He ducked out the back door and took a deep breath and then headed back inside. Remembering his emergency training he got low to the floor, and tried as best he could to follow a wall through the kitchen and down the hallway.
The floor was on fire from whatever chemical was used to light this place up and it was seriously slowing him down. Visibility in here was next to nothing, he was running out of air, and worst of all his coat was starting to dry out.
He knew that if he started trying to breathe, he could be dead in no time at all. This was really becoming a race against time, in a man-made hell.
After what seems like hours without a breath he finds the curve to the bottom of the staircase. As he’s turning to go up his feet kick something that has enough give that he thinks it’s a person.
Feeling down by his feet he’s sure of it. This is a body. He drags himself on top of it and it’s his worst nightmare. It’s Frank.
He can see that he’s been shot and he has no idea if he’s still alive or not, but the screaming from upstairs has stopped and he’s almost out of air. He’s gotta get out of here, and he’s taking Frank with him.
He can hear the sirens of the fire trucks coming as he sits up lifting his fallen partner onto his back. They’ll be here in just a minute, but he can’t wait for them. He tries to stand and topples over, off balance. The air is knocked out of him and he takes a breath. He’s not going to die here; Frank isn’t going to burn in this house.
Bracing himself on the wall he just fell into, he lifts Frank onto his back. As he tries to stand again he feels like he must be blessed by a higher power. His hip hit the doorknob. He’s at the front door.
Using his coat over his hand he turns the knob, and starts to pull as hard as he can. He drops Frank on his back and falls on top of him on the front porch. He can breathe. He takes a few breaths lying on the porch, thankful to be alive, and then realizes his coat is on fire.
With every ounce of energy left in him he pulls himself to his feet, throwing the coat inside the open doorway, and starts to drag Frank by his arms down off the porch.
Emergency workers meet him as he gets to the driveway and take both him and Frank in their arms. He turns to face the street and a crowd that is now screaming and cheering for him.
For just a moment he’s glad that the kids are there with the camera phones. They’ll upload this video and he’ll be able to rub it in Frank’s face that not only was he right, he had to save him himself.
They load Frank into an ambulance and try to do the same for Lewis. He refuses to take the ride. This is his crime scene, and he’s not leaving it until he knows more about what happened here. He requests an arson investigator be called, and he’s told there’s already one assigned. If he has it his way it’ll be the same guy who was on it last time. This looks like what Calvin tried before, and he wants to connect the two fires if there’s any evidence to support it.
It takes the fire crew almost two hours to get the fire out. There are several tense moments when things in the house explode, and Lewis is completely in awe when the third floor collapses down into the lower part of the house. The devastation here is massive.
Lewis is sitting, stained head to toe with black soot, with burned clothes and hair, on the hood of his car and he just can’t walk away. He knew they’d come for her. He’d warned Frank. He just hadn’t expected anything like this.
When they finally find a body in the house the gravity of it really hits him. That could have been Frank. I could have been him. He has to go home.
A black cat rubs against his leg as he stands. He looks down at it and says “Don’t play with matches,” as he points to the smoldering remains of what was the Jefferson House.
Leslie waits until she sees the unmarked car pull away, from where she’s crouched hidden in the backyard near the hedge line, before she moves. She runs down the back of the property to the rear of the garage where Frank parks his motorcycle. She walks it quietly into the alley behind the property and starts it up. She has to get to V’s place and let her know what happened.
***
When I hear the motorcycle pull up I assume it’s Frank coming to give me an update on the house and the girls. I look out the window and see Leslie on Frank’s bike and I know something’s gone wrong.
She bursts in the door and I can smell the smoke on her, even after her ride. This is an even worse sign.
Jules comes into the room and Leslie looks at him anxiously. She wants badly to tell me what’s going on but she’s not sure if she should speak in front of the guy she doesn’t know. They’re loyal to a fault, my girls.
“He’s okay. Tell me what’s going on.”
She practically erupts from the mouth. “The Jefferson House is gone. Burned completely down. I went there to give Frank and Julie updates from the hospital, and to find out how things where there, because we were all curious, ya know? When I got there though, I came in the back door and saw Julie shoot Frank.”
“Wait!” This is a lot for me to process and she’s talking at chipmunk speed, so I open her memories and start to watch them as she explains. “Did you say Julie shot Frank?”
“Yes! I saw her do it or I’d never have believed it. She shot him and she said she was sorry, then she started dousing the whole place with gasoline or something. I was still trying to figure out a way to get Frank out of there to the hospital or a doctor or something when I saw her with matches and it finally occurred to me, she’s gonna burn the whole place down.”
She pauses for a breath but her memories are still racing through my mind. My God! How could this happen?
She’s only silent a moment before she lets loose again. “I pulled out the pistol Frank makes me carry but by the time I got the safety off it was too late! Everything was on fire, especially Julie. I heard sirens pulling up outside, but she was still standing over Frank. I didn’t know what she was going to do next so I shot her. She was on fire head to toe and she still tried to shoot me back. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever had happen to me in my life.
