“We carried her out here from the couch. This is so horrible. Is she going to be all right?” one tipsy lady dressed in yet another elf costume kept repeating.
Another not so helpful friend, this one dressed as a giant gold star with built in LED lights, added, “I can’t believe she has alcohol poisoning. Misty holds her liquor better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
Misty was dressed as a slutty Mrs. Claus with a white-trimmed miniskirt, fuzzy red bikini top and fishnet tights. She’d lost one black high heel and Treasure thought that was a nice little added detail and would give the staff at County General more to gossip about once Misty arrived. Misty didn’t flinch or make a sound as they moved her.
“Do any of you know if Misty took any other drugs this evening?”
The “friends” exchanged a look and simultaneously sealed their lips for a beat too long. They looked guilty as hell.
“No,” they said in unison.
As they carried Misty over to the waiting gurney, Bodie said, “If you care about Misty, it would be wise to tell us what might be in her system. A full drug screen will be done as soon as possible, but if you can share anything, it may be the difference between saving her life and losing your friend.”
The women trailed alongside. Treasure saw them exchange another look and then Ms. Elf said, “Maybe too many Jell-o shots, Matadors, Jager bombs, or Vegas Vaults? It’s hard to say. Everyone’s been drinking a ton tonight.”
There were too many people at this party, Treasure thought. She also knew crowds like this were more than likely to have recreational drugs on hand, and probably plenty of them. She even wondered if someone had slipped Misty a roofie as a joke. It happened to unsuspecting people all the time.
“Does Misty have any children?” she asked the two ladies who seemed to actually care about this woman.
“Oh my God, she does! Where is Piper?” Ms. Elf turned to stare at the front door, horror and terror warping her festive elf makeup.
Bodie and Treasure eased the board onto the gurney and secured it in place. Bodie stepped to the foot of the wheeled stretcher and pushed it into the back of the rig.
“Bodie, did you see a little girl in the crowd?” Treasure asked with a hint of panic nudging her sixth sense.
She’d already been looking for the small silhouette within the group and hadn’t seen the girl.
“No, I haven’t. You go check. I’ll find out where the squads are. Our backup should have been here already.”
Treasure could hear the increased strain in Bodie’s voice. They should be able to hear the sirens by now. A sheriff? What was taking so long? She didn’t waste another second and ran toward the mass of people on the opposite sidewalk while talking into her radio. “We’re on scene at Willow Tree Townhomes. No help has arrived. Is there an ETA on the fire crew?”
The dispatcher responded almost immediately. “A multi-vehicle accident has shut down all lanes on highway 395. Alternate route in progess. Arrival time in approximately seven minutes.”
“Seven minutes! The house will be gone by then.”
“They’re doing the best they can,” the dispatcher said.
Treasure jammed her radio back onto her belt and let it go. She couldn’t make them arrive faster and she had no control over the closed highway.
“Has anyone seen Piper?” she yelled. “Where is the little girl who lives here?” Her call was received with a few blank faces and shoulder shrugs.
“Can anyone confirm that a little girl lives at this address?” she tried again, yelling at the drunken hoard of Christmas costumed partiers gone wrong.
When she was rudely ignored by Rudolph, Frosty and Jesus she considered taking a more drastic approach to getting their attention. One red nose, a top hat, and a fake beard could easily be shoved where the sun doesn’t shine. Luckily she didn’t have to resort to alternative methods of persuasion as an older man dressed in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt stepped forward.
“Yes. Piper lives in there with her mother, Misty Bascom. I’m their neighbor.”
“Thank you!” Treasure said feeling like this was at least a step in the right direction to finding the girl. “Have you seen her tonight?”
“I haven’t. Mother Mary, I hope she’s not inside the house,” he said with a thick Hispanic accent.
He took a step toward the townhome. The glow of fire could now be seen through the open door.
“I’m getting my hose!” he said and started moving to his own townhouse. “Where is the fire department?!”
