Andrew Wren put down the phone, pulled on his rumpled packet with the patches on the elbows, picked up his briefcase, and went out the door, humming softly.
Ten minutes later, he was climbing out of a taxi in front of Pass/Go. The educational center was situated right next door to Fresh Start, but separated by a narrow alleyway. Before last night, the two buildings had looked substantially the same-I940s brick buildings of six stories facing on Second Avenue with long glass windows, recessed entries with double wooden doors, and no signs. But Pass/Go had survived the fire where Fresh Start had not. Fresh Start was a burned-out, blackened shell surrounded by barricades and yellow tape, its roof and floors sagging or collapsed, its windows blown out by the heat, and its fixtures and furnishings in ruins.
As he stood staring at the still-smoking wreck, Stefanie Winslow came out the front door of Pass/Go.
“Good morning, Mr. Wren.” she said cheerfully, her smile dazzling, her hand extended.
As he offered his own hand in response, he was shocked to see the marks ors her arms and face. “Good heavens, Ms. Winslow! What happened to you?”
She gave a small shrug. “I was involved in getting people out last night, and I picked up a few bumps and bruises along the way. It’s nothing that wont heal. How are you?”
“Fine.” He was somewhat nonplussed by her attitude. “You seem very cheerful given the circumstances, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
She laughed. “Well, that’s my job, Mr. Wren. I’m supposed to put a good face on things, my own notwithstanding. We lost the building, but all the Clients got out. That doesn’t help much when I think about Ray, but it’s the best I can do.”
She filled him in on the details. of Ray Hapgood’s death and the efforts, of the fire department to save the building. Ross had been present when it took place, but he had been sleeping earlier and she’d had to wake him to help her, so it didn’t look like he was involved in any way. Wren listened without seeming overly interested, taking careful mental notes for later.
“The building was fully insured.” she finished, “so we’ll be able to rebuild. In the meantime, we’ve been given the use of a warehouse several blocks away that can be brought up to code pretty easily for our purposes and will serve as a temporary shelter during the rebuilding. We’ve been given a number of donations already to help tide us over and there should be more coming in. Things could be much worse.”
Wren smiled. “Well, I’m very glad to hear that, Ms. Winslow.”
“Stefanie, please.” She touched his arm. “Ms. Winslow sounds vaguely authoritarian.”
Wren nodded agreeably. “Do you suppose I could see Mr. Lawrence now for those few minutes you promised me? Before he becomes too tied up with other things? I know he has a news conference scheduled for two o.”clock.”
“Now would be fine, Mr. Wren.” She took his arm as she might an old friend’s. “Come with me. We’ve got him hidden in the back.”
They went inside through a lobby decorated with brightly colored posters and children’s drawings, past a reception desk, and down a hall with doors opening into classrooms and offices. Through tall glass windows, Wren could see a grassy play area filled with toys and playground the surrounding buildings.
“The nursery, kitchen facilities, dining rooms, Special Ed, and more classrooms are upstairs,” Stefanie informed him, waving to one of the teachers as she passed by an open door. “Life goes on.”
Simon Lawrence had set up shop in a tiny office at the very back of the building. He sat at an old wooden desk surrounded by cartons of supplies and forms, his angular frame hunched forward over a mound of papers, files, notepads, and pens and pencils. He was on the phone talking, but he motioned Wren through the open door and into a folding chair identical to the one he was occupying. Stefanie Window waved good-bye and went out the door, closing it softly behind her.
The Wiz finished his conversation and hung up. “I hope this isn’t bad news, Andrew,” he said, smiling wearily. “I’ve had just about all the bad news I can handle for the moment.”