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Vera grabbed for her coat then pulled the spare set of keys out of the till drawer and handed them over.

‘You go on and make sure my Kev doesn’t forget himself and start acting like a hero. God will snap that man up for himself first chance he gets, and I’m not done with him.’

Hanrahan’s residents had congregated in the corner of the park and watched the blaze take hold. Two fire trucks blocked Dandaloo Street, their strobe lights a whirlpool of dizzying blue and red. Vera squeezed through, nudging shoulders and handbags as she made her way to the front of the crowd. A cordon had been rolled out, and she could see Alex—Graeme’s partner—hauling hose equipment down from one of the trucks. A policewoman was urging the onlookers to stay back, move along, remember where their homes were and go to them.

The reality, when she saw it for herself, took her breath. The Cody building was in darkness—someone must have cut the power—but the lower storey was ablaze. It looked like a meteor had torn through the reception.

Raised voices, the crackle of radio traffic, and everywhere action, water, hoses thicker than elephant trunks, all directed on the beautiful old building. Where was Josh? Where was Graeme? She pushed forward to the cordon, ignoring the frowns from the police officer.

A man, vaguely familiar from the café, stood by a red-and-white traffic cone.

‘Do you know what’s happened?’ she asked him.

‘I know my stock will be ruined.’

She raised her eyebrows at him and he pointed to Bits and Bobs, the small gift shop that operated out of the ground floor of the next building. Vera’d been in there once searching for a book on Hanrahan’s history to read to Jill.

‘Has the fire spread there too?’

‘Not yet, but the smoke stink will have. A lot of my stock is fabric: cushions, tea towels, scarves, that sort of thing. Worthless now, and my landlord’s so stingy she won’t give a damn.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Stock could be replaced, she thought. People couldn’t … kind-eyed vets and outrageous gold-hearted baristas couldn’t.

To her side she caught sight of a green corduroy cap—Kev. ‘Do you know what’s going on?’ she said.

‘I’ve spoken to Alex. He says they’re trying to work out if Hannah was in there, and they’re trying to get the animals out.’

‘My god, is that safe? Alex wouldn’t let them go inside, surely.’

‘Hold your horses, pet. Let’s not get the worry beads out until we have to.’

Vera scanned the crowd and was relieved to see Marigold swooping in on them like a hippy rescue angel. She would know what was going on.

‘Keep away from the cordon, please, ma’am.’

Marigold patted the policewoman on the arm. ‘Sergeant King, thank heaven you’re here. What can you tell us?’

‘It’s too soon to know much, but the Fire Chief—’ The policewoman turned away mid-speech as the radio she wore crackled to life. ‘Copy that,’ she said into her mike. Her face was more relaxed when she turned back to them. ‘Everyone’s clear of the building.’

Shouts sounded from the laneway around the corner, and Vera squinted through the smoky darkness. Was that— Not Josh, but Graeme, carrying one end of a cage. As he reached the street, she saw Hannah was holding the other end of the cage, her face covered in ash, an old oilskin riding coat miles too big eroding her of shape.

But where in heaven’s name was Josh? As she thought it, the sturdy shape of the brown dog who’d adopted him came barrelling across to the park. Behind her the unmistakable silhouette of the vet. Her vet. The man she’d been having inappropriate fantasies about not half an hour ago.

She dragged in a breath of smoky air. He was safe.

Close behind Josh was a firewoman, with something—puppies?—in her hands. The firewoman herded the group over to the cordon and lifted it so they could duck through.

‘Kev, grab a pup from Lorraine, will you?’ said Josh. ‘If we put them down out here, they’ll get trampled. Vera, would you mind taking the other? I need to find a crate.’

Wordlessly, she held out her hands and the firewoman handed her a squirming yellow lump of fur. Her eyes clashed with Josh’s for a charged moment. ‘Josh. I’m so sorry. Is there anyth—’

‘Next time I give you an order, Josh Cody,’ cut in the firewoman, ‘you’re going to pay attention, you got that?’

He turned to her. ‘Yes, Chief.’

‘Now, you get those animals you’ve got stuck in your pockets sorted out. And if I see that snake loose, I’m gonna cause a ruckus the likes of which Hanrahan has never seen.’

‘Now, Lorraine, he’s harmless to everyone here except the guinea pig he’s currently sharing a cage with.’