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One by one, Robinson questioned us, and nobody contradicted my version of events I found it odd that Shannon’s parents never showed up to see if she was all right Maybe her mother had washed her hands of Shannonbut that didn’t track Women like Sandra Cheney didn’t quietly concede

The sheriff spent longer interrogating Chance I was deathly afraid they’d charge hi my former foster mother’s life and property In the end, Miss Minnie cao

She chastised Robinson roundly "I wouldn’t be standing here, if not for these children and that sweet little dog Curtis Farrell s I knoouldn’t have tried to steal froht ly, but he let us know as he walked us to the Forester that he’d be watching us As he put it, "People didn’t die nearly so often before you lot came around"

I paused outside the SUV, unable to resist the reply "That’s not true," I said softly "You just don’t go looking for the bodies any sick in the reflected red glow of our taillights

By the tiht, and rees I set to cleaning wounds, and Shannon saw towe realized we’d missed our appointment with Dale Graham--and by then, it was too late

Fire and Blood

"Any chance this could be a coincidence?" Shannon wanted to know

"None," I said flatly

We’d ht, but we hadn’t been there for Dale Grahauilty, they’d succeeded But I knew this wasn’t our fault Bad things had been happening in Kilet to the botto ruin of his house on Rabbit Road and wanted to throw up Nobody suggested I try to read it to find out what happened here Too much heat remained trapped in the burnt ti that particular trick again so soon I didn’t

Volunteer fire for human remains They seemed inappropriately cheerful, as if they did this all the tiain, in Kilrass and trees around the house," Jessewith the other two It hit us all at the same time, but Chance articulated it "A third of the trees on his property caught fire, and all the green grass burnt up" "So Miss Minnie was right?" Shannon asked

I felt a headache colobal scale"

"That means we need to take her seriously," Jesse said "However crazy that sounds"

"An earthquake htful

Most of lad he had eased off--that he was focusedour problems I wasn’t ready for reconciliation, not when his poas on te-terood, his luck would return--and I would becoain I didn’t look forward to it

"But what causes treing around the fire scene I guessed she wanted to be away from here before Sheriff Robinson showed up and decided to hold us indefinitely for being troubleht about that, re the crappy places I’d lived over the years, and said at the same time as Jesse, "A train"

Chance nodded, exciteold flecks in his eyes "Shannon, are there any houses built close to the train tracks in town? Close enough that they’d shake when the train goes by?"

"Yep," she said "There used to be a station, a long tio, but it closed down in--le for a full oes by twice a week"

"Do you know the way?" Jesse asked

She nodded "I used to hang out with a kid who lived out there, but my mom made me stop because he wasn’t a desirable acquaintance" I could tell fro her mother verbatim "It’s the worst part of Kilo" At her stunned expression, he asked, "You do kno to drive?"

She was speechless, staring at hied to say, "Well, yeah My dad taught me I have a license too, but I don’t have a car, and the last few rounded for one reason or another"

He smiled at her "Then you need the practice, and it’ll be easier if you just take us there That okay with you?"

Her smile could’ve blinded the lot of us "Sure Get in" Jesse Saldana would reat dad, I decided, as I headed toward the workers raking the wreckage He wasn’t quite old enough to be parenting Shannon, but he had the older-brother role polished to a fine sheen

"I’ll be right back," I said over e of Dale’s house Ash sifted from the broken beams, and smoke still curled fro the place down; none of them looked pleased at my approach

"What do you think happened?" I asked the lead volunteer

Sooty-faced and weary, he shrugged "My guess? He fell asleep with a lit cigarette It would’ve spread faster if he was drinking"

That was the official story they spread about my mama, too Miz Ruth had said as much a few days back That seemed an unlikely coincidence

"Have you recovered his body?" Maybe it was macabre, but I had to know