Scorched Secrets, page 5
part #1 of Finnegan First Responders Series
“Colin!” She pulled the fabric down from her mouth so she could be heard. “Colin!”
“Faye! I’m here. The fire crew is on the way.”
The news was only slightly reassuring. She pulled the fabric up again over her nose and mouth and beat on the grate with her fist. Did it move? She hit it again and again, hoping and praying she’d manage to knock it loose.
How she’d get through the opening was another obstacle, but one she didn’t dwell on. The good news about being up this high was that a hint of fresh air wafted through the narrow opening.
“Faye!” The grate moved beneath her fingertips. Then it was gone, and she saw Colin’s concerned face in the opening. “I’m here. Are you hurt?”
“No.” She blinked away tears, struggling to remain calm. Normally she was cool under pressure, at least as far as working with a slew of patients coming through the emergency department.
This type of thing was beyond her normal coping skills.
“Can you push up any higher? Crawl through the opening?” Colin’s gaze held hers. “I’m here to support you on this side.”
It seemed an impossible task. Yet she’d managed to get this far. Glancing down, she placed one foot on the top of the faucet and pushed upward. Her face was through the opening now, but she knew there was no way on earth she’d get the rest of body through.
Stupid tears filled her eyes again. So close! She was so close to getting out of the smoky bathroom. Hearing the wail of sirens brought some relief. Help was on the way.
The sink beneath her feet abruptly broke away from the wall. She let out a yelp and managed to grab onto the lower part of the opening where the grate had been to keep from hitting the floor.
“Faye!” Colin covered her hands with his. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t have the breath to answer. Craning her neck, she peered down to see where the sink was, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hold herself there for long. She’d never managed to do a pull-up in her entire life. Doubtful she’d be able to do one now.
“Can you hang on a little longer?” Colin looked down at her through the grate opening.
“I don’t know.” Her voice was muffled against the wall. If she let go, she’d land on the broken remains of the sink. Telling herself it could be worse, she struggled to remain calm. “Just hurry.”
“I won’t leave you.” His low voice was husky.
“I know.” Turning her head from the wall, she coughed. The bathroom door was dark with soot. Or was it blackened wood? An orange flame licked through a narrow opening in the doorway. She watched in horror as the flicker grew longer, as if it were a long, fiery finger reaching toward her.
How long before the door was completely engulfed in flames?
Her fingers cramped on the edge of the grate opening. She wasn’t going to be able to hold herself much longer. The sirens were loud now, so much so that she could no longer hear Colin’s reassuring voice.
Her fingers slipped. Placing one foot against the wall, she pushed her body away and let go. She hit the floor hard, narrowly missing the largest chunk of the broken sink.
Stumbling back, she put as much distance between herself and the burning door. The smoke was thicker now and getting worse by the second.
Then she heard a sizzle as water pummeled the door. A few droplets made it through the cracks, but not enough to help alleviate the smoke. If anything, the smoke thickened.
Faye dropped to the floor in the furthest corner of the room, burying her face in the wet fabric of her scrub top.
Her eyes burned, tears streaking down her cheeks. Deep voices from the other side of the door brought hope of rescue.
Finally, a section of the door gave way, water pouring through the opening. She struggled to her feet, although getting soaked was the least of her concerns. She wanted desperately to escape, to rush through the opening into the fresh air, but held back. The fire might be under control, but that didn’t mean it was safe. Whatever part of the door was left would be sizzling hot.
A fireman burst through the opening. “Faye?”
“Here.” Her voice was a croak.
He stepped forward, compassion in his gaze through his face mask. “I’m going to cover you with this blanket to get you out, okay?”
“Yes.” She nodded in case he couldn’t hear her. Without hesitation, he tossed the blanket over her head, then placed his arm around her waist, guiding her across the room and through the opening.
She walked with him for several feet before she heard Colin’s voice. “Thanks, Darrel. I can take it from here.” The blanket came off. She blinked, realizing she was standing near an ambulance.
