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Doug held up his hands, palms out. “I had nothing to do with that explosion. I was just…”
“We don’t think you caused it, Mr. Bogusiewicz,” Nico interrupted. “We know you witnessed it, though, and we’d like to ask what you saw.”
The woman put her hand on Doug’s arm and murmured something to him. He brushed his mouth over hers and said, “It’s okay, Sarah. I’m fine talking about it.”
The woman looked doubtful, but she nodded. Went back to her desk, but stood there with her arms crossed, watching Julia and Nico. Her cool glance warned that she’d be paying attention to whatever went on between them and Doug.
“Why don’t you come into my workroom?” Doug finally said. “I’d rather not talk out here in case a customer comes in.”
Julia followed him, Nico beside her. Doug opened the door, and they walked into a large room.
The space smelled like sawdust and was filled with stacks of wood, large machines and a number of partially built pieces of furniture. A small desk stood in one corner, and Doug pulled out the chair for Julia. “Sorry,” he said to Nico. “Only chair back here.”
“Not a problem,” Nico said easily. “Sixteen years ago, Julia’s entire family was killed when their house exploded. She wasn’t there -- she’d snuck out of the house to go to a party with her boyfriend. The detective in charge of the case said you’d been a witness. Said you thought you saw a hunchback at the side of the house, who somehow disappeared.”
Doug closed his eyes and sank onto a corner of his desk. “God,” he said, shoving his hand through his hair. “I’ll never forget that night. It’s what turned everything around for me.”
Nico frowned. “How so?”
Straightening his shoulders, Doug said, “I’m an alcoholic. Have been for a long time. By the time that house exploded, I was so far in the bottle I probably would’ve been dead within the year. But…” He looked away, drawing a shaky breath. “I was sleeping in the small grove of trees and bushes behind that house. Had been for a couple of weeks. It was private. Quiet at night. No one disturbed my drinking.” His mouth quirked in a sad smile.
“I was staggering drunk that night. I’d gotten up to take a leak, and I saw a figure by the side of that house. I told the cops it was a hunchback, because that’s what it looked like to me. A guy with a bump on his back. It was dark in those trees, and there were no lights on around the house.”
“Were there usually lights?” Nico asked.
Doug nodded. “Yeah. They kept the outside lights on all night. I noticed, because I used those lights to find my way to the tree where I took a leak. That night, without the lights, I tripped over some branches. Bumped into a tree or two. Got a bruise on my forehead.”
“So you saw the hunchback, then he disappeared.” Nico’s voice was even. Non-judgmental.
Doug nodded. “After I got sober, I realized the hunchback must have gone into a door. But that night, everything was kind of blurry. Out of focus.”
“Looking back, what do you think you actually saw?”
Doug shrugged. “My best guess? Someone carrying something. A backpack, maybe. As best as I can remember, it was about backpack size and shape.” He shrugged. “At the time, I figured it was a hallucination. I went back to my sleeping bag, and the explosion woke me up. I have no idea how much time had passed. By the time I was vertical, the house was engulfed in flames. No way anyone, even someone sober, could have gotten in there to save anyone.”
“So how did the explosion turn everything around for you?” Julia asked.
Doug turned to her. “You’re the daughter, right? The one who wasn’t killed?”
“Yes. I was sixteen.”
A faint, regretful smile flickered across Doug’s face. “Thank God you snuck out of the house that night.” He picked up a small red ball from his desk and began squeezing it rhythmically. “That explosion was my come-to-Jesus moment. When I heard what had happened, I realized that if I had been sober, I might have been able to save the people in that house. Or at least have a better idea of who or what I’d seen that night. But I couldn’t, because I was drunk. I didn’t want to be that guy anymore -- pissing against a tree while people died in front of me.”
“You went to the police,” Julia said, leaning closer to Doug. “Told them what you saw. You didn’t have to do that. And the police told me no one would have been able to save my parents and my brother. That they probably died instantly. You can let that burden go, Doug.”
Doug gave her a faint smile. “Thank you for that. In a way, your family’s deaths gave me back my life. I left that little woods and went straight to an AA meeting. I still go to meetings almost every day.”
“Congratulations,” Julia said. “I’m really happy that you were able to get your life together.” She waved her hand toward the furniture. “You make beautiful furniture. Once my restaurant is back on its feet, and I have a little money to spare, I’ll be back to buy something for my house.”
Doug finally smiled. “I’ll be here. And it would feel like I’ve come full circle when the woman who wasn’t killed in an explosion I witnessed buys a piece of my furniture.”
Julia pulled a business card out of her purse. “This is my restaurant. I’d love to buy you and your…” She tilted her head toward the showroom. “Your girlfriend? Wife? I’d like to buy you dinner some night.”
“Sarah’s my wife. I met her at AA.”
“Then you and Sarah come to Madeline’s some night. Ask your server to tell me you’re there so I can come say hello.”
“I’ll do that.” He slid off the desk and his gaze flicked from her to Nico. Back again. “Is there something about the explosion that’s being investigated again?”
