"We can both hear you now, Katie. What is this about an explosion?"
"Our house," Katie seemed to be fighting back tears.
"Be calm, Katie, and just tell us where you are and what is going on?"
More coherent now, Katie explained. "I'm across the street. What happened is, Mattie and I started to the store in the car this morning. We hadn't gone very far, only four or five blocks, when we heard this explosion. We turned around went back, and it was our house!"
Miss Minnie was picturing newsreel pictures of bombed out houses in London during the war, Miss Mayme was fighting panic by frantically hanging onto the statement about both of them being all right.
"It was terrible, smoke was coming out a big hole in the wall. Billowing out. A neighbor called the fire department, but the fire seems to be out now, and a man from our insurance company is over there talking to Mattie and the firemen."
"I'm glad you weren't there when it happened. Did you say Mattie is talking to a man from your insurance company?"
"Yes, I can see them from here. As I said, I'm calling from a neighbor's house, the one who called the fire department. And I can see them through the window."
"What an awful thing to have happen! But thank goodness you two are all right. I'm, we're both glad you called to let us know," Miss Minnie told her. "It's just really fortunate you and Mattie were not in there when it happened. And it will be all right, the insurance will probably take care of most of it and we'll come and get you until you can get repairs done. And we'll help you if there's something we can do or help you take care of. As soon as Mattie gets through talking to the insurance man, tell her to call us collect." She glanced at Miss Mayme.
"We can get there pretty fast if there's something you need us to do, or you want us to come for you." Miss Mayme assured her. "And after she talks to the insurance man and finds out about the damage, maybe you will want to come to stay here while the repairs are being made. Tell Mattie we'll be right here waiting to hear from you. Be sure and tell her to call as soon as she gets back."
"Thank you, both of you, but, I don't think it's all that bad. It seems to be the back of the house. But we can't see in, so we don't know for sure yet, how much damage there is."
"Hopefully it won't be too bad and most likely covered by your insurance policy. Mere things can always be fixed, dear, we're just glad you two are all right. Tell Mattie we're anxious to hear about the damage. Tell her we'll come for you, we will be glad for you to stay here while the repairs are being done and it won't take us long to get there. We'll be right here waiting to hear from you."
"I'll tell her, I know she will appreciate it as much as I do. She probably would have called anyway, I know she'll have found out all we need to know with the insurance adjuster there to see to everything. I'll tell her soon as she gets back."
Disconnecting, Miss Mayme and Miss Minnie faced each other over the silent phone in the office..
"An explosion! I wonder what caused it?"
"Probably gas. I don't know any more about it than you do, but that's all it could be."
"You're right, come to think of it. A lot of things could start a fire, but an explosion?" Miss Mayme nodded, "Yes, it must have been gas."
"From what Katie said, they haven't been able to go back inside at all and don't know what the firemen found, so there's no telling how bad the damage is or if it's safe to go in. They will have to stay somewhere else though," Miss Minnie said positively. "I'm sure of that. With that much smoke and the scent, they can't stay there, even if they wanted to. We'll ask them again to come stay with us, but you know how independent Mattie is."
Miss Mayme sighed. "Yes, I know how she is, but yes, we'll ask anyway," she agreed. "It will make them feel better even if they don't want to come. That's the main thing, to let them know we're here and willing to help."
They left the speaker on and it wasn't long before the expected call came.
Mattie seemed to be over her initial shock and dismay as she told them the little she and Katie had learned.
"I think the shock did more damage to our blood pressure than the explosion did to the house since the fireman, Chief Owens, said the damage wasn't so bad. But then he's more used to seeing that kind of damage than we are."
Mattie got down to the bottom line.
"For right now we can go in and get our clothes and the things we'll need. The fire is out. The utilities are turned off, so there's no more danger that anything else can go wrong and cause any more damage," Mattie assured them. "Everything will have to be checked, of course. I haven't seen it, but they tell me the damage seems to be mostly in the kitchen and the hall and the insurance man said our insurance will cover nearly all of it." She paused for breath. "It was a relief to hear that."
"I'll bet it was. Thank goodness it wasn't any worse and you are both all right. That's the main thing we wanted you to call us for. To know there isn't anything else to worry about going wrong. Now that he's said you can go in and get some things, why don't you gather up what you will need and we will come get you. You can stay with us until they get the repairs done on your house."
"Yes, we can have a good visit," Miss Mayme assented with hearty assurance. "So some good will come out of this."
They heard Katie giggle at Miss Mayme's famous optimism as she exchanged a smile with her sister.
"Oh, no," Mattie said quickly. "We both appreciate your kindness, but there's not that much damage. We won't have to stay away from our house more than two or three nights, a week at the most. I made arrangements before I called to stay at the hotel here so Katie can go to work."
"I guess that would be the most practical thing, then. I know she likes her job. And you can always let us know if you change your mind. You sure must have a good insurance company, to have got someone out there to help you so fast," Miss Mayme observed.
