Fire Storm

by Nancy Mehl

  She nodded. “It may not lead to much, but you never know. Just trying to chase down every lead.”

  “You must have really impressed SSA Turner.”

  “What do you mean?” Kaely asked.

  Noah grinned and gestured toward the window with his right hand. There was a huge bouquet of colorful carnations on the windowsill. “From the North Platte office,” he said.

  “Will wonders never cease.” Kaely got up and came over to the bed. “He really is a nice guy. I hope everything goes well for him.” She reached over and picked up Noah’s hand, squeezed it, and then let go. “I need to head out of here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” She reached down and brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. She’d done it before and he liked it.

  They said good-bye and Kaely left. After the door closed behind her, an odd memory stirred in his brain. Was it real? He could almost swear that Kaely Quinn had kissed him. Noah entertained the thought for a moment but then dismissed it. It had to be the drugs. That was something she’d never do.

  When Kaely reached her mother’s room, she found the door closed. She knocked, and a nurse poked her head out.

  “We’re giving your mother a sponge bath. Can you give us a few minutes?”

  “A sponge bath?”

  The nurse nodded. “She had a setback last night. Nothing to worry about. Just a reaction to her treatment.” The nurse smiled. “She’s okay. Just tired. We decided to let her rest this morning.”

  Kaely breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I’ll be in the waiting room. Will you let me know when I can see her?”

  The nurse promised to get her when they were done, so Kaely headed down the hall. When she got to the waiting room, she pulled out her phone and called Josh. Her call went to voicemail, so she left a message confirming she’d meet him at the Bergers’ at three o’clock. After she hung up, she checked her notes for the address and directions to the Bergers’ house. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. A little after one thirty. She had some time, but she was also grateful she had a reason to leave. She hated feeling that way, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

  “Hey, there you are,” a voice called out. “When did you get here?”

  “Just a little while ago,” she said as her brother walked into the waiting room. “Stopped by to see Noah and then came to visit Mom.”

  “Yeah, I saw Noah this morning. He keeps reminding me that I need to stay near you.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Regardless, I’d like to know where you’re going today,” Jason said. “You promised to keep in touch.”

  “I was with Tuck this morning, and I’m going to be with Josh Brotton the rest of the afternoon.” She smiled at him. “I couldn’t be safer than being with the sheriff. I should get back to the motel around four o’clock. Maybe a little later.”

  Jason nodded. “Okay. I’ll try to make it there around the same time.” He sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “I realize letting me know where you are is a pain, but if you don’t, Noah might check himself out of the hospital before he should.”

  “You’re right. I’ll do my best. Deal?”

  Jason nodded. “Deal.” He withdrew his hand from her shoulder and stuck it out. “Should we spit on our palms first like we used to when we were kids?”

  Kaely couldn’t help but laugh. “No,” she said. “I think it’s okay to leave that part out. It’s certainly more hygienic.”

  Jason grinned at her. “I agree.”

  “The nurse said they’re giving Mom a sponge bath,” Kaely said. “I guess she had a reaction to her last treatment.”

  “Yeah, I stopped by her room before I came looking for you. Those treatments are rough.”

  The nurse she’d talked to earlier came into the room and told them Marcie was ready to see them. When they entered her room, they found her sitting up. Although the nurse had said she was weak, she looked pretty good.

  “Hi, Mom,” Jason said, going right over to her bed and kissing her on the cheek. Marcie reached up and hugged him.

  “You didn’t need to come back so soon,” she told him. “I don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s just worry about you, okay?”

  Marcie glanced at Kaely. “Both of my children at once? What have I done to deserve this?”

  “We’ve been here together before, Mom,” Kaely said.

  Marcie didn’t respond, just pointed at the two chairs sitting against the wall. “Have a seat. Have you eaten? I could ask the nurse to bring a couple of trays.”

  “Thanks, Mom, but I’m not hungry,” Kaely said. “I . . . I can’t stay long. I have to meet Sheriff Brotton in a little bit.”

