Page 49 of Well Played

Shit!I ran back to the bathroom to grab my phone and quickly dialed 9-1-1.

“I need the fire department,” I blurted as soon as they answered. “There’s a fire in my house!”

“What’s your address, ma’am?”

“Six thirty-eight Palm Court. It’s The Palm Inn.”

“Okay.” I heard the clickety-clack of typing, and then the woman spoke again. “I’ve dispatched the fire department. Are you inside the house?”

“Yes, I am. There’s smoke coming from one of the bedrooms. The door is closed, so I haven’t actually seen what’s going on. Do you want me to open it to see how bad it is?”

“Absolutely not. Get yourself outside and leave that for the fire department. Is anyone else in the house with you?”

“No, it’s just me.”

“Okay, good.”

I jogged outside and stood on the lawn, staring at the house. The room on fire was located at the front, but I didn’t see flames or anything through the window, so I thought that was probably a good sign. Two minutes later, I heard fire engine sirens in the distance.

I still had my cell up to my ear, but had forgotten I was on the phone for a second. “I hear them,” I said to the operator.

“Yes, ma’am. They’ll be to you any minute. Let’s stay on the phone until they arrive.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

When two big, red rigs and a black SUV pulled up, I said goodbye to the 9-1-1 lady and went to speak to the firefighters.

One of the men stepped forward as I approached. “I’m Captain Morales. Dispatch said the house was empty. Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, I’m positive. I was the only one home tonight.”

He nodded. “Good. Okay. Tell me what’s going on inside.”

“I don’t know. I was in the bath, and when I got out, the smoke alarm went off.” I pointed to the room at the far right of the house. “There was smoke coming out from under the door of that room. We had construction done in there today.”

The fireman waved for his crew to proceed to the house. “Levi Miller owns this place, right? The quarterback?”

“Yes. We own it together.”

“Okay. Why don’t you wait over by the truck while we check out what’s going on inside.”

I watched as at least ten firefighters in full gear ran into The Palm Inn. A few were carrying hoses, while others held axes and other tools. Neighbors started to gather and ask what was going on, and the block quickly became a scene. At one point, one of the firemen yelled for water, and the hoses connected to the truck started to pump. I felt a little sick watching all of the action, but also immensely grateful that no one else had been home tonight, especially Alex.

It seemed to take forever for Captain Morales to come back out again. But when he did, he walked right over. “So, you have a small fire in the walls. I can’t be sure what happened until we take a closer look, but usually with a thing like this, it has to do with old wiring. You said you had construction done on that room today?”

“Yes, but not any electrical work. Just sheetrock.”

He nodded. “They could have moved a frayed wire while they were working, or disturbed wires with rotted casings. It’s an old building. I can tell you more once we make sure all the hot spots are out.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Behind us, a pickup truck skidded to a loud stop. Both the captain and I turned toward the sound. Levi’s door was wide open, and he was already running toward me.

“What happened?” His eyes darted around at everything going on. “Are you okay?”

The fireman lifted his chin to me. “I’ll let you fill in Mr. Miller while I go check on things inside.” He looked to Levi. “When I come back, I’ll answer any questions you might have.”

Before I could even finish telling Levi the full story, two news vans pulled up. Cameramen and reporters got out and started looking around.

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