Page 14 of Scorched Secrets

He quickened his pace, determined to get closer. The trees around the restrooms weren’t that thick, there was more parkland on the other side. If memory served, there was also a small parking lot back there. When he reached the area, he could see there was a path through the woods, no doubt worn through the grass by numerous parkgoers taking a shortcut to get to the restrooms.

Hearing a motor, he broke into a run. No! He couldn’t let this guy slip away!

He broke through the line of trees, raking his gaze over the area. In the distance, he saw the figure on a motor scooter, helmet covering his head. The motor scooter had been parked in a corner of the small parking lot, away from other vehicles. Even as Colin ran toward the guy, the motor scooter backed up, then quickly turned and headed toward the road that would take him out of the park. The driver wasn’t going fast, that type of scooter maxed out at thirty miles per hour.

Colin put on another burst of speed, desperate to get the license plate number. He thought he saw the number 4 and the letter M. Or maybe it was the letter A and the letter M. There wasn’t enough time to get all the digits, the motor scooter turned and put on speed, leaving him with nothing but a blur. The speed limit in the park was only ten miles per hour, but that didn’t stop the motor bike rider from leaving Colin in the dust.

The way the rider took off convinced Colin this was the same guy. He stopped and quickly fired off a text message to Mitch, asking him to run a motor scooter plate with the letters A and M, and the number 4 and M. Either one might be enough to get a hit on their suspect.

He hoped.

That done, he turned to head back to the restrooms. A horrible thought hit hard. He hadn’t seen the guy leaving the structure, but what if he had gone inside?

Once again, he broke into a run. “Faye!” he shouted as he approached the trees. “Faye, are you in there?”

There was nothing but silence.

The scent of burning wood wafted toward him. As he ducked through the trees along the path, he saw dark smoke billowing from the building.

The arsonist had started the restrooms on fire!

Chapter Four

Faye had been washing her hands at the sink when a strange scent tickled her nose. She frowned, trying to place it. Cleaning solution? No, acetone. She remembered using it to clean her brushes after staining the baseboards of her bedroom. Reaching for paper towels, she glanced over her shoulder wondering if the acetone was being used in the park for some reason. Why, she couldn’t fathom.

The scent grew stronger, sending a frisson of unease down her spine. She reached for the door, then snatched her hand back when the handle was hot to the touch.

Hot? Fear morphed into panic. She couldn’t see the flames but knew the door to the women’s restroom was on fire.

“Colin!” She backed away from the door, coughing a bit as smoke began to fill the enclosed space. “Colin! Can you hear me?”

No answer.

Swallowing hard, she told herself to stay calm. There had to be a way out. Looking up, she saw a small vent along the outside wall. It was positioned in the corner, the upper frame about an inch from the ceiling.

Out of her reach, but that didn’t stop her from approaching the sink. She pressed hard on the ceramic, wondering if it would hold her weight. She was no slim Jim, but maybe it would hold her long enough to get the vent off?

There was only one way to find out.

More smoke seeped in beneath the door, bringing a haze that stung her eyes and caused more coughing. She was all too aware of the danger, having treated many patients with smoke inhalation during her career. Turning on the faucet in the sink, she tore off her scrub top and pushed the fabric into the water. Wringing it out, she put the top on backward so that the V was in the back. This way, she could pull the fabric up over her mouth and nose. Breathing through the damp cloth made her feel better.

Still, it wouldn’t work for long. She needed to get out of there!

Lifting her leg, she placed her knee on the edge of the sink, then pushed upward, placing her hands against the wall. Thankfully, the wall to her left wasn’t hot to the touch, or she’d be in trouble. Balancing there for a moment, she pulled her other leg up to kneel on the sink.

So far, so good.

Reaching up to the grate, she groaned when she realized she was an inch short. Shifting a bit for a better angle, she tried again. This time her fingertips brushed the bottom edge of the grate.

It wasn’t enough!

Stifling a sob, she did her best to bring her foot up to the edge of the sink. Was it her imagination, or did the sink pull away from the wall a bit?

Don’t think about that. Just get yourself up to the grate!

Sweat ran down the sides of her face from exertion. She wasn’t graceful or athletic, and she expected to fall on her face at any moment. Someone in the park must have seen the fire by now and called 911, but so far, she didn’t hear any sirens.

Come on, you can do this!

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