Treasure couldn’t wait any longer. She ran back across the street. As she passed their ambulance, she banged on the side and stuck her head into the open doors, “Bodie, did you hear the arrival time?”
“I heard.”
He held his radio up to his mouth and Treasure shut her mouth to let him talk. She turned around and watched the house as she listened to Bodie call for another medical squad. The glow of flames could definitely be seen now through the door and the front windows. Bodie reported Misty’s condition to County General and gave an approximate arrival time. The toe of Treasure’s boot tapped anxiously against the street. County General droned out of the speaker in response to Bodie’s call. Treasure felt certain the girl, Piper, had been forgotten inside. The pressure and fear could no longer be contained. It shoved her forward and she ran for the door.
Treasure kept moving and didn’t stop to think about what she was doing. If she hesitated, she knew she’d lose her nerve. But the firefighters were taking too long and she knew every second counted when it came to smoke and flames.
She dashed through the front door and hit a wall of noxious fumes. A cloud of swirling smoke gathered along the ceiling and she ducked instinctively. The electricity was fortunately still working and many of the lights inside the house were on. So was the obnoxious blaring music and the smoke detectors.
“Piper!” she yelled, but she knew the girl wouldn’t be able to hear her over all the noise.
She coughed and looked for the most obvious place where a little girl would be during an adult party. The main level had an open concept and the dining area and far corner of the room by the kitchen were on fire. The flames were still small but she could see it spreading across the carpet and climbing over the furniture. Treasure felt the searing heat as she darted for the stairs, fury fueling her steps. Who the hell partied like this with a small child in the house! The glimpse of the living room was enough for her to know just how wild the party had been before the fire started. Liquor bottles, glasses, overflowing ashtrays, and bongs were everywhere. There was even a melting blowup doll wearing a Santa hat.
Anger propelled her to the second floor. The smoke had already found its way upstairs and Treasure almost turned around because she couldn’t breathe.
“Piper, where are you?” she screamed.
There were three closed doors in the hallway and Treasure had to know if the girl was behind one of them. No matter how hard it was to breathe, she knew if the girl died on her watch, she would never get over it.
She yanked open the first door and found a linen closet. Frustrated, she slammed it closed and moved to the next door. It was locked.
“Stand back,” she yelled and then coughed for the effort.
She took a step back and then kicked the door with all her strength. The jamb cracked and splintered and the door burst forward. All she found inside was an empty bathroom and a toilet with the seat taped shut. A note on the lid said, Do Not Use!
Brilliant, she thought and ran in a crouch down the hall to the third and last door. As she turned the handle, the power in the house went out. She cussed under her breath and found the flashlight clipped to her belt.
She entered the master bedroom and saw an empty room. Smoke poured in so she shut the door behind her and swept the room with the beam of light.
“Piper! Are you in here?”
The shrill beeping of the smoke detector continued but at least the music had ceased. The girl shou
ld be able to hear her now.
“Where are you?” she yelled again. Fear had a serious grip on her and she imagined the girl’s room must be downstairs. Treasure also knew the burning Christmas tree and living room wouldn’t allow her to search downstairs. Had the little girl gone out a window in the back somewhere and was already outside? Treasure’s mind raced with possibilities now that she was inside and having no luck.
Treasure dropped to the floor and shined her light under the bed. There was nothing and no one. She jumped up and instantly hit the floor again. Something downstairs went off with a boom. A gas line? A propane tank from a barbecue grill? She had no idea but it felt as if the house exploded beneath her as the floor shook and the walls rattled. “Holy mother!” she said as she cautiously found her feet and looked around the room one more time.
Tears of frustration threatened to spill from her eyes. Treasure felt the heat of the fire and the smoke increase despite the closed door. She was out of time and she still hadn’t found the girl.
