‘Arson?’
‘I’m not sure they know yet.’
We were quiet for a moment, and my tension grew.
‘Look,’ I said. ‘We can stay here and wait for God knows what. Or we can go out. I can’t sleep.’
I began to pace.
‘I’m not sitting here all night worrying that Carrie might be lying in wait, damn it.’
Tears filled my eyes.
‘Benton’s out there somewhere. Maybe at the fire scene with Lucy. I don’t know.’
I turned my back to him and stared out at the harbor. My breath trembled in my breast, and my hands were so cold the fingernails had turned blue.
Marino got up, and I knew he was watching me.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s check it out.’
When we reached the fire scene on Walnut Street, the activity had diminished considerably. Most of the fire trucks had left, and those few firefighters still on the job were exhausted and coiling hoses. Steamy smoke drifted up from the plenum area of the store, but I could see no flames, and from within voices and footsteps sounded as the strong beam of flashlights cut the darkness and were caught in shards of broken glass. I sloshed through water as more groceries and debris floated past, and when I reached the entrance, I heard McGovern’s voice. She was saying something about a medical examiner.
‘Get him here now,’ she barked. ‘And watch it over there, okay? No telling where it’s all scattered, and I don’t want us stepping on anything.’
‘Someone got a camera?’
‘Okay, I got a watch, stainless steel, men’s. Crystal’s shattered. And we got one pair of handcuffs?’
‘What did you say?’
‘You heard me. Handcuffs, Smith Wesson, the genuine article. Closed and locked like someone had them on. In fact, they’re double locked.’
‘You’re shittin’ me.’
I made my way inside as large drops of cold water smacked my helmet and dripped down my neck. I recognized Lucy’s voice, but I could not make out what she was saying. She sounded almost hysterical, and there was suddenly a lot of splashing and commotion.
‘Hold on, hold on!’ McGovern commanded. ‘Lucy! Someone get her out of here!’
‘No!’ Lucy screamed.
‘Come on, come on,’ McGovern was saying. ‘I’ve got your arm. Take it easy, okay?’
‘No!’ Lucy screamed. ‘NO! NO! NO!’
Then there was a loud splash and a surprised outcry.
‘My God. Are you all right?’ McGovern said.
I was halfway inside when I saw McGovern helping Lucy to her feet. My niece was hysterical, and her hand was bleeding, but she didn’t seem to care. I waded to them as my heart constricted and my blood seemed to turn as cold as the water I waded through.
‘Let me see,’ I said as I gently took Lucy’s hand and shone my light on it.
She was shaking all over.
‘When’s the last time you had a tetanus shot?’ I asked.
‘Aunt Kay,’ she moaned. ‘Aunt Kay.’
Lucy locked her arms around my neck, and both of us almost fell. She was crying so hard she could not speak, and her embrace was a vise against my ribs.
‘What’s happened?’ I demanded of McGovern.
‘Let’s get both of you out of here now,’ she said.
‘Tell me what’s happened!’
I wasn’t going anywhere until she told me. She hesitated again.
‘We’ve found some remains. A burn victim. Kay, please.’
She took my arm and I yanked it away.
‘We need to go out,’ she said.
I pulled away from her as I looked toward the back corner, where investigators were talking amongst themselves and splashing and wading as fingers of light probed.
‘More bones over here,’ someone was saying. ‘Nope, scratch that. Burned wood.’
‘Well, this isn’t.’
‘Shit. Where the fuck’s the medical examiner?’
‘I’ll take care of this,’ I said to McGovern as if this were my scene. ‘Get Lucy out and wrap a clean towel around her hand. I’ll tend to her shortly. Lucy,’ I then said to my niece. ‘You’re going to be fine.’
I unlocked her arms from my neck, and I was beginning to tremble. Somehow I knew.
‘Kay, don’t go over there,’ McGovern raised her voice. ‘Don’t!’
But by now I knew I must, and I abruptly left them for that corner, splashing and almost tripping as I got weak in the knees. The investigators grew quiet with my approach, and at first I did not know what I was looking at as I followed the beams of their flashlights to something charred that was mingled with soggy paper and insulation, something on top of fallen plaster and chunks of blackened wood.