Page 17 of From the Flames
“Oh, I do, but what if it’s more than that? What if by setting fire to what was already damaged….” He sighed. “Okay, this is going to sound nuts. But I suspect that with the one building having burned, the others would be inspected and reviewed for safety reasons. But with the second fire, every eye is back on the old building. So what if the purpose of that was to pull attention away from the other buildings? What if there is a bigger issue that someone is trying to keep secret?”
Kevin groaned. “You sound like one of those wild conspiracy theorists on television. And yet you may have a point. Chase and I looked at the plans for all the buildings, but we concentrated on the ones for the one that burned. I mean, that was where the issue was. But the chief was already talking about inspections and a review of the other structures to make sure they weren’t in a similar state and were safe for the residents there.”
“Of course. And you need to make sure that is still completed. Because there is something going on. No one torches an already burned building unless they are really afraid and have something pretty big to hide. Why risk it?” The whole thing seemed stupid, and yet it had happened, which in his mind meant there had to be a reason for it. “Unless there is something else they’re trying to hide.”
“If there’s something there, we’ll figure it out.” Kevin finished eating his snack and then threw away all the trash once they were done. “There are a few more sales that we can look at. It’s getting late—a lot of them end at noon—but maybe we can drive by a few to see if there is anything left.”
“Okay.” Willy got the kids belted into their car seats and slipped into the driver’s seat. It was a warm day, so he lowered all the windows as they tooled through town.
“Daddy, can we play Legos when we get home?” Grant asked.
“Yes, of course. I think I have—” he began and cut himself off before turning. “I was going to say that I thought I might have my old Legos in a box in my closet, but if I did, they’d be gone now. It’s so strange to think that everything from before is just… not there anymore.”
Kevin nodded. “Do your parents have anything?”
“No. Everything was turned over to me when I moved out years ago. When Mom and Dad moved to Arizona, they took only what they needed. Mom was never one for clutter, and I guess she went through everything in their downsizing efforts.” Still, it would have been nice to have had some of the things from when he was a kid to pass on to April and Grant. But that wasn’t to be.
“Do your parents know about the fire?”
“Oh, yes. I told them about it the other day. They asked if I wanted them to come, but I said we were doing okay and that they should come for a visit for Thanksgiving like theyhad originally planned. They only have so much money, and if things are in an uproar, then my mother goes into work mode because she can’t stand any sort of flux. Their moving to Arizona was planned in detail, and Mom would drive me crazy trying to manage everything now.” He pulled to a stop at the light at the square. “I think Mom will like the new place more than she did the old one. There’s more space, for one thing, and I can’t wait to tell her that Ellen said it was okay to put in a play structure in the back. Mom will no doubt pick one out and have it delivered and installed.” There was nothing wrong with that as far as he was concerned.
The light changed and they continued north, out into the ABC streets. “The next one is on D Street.”
Willy made the turn and drove slowly past what was left. It looked like someone had been cleaning out their kitchen. They continued to the next one, and Willy drove past this one with no interest. But down the block was another, and he pulled right off.
“A table and chairs,” Kevin said. “I’ll stay with the kids. You check it out. If it works, I can get the truck to pick it up.”
“Okay. Let me see what it looks like.” He left the engine running and got out of the car. The homeowners looked like they were packing up. “Are the table and chairs still for sale?” he asked.
An older man used a cane to make his way over. “Yup. I wanted fifty for the set. It’s been in the garage for years, and I just want to get rid of it. Nobody even looked at it, but for twenty bucks and the fact that I don’t have to haul it back, you can have it.”
Willy looked it over. The chairs and table were solid wood, probably maple, with a medium brown finish. The table was round, with a leaf and six chairs. “Sounds good. We need to get the truck to pick it up, but we’ll be back in twenty minutes.” He paid for it.
“I’ll leave it right where it is for you.” The man pocketed the money and put a Sold sign on the set. “You saved my legs and back.”
“And it was just what I needed.” Willy returned to the car. “It’s perfect. I bought it, and we need to pick it up right away.”
“Then drop me at the house and I’ll come get it,” Kevin offered.
Willy drove down West Street toward his new home. He parked out front, and Kevin hopped in the truck and took off. Willy got the kids inside and unloaded everything. The kids immediately began playing with their new toys. Willy kept the Legos in the trunk until Kevin returned because he didn’t want Grant tearing apart the building sets.
Fortunately his son was more than happy to play with his trucks, running them around the living room floor while his sister did the same thing with her shopping cart. By the time he put the books away and returned, April was sitting on the floor crying.
“What’s going on?”
“She has to find the food,” Grant explained as April continued crying over her empty cart.
“Come on, let’s find the food together.” He could see where most of it was, so he helped her get the cart, and once she got the hang of the game, she seemed to enjoy finding the plastic food and putting it in the cart. Once they had it all, she pushed the cart away to keep it from Grant. Willy sat on the sofa with a cup of coffee and took a moment to give himself a rest.
“Grant!” April yelled.
“Leave her food alone,” Willy commanded, and Grant pouted as he returned to his trucks. Sometimes they were predictable. Thankfully they were too young to be truly devious, but he knew that phase was coming—along with the gray hair that went with it.
Kevin came through the front door. “I got the table.” He hefted it alone and set it in the kitchen; then they brought in the chairs and the leaf together. “It’s really nice.”
“Legos?” Grant asked before either of them could sit down.
“I’ll go get them,” Willy said and went out to retrieve the box from the back of the car. He opened the trunk and lifted it out, then closed the trunk. He nearly dropped it when a man strode across the street, his expression intent. “Can I help you?”