Treasure dashed across the room and had an overwhelming gut feeling Piper would be behind the last and only door. She opened it and found a little girl’s bedroom inside the walk-in closet. A small mattress lay on the floor covered with stuffed animals and toys. Treasure saw the duck slippers next to the bed and the angel wings hanging on the wall. Piper sat in the corner at the head of the mattress, knees pulled up to her chest and face stained with tears. The little girl looked so frightened that fresh tears stung Treasure’s own eyes.
“Let’s go,” she said and picked up the girl like she’d done it a thousand times.
Piper clung to Treasure almost painfully, but she ignored it and ran across the room. The doorknob was hot and she yanked her hand back. She knew if she opened it the smoke and heat would be unbearable. Whatever exploded downstairs had brought the flames too close to this side of the house.
She ran over to the full length curtains against the wall and pulled them back. Relief and joy soared through her body. A sliding glass door to a small balcony was right in front of her.
She slid open the door and stepped out into the night. It should have been cool and inviting but they were above the kitchen and she could feel the heat from the fire rising up to where she stood. Treasure tried to place Piper back down, but the girl wouldn’t let go.
“I need to use my radio, sweetie. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” She heard the wail of sirens and said a quick prayer of gratitude to the arriving firemen.
The girl refused to be put down. Treasure somehow managed to retrieve her radio from her belt. She turned up the volume and realized she had been ignoring it this whole time. Bodie’s voice barked out of it.
“Where the hell are you, Treasure?!”
“Bodie, I’m around back and upstairs. I have Piper with me. We need a ladder. The fire in the kitchen is directly below us.”
“Dammit! I thought you were dead! Don’t ever do something this stupid again! I almost got blown up trying to follow you inside.”
“I’m fine. We’re fine. We’re on the balcony.” She heard the fear in his voice and she started shaking from her own emotions. Was he downstairs when the explosion happened? Had she almost gotten him killed? The thought nearly paralyzed her with fright.
“Stay there. I’m coming around to get you.”
Treasure kept her arms wrapped around Piper as she peered over the railing. It was too high to lower the girl over safely. The rising heat burned her eyes and she pulled back. Piper whimpered in her arms and hid her face against Treasure’s neck. The balcony wasn’t ideal but it was better than being trapped inside. Treasure hugged the corner of the balcony where the heat and smoke were less extreme. She murmured reassurances to the girl and watched the backyard while praying for Bodie to bring a ladder. The sirens were still too far off for any real comfort. The space behind the row of townhomes wouldn’t allow for the truck, so a straight ladder would be their only hope of getting to the ground.
The gate to the yard rattled and Bodie appeared. “Anyone else inside?” he asked right away.
“I didn’t see anyone,” she yelled back.
Bodie ran across the tiny backyard and stood beneath the balcony. He flinched from the heat but didn’t back away. “Lower the girl over the railing.”
Treasure moved forward but Piper refused to let go. She screamed and became nearly hysterical while clawing at Treasure’s shirt. The temperature on the balcony was almost unbearable and Treasure’s throat ached and her eyes and nose stung like she had acid in them.
Not wanting to escalate the already tense situation, Treasure said calmly, “We need to get down from here, sweetie. Do you see my best friend, Bodie, down there? He’s here to help us.”
Piper wouldn’t even look at first, but Treasure held her tight and turned slightly so she could see Bodie. She felt the girl take a quick look, but Piper’s death grip didn’t lessen. “No, no, no,” she cried and held on tighter.
“She won’t let go,” Treasure called down to Bodie.
“You have to make her do it. Come on, I don’t know how long I can stand here.”
“Piper, Holly needs you to do this now,” Treasure said with a slightly firmer tone.
“Where is Holly?” she asked with huge tears in her eyes.
Shit. They’d forgotten the bear inside the closet. “I’m not sure, but I know she needs you to get out of this house right now.”
Treasure glanced at the sliding glass door and wondered if she could run in and grab the missing teddy. She reached over to open the door a crack and smoke billowed out. No way.