  “Oh.” Marcie straightened up in the bed and reached for the glass of water on her tray. “I appreciate you working me into your busy schedule, Jessica.”

  “Mom, I didn’t mean . . . I’ll come back when I have more time. We’re trying to find the person who burned down your house.”

  “Thank you,” Marcie said curtly. “But I’d rather spend time with you than worry about that silly house.”

  Kaely released an annoyed sigh. “I want to spend time with you too. But then this morning—”

  “Why don’t you leave now, Kaely?” Marcie said sharply. “I wouldn’t want you to be late.”

  “Fine.” Kaely stood up, grabbed her purse, and made a hasty retreat. Was this the way it would always be between her and her mother?

  forty-three

  Kaely got to the Bergers’ house early, thanks to her quick departure from her mother’s bedside. She prayed as she sat in the car. “God, will you please help me? I don’t know what to do anymore. My mother is so bitter that I can’t seem to find a way to reach her.”

  As soon as she said the words, she began to replay the interaction between her and her mother in her mind. It wasn’t just what her mother had said and done. It was Kaely. What she’d said. How she’d acted. She knew she wasn’t perfect, but until she actually saw herself through fresh eyes, she hadn’t realized how unapproachable she’d been. Before she knew it, tears were sliding down her face. It wasn’t just her mother’s fault they weren’t getting along. It was hers as well. She’d been telling herself that she couldn’t help the way she responded to Marcie, but that wasn’t the truth. Kaely could draw from the kindness, gentleness, and self-control God had put inside of her—the fruit of the Spirit. Even when she didn’t really feel like it, she knew those gifts were there for her.

  “Thank you, God,” she whispered, “for showing me I can’t change my mother, but I can approach her differently and change myself. Help me to walk in love and forgiveness. I can’t do it by myself. I need you to make me into the person you want me to be. You’ve brought me so far. I’m sorry there’s still such a long way to go.”

  She had no sooner finished her prayer than she noticed that Josh’s car had pulled up in front of the Bergers’. Kaely quickly wiped her face and took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she got out of the car and walked over to where Josh waited.

  He smiled as she approached. “I called Mrs. Berger. She’s expecting us.”

  “Is there a Mr. Berger?” Kaely asked.

  “There was,” Josh said, “but he ran out on the family when Raymond was thirteen. There are two brothers and a sister, but I have no idea where they are. They were all older than Raymond, so I assume they’ve moved out.”

  Kaely gave the house a quick assessment. This seemed to be the older part of town. The tiny blue-and-white house had seen better days. The windows on the front were covered with plastic. There weren’t any storm windows. The steps leading to the front door were broken and cracked. Kaely remembered what Josh had said about Raymond, that he hadn’t been cared for properly.

  As they walked toward the porch, Kaely noticed the sidewalks were still covered with snow, a sign that Mrs. Berger didn’t get out much. Kaely walked carefully, trying not to slip. The steps were not only dangerous be
cause of the ice, but they were crumbling as well. Frankly, they were a hazard.

  When Josh knocked on the door, there wasn’t any response at first. Then a woman’s voice called out, “Just a minute.” A few seconds later, the door swung open. A woman stood there, smiling. She was rather plain, but she had a pleasant face.

  “Mary Louise?” Josh said, surprise etched in his voice. “I thought you’d moved away a long time ago.”

  “Josh. Good to see you. Come on in.” As she swung the rickety door open, it squeaked loudly.

  Kaely and Josh stepped into a small living room with furniture designed to be functional, not attractive. Mary Louise gestured toward a well-used couch pushed up against the wall. When Josh and Kaely sat down, Kaely could have sworn the couch groaned.

  “I moved to South Carolina after college and started teaching,” Mary Louise told Josh. “My brothers live out-of-state as well. We come home when we can, but I haven’t been back for a little over a year. I’m here now to take care of Mama.” She swung her eyes toward Kaely.

  “I’m sorry, Mary Louise,” Josh said quickly. “I was so surprised to see you I forgot my manners. This is my friend Kaely Quinn. She’s helping me investigate the fires we’ve been having.”