“I’m going to place this oxygen mask over your face, okay?” A kind paramedic tugged the scrub top away to place a face mask over her nose and mouth. She thought about protesting but understood the medical treatment was appropriate and necessary. She needed to be a good patient and let these first responders do their job.
Despite the oxygen, she coughed and coughed, her lungs desperately trying to eliminate the smoke irritant. Her vision was still blurry, but she focused on Colin’s grim features hovering over her. It took a minute for her to register the fact that the paramedics had gently pushed her down onto a stretcher.
Her arm shot out to grab Colin. “Don’t take me to the hospital.”
“You need to get checked out.” He hunkered down beside her. “If our situation was reversed, and I was the one lying there, you’d make me go in.”
Yeah, she would, but this was different. “I just need to rest for a few minutes.” She coughed again, then added, “Oxygen is helping.”
“I’m sure it is.” He took her hands, scowling at the abrasions on her palms. He took a cleansing wipe and softly removed the bits of debris. He applied antibiotic ointment and loosely wrapped them in gauze. His thoughtful concern choked her up. Never in their short marriage had Rory been so sweet and kind.
She took in a deep breath, pulling herself together with an effort. She wasn’t hurt badly, at least from a physical perspective. Her lungs would heal in time. Emotionally, the fear of burning to death hadn’t faded.
“Did you see who did this?” She sounded as if she’d smoked an entire carton of cigarettes. And her throat felt like it too.
“A figure in black took off on a motor scooter.” Colin shook his head. “I only caught a partial plate and asked Mitch to run it for us. I haven’t heard back yet.”
“How?” She caught his hand. “How were we found?”
“I don’t know, Faye.” His gaze was troubled. “Maybe we were followed to the homestead. Maybe our alarm system was enough to keep them from attempting to breach the house.”
Horrifying to imagine the damage that could have been done to the Finnegan homestead, or worse, to its occupants. She closed her eyes on a wave of despair.
She needed to find someplace to stay. Not at her father’s house, or with the Finnegans. Not now.
No one was safe around her. No one.
Colin’s relief over getting Faye out of danger was short-lived. Her questions were dead-on. He wasn’t a cop like his siblings, but he’d watched for a tail.
Obviously, he hadn’t done a good enough job of evading the arsonist. And really, looking back, he should have taken more time at the scene of her house fire. He knew full well many firebugs liked to stay close to watch their handiwork. It was all part of the fascination with the dancing dragon, the term many used to describe fire.
The close call with Faye had brought him to his knees. He’d mistakenly assumed the arsonist had just wanted to make things difficult for her.
Now he knew the ultimate goal was to kill her. Not with a bullet, but with fire.
“We should take her to the ER,” the paramedic said in a low voice.
“ED,” he absently corrected. “We can try, but she made it clear she doesn’t want to go.”
“I’m fine.” Faye’s voice was stronger now, and her coughing had subsided a bit. “Please give me a few more minutes.”
“You’ll need to sign a waiver if you refuse to be transported to the hospital,” the paramedic warned.
“That’s fine. The only treatment for smoke inhalation is oxygen. I didn’t breathe in enough smoke to need anything more complex, like hyperbaric treatments.”
Colin raised a brow. “Hyperbaric treatments?” That was knowledge outside his paramedic training. “What does that entail?”
She waved a gauzy hand. “Never mind. It’s complicated. Just know I’m not that bad, I’ll recover without a problem. Thankfully, being near the grate opening helped. And I covered my nose and mouth too.”
He tended to agree with her assessment. He’d rescued victims who had looked far worse. Hard to argue with her medical knowledge, too, although he knew full well that doctors and nurses made the worst patients.
“Fine with me.” The paramedic shrugged and tapped on a computer tablet. Everything was computerized these days, so he pulled up the form electronically and thrust the tablet toward her. “Sign here.”