“Like she didn’t fall.” She stresses the point. “She just tried to shoot me. She only got one round off before her gun exploded in her hands and she ran screaming upstairs. Everything was on fire and I couldn’t get to Frank, or even see him anymore, so I ran and hid. She kept on screaming, V. I can still hear her in my head.”
She burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, V. I should have…”
I cut her off as I put her head on my shoulder. “You did what you could do. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I hold her and stroke her hair as she cries, gently swaying back and forth, rocking her. As I’m doing this, I can feel part of my mind shutting down, turning off.
I can feel myself becoming more mechanical.
When I finally let go of her I feel next to nothing. I walk her into my bedroom and take out the fifteen grand in cash I keep on hand for emergencies. I give it to her and tell her to put up the girls not in the hospital under assumed names at a hotel across the river. I also tell her not tell any of them what happened just yet. I want to do that myself.
She shakes her head and buries her face in my shoulder again. I stand there with her for a few moments, then I pull back. I can tell she needs more attention, but I just can’t give it to her. Right now, time is of the essence.
Once she’s left the house, I look at Jules. I know it was him who went in and shut off my emotions like they were switches. He’s trying to comfort me in the best way he knows how, but it’s just making me painfully hollow. I am not coping well.
He takes my hand in his and looks into me. “You will continue forward. You will make me proud. You will not let whatever is thrashing against you succeed in stopping you. You will avenge those you care for.”
He’s right.
“I think we need to go to the hospital.” He’s agreed with me before I speak the words.
We walk out to the driveway and get in the Charger. As I pull out I sti
ll have hope that Frank and Julie are alive.
CHAPTER 20
MERCY HOSPITAL IS AN IMPOSING eight story structure designed in the early 70’s to, apparently, resemble a tombstone. It overlooks the interstate on the edge of the suburb of Twin Pines. Lately I’ve had far too many people I care about here. One is too many, I have six. But Frank being here I not only don’t like, I can’t stand.
The room smells. I’m sure I’d notice that if I was still alive, but it’s far more pronounced now than it should be. It’s not as bad as the places I’ve been to with Paco, but it’s just as disgusting in its own way. Beyond the odor it’s also small, cold, and uncomfortable. But I think I’m being nitpicky subconsciously, due to my desire to be anywhere else but here, with a healthy Frank by my side.
The brightness of the stark eggshell walls, even in the dim light of his room, is overpowering. I know deep down that this sterile environment is what he needs to live, but lying motionless in that bed with tubes and wires and machines making him breathe, I can’t help but think that this way of living is not living at all for someone as beautiful as him. I stand watch over him lying there, and wish it could have been me to take the suffering and wounds, not him.
The room is somber and quiet as Piper, Jules and I all look intently at our friend as he struggles to keep his life. Inappropriate as always, a thought occurs to me and I laugh a little prompting Piper, thinking I’m crying, to ask if she can do anything for me.
“No, Pi, I just had a thought. This is a Catholic hospital and I’m pretty sure Frank’s agnostic.” I don’t even take note of the shocked look on her face, I just keep going. “Or atheist, I’m not sure. Maybe if he makes it through this he’ll ‘believe.’”
Jules also ignores Piper’s reaction to my choice of conversation. “I seem to remember there being another hospital here in town. It’s not Catholic, is it?”
“Yeah, it’s a great place to send people you don’t care about.” I’m doing all I can with Jules’ help to bury my sadness and stay cold. I love Frank too much to lose him like this, but I’m going to lose more people I love if I give in to my guilt and sadness.
The nurse comes in to check on him. She looks over the machines, makes some notes, and then decides to speak to us. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over for the day, but you’re welcome to come back tomorrow.”
“Someone is going to stay with him.” It’s only a statement, nothing more, but my tone makes her jump.
“No, I’m sorry…” She falters and stops as she reads over his chart. “All right, that’s fine. I’m sorry.”
Jules leans over and whispers in my ear what I didn’t want to know. “They don’t expect him to make it through the night. They have him comfortably sedated and are waiting for the end.”
I keep my voice low, but I’m a little hysterical. “I can’t do it. I can’t stand in this room and watch him die. I can’t. I’m doing everything I can to not let this effect me, and I know you’re trying to help, but I have to go right now. I have to walk around for a minute. I can’t just stare at him fading away.”
I walk out of the room and down to the end of the hall. The window here looks out over the interstate so I watch vacantly as the traffic goes by, crushing myself with guilt. I‘m coming apart, unraveling. One minute I’m ice cold and ready to go get my vengeance, the next I feel like everyone would be better off if I were dead, and then I’m cracking jokes. I’m sure my therapist would write me another prescription for this, but I’d have to down the whole bottle to level me out right now.
I walk to the waiting room and find myself a chair. Before I can sit down though a hand grabs may arm and spins me around.
It’s Lewis. He’s bandaged on his hands and up his right arm from burns. He looks almost as bad as I feel. This is hard for him. I would never deny that or the depth of his feelings for Frank after the years they spent together. He’s fuming pissed though, he blames me more than I do, and this is not going to go well.
