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.But maybe tonight -John swore."What is it?""That fire truck we saw? I think it was going to your place."Suzannah grasped the door handle as he cornered hard onto her street.Omigod, the pumper was ather house.And a second fire truck and a police car.John pulled up behind the police cruiser.Suzannah released her seatbelt and leapt from the car almost before it came to a stop."Oh, my Lord, my car."John rounded the Ford to join her on the sidewalk.Her BMW was no longer burning, but the acridsmell of smoke still hung in the air and the car was little more than a blackened husk.Water streameddown her driveway into the gutter."My car," she said again."Stay here," John ordered."I'll find out what happened."She grabbed his arm."No, I'm not going to wait here.It's my car and -"She was interrupted by a uniformed officer, who approached them with his arm outstretched."Folks, I'm going to have to ask you to back off.""Hey, Jules, it's me," John called."John Quigley, Detective Bureau.""Quigg?" The officer drew closer."How'd you get here so fast? They just got the fire out.""I was with Ms.Phelps.She's the property owner," he said, gesturing toward the house."And that'sher Beemer smoking in the driveway."The constable's eyes widened."You're with her?" "Yep."Suzannah stepped forward, tired of being discussed as though she weren't present, and extended herhand."I don't think I've had the pleasure.""Constable Julian Lambert."The young constable shook her hand.She thought he might have blushed, but it was impossible totell with the blue and reds strobing in the deepening dusk."Can you tell me what happened here?""Well, ma'am, your car was pretty much engulfed when we got here.I understand one of yourneighbors tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but backed off when he became concerned the gastank might blow.Funny, they always worry about the gas tank, but nine times out of ten, the realdanger comes from the hydraulic stuff blasting off.That's why the firefighters position themselvesahead or behind the vehicle, never beside"Right," said Quigg, cutting off the explanation."So he backed off and called it in?""Got his wife to make the call.""How'd it get started?" she asked."Can't say yet, ma'am." The radio on his belt crackled, and he paused to turn the volume down anotch."A lot of the car fires we see are electrical, but they tend to be old beaters, not late modelBMWs.I don't suppose you have any reason to suspect someone might want to lash out at you?"John stepped closer.She felt his tension through the layers of air separating them.Lifting her gaze,she met his.Tell him, his eyes said."You're right," she said, as though he'd spoken the words aloud."It's time.""Ma'am?"She turned back to the constable."Yes," she said softly."Yes, I think somebody might have donethis deliberately." Chapter 6It was after ten o'clock before everyone cleared out.An increasingly astonished Constable Lamberthad taken her statement, a process expedited by the thorough notes she'd kept in her diary.Dates,times, even the results of her own investigations with the florists.Her burned out car was towed awayfor forensic examination.Her neighbors had been canvassed about what they might have seen.Herdriveway was mopped up.Finally - finally - she closed the door on the last investigator and she andJohn were alone again."There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" John said as she crossed the living room."That depends," she said, bending to scoop up the Day Timer diaries she'd left on the coffee table."Depends on what?"She carefully fitted the diaries back in their box."On whether or not the car turns out to have haddefective wiring.If it does, I'll look like an hysterical woman who makes diary notations every timeshe sees her own shadow.""Aaarrghhh!"She lifted her chin."What?""You are one stubborn broad.Did Lambert say anything to lead you to believe he was in any wayskeptical about what you had to tell him?""Of course not.You were here backing me up.What did you expect him to do?""His job." John ran an impatient hand around the back of his neck."Which he'd have done with orwithout me being here."His being here.Time to talk about that.As she'd answered the constable's questions, a dull ache had been growingin her gut, an ache which had nothing to do with the fact someone had probably torched her car [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.But maybe tonight -John swore."What is it?""That fire truck we saw? I think it was going to your place."Suzannah grasped the door handle as he cornered hard onto her street.Omigod, the pumper was ather house.And a second fire truck and a police car.John pulled up behind the police cruiser.Suzannah released her seatbelt and leapt from the car almost before it came to a stop."Oh, my Lord, my car."John rounded the Ford to join her on the sidewalk.Her BMW was no longer burning, but the acridsmell of smoke still hung in the air and the car was little more than a blackened husk.Water streameddown her driveway into the gutter."My car," she said again."Stay here," John ordered."I'll find out what happened."She grabbed his arm."No, I'm not going to wait here.It's my car and -"She was interrupted by a uniformed officer, who approached them with his arm outstretched."Folks, I'm going to have to ask you to back off.""Hey, Jules, it's me," John called."John Quigley, Detective Bureau.""Quigg?" The officer drew closer."How'd you get here so fast? They just got the fire out.""I was with Ms.Phelps.She's the property owner," he said, gesturing toward the house."And that'sher Beemer smoking in the driveway."The constable's eyes widened."You're with her?" "Yep."Suzannah stepped forward, tired of being discussed as though she weren't present, and extended herhand."I don't think I've had the pleasure.""Constable Julian Lambert."The young constable shook her hand.She thought he might have blushed, but it was impossible totell with the blue and reds strobing in the deepening dusk."Can you tell me what happened here?""Well, ma'am, your car was pretty much engulfed when we got here.I understand one of yourneighbors tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but backed off when he became concerned the gastank might blow.Funny, they always worry about the gas tank, but nine times out of ten, the realdanger comes from the hydraulic stuff blasting off.That's why the firefighters position themselvesahead or behind the vehicle, never beside"Right," said Quigg, cutting off the explanation."So he backed off and called it in?""Got his wife to make the call.""How'd it get started?" she asked."Can't say yet, ma'am." The radio on his belt crackled, and he paused to turn the volume down anotch."A lot of the car fires we see are electrical, but they tend to be old beaters, not late modelBMWs.I don't suppose you have any reason to suspect someone might want to lash out at you?"John stepped closer.She felt his tension through the layers of air separating them.Lifting her gaze,she met his.Tell him, his eyes said."You're right," she said, as though he'd spoken the words aloud."It's time.""Ma'am?"She turned back to the constable."Yes," she said softly."Yes, I think somebody might have donethis deliberately." Chapter 6It was after ten o'clock before everyone cleared out.An increasingly astonished Constable Lamberthad taken her statement, a process expedited by the thorough notes she'd kept in her diary.Dates,times, even the results of her own investigations with the florists.Her burned out car was towed awayfor forensic examination.Her neighbors had been canvassed about what they might have seen.Herdriveway was mopped up.Finally - finally - she closed the door on the last investigator and she andJohn were alone again."There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" John said as she crossed the living room."That depends," she said, bending to scoop up the Day Timer diaries she'd left on the coffee table."Depends on what?"She carefully fitted the diaries back in their box."On whether or not the car turns out to have haddefective wiring.If it does, I'll look like an hysterical woman who makes diary notations every timeshe sees her own shadow.""Aaarrghhh!"She lifted her chin."What?""You are one stubborn broad.Did Lambert say anything to lead you to believe he was in any wayskeptical about what you had to tell him?""Of course not.You were here backing me up.What did you expect him to do?""His job." John ran an impatient hand around the back of his neck."Which he'd have done with orwithout me being here."His being here.Time to talk about that.As she'd answered the constable's questions, a dull ache had been growingin her gut, an ache which had nothing to do with the fact someone had probably torched her car [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]