"So you went out the back?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, my first thought was to go to the delivery door that led to the alley in the back, but the whole wall was gone. I just kept going, trying not to trip over everything or get into the massive flames that were everywhere." Spencer sighed. "The whole place was destroyed. I saw people on fire, but I was so scared I didn't dare go to them. Several of us made it out, and when we looked back, the whole back of the restaurant was on fire."
"Do you remember seeing anyone around who shouldn't have been there?" Franks asked, already knowing that in the confusion, it was unlikely that anyone would notice something like that.
"No, just a few cooks, and some of the wait staff. Two of the dishwashers were bleeding and I went over to help them. It wasn't long before the fire department was there, and I was being rushed off in an ambulance. I had no idea how severe my burns were until I got here. My arm is pretty messed up. They say my head should heal, but I might have bald patches where hair won't grow back." Spencer closed his eyes. "I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I heard that Chef Tom died, and so did a couple others I worked with."
Amy nodded. "Sadly, there have been eight deaths so far."
Spencer's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Do they know what caused it?"
"Not yet, but a lot of people are working to find out," Amy promised him. "Had there been any issues with any of the equipment that you knew about?"
"No. We had a sink clog earlier in the day, but other than that, nothing. I mean, I might not have heard about something, but no one told me anything last night. It was a normal night. Nothing was different or seemed off. Chef Tom seemed a bit more tense than usual, but that wasn't completely uncommon. He never took it out on us or anything, but he'd get quiet when he was upset about something. Normally, during prep, he tells jokes and makes everyone laugh. Last night, he was fully focused on dinner. Again, not unheard of, but he was quiet enough I noticed. I figured he'd had a fight with his wife."
"What made you think that?" Franks asked, his interest spiking.
"She'd come in right as we started dinner prep, and they went into his office. He'd seemed in a good mood until then, but when he came back, that was when he went quiet. Again, he never said anything, and he treated the staff okay, but when you work with someone long enough, you can kind of sense theirmoods." Spencer reached for a large cup of water with his good arm and took a sip.
"How long have you worked there?" Franks asked.
"Three years. I started as a dishwasher in high school. It was because of Chef Tom that I started taking culinary classes. I want to own a place like Desorio's one day." Spencer looked at his arm. "I'm hoping this doesn't cause any problems for me. They say I'll have scars but should heal and have normal use of it."
"I hope you have a full recovery," Amy told him. "Can you think of anything else we should know?"
Spencer shook his head. "Not that I can think of. It was just like any night at work, until it wasn't."
"We'll let you rest. Thanks for talking to us. If you think of anything else we should be aware of, give us a call." Amy set her card on the small rolling table beside the bed. "I'll look forward to eating at your restaurant someday."
Spencer grinned. "Thanks."
Franks followed Amy out of the room. "Next?"
"Mary Oswald." Amy pointed to a door down the hall.
Franks followed, hoping someone would give them something to work with. Right now, all he could focus on was what was happening back in Angus's hospital room and trying hard not to feel guilty for not being there with him.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"We aren't getting anything that helps." Franks checked his phone, hoping that there was an update about Angus. He knew there wouldn't be. They'd said he would be in a coma for a while, but he checked anyway, hoping some miracle had happened and last night's explosion had been a bad dream they'd all had.
"We have a list of people to still interview," Amy told him as they stood outside Lisa Welch's room.
They'd just left Mary's room, and while she'd been nice and tried to help, like Spencer, she hadn't seen or heard anything that made last night any different from any other she'd worked. Like most of the others, she didn't remember the actual explosion. She'd been plating potatoes one moment, and on the ground the next. Her burns were worse than Spencer's, with most of her back burned from something that had fallen on top of her.
"Let's talk to Lisa, then we can grab something to eat and figure out where we go next." Amy brushed her hand down his arm. "Then later, we'll run by the hospital again and check on Angus."
"Thanks." Franks tried to smile, but he didn't have it in him. He was so tired but knew if he went home to try and sleep, his mind would keep him tossing and turning. He thought about his cat, Pix, who would be happy to see him after so many hours alone, and took a deep breath. She'd know he was upset and curl up beside him. How odd that thoughts of the damn cat brought him comfort when nothing else could right now. He forced thoughts of home back as they entered Lisa's room.
He paused in the doorway, taking in the thin woman with half her face covered in bandages. She lay flat on the bed, both arms extended to her sides, also covered in some kind of gauze.An older woman sat beside her bed and glanced up from the book she was reading as they entered.
"I'm Detective Burns, and this is Detective Franks. Sorry to bother you, but we were hoping to ask Lisa a few questions if she's up for it." Amy kept her voice soft.
"I'm awake," Lisa said without opening her eyes. "Pretty drugged up, but I'll try to answer."
"I'm Patty Welch, Lisa's mother." She stood and offered her hand to each of them.
"Nice to meet you. Sorry it's under these circumstances." Franks shook her hand.
