AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A cacophony of sirens heralds an ambulance, three fire engines, and two police cars. All the emergency strobe lights combine in blinding intensity. Once the police find out the criminal has left the area, the firefighters put out the blaze before the house burns down.
The fire marshal tells us it will be at least tomorrow before they can assess the damage.
“Probably a small incendiary device. Maybe a grenade or something homemade. Pure luck it landed on your couch.”
“Luck?” Dad sputters.
“For the guy who threw it.”
Cooling down as fast as he heated up, Dad asks, “Was it like a Molotov cocktail?”
“Could be, or a homemade grenade. Maybe something bought on the black market. We’ll know once we’ve examined the remains.”
Liam walks over from the ambulance, phone to his ear. The EMTs have just finished checking out his hearing and the cuts all over his face from the shattered glass. “He threw a flash-bang at the SUV. Cracked the windshield.” He shakes his head. “The sound waves...” He stops. “My ears are still ringing.”
Dad’s face screws up like he’s been eating lemons. “Guess that’s why you didn’t run after him.”
“Des, you don’t need to take your anger out on Liam. None of this is his fault.”
“Sorry,” he mumbles, holding out a hand. Liam shakes it.
“Stressful situation.”
A police sergeant comes to join the confab. “We’ll need to take statements from all of you. I understand you know the guy who did it?”
“Yes,” I practically shout.
“Calm down, honey,” Dad says, patting my shoulder.
I twist away. He wants to treat me like his little girl, and I am so beyond that.
I open my mouth to respond, but Dad continues, “It’s her douchebag ex. He’s been stalking her and now he’s upping his game.”
“We found the fireproof suit. Was he wearing it when you saw him? Did you see his face for identification?”
“The suit was on the grass when I saw him. I didn’t see his face.”
The cop frowns. “Then how did you…?”
“Look, I’ve known the guy for ten years and was with him for eight. Believe me, I can recognize him from the back or the front.”
“Right.” He makes a note. “Have you reported the stalking?”
Dad folds his arms and lets me respond. “Yes, Officer. To the Chicago police. I live in the city.”
“We’ll be in touch with them.” Then he focuses on my parents. “You won’t be able to stay here, Mr. Press. Do you know where you want to go?”
Before Dad can answer, I butt in, trying to assert control. “Stay at the condo. There’s plenty of space. And you can hang out there, even when I leave for Paris.”
“Yeah, I guess we can do that,” Dad agrees, but I can see the unwillingness in the set of his jaw. Just like I don’t want favors from them, he doesn’t want them from me.
The sergeant takes down the address and says he’ll arrange for an interview. The cops and firemen will be out here for a while. Dad goes to pull out his car from the garage around the back. Liam and I slip into the newly arrived SUV, Case at the wheel. While he points the black behemoth toward Sheridan Road and the Outer Drive, I dial my favorite pizza place.
“Just calling Pequod’s for delivery.” The thought of the caramelized deep-dish crust filled with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, sausage, black olives, and extra cheese distracts me from the chaos. “No food in the house, and we’ll need sustenance to muddle through this.”
Mom and Dad arrive an hour later. They stopped at Target to pick up clothes, toiletries, etc. Dad’s rage, which had dampened during the hours with the authorities, reignites as he flings the plastic bags into a corner. Mom is barely holding herself together.
“Alice, it’s just a building. We can have it fixed up. Thank God no one died.”
