As the arrivals became a steady flow, the buzz of visiting and conversing filled the space. For Jack it had become a familiar sound and made him appreciate more and more how special a place Henry Adams was. Life was so easy and simple that this is what the community did on Friday night. They gathered, gossiped, caught up on the lives of their friends and neighbors, and then sat down as one to enjoy the movies. After living in L.A., he thought he’d stepped into an alternate universe on his first Friday night in town last year. It amazed him that they all knew each other. In L.A., he was lucky to know the neighbors living on either side, but here they were all related, or attended school together. They were godparents and godchildren, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons. The idea that they’d been doing this for generations was what blew him away the most, and now his and Eli’s lives were a part of this living history as well. The enormity of that was staggering.
He saw parents and children that he didn’t recognize, and guessed they were from neighboring communities like Franklin. More and more outsiders were showing up every week to take advantage of the no-frills, laid-back entertainment.
Apparently the members of the press and the FUFAs had nothing to do on a Friday night either. Some of the crews had left for the weekend, but those still in town were drifting in, carrying their popcorn and drinks and looking around for seats to claim for themselves and their colleagues. It was going to be a packed house, and he was glad he’d gotten in early.
Trent made his way over to where he was sitting and asked, “You busy tomorrow?”
“I’m going with Rocky in the morning to pick up a bike, but I’m guessing it won’t take all day. Why?”
“Really? This like a date?” Trent didn’t bother hiding his grin.
“She says no.”
“Sounds like one to me.”
Jack shrugged. “All I know is she invited me, and I said yes.”
“Okay. The reason I’m asking is, I’m hoping we can get together and figure out what we want to sing for the Idol contest.”
“What time?”
“How about four? At the garage.”
“If I can’t make it, I’ll call you.”
“Good enough. Did she say what kind of bike?”
“No.”
“Knowing her, it’s probably a motorcycle. She used to ride one when we were younger.”
“Okay. I didn’t know that.”
They both saw Tamar up on the stage, ready to begin her role as the evening’s mistress of ceremonies.
“Okay, Jack. Have a good time, and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
He quickly headed back to his seat beside his wife. Jack turned to check the doors again. No Rocky. Disappointed, he focused his attention on Tamar.
She began the night festivities by referencing the two-page surveys everyone had been handed upon entering the auditorium. She then turned the announcement over to Gary Clark.
“I need them back ASAP,” he said, standing at his seat in the middle of the room. “If you can’t complete it tonight, bring it tomorrow to the groundbreaking. Mal says you can drop them off at the Dog, too. The surveys are very important if we want to open our own grocery store.” He thanked everyone and sat down again next to his daughters.
Up on the stage, Tamar added, “Don’t make me have to pay you a visit.”
Laughter followed that.
“Okay. That’s it for housekeeping. We’re showing The Princess and the Frog and All About Eve.”
She left the stage, the house lights went down, and the movie began.
Jack hadn’t seen Disney’s newest princess movie, and frankly, he wasn’t sure he wanted to, but he did want to see Bette Davis work her magic in the second feature, so he sat back. About fifteen minutes in, he heard a whisper beside him in the dark. “Did you save me a seat?”
Surprise jerked him straight up. “Yes.”
He scrambled to his feet to allow Rocky to pass.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
He was grateful for the darkness, because he was grinning like a fool.
She leaned over close enough for him to smell a light perfume. “Sorry I’m late. Couldn’t get the stupid FUFAs to leave so I could lock up, then I had to run home and take a shower.”
“Glad you made it.”
“Me, too.”
After that, they focused on the screen, and Jack was in heaven. About five minutes later, she leaned close and whispered, “Would you like to go for a drink after the movie?”
Somehow managing not to jump up and shout hallelujah, he replied, “Sure.”
When the movies were over, Bernadine left the auditorium with Mal’s arm around her waist. All About Eve had been as wonderful as she remembered. Bette Davis was a fabulous actress.