“We’re doing this now. You have to trust me, Piper. Bodie is strong and he’ll catch you.”
“No!”
Treasure took a deep breath and moved to the railing and looked down but Bodie was no longer there. She blinked and he appeared with a patio chair. It didn’t look strong enough to hold him but he climbed on anyway and stood holding his arms up to receive Piper.
“He’s right there. All you have to do is hang onto my hands and he’ll take you down the rest of the way.”
Tears ran down her face and Treasure hated what she had to do next. She pried Piper’s arms loose and forced the girl away from her body. Sweat ran down her temples and over her brow, stinging her eyes. She managed to wedge her boots into the gap between the railing and the balcony as an anchor and eased the girl over.
“Hang on to my arms, Piper. You’re doing great.” The strain on Treasure’s back was almost too much, but it didn’t give out. The weight suddenly lifted as Bodie grabbed Piper’s legs. “He’s got you,” she said. Piper released her wrists and transferred her panicked grip to Bodie.
She watched as Bodie looked at the ground before stepping down from the plastic chair and the chair collapsed beneath their combined weight.
Treasure screamed as the two stumbled and fell in a heap. Fortunately, Bodie reacted well as he landed backward and rolled on the patch of lawn.
“We’re fine,” he yelled up to her. “You’re next. I’ll catch you.”
“Just stay out of the way. I can do this,” she said with way more confidence than she felt.
Treasure had to figure it out and let her adrenaline lead her. She found her balance on the hand railing and climbed over standing on the outer edge of the balcony. She half squatted down and gripped the metal railing as low as possible. She lowered one foot at a time and tested her strength as she dangled. Then something in her shoulder ripped and she felt multiple pains at once. An instant burn roared across the back of her shoulder as her heels crashed into the concrete patio. Like Bodie, she tumbled backward and luckily hit the lawn with her butt.
“This has to be the craziest thing you’ve ever done,” Bodie said as he helped her up. “I’m not talking about dropping down to the ground from upstairs either.”
Treasure wasn’t in the mood to argue or make any kind of comeback like she normally would. They needed to escape the heat radiating from the downstairs windows
. Before they took three steps away from the burning house, another explosion went off. It felt deeper inside the townhouse but she panicked and reacted without thinking. Treasure leaped behind Bodie and Piper and shoved them out of harm’s way. The kitchen window burst and glass shattered against the patio. Wrenching pain shot from her posterior deltoid to her scapular muscles. Her mind started spewing common shoulder injuries, but she pushed her pain aside. Now wasn’t the time. Making sure Piper and Bodie stayed safe seemed exponentially more important than a torn or pulled muscle.
Bodie went down on his knees crouching over Piper as Treasure huddled over the two of them. The rumbling ceased but the heat intensified now that the windows were broken. They scurried toward the back gate.
“What the hell keeps exploding?” Treasure asked as they ran away from the house and saw the fire truck pulling up.
“Not sure, but it could be a gas line or a car in the garage. You doing okay?” he asked, worry lines etched across his brow.
“Not really, but let’s get out of here. We have patients who need attention.”
He nodded and they jogged over to the truck, loaded up, and left the house to the professionals.
3
“When we’re old, do you think we’ll remember nights like tonight?”
“What? Like how my partner ran into a burning house after a little kid she didn’t even know was inside? Nah.” Bodie’s lip curled as if dismissing it as rubbish. “At least I know you won’t remember. You’ll probably forget all about it by next weekend.”
“Why are you saying it like that?”
“Because, Treasure. You live moment to moment. Oh, don’t give me that look,” he said and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Okay, so I’m a little spontaneous. It doesn’t mean I don’t remember.”
“Sure. Refresh my memory about what happened the last time your life was in danger.”
The empty expression on Treasure’s heart-shaped face was all too telling. She didn’t have a clue as to what Bodie was talking about.
Unwrapping Treasure: A Granite Lake Romance Novella Page 3