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“Can I go inside?”
“Yeah. The crew said the fire’s out with no chance of sparking again. You need to go in through the back. The front needs repair before it’s safe to walk on.”
The blackened front exterior filled her with dread about what she was going to find inside, but she pushed through and walked with heavy steps to the back entrance of her home. Once inside, she headed toward the front of the house, and James followed her. “After seeing the outside, it’s really not as bad as I expected,” she said.
James was right behind her while Cole kept an eye on the street. “He set the device off outside the front door, so that took the brunt of the hit.” He looked around the great room. “You’ll have to replace the flooring in there along with the curtains and maybe a few other water-damaged furnishings, but there are companies who can help you with the smoke damage on pieces that are salvageable.”
“Right.” She let her gaze roam over her home. She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll never get the smell out, will I?”
“Not you, but a professional can. You want to grab whatever you need for at least a week?” He wanted to get her away as quick as possible.
“Yes. I guess I should do that, huh?”
“The floor to your bedroom should be stable enough,” James said, “but let me go first.”
Lainie did as requested and followed him to her bedroom. “This doesn’t smell nearly as bad as the front, but I can tell the smoke reached here as well. It’s going to be a while before I can return, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.”
Her breathing quickened and anger flashed in her narrowed gaze. “Well, guess I’d better get busy.” With jerky movements, she packed her medium-sized rolling suitcase and an overnight bag. It didn’t take her long, and she turned to James, who’d leaned against her doorframe to watch. “I’m ready.”
He took the handle of her suitcase and led the way out of the house.
Once they were back at his Jeep, he stowed her luggage in the rear, then opened the passenger door and Lainie slid in. As he was closing the door, she let out a low sob. And another.
“Aw, Lainie.” In seconds, he had the passenger door open and pulled her into his arms. James held her while she cried on his shoulder and the whole time the tears flowed, he could feel her working to stop them. “Just cry, Lainie. It’s okay.”
So she did.
Finally, she sniffed. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. If someone did that to my house, I’d cry too.”
She huffed a choked laugh. “You wouldn’t. You’d just start fixing it because that’s what you do. You fix things.” She swiped a stray tear. “I know it’s just a house, Iknow. And I also know everything can be replaced, but it’s just ... the hate behind it is what bothers me more than anything. And I have absolutely no idea why someone would do this—besides Adam, I mean.” She paused, drew in a ragged breath, and looked up. “I know what we need to do next.”
“What?”
“Dig him up.”
Fourteen
James gaped. “I’m sorry? What?”
“We need to get permission to exhume the body,” she said. “To prove once and for all that the person after me is not Adam.”
“Prove to whom?”
“To ... me,” she whispered. Tears threatened and she held them back with sheer force of will. “Iknowhe’s dead, but...”
“But?”
“But I don’t know. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but what if I’m wrong? What if somehow, some way...” She pressed a hand to her throbbing temple. “I need to find the two paramedics who responded that night. I can simply ask them about Adam. Get them to confirm he was dead when they dropped him at the hospital. I have no doubt they’ll remember.”
“Do you know the names of the paramedics?”
“Of course. I see them at the hospital occasionally. Olivia Buchanan and Ivy Talbot.” She looked away, ignoring the heat climbing into her cheeks. “I ... uh ... thanked them for their help at the scene, but haven’t spoken to them since.” Because she avoided them. If she saw them coming, she went the other way. They were a reminder of that horrific night and triggered a shame that she couldn’t shake.Shame that they’d had to show up, shame that she allowed herself to be in that situation, shame—
“Okay, let’s go find them. I can put in the request for the exhumation on the way.” He glanced at her, his gaze admiring.