They were among the last group of moviegoers to exit, and as they stepped out into the chilly blustery night and headed for the solar-illuminated parking lot a few yards away, Mal stopped suddenly and tensed.
“What’s the matter?”
“Smell that?”
Bernadine did; then, as a gust of wind blew by, the scent became more pronounced.
People were flowing around them on the way to their vehicles, and Mal yelled out, “Gasoline! Don’t start your rides!”
The wind grabbed his words, but those people closest apparently understood and stopped. Some people could be seen at the far end of the lot who obviously couldn’t hear him because of the distance, but a few people were coming back at a run.
Trent ran up. “Do you smell that gas?”
“Yeah, I’m trying to get people to hold off starting up until we figure out where it’s coming from.”
The first explosion rocked the surroundings. One minute they’d been talking, and the next minute they were on the ground. A second explosion quickly followed. Red and orange flames filled the middle of the lot and rose into an undulating wall that sent fiery feelers rushing toward them over the surface of the lot.
“Run!” Mal bellowed. He grabbed Bernadine’s hand, pulled her stumbling to her feet, and together they joined the panicked race back to the building. Behind them blast after blast reverberated against the night, shaking the ground so forcefully she almost went down again. Some of the older people were knocked off their feet, but friends and neighbors rushed to their aid to get them moving again. Thick black smoke burned their eyes and throats.
Scraps of flaming, spinning metal began showering down like rain, adding to the terror. Hands went up to shield heads, only to be burned. Chunks of white-hot debris slammed into shoulders and crashed into backs. Screams rang out. People fell and were helped up. She noticed Bing limping along slowly with his arm around Clay, supporting his weight.
Mal saw them too. The building was just up ahead, so Bernadine pushed him toward his friend. “Go! I’ll be okay!”
He ran to assist them, and she covered the last few feet while frantically looking around for anyone else needing help. Her thoughts flew to the kids at home and prayed they were safe.
Trent, Gary, and Barrett ran by her, loaded down with fire extinguishers, but she wasn’t sure that would make a difference. She turned to see. The entire lot was engulfed in walls of dancing flames. People were still running by her, jostling her as they passed, and all she could do was stare transfixed at the most surreal scene she’d ever witnessed. Camera crews were running toward the blaze.
Trent and his crew were spraying wide arcs of foam in an effort to keep the fire from jumping to the grass and eating its way up to the building. Her fear was that there would be more explosions from gas tanks igniting and they might be hurt, but she left them to their grim task, covered the last few feet to safety, and dragged herself inside.
The auditorium’s interior was in chaos. Injured and dazed people were everywhere. Down by the stage Rocky was tearing open a packaged case of bottled water while Jack, with his arm in a sling, did his best to get the bottles passed out to the people lining up. Tamar was on a bullhorn, giving directions to ke
ep the badly injured in the lobby and announcing that ambulances were on the way. Lily was on her phone. Her face and hair were streaked with black smoke. Men Bernadine knew to be reporters were carrying stacked Red Cross–type cots up the aisles to the lobby to accommodate the injured until the ambulances arrived. The water, cots, and blankets Marie and Genevieve were handing out were from the emergency supplies kept on site in case of a blizzard or tornado. No one had imagined they’d be needed for something like this.
Bernadine finally shook off the shock of the nightmarish last few minutes and hurried down the center aisle to help. Rushing in behind her were Dr. Reg Garland, carrying his doctor’s bag, and Reverend Paula Grant, wearing her clerical collar.
In the end, thirty-five people were injured. Three of them had to be airlifted to Wichita to be treated for severe burns. A Franklin couple, Mike and Peggy Sanderson, who’d come to the movies to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, died when their truck caught fire.
Afterward, the weary locals and the first responders gathered at the Dog. Rocky opened up the kitchen and made coffee and sandwiches. The teens, along with Zoey and Devon, had ridden to the rec on their bikes, and after making sure their parents were okay, they were put to work in the kitchen.