"That was our second stroke of good luck. Not being there and being hurt was the one we're most thankful for, but when I called the insurance company the adjuster happened to be there and said he would come right on out. He's been a big help and he's got some men over there boarding up the outside damage already. He's been very nice, and told us the company also will pay our out of pocket expenses." Mattie's voice sounded pleased.
"Though neither one of us really knows what out of pocket expenses are yet!" Katie inserted, making fun of her practical older sister.
"That's good." Miss Mayme smiled. "I don't know either, but it does sound comforting," she laughed. "If you change your mind or if the repairs take longer than you think they will, you just let us know."
"We will, and we appreciate your kind offer, but we'll be all right," Mattie assured them.
"We're leaving the shop in a few minutes, so call us at home if you need us."
* * *
At home, Miss Minnie locked the car door. Miss Mayme already had her cell phone in her hand as she got out.
"Who are you calling, Mayme?"
"Now that we're home, I'm calling Connie. They must be through with dinner by now." She walked into the kitchen and looked at the clock as she listened to the phone ringing.
The phone bell in the Larkin's kitchen sounded as loud as a commercial alarm of some kind. A demanding summons that could be heard all over the house and the nearer flower beds in the yard.
In the den, Cas groaned. "Why don't you turn that thing down," he asked with a pained expression.
"Because I want to be able to hear it wherever I am. And no, for the hundredth time, I don't want the other extension to ring. Only this one."
Connie picked up the phone, throwing Cas a silent kiss as he followed her with their empty coffee cups.
"It's Miss Mayme," she told him quietly.
Cas turned away from the sink as Connie hung up the phone.
"You look like you've heard bad news. What's the matter?"
"Miss Mayme said she and Miss Minnie have just talked to Mattie Carrington and her sister, Katie. Cas," her eyes grew rou
nd, "Their house blew up!"
"Their house blew up? What do you mean, blew up? The hot water tank, or the roof has wind damage? What?"
"There was an explosion."
"Are they all right? And you said you talked to both of them?"
"Yes, they're both all right. It's just such a shocking thing to have happen, is all. They could both have been hurt, or even killed if they'd been home when it happened."
Cas made no comment until Connie finished putting away their cups as she talked.
Cas gathered up the papers he had brought from the den with their cups. He took the papers back to the den and returned with his jacket.
"Get your coat," he said. "We'll go over and talk to them."
He picked up the phone, "I'll let them know we're coming."
Sitting beside him in the car, Connie stole a look at Cas from the corner of her eye as he turned to head out the driveway.
"I know you. Something's bothering you, what is it?"
"I thought it would make them feel better to talk, we won't stay long."
"You're surely not suspicious about the explosion? There isn't any reason to be. Their house is an old one," Connie reasoned aloud.
"Yeah, that's probably the root of the problem," Cas admitted. His eyes didn't soften, still wearing his suspicious expression. "But it always gets my attention when something happens to anybody who has a lot of money."
* * *
As Cas parked in front of the house, Miss Mayme opened the door and waited for them.
"I'm glad you came," Miss Mayme hugged Connie and held the door for Cas as he came up the steps.
"Me too," Cas's worry wrinkles were already smoothing out as he paused, sniffing the air. "Do I smell cinnamon?"
Miss Minnie appeared in the kitchen door. "Come on in here where we can put our elbows on the table. I put something in the microwave for us when you called. We'll have some apple crisp with our coffee. It's got cinnamon and pecans in it."
"And no calories, or at least that's what I've been telling myself," Miss Mayme added with a grin.
Cas shook his head when Miss Minnie passed the sugar bowl. "I'll pass on the sugar, since we've got this good apple crisp to go with it."
"Tell us about this explosion."
"About all we know right now is there was one, and it must have been in the kitchen. Of course, nothing is official until the firemen have finished their report. There's not much use in anybody that knows as little as we do trying to guess. That's probably the reason why they don't tell you much except there will be a report made. But someone, I think it was the chief, told Mattie it could have been worse."
"That's safe, since no one was hurt." Cas nodded and sipped his coffee.
Miss Mayme nodded, "It scares you when you look back on what could have happened. And Mattie just got over her fall. Katie was almost in tears when she called to tell us about it."
Her face was sympathetic picturing Katie as she told them she and Mattie were all right. "We didn't think clearly enough to ask intelligent questions about the damage, but Katie didn't know much about it even if we had. We just told her to ask Mattie to call us when she got through talking to the insurance representative."
"The insurance representative?" Cas raised his eyebrows at that.
"Yes, I asked about that too. When Mattie called her insurance carrier, an adjuster from their insurance company who happened to be in the office came out to talk to them and to look at the house."
"You said the only things they're certain of was it was an explosion, and it was in the kitchen? I know it's not official, but was that the only damaged part of the house, or did they not tell them that either?"
Miss Minnie shook her head. "Katie and Mattie both knew it was in the kitchen. They could see that right away by where the smoke was coming from. They told us when Katie got back to the house and stopped the car, they could see smoke coming out a hole in the kitchen wall."
"Where had they gone?" Cas pursued. "Connie said they heard the explosion."
