page53 (1/2)

“No,” she said “No one was home”

I hugged her then, relieved at last that Joe had not fallen asleep in my bed But I still had questions, a ton of them “What happened?” I asked Sonya

“I don’t know I don’t know”

I looked for Jacobi, but I found Claire shouting at the fire captain, “I under-stand it may be a crime scene, but she’s a cop With the SFPD!”

I knew the fire department captain, Don Walker, a thinout from the soot on his face He threw up his hands, and then he opened the front door Claire gatheredwith Yuki, Cindy, and Martha, we entered the three-story apartment house that had been my home for ten years

Chapter 67

I WAS WEAK-KNEED as we mounted the stairs, but my mind was sharp The stairs hadn’t burned, and the doors to the ter apartments stood open The apartments looked untouched by fire This made no sense

But it all became clear at the top of the stairs

The door to h the shattered door fra used to be I lowered rotesque condition of lass in my kitchen cabinets blown out My crockery and the food inthe place smell crazily like popcorn and Clorox

My cozy living room furniture had melted down into hun

ks of sodden foas And then I knew — the fire had taken everything Martha whined and I bent to her, buried my face in her fur

“Lindsay,” I heard someone shout “Are you okay?”

I turned to see Chuck Hanni co out of the bedroom

Did he have so to do with this?

Had Rich been right all along?