“I can’t believe you’d have the nerve to show your face here. But I guess you just do whatever you want, whenever you want, no matter what, huh? You don’t care who you step on or who you break?” He’s so upset that he’s spitting at me while he’s yelling.
I look around at all the other people in the waiting room before I reply. “Do you really think this is the most appropriate place to have this discussion?”
“You’re the reason he’s in that bed, you bitch! You’re like rat poison for the soul to all the people you come in contact with. Maybe you should do the world a favor, and let the hit men after you do their job. But that’ll have to wait, because right now I got news for you, you spoiled brat. I’m done. Veronica Fischer, you are under arrest…” He trails off and falls backward onto the sofa.
“I couldn’t take any more of that. His melodramatic histrionics were beginning to drone.” Jules says it with such distain that I can’t help but love him, even if I did half-heartedly agree with Lewis.
I didn’t even notice him walk up behind me.
“You didn’t…I mean…” I’m a little worried, for Frank’s sake if nothing else.
“Kill him? No. He’ll wake up with a sharp headache in a few hours and wonder what happened. If he bothers to be examined they’ll tell him that it’s high blood pressure, likely due to job related stress.” He looks around at the people coming and going nearby before continuing more softly. “We need to talk somewhere privately. I think I have a plan.”
Jules and I get on the elevator and stand next to each other. When the door closes I turn to look at him and he raises an eyebrow quizzically before speaking.
“I’ve had some time to reflect on your situation, even with these most recent twists, and I think I see the pattern you’ve missed.”
My curiosity is piqued. “I don’t doubt that I’m too close to the situation and too emotional to see clearly. What’s your plan?”
“I’ve been remembering your encounters with Paco, and I believe you should call and set up a meeting with him, without mentioning I’m in town. Let him know that things have gone from bad to worse, and with the Council against you there’s nowhere else you can turn. You need his help. If he agrees to meet with you, and I’m almost certain he will, you should agree to whatever he asks of you, whatever terms he puts forth.”
I don’t say a word. I don’t have to. He knows that I think he’s completely lost his mind.
“I’ll be there to save you if it comes to that, I won’t let you get hurt, but I have a feeling this move will take us to checkmate and get all your pieces back. You see, I believe that Frank was right and Paco has been setting you up. I think a lot of this could have been avoided if you had trusted his instincts. I know from your memories of him that you’re aware his hunches aren’t wrong often.”
He’s right. I know to trust and listen to Frank more than I have been. I started reacting to things as they were happening, not stepping back to see the bigger picture, and not trusting in the assets I know I have.
“I just want to go on record here that I’m hesitant to put myself in Paco’s hands. But I trust you, I’ve never seen one of your plans fail utterly, and you’ve never let me get hurt. Besides, anything is better than sitting here doing nothing.” I let out a deep sigh and dig into my purse for my phone. I hope he realizes that I take being molested -- outside of a paying arrangement -- as harm to my person, and he said he wouldn’t let me get hurt.
When the doors open we’re in the lobby, looking at Leslie who was waiting on an elevator going up.
She says that short of the girls who are in here, everyone else is accounted for and at the hotel. When she left them they were swimming in the pool and trying to turn this into a vacation.
I ask if she’d mind relieving Piper. I want someone in Frank’s room around the clock so if anything happens I’ll know as soon as it does.
She seems to be okay with that and gets on the elevator. Jules follows her, and tells me to make my phone call.
I press the button to dial and it doesn’t get all the way through one ring when he answers.
His acidic voice sounds only too happy to hear from me.
I stick to my script. I tell him that things have gotten bad, the house burned and now Julie is dead and Frank is in the hospital. I let out some of the tears I’ve been holding back and ham it up. I pretend that Learner not liking me is really a bother to me, and that because of him the Council stands against me. I have no one to turn to, I need him, he’s is my only hope.
I don’t think I’m doing a good job selling this because there’s no way I’d have ever said any of this without coaching. But I guess I missed my calling, I might have won Oscars, because this thick zombie is eating it up.
He tells me how he knew I would be calling, and that I was wise to finally do what was in my best interest. I fight the urge to ask him if he’s stoned, and instead ask him where he’d like to meet.
“The usual place, tomorrow night. It’s almost dawn and I wouldn’t want you to burn up,” he says. That’s great.
I tell him I’ll be there and hang up. I really could kick Jules right now, but he was right about everything so far. Now I just have to make sure my girls and Frank are secure and that Jules is gonna get me out if things go wrong and I’m on my way.
What have I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 21
I AM COMPLETELY UNPREPARED for this. At this point I don’t even know if I’ll be alive tomorrow. The thin wispy fog that’s rolled up from the river into the low lying areas like this one makes even the most well lit parts of the treatment plant seem like a dream. A nightmare, really.
I can see as I pull through the open gate that Paco’s van is here, but so are several other cars. A Jaguar and a Mercedes definitely stand out in the fenced-in lot. Way to be inconspicuous guys.
When I woke up I had Jules take me to get the old beater pickup we use to move furniture and equipment between houses. There was absolutely no way I was going to go alone to meet with Paco in a car I cared about.
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