Faye sat up on the gurney to take it. She blinked, her eyes red and irritated, and used the tip of her finger to sign. Then she removed the face mask and looked at him. “I’m ready to go.”
“Okay. But Mitch Callahan just arrived. He’ll want to talk to you first.”
She nodded and put the face mask back over her nose and mouth for a few more deep breaths as the arson investigator approached.
“Colin, what happened?” Mitch looked from him to Faye. “I don’t like this turn of events.”
“Me either.” Faye set the face mask aside.
Colin filled Mitch in on what he saw first, then handed the thread to Faye. Her comments were concise and brief, void of any emotion. It was as if she were describing an event that had happened to someone else.
“I got several hits on the motor scooter license plate, but it will take time to go through them all.” Mitch shook his head. “I was surprised by how many scooters we have registered in the state.”
“Maybe we can narrow them to the Milwaukee area?” Colin suggested.
“I don’t think that’s wise,” Mitch said. “We don’t know for sure who this guy is. He could have bought and registered the motor scooter in another city and moved here more recently.”
“I take it Rory Owen and Jayson Sanders aren’t on the list?”
“That’s correct. They are not.” Mitch shifted his gaze back to Faye. “I think it’s time for you to tell us which patients and families may be upset with you.”
She grimaced. “I really can’t.”
“I’ve initiated a subpoena requesting records from Trinity Medical Center on patient complaints lodged against you personally over the past year.” Mitch spread his hands. “I’ll find out eventually. You can help by giving me a place to start.”
She shook her head. “When you have the list, we’ll go through it. But I can’t do anything until you have that subpoena.”
Colin saw the frustration in Mitch’s eyes, but he didn’t say anything more. Faye wasn’t going to breach patient confidentiality, and that was that.
As annoying as it was, he had to admire her resolve.
“Okay, I need to see what accelerant the guy used this time.” Mitch turned to look at the blackened remnants of the restroom door.
“Acetone,” Faye said.
Colin glanced at her in surprise. “How do you know?”
“I caught the scent before I realized the door was on fire.” She coughed, then added, “I was washing my hands. By the time I dried them and reached for the door handle, it was hot to the touch.”
“When I came around to the door, the fire was already spreading.” Colin swallowed against the panic he’d felt at knowing Faye was trapped inside. “I think there was some paper or something stuck between the narrow opening right near the door handle.”
“That makes sense.” Mitch nodded at Faye. “Please keep in touch, Dr. Kimble. I really need your help to find this guy.”
“Please call me Faye. And I’ll help in any way I can. Within legal bounds,” she added.
Colin watched as Mitch walked toward the scene, torn between joining him to examine the door more closely and sticking close to Faye.
Not much of a contest, he wouldn’t leave Faye, even for a minute. Look what had happened in the short time she’d been away from him here at the park?
His bright idea to take a bike ride had backfired in a big way. He frowned. “Would you rather take a rideshare back to the homestead?”
“No need.” She glanced around as if remembering the bikes at the last minute. “Unless the bikes were stolen?”
“I don’t think so, but I’ll have to check.” Worrying about the bikes hadn’t been on his list of priorities. He’d pulled the picnic table over to the restrooms to get to the grate, but the stupid opening hadn’t been large enough to get through. He’d grabbed a branch and tried to break through to make a larger opening, but to no avail.
By then the fire rigs had arrived, so he’d abandoned that idea. He’d wanted to be the one to go in to get Faye, but that wasn’t an option without the proper gear. Especially since the wood remains of the door were still smoldering when Darrel had agreed to go in to get her. They’d doused the fire, but it took time for the heat to dissipate.
Faye set the oxygen mask aside and stood. “I’m ready.”
Cupping her elbow in his hand, he guided her toward the park bench where they’d stopped to rest—he glanced at his watch—only forty minutes ago.
It seemed like a lifetime. More so for Faye, though, as she’d been the one trapped by the blaze.
