Chapter Eight
Fluffy cumulus clouds floated overhead as Andrea entered the church building for the early service the next morning. She spotted Brian speaking to a couple near the hallway to the Sunday school rooms. As soon as he saw her he moved down the aisle toward her.
“May I sit with you this morning?”
“Sure but…let’s not give anyone a thing to talk about…ok?” Andrea winked and then turned to the bulletin insert to read about upcoming events.
“How did you come to know the Lord?” Brian spoke in a reverent whisper as people filled the pews to their right and left.
Andrea leaned toward him and spoke in a soft whisper. “In our sophomore year at college, Diane invited me to her parents’ home for Easter. I discovered just how ‘religious’ they were. Her folks went to church the Friday before Easter Sunday as well as Easter Sunday. And then they told me that Jesus had died for my sins.”
“I’ll bet you didn’t like to think of yourself in that light.”
“How did you guess?”
“Andrea, I’m beginning to see how strong and self-sufficient you are. I’m sure you thought of yourself as OK.”
“I did. In fact, Diane quickly changed the subject because she knew I was not comfortable with that conversation.”
“So how did you finally learn you needed a Saviour?”
“On the ride back to campus, Diane asked me how I felt. I had lots of questions. To make a long story short, I discovered my arrogance…to think I could do without God in my life.”
“Isn’t it amazing that we think we can leave our Creator out of the equation?”
“Is that what happened to you?”
“Something like that. Go on, what happened next?”
“Diane led me in the prayer of salvation. I agreed that I had turned my back on God. That continues to be my biggest failure but there were others…like pride in my accomplishments or thinking myself better than others. I asked Jesus to take control of my life then and there and I’ve been an avid follower ever since.”
“Praise God. For both of us. I came to know him just before I moved here. I believe God wanted me here so…I moved.” Brian smiled a look of peace and contentment.
“Diane introduced us, remember but…back then…you seemed to be so focused on your job, you had little time for anything else including the Michners. I’d see you sometime at the Michners but you and Trent were always doing your thing and Diane and I often took that opportunity to go for coffee.”
“Trent knew me from our high school and college days. He respected you so much that he warned me not to get too close. I guess my reputation has not always been spotless but…after I met Christ…I didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore. Trent wasn’t so sure that I had changed…yet.”
“Do you remember when you first visited this church?” Andrea noticed curious glances from nearby worshipers.
“I do. I moved here after being best man at Trent and Diane’s wedding. I met you there, didn’t I?”
“I’m glad I made such an impression. I was Diane’s Maid of Honor.”Andrea turned her attention to the worship team who’d just begun to lead everyone in praise songs to the Lord. The music had her spirits soaring. She noticed Brian’s beautiful singing voice. She also detected his serious, heart-felt praise of the Lord.
Andrea, aware of a strange twinge in her stomach, considered this new piece of information. Sitting right next to Brian in church was a new experience. One we’d better not repeat if we don’t want to be the latest topic of conversation for the romantics in the congregation.
The sermon, uplifting and inspiring from start to finish, focused on what Jesus would do if He lived in the world today. The idea intrigued Andrea. What would Jesus do if faced with the dilemma that she and Brian were faced with?
After church, Andrea waved good-bye to Brian. “I’ll see you Monday after work.”
“Good. If you hear anything, call me. I’ll do the same. Okay?” Andrea nodded her head in affirmation.
It took Andrea only a few minutes to drive home. When she turned down her street, the whole block looked like the parking lot of a police station…except for the fire trucks. Someone’s house is on fire. She drove on down the block hoping to be able to pull into her own driveway. The closer she got, the more fearful she became. It’s my house.
Andrea slammed on the brakes The angry orange flames were shooting out of every window in her home. She watched, as if in a dream, as men in yellow fireman’s coats ran here and there. Various pieces of equipment lay all over the sidewalk. Her hand covered the involuntary cry of dismay when she saw fire bursting through broken window panes and smoke erupting through the shingles on her roof.
“Patches, Pokey.” She screamed as she raced towards the inferno. Terror filled her eyes. She searched the crowd…people mesmerized by the blaze from her home.
“Wait, miss. You can’t…”A policeman moved to block her path.
A fireman raced after two dogs when they broke away from their tethers. “Hey, come back…” Patches and Pokey lunged for their mistress.
“Oh my pretty girls.” Andrea breathed a deep sigh of relief but then coughed as the acrid smoke coming from her residence filled the air. She dropped to her knees and hugged her animals tightly. “Are you hurt girls? How did you get out?” Her hands did a careful inspection for damage. “Thank God you’re safe.”
She glanced over their heads. Tears blurred her vision. She watched the roof collapse and ashes spew into the air. She turned to the policeman who’d tried to stop her. “What happened? My house.” Her hands waved toward the scene.
“All I know, miss, is what the neighbors told us. An explosion caused the whole house to burst into flames. We won’t know the cause until the Fire Marshall completes his investigation. Uh-h-h, do you normally let your dogs roam free when you go out?” He steered her toward the running board of a nearby fire engine. Andrea sat.
“No…I-I don’t.” She began to shiver from emotional overload. A nearby paramedic wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. “They’re inside until I come home. I’ve no idea how they got outside. Maybe one of the neighbors?” Andrea didn’t care how they got out as long as they did.
She watched her peaceful afternoon go up in smoke along with her house. Nothing left…except the clothes she had on…and her dogs. Two firemen leaned against the side of a fire truck, oxygen masks over their faces. Others chopped holes into the siding. Flower beds, trampled. What next? But her dogs were safe?
A neighbor placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, squeezed her regret and left. Another asked if she could call anyone.