  Kaely put her hand out, and Mary Louise shook it firmly. Kaely was relieved that Josh didn’t mention that Kaely was with the FBI.

  “Nice to meet you, Kaely,” she said. “Josh and I went to school together. I was two grades above him, but he knew my brother Raymond.”

  “I’m glad to meet you too,” Kaely said, smiling. “Maybe you can tell me the truth about Josh. What was he really like in school?”

  Mary Louise laughed. “Let’s just say none of us would have believed he’d become the sheriff someday.”

  “Hey,” Josh said good-naturedly. “Don’t ruin my reputation. What little there is left of it.”

  “Sorry about the election,” Mary Louise said. “Mama voted for you.”

  “So that’s who it was?” Josh joked.

  Mary Louise chuckled and sat down across from them in a chair with sagging springs.

  “You said you came home to take care of your mother,” Josh said. “Is Agnes ill?”

  Mary Louise nodded. “The doctor thinks it’s Alzheimer’s. We’re still awaiting test results. She was capable of taking care of herself for a while, but lately she’s really slipped. When I got here, I found the house a mess. I’ve been cleaning for the last week.” She waved her hand around. “As you can see, the place wasn’t in good shape anyway, but it was really awful when I arrived. I feel so bad about it. My brothers and I should have kept a closer eye on her, but she kept telling us everything was fine. A friend of hers finally called me to let me know she had some concerns. When I go back to South Carolina, I’ll be taking her with me. There’s a nice Alzheimer’s facility near our house.” She frowned at Josh. “When you called, you said you wanted to talk about Raymond?”

  “I didn’t realize that was you on the phone,” Josh said. “I assumed it was your mom.”

  “I felt it would be better to explain things when you got here,” she said.

  Josh hesitated a moment before saying, “I know this seems strange, Mary Louise, but what can you tell us about the time when your brother went missing?”

  Mary Louise sank back into the cushions of her chair. “Wow. That was a long time ago. Can I ask why you’re interested?”

  “It’s really hard to explain,” Josh said. “Let’s just say that we’re wondering if there’s any connection between the fire that burned down the Lucases’ home and the fires we’re dealing with now.”

  Mary Louise’s forehead creased. “I don’t understand. How could they possibly be connected?”

  Kaely glanced over at Josh. How would he handle this?

  Without missing a beat, he said, “I really can’t say much about that, but since it was about the same time Raymond went missing, I thought you might have more reason to remember that night than most people. Can you think back? Tell me everything you can recall? It could be very important.”

  For several seconds Mary Louise stared at Josh as though she were trying to read his mind. Finally, she said, “I . . . I don’t know. I mean, I remember Raymond didn’t come home from school that afternoon on the day of the fire. It wasn’t completely unprecedented. He didn’t really have many friends, except for Jack Lucas, who I never trusted. I felt he was using my brother. For what, I couldn’t say.” She paused a moment. “But I will tell you that Raymond was a lot happier after Jack came into his life.” She shrugged. “Maybe I should have been kinder to Jack. Especially since he’s gone now.”

  If he really is, Kaely thought.

  “Back to the night of the fire, Mary Louise,” Josh said. “Is there anything that sticks out in your mind? Something Raymond said that day that seemed strange? Or in the days before he went missing?”

  Raymond’s sister frowned, her eyes looking past Kaely and Josh as if trying to pull up an old, stale memory. Probably one she didn’t really want to recall. “You know, there was something.” She sighed and clasped her hands together. “My father had left several years earlier. Mom never recovered from it. She went into a very deep depression. Some days she wouldn’t even get out of bed. I tried to help my brothers, but I was just a kid myself. There wasn’t much I could do. Jack and Sam’s mother was so kind to us. Gave all of us clothes. Came to visit my mom many times. She brought food, even cleaned the house from time to time. She was a good woman. Raymond adored her. But he was never really sure about Jack. He could be kind, but then he’d suddenly turn on Raymond, you know? Call him names. Say cruel things. It hurt my brother very much. Then a few days before Raymond disappeared, Jack gave him something that seemed to change everything.”

