Page 70 of The Last One to See Him

Thomas rushes over to her but doesn’t say anything, he just stares up at the house, consumed with flickering orange flames.

‘Lula might have gone outside,’ Kate assures him. ‘She sometimes likes to go out all night, doesn’t she?’ Kate has to believe this – she can’t bear the thought that Lula is still in there. She calls Lula’s name and scans the garden but there’s no sign of her. Then, as Kate stares up at the house, contemplating whether she could try and look for her, Lula crawls out from the bush at the back of the garden.

Kate rushes over to her and picks her up, handing her to Thomas, who still doesn’t speak. ‘We need to go round the front,’ Kate says, pulling out her phone and calling 999.

Liv Cross, the neighbour across the road rushes over to them and wraps them in blankets. ‘The fire brigade is on the way. I woke up to get some water and saw the fire so called straight away.’

Through spluttered coughs, Kate manages to thank her. Then she turns to Thomas, pulling him towards her. ‘Are you okay?’

He nods. ‘But…but Dex…’

‘Dex? What do you mean?’

Thomas stares at her. ‘He…he ran away. And came here. I let him in. You were in the bath. He said he didn’t want to go home so I said he could stay over. But I didn’t see him in my room just now. He…must have gone to the bathroom.’ Tears stream down his face.

Kate’s stares at her son, then back at the house. ‘He was there tonight? In our house?’

Thomas nods.

‘Oh, Jesus!’ Kate feels in her pyjama pockets for her phone. She calls Harper, watching as flames engulf the house.

‘Why are you calling?’

‘Harper – is Dex with you?’

‘What? Of course he is. What the hell is this?’

‘Go and check on him. Thomas said he ran away and was sleeping in Thomas’s room. But the house is on fire and he couldn’t see Dex anywhere. I managed to escape with Thomas, but he’s saying Dex is in there!’

Harper gasps and Kate hears running footsteps. ‘He’s not in bed!’ Harper screams. ‘He’s in your house! Get my son out of there!’

Kate pushes the phone into Thomas’s hand. ‘Stay on the call with Harper.’ And then she rushes to Liv. ‘Can you wet this blanket for me? It needs to be soaking. Please hurry!’

‘What? Why?’

‘I think Thomas’s friend is in there!’

Liv rushes into her house, returning with the sodden blanket. Kate drapes it over her head, then races towards the house.

‘Mum!’ Thomas screams. ‘No!’

Kate rushes around to the back of the house, and that’s when she sees a figure on the kitchen roof. It’s Dexter, screaming for help. ‘Don’t move! I’m coming.’

Kate checks all the windows and the door, but the downstairs is a furnace of orange flames. There’s no way she’ll be able to get in there. She scans the garden, her eyes fixing on the shed. Rushing towards it, she’s relieved to find it open. She hauls out the ladder and drags it over to the house. She positions it against the wall and climbs up to Dex.

‘I’ll hold the ladder while you get down,’ she says. ‘Go!’

He makes his way down the ladder, as sirens sound in the distance, and Kate follows, knowing that she’ll never forget the look of fear in Dex’s eyes just now.

Back in the street, an ambulance has arrived, as well as the fire engine, and Harper’s car pulls up, stopping right in the middle of the road. She jumps out, running towards Kate and the boys.

‘Dexter!’ she screams, hugging him tightly.

‘I’m sorry, Mum. I’m so sorry for running away.’

‘It doesn’t matter. All that matters is you’re safe. And Thomas.’ Harper kisses the top of his head. ‘Stay here a minute, I just need to talk to Kate.

‘Thank you,’ Harper says. ‘No words are enough. Thomas told me you…you went back to save my son.’

---