“No, I have my cell phone.” Andrea’s attempt at a smile failed miserably.
Tears again. Does a body ever run out of tears? Andréa watched a tall, robust man walk toward her, his uniform a combination of soot and polish. “It looks like whatever exploded engulfed the building in flames long before the department could arrive. It could be a severed gas line or…do you have any enemies, Miss Wilton? Could someone want to harm you? I mean…someone had to let the dogs out and since you weren’t home…”
Maybe someone was aiming for you. The memory of Friday night filled her with terror. The police had suggested the same thing, hadn’t they? First Max and now her home. “I-I don’t know. I d-don’t think so but…F-friday, a man…” She hiccupped. “M-my next door neighbor was killed on my doorstep. One policeman suggested that maybe the bullet was meant for me, but I …”
“It’s just a thought…part of my investigation. Try not to worry too much tonight.”
“I don’t have any enemies. I …”
“Except for a neighbor getting shot on your doorstep, right?”
“…a-a-and my best friend disappeared four days ago along with her husband and small child.” Andrea’s voice shook as she grimaced. Her life didn’t sound so peaceful even to her ears.
“I’m sure this isn’t going to help any. Anyhow, it
’s too early to tell anything for sure, but, what you’ve told us may point to the reason for the fire. Please let us know where we can reach you, Miss Wilton, in case we have any more questions.”
“I will.” Andrea gawked at her home one last time remembering why she’d bought it in the first place. A sanctuary. A place to come after work. To put her feet up and relax. Now look at it. Sobs garnered strength as she watched firemen trample through her things, picking up this charred piece of something and then another. What is happening to my life? She looked toward the faces of her neighbors and wondered if the culprit, if there was an arsonist, stood in the crowd watching her misery.
She stood. Pain erupted behind her eyes. She dried her tears on her sleeve. Crying served no purpose. Soot filled the air. It covered her hands, her clothes and her dogs. She grabbed their collars to steer them toward her car. At least I still have a car. She brushed the soot off the dog’s once glossy coats and then corralled them into her back seat. Her limbs seemed to buckle as she fell rather than sat on her front seat. She rested her head on her steering wheel. The cool plastic felt good.
•
Brent Morrison, the fire marshal checked all the gas lines and electrical circuits, but found nothing to indicate something of that nature caused the fire. He decided to sift further through the ashes. Kicking hot coals aside with the toe of his boot, he moved a piece of charred wood. Studying a partially burned out wall, he began to see a burn pattern.
“Charlie, check this out.” He called his assistant who immediately crossed from the right side of the house to stand beside him. “See the pattern?”
“It looks like the fire started over there.” Charlie pointed toward the kitchen counter, where the back door used to be. A charred tin bucket lay on its side. Charlie picked it up gingerly holding it between his thumb and index finger, hoping not to smear any prints.
“That smells like gasoline.” He held it for his boss.
Brent bent his head toward the bucket and took a long sniff. “Sure smells like it.” He kicked at some debris. “This looks like the ash from a rag or maybe two. I’ll bet that’s how this fire was set. He inserted a rag into the gasoline but left it hanging over the edge of the bucket. Then he lit it. That would give him time to get out of here before the fuel ignited. The explosion was probably caused by the gas lines to the furnace erupting, however.”
Charlie wrapped the bucket in plastic. “When the lab checks this over, I sure hope they find some latent prints. I’d like to catch whoever did this.”
•
Andrea took her dogs to their favorite kennel. “Make sure they’re fed and watered right away. I don’t know how long they’ve been outside without any water.”
“I’ll take good care of them.” Jane Moyers had looked after her pets ever since she moved to town.
“I don’t know when I’ll be able to take them home…or even where home will be, for that matter. I do know I’m going out of town for a while so you will have them for at least a couple of weeks. Is that okay?”
Jane agreed to make them feel right at home for as long as Andrea needed. “You can visit whenever you like.”
Andrea hugged her pets. They were settled. Now it was her turn to find sanctuary for the night. Choosing someplace close to work but in the busiest part of town, a larger hotel than the night before with more amenities, Andrea locked the car and walked toward the clerk att the front desk.
“A room for one night? Certainly Ma’am,” he said. At least my bank account is liquid enough that I can afford to stay here. The room clerk handed her the key that opened her door on the sixth floor. She peered out the window overlooking the brightly lit downtown streets. If the situation were different…but…it wasn’t so…Tomorrow she would look after the clothes situation but for now, a good long soak in a hot soapy tub of water would suffice.
The muscles between her shoulders ached. Andrea felt and tasted grit. She took off her soiled clothes, placed the bathrobe located on the back of the bathroom door closer to the tub, and then turned on the tap to fill the large whirlpool with warmwater. She splashed in some bath wash to make bubbles. Oh boy. This is going to feel so good.
Andrea slowly slipped her big toe into the warm soapy suds and then sank bodily into the depths of the tub. Slowly tight muscles relaxed in the pulsing jets of steamy water but visions of her loss encompassed her like the soap bubbles in the tub. She groaned. Stop crying. Her eyes pooled. Deep, from the bottom of her soul, sobs volcanoed to the surface. Everything familiar was gone. Even Diane. She had never felt so alone.
She cried a long time, for possessions but more for the intrusion into her life. Lord, why? And then she became aware of a whisper, “Why not.” She sat up. Tears subsided. She looked around. She lay back into the warmth again, feeling the comfort. The Lord has provided, hasn’t He?
She hadn’t realized just how tense she felt, as if she’d been beaten. Her muscles began to loosen up. Andrea closed her eyes. She concentrated on the shopping trip tomorrow. It had been a long time since she’d been able to afford new clothes.
Brian. I wonder what he’ll say about this latest development.
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