Reg Garland and Reverend Grant looked dead on their feet from their ministrations to body and soul. Bernadine was sick from the death and destruction. She’d never imagined something so horrific happening in her town. Sheriff Dalton had arrived at the rec with some of the first responders. The parking lot was still too hot to do any preliminary forensics, he told her, but he admitted that a fire of such size and ferocity didn’t usually happen by chance. He’d return in the morning along with ATF agents to try and get to the bottom of things.
She took the cup of coffee Mal placed in front of her. “Thanks.”
He was wearing the same grim look he’d been wearing all evening, a look mirrored on the faces of everyone sitting in the Dog. “Clay just called from the hospital. Bing’s leg’s broken. He’ll stay there overnight, and Clay will bring him home in the morning.”
“Did he fall?” Lily asked, seated beside Trent, who reeked of smoke and extinguisher foam.
Mal shook his head. “He got hit by a flying truck door during the first explosion. He’s lucky to still be with us.”
“Who would do this?” She knew no one had an answer, but felt the need to express the question anyway. Al Stillwell instantly came to mind. Could he be so angry that he’d want to hurt people he didn’t even know? She understood him wanting to take revenge on her, but the Franklin couple who’d lost their lives had no connection to the lawsuit whatsoever, yet their family would be holding a funeral in the next few days. What had happened to her idyllic little piece of paradise? She supposed the ills of society were destined to catch up with them sooner or later, but parts of her wanted to hire regiments of marines and SWAT teams with dogs to keep her people safe.
Greer Parker walked over to the booth where she was seated and said somberly, “We filmed some of the fire. If law enforcement wants to view the footage, have them contact me.”
“I will.”
“So sorry about all this, Ms. Brown. Not what you expect to happen in a town like this.”
Bernadine agreed.
When everyone realized there was nothing more any of them could do, people started to head to their vehicles for the ride home, but some realized belatedly that they no longer had a vehicle. Marie had lost her old Pontiac. Mal’s Ford had been parked at the Dog, and Trent’s at the garage, so theirs had been spared. Lily’s hadn’t, and neither had Gary Clark’s. Bernadine lost Baby, too.
Those without transportation were offered rides home with those who did. Once that was sorted out, Reverend Paula asked, “Bernadine, what about the groundbreaking tomorrow? Are we on or off?”
Bernadine looked around at the kids, Sheila and Barrett, Rocky and Jack, and everyone else waiting to hear her response. “We’re on. If we hide under the covers, whoever started that fire wins, and I refuse!”
Applause, yells, and shouts of encouragement greeted her announcement, letting her know she’d made the right choice.
Reverend Paula smiled tiredly. “Then I’ll see everybody at eleven o clock.”
Rocky gave Jack, Eli, and Eli’s bike a ride home. While Eli grabbed his bike out of the bed, unlocked the door, and went inside, Jack sat silently. Rocky looked over. “You okay, Professor?”
“Who would do this?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a shame those people had to die. I hope Dalton finds whoever did it and puts them away before they do something else. I can’t imagine how that poor family must feel. Reverend Grant said she heard the explosions out at Tamar’s.”
Rocky wanted to somehow banish the bleakness she saw in his eyes.
“Are you still going to get your bike?”
“Yes. You heard Bernadine, we’re not running scared, so I’ll be here at six.”
“Then I’ll be ready. We’ll have to take rain checks on that drink.”
“I know, but I’m glad we were there to help.”
Mal dropped Bernadine and Crystal off at home. Inside the house, Crystal asked, “You sure you’re okay?”
“I am. I’m just sad about the people who died.”
“Me, too.”
“Thanks for helping out in the kitchen.”
“No problem. At first I thought the booms were thunder, then Doc Reg knocked on the door and said there was a fire. We could see it from the porch. He left Devon and Zoey with me and told us to stay put, but when we heard more of those big booms, Eli came over and said he was going to see what was happening, so we got everybody and rode in. Are we going to be in trouble?”