  Kaely’s inner radar sprung to life. “A silver bracelet with two snakes clutching each other?”

  Mary Louise’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. How did you know that?”

  Kaely looked at Josh, who looked shocked by the revelation.

  “Jack loved that bracelet,” Josh said slowly. “Never took it off. I can’t believe he gave it away.”

  “But that’s the point,” Mary Louise said. “Raymond knew how important the bracelet was to Jack. To him, it was a symbol that Jack really was his friend.”

  “Mary Louise, where do you think Raymond is?” Josh asked gently.

  She rubbed her hands together as if she were cold. “I think he ran away from home because Jack did something to him. I believe he broke Raymond’s heart. With that and everything going on at home . . . Well, I think it just got to be too much for him.”

  “In all these years have you ever heard from him?”

  She sighed again. “No. Not once. Honestly? I truly believe he would have contacted us at some point . . . if he could.” She wiped away a tear than ran down the side of her face. “I’m convinced my brother is dead.”

  “That’s not true.”

  Kaely turned her head to see a woman who’d stepped into the living room from the hallway. She wore a nightgown and a robe. Her hair was mussed, her eyes wild.

  “That’s not true,” she said again. “I saw him. Raymond is back. I saw him. He came to see me yesterday while you were gone.” The woman’s gaze latched on to Kaely and Josh. “You’ve got to believe me. My son is alive, and he’s come home.”

  forty-four

  After leaving the Bergers’ house, Josh suggested he and Kaely get coffee and discuss their visit. He mentioned a coffee shop that was on the way back to the motel.

  Kaely followed him to a cute little café that served desserts and coffee. She was still full from lunch, so she passed on the delicious-looking baked goods and ordered a caramel latte.

  “So, what do you think?” Kaely asked once they were seated and had their coffee.

  Josh took a bite of the cheese Danish he’d ordered, then he wiped his mouth and frowned at Kaely. “I’m not convinced that that Raymond died in that fire,” he said, “or
that Jack gave him the bracelet”

  “What about his mother’s claim that she saw Raymond? That he came by to see her?”

  Josh’s eyebrows knit together. “She has dementia, Kaely. Alzheimer’s.”

  “According to Mary Louise.”

  This time his eyebrows shot up. “You don’t believe her?”

  Kaely scooted her chair closer to the table. “I don’t know. Maybe Jack did give Raymond that bracelet. But Mary Louise said she thinks Jack did something to hurt her brother. Could Jack have taken it back? It’s possible that’s what pushed Raymond over the edge and made him leave town.”

  Josh shook his head. “Look, if we could prove Raymond was wearing it at the time of the fire, then I might accept the possibility that Jack Lucas survived that night. But like you, I worry that we’re going down a slippery slope with conspiracy theories and scenarios that belong in a mystery novel.”

  “There’s the video,” Kaely said slowly.

  “You know that video means next to nothing. It’s a distraction. We’ve all agreed it’s not clear enough to use as evidence. It could be anyone. It could be me.”

  Kaely had no plan to tell him she’d actually considered that possibility.

  “We have the note, but there aren’t any fingerprints. Nothing to tie us to a suspect.”

  “So what do you think really happened eighteen years ago, Josh?” Kaely asked.

  He exhaled slowly. “I think Jack Lucas and his family died that night. As far as the bracelet, I’d rather believe Jack took it back than think he killed his family and an innocent kid, and then disappeared for all these years.”

  “You believe Raymond started a new life somewhere else?”

  “Maybe, but I think the odds are higher that he’s dead.” Josh took another bite of his Danish and frowned at her. “You and Tuck visited Marvin Roberson earlier today?”

  Kaely nodded.

  “Did you find out anything helpful?”

  “Not sure, but he’s certainly an interesting man.”

  Josh nodded. “He was a great medical examiner. His department helped us close quite a few cases over the years. Of course, I’m sure our numbers aren’t anything like what you see in St. Louis. But here . . . Well, we all know one another, so each case is important.”