"They had started to the store and had only gone a few blocks when they heard it. They came right back, who wouldn't? The hole and the smoke must have looked pretty scary. They got back as fast as they could but a neighbor had heard the explosion too and saw the smoke, so she had already called the fire department."
"A neighbor?"
"Yes, a Mrs. Johnson. She's lived there nearly as long as Mattie, I think. She called the fire department."
"Lucky they weren't there, but they got there before the fire department," Cas thought aloud. "Did the firemen say very much about the damage or what they thought caused it when Mattie talked to them?"
"No, just told her they were investigating. I guess to see that nothing else was going to explode. When Mattie called us back she said the fire itself wasn't all that bad, but there is a lot of damage to the kitchen from the explosion, and of course, that hole in the wall that all of them could see. The one the insurance man called someone to board up. They were already there doing that. It was lucky the adjuster happened to be in the office to come see the damage and get that done. He told them their insurance policy would cover that too."
"What about the rest of the house? Did they give her any information at all about the rest of the house? Wiring? Things like that? I don't know what to ask in a situation like this either."
"Mattie waited and asked again before the firemen left. They told her as much as they could without getting technical and told her again they would have a report for the insurance company. When we talked to her they had been told they could go in to get the things they needed, so I know they must have taken that opportunity to look around, though they were told to just get their personal things right now."
"I'm sure they've gotten what they needed and have gone to the hotel by now," Miss Mayme finished up.
"They're staying in a hotel?"
"Only for a little while, because of the scent and smoke damage," Miss Minnie explained.
"Evidently there was not much damage, considering there was an explosion. You always think of utter destruction when your hear someone say explosion. But it's, as far as they know now, only the kitchen and the hall." Miss Minnie smiled, "I know Mattie probably looked to see if they had chopped any holes in the roof. They didn't tell them anything officially, so it's all guesswork, but evidently, the rest of the house is all right except for what smoke damage there is."
Miss Minnie shook her head, "But the kitchen is a total loss."
"Those were Mattie's exact words," Miss Mayme confirmed. "A total loss."
"They were lucky in lots of ways, the neighbor calling in so quickly, and Mattie calling the insurance company so soon and the adjuster being there. Thank goodness she called when she did."
Miss Minnie's lips curved up in a slight smile, "They didn't have that much presence of mind. The men from the fire department told them to call their insurance carrier and the representative took it from there. He's probably used to dealing with people too upset to think straight."
"He would be, I'm sure. Did the insurance adjuster make any educated guesses about the cause of the explosion or the fire?"
"He said, like everybody else, they would know when they got the report from the fire department. That's all he would say. It was one of the firemen Mattie overheard saying it was more than likely gas."
"You said the adjuster got someone to board up the damaged wall so he must have taken a look around, at least outside. Did he say anything about the rest of it? Anything at all or make any assurances of the house being safe?"
"I don't know, but I suppose since the Fire Chief said they could go and get their things that's all the assurance that was needed. It's evidently the smoke and scent that's so bad. It's just a precaution to get out till everything can be checked to make sure the house is safe. It's bound to be unpleasant too, all water soaked and the scent. It's as much their own preference as safety, I would think, that Mattie and Katie are staying at the hotel there in town. T
hey are planning on going home after everything is checked out and live there while the actual repairs to the kitchen are being done."
"We asked them to come and stay with us but Katie didn't want to take time off from the bookstore where she works. Staying there at the hotel, she can go to work and Mattie can go and get anything she needs from the house when she wants to."
Cas nodded, satisfied. "Sounds like everything is being done that can be done for now. Do you want us to drive you over to see them?"
"No, but thank you. It's enough to know they're both all right and have a convenient place to stay. Katie gave me their number at the hotel."
* * *
Mattie's nerves had calmed down and they were safely settled into their hotel room. It was more of a miniature suite and had a seating area. They were sitting there comfortably and Mattie was only half listening as Katie and her boyfriend, Eugene Austin, talked.
Eugene had come immediately when Katie called him. He insisted on staying with them as they gathered up the clothes and things they wanted to take with them to the hotel and locked up the house. He took Mattie's note with the hotel number on it to Mrs. Johnson next door and made himself generally useful in Katie's eyes, while really just puttering around in the way, had anyone asked Mattie her opinion.
When Katie gently refused his offer of a ride and told him she wanted her car with her to go to work, he followed them to the hotel.
"He's harder to get rid of than a stray cat that's been fed," Mattie muttered to herself as Katie got into the car. She glanced at her younger sister from the corner of her eye. "His only saving grace is he's so good to Katie. She looks happy he's here."
At the hotel, Mattie had effectively tuned out Eugene and Katie's conversation as they talked. With a start, she realized Eugene had turned and was speaking to her.
Eugene raised his voice a little, repeating his question. "I said, would you like to go out and get something to eat?"
"Oh. Oh, no." Mattie roused herself. She looked away thinking, "I'm not deaf, you imbecile!" Aloud, she said, "No, I don't want to go out. But, if you and Katie are, you might bring me back a sandwich."
Recipe for Trouble Page 3