Bernadine hugged her close. “No, sweetie. You all did what you thought best, and no one can yell at you for that. Plus Rocky and Mal were glad for the help.”
“I hope they catch the person.”
“Me, too. Now I’m going up to shower, and then to bed. You should do the same.”
Crystal gave her another hug. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said fiercely.
“Me, too.”
Lying in bed, Bernadine stared unseeing into the darkness while the memories of the fire played in her head. Now that it was all over, the terror and helplessness that had been holding her in its grip since the initial blast dissipated was replaced by righteous anger. How dare someone do this! How dare cost a couple their life just for coming to see a movie in celebration of their anniversary! If she had to offer every dime she had as a reward for information, she would. The arsonist was not going to get away with this! Whoever it was would be found, prosecuted, and locked up if it took the rest of her life.
Chapter 18
Early the following morning, Rocky left her trailer and walked out to her truck. The sun was just rising, and it tinted the dawn sky with pinks and gold. She shivered a bit in the chilly air. Even though it was late April, spring was still having difficulty giving winter the final boot, and as a result the temperature was in the mid-forties. Glad for the warmth of her old black leather jacket, she got into her truck and started it up.
Hoping her engine didn’t disturb Tamar, the CNN guys, or Reverend Paula after the rough night they’d all had, she backed down the gravel drive that led out to July Road and used it to get to Main. Passing the Dog, she saw the lights on, indicating that Mal and Brian, the part-time cook who filled in for Siz on the weekends, were on their jobs. A minute later she drove by the rec and slowed to take in all the activity. A line of cop cruisers and unmarked cars were parked out front. Men and women in jackets emblazoned with local and national acronyms were all over the site, carrying clipboards and talking on phones. She saw Trent talking with a group of them, and Bernadine too. In the light of day the aftereffects of the fire could be seen in the burned remains of truck and cars littering the lots and the half-melted streetlights, warped and deformed like a picture by Salvador Dalí. Shaking her head sadly at
the madness, she drove on to Jack’s.
Jack. She’d been looking forward to this all week. Their shared ride home from the hospital had been nice. The look of utter surprise on his face when she walked into the waiting room was one she’d remember for a long time. He didn’t impress her as being someone who was caught flat-footed often, so she gave herself points. And yes, she was nervous, probably more than she’d been in quite some time, but she was determined to see this through, no matter how many times she had to keep telling the Doubting Thomas voices inside to shut up and take a seat.
She pulled into the James driveway at precisely 5:55. Jack exited his front door, pulling his jacket on over his shoulder while trying to hold on to a red plastic coffee cup with the hand in the sling. He seemed to be managing it okay, and she liked that he was on time.
When he got in, he brought with him the faint hint of a nice cologne and his smile. “Morning.”
“Morning.” She had another one of those moments where she found herself just staring at him. Snapping out of it, she backed down the driveway while he secured his seat belt.
“So, how are you?” he asked.
“I’m good. You?”
They were heading to the highway.
“Doing good, too.”
On the plains of Kansas early-morning radio was dominated by farm reports, so she had her iPod plugged in. David Sanborn’s horn flowed sweetly. Traffic was light. Rocky didn’t know what to say, so she let the music take over the silence.
“Thanks for the invite,” he said to her.
“You’re welcome.”
“What kind of bike are we picking up?”
“Vincent Black Shadow.”
She could tell by his furrowed brow that he didn’t have a clue as to what that was. “It’s okay, most people have no idea what it is either, but it’s a motorcycle—a classic. My dad used to have one when I was growing up. I’ve been looking for one to either buy or restore for about a year now.”
She merged onto the highway and blew by a few slower-moving trucks. Once the road ahead was clear, she set the cruise control and relaxed. She glanced his way. “Did you love your wife?”