Thankfully, their bikes were exactly where he’d left them. Yet watching Faye place her bandaged hands on the handlebar, he changed his mind.
“Hold on.” He put a hand on her arm. “We’ll call Rhy. His SUV is large enough to stick the bikes in the back.”
“No!” Faye’s eyes widened in panic. “We’re not dragging your brother and his wife into this. I can’t bear the idea of this guy striking out at your family. We’ll ride these back, and then you’ll drop me off at the nearest hotel.” She held his gaze. “We’re not even going inside, understand?”
He wanted to argue, but she had a point about putting his family in danger. “We’ll ride back,” he reluctantly agreed. “And then I’ll take you someplace safe.”
“Good.” She let out a sigh and nodded. “That’s good.”
He wasn’t leaving her alone, but that was an argument for later. Right now, it was more important to get back to his Jeep.
Mitch came over before they could get on the bikes. “Need a lift?”
“Are you finished here?” Colin asked in surprise. He figured Mitch would have stuck around for a while.
“I have what I need for now.” He gestured to his SUV. “Let me give you a ride home.”
“Thanks.” Faye appeared relieved not to have to ride the bike.
It took longer to get the bikes stored in the back than it did for Mitch to drive them back to the homestead. Mitch helped pull the bikes out as Colin punched in the key code to open the garage door.
The alarm was only for the house, and when the garage door opened, he was relieved to see the empty space where Rhy’s SUV would normally be. That’s right, he’d mentioned taking Devon out for lunch. A good thing as he wouldn’t have to stop to fill his oldest brother in on the recent events at the park.
After storing the bikes in the corner where he’d found them, Colin closed the garage door and used his key to unlock the Jeep.
“Stay in touch,” Mitch said, giving Faye a stern look as she climbed into the passenger-side seat.
“I promise.” She smiled wearily before closing the door.
“Keep me in the loop on what you find out,” Colin said. He waited for Mitch to nod, then slid in behind the wheel.
Mitch backed out of the driveway first. Then Colin did the same, feeling a twinge of regret at the need to leave the homestead. He made a mental note to call Rhy later as he drove through their Brookland neighborhood.
“There’s a hotel near the hospital,” Faye said, breaking the silence. “It’s within walking distance, and there’s a shuttle service as many patients’ families stay there. That will work the best for me. I have to report back to work on Monday.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The arsonist might figure out that’s where you’re staying.”
“It’s a big place, even if he thinks I’m there, there’s no way he can figure out which room I’m in.”
Colin shook his head. “You really want to put others at risk?”
“No! But so far this guy has only targeted me, Colin. There was no one else in the restroom with me, and he only hit my house and my car.” She sounded frustrated, and while he could relate, he wasn’t buying her theory.
“Larry was killed fighting the fire at your house, so he clearly doesn’t care how many other innocent lives he takes down with him.”
She sucked in a harsh breath, then coughed. “Just leave me downtown, then,” she said in a low voice. “I’ll stay somewhere else. No one but me will know where I am.”
“I can’t do that.” The thought of her being completely on her own was unacceptable. No way, not happening. He didn’t care what she said, he wasn’t leaving her to navigate the danger on her own. “I’m staying with you.”
“No, you’re not.” Her jaw jutted stubbornly. “Anyone staying near me is in danger. I’m not shouldering the burden for your safety too.” She sighed, and added, “Please don’t ask me to do that.”
He tried to find the words to reassure her. “Faye, we need to leave our worries in God’s hands. My decision to stay with you is my choice. I believe God will watch over us.”
She didn’t say anything for a long moment. He considered heading to the American Lodge but decided against it. If the arsonist was a former firefighter, he’d know to look for them there. Gary, the owner, was a former firefighter himself and offered a discount for police and fire responders.
“Please don’t ask me to leave you, because I can’t do that. If I hadn’t been at the park with you today . . .” He let his voice trail off.
