’ll be comfortable, and you’ll be safe.”
Neither of the FBI agents protested, although Ryan was sure they wanted to. A nice motel would be more to their liking than moving in with the pain-in-the-ass investigators.
Well, tough.
Maureen clearly agreed. “We can come back for our things when it’s safe,” she said. “For now, we’ll go with you.”
