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“Break the front door down! That’s our quickest way in!” I called around to the front. “Hurry! We’ve got a person in here.”
I hurried back around front to see everyone fussing with the hoses. This was something I’d have to do myself. I put my mask on and grabbed an axe. As much work as Jade had put into this place, the door had to go.
Moving through protocol with perfected ease, I first checked to see if it was locked. It was. So, down the door went by breaking the locked knob off. As I stepped in, I noticed the fire spreading to the front room. Jade must have been getting ready to leave through the back door when it started, which is why she hadn’t been able to get out.
I made it into the back room, and one of the firemen used a hose to help keep a path clear for me to bring Jade out. I found her collapsed on the floor, surrounded by some of the hottest flames but not yet engulfed by them. Her phone was collateral damage at this point, but that could be easily replaced.
A quick glance told me that she needed immediate medical attention. She had burns on her abdomen and on her arm, and I could only imagine how much smoke she’d inhaled. I gently picked her up, holding her close.
The flames were beginning to burn hotter, which made me wonder what kind of fire this was. Or it was just because the fire didn’t have anywhere else to go. Thankfully, the hose running in the front room was enough to cool the pathway to prevent another flare-up.
As I hurried Jade out, I heard the ever-recognizable sirens of an ambulance.
“She’s still breathing, but barely,” I told the first EMS responder who hopped out of the ambulance. “She was in there when the fire started.”
“Put her on the stretcher,” the paramedic told me.
I put her down gently, and let the professionals handle what they could. It didn’t surprise me at all to hear that they were going to end up taking her to the hospital.
“All right! Let’s get this fire out. Get me a hose!” I called to my men.
One of them brought me a hose. I put my helmet and oxygen mask back on and went back inside. I’d be able to do more from the inside. With the pressure of the fire hose, I was able to calm the flames enough to let others in from the back to help after they were able to move the dresser. Once the fire was out, it was quite evident that Jade had a singed, soaked shop.
“Who would do this to this shop?” one of my men asked as we started putting the equipment away after making sure the fire wouldn’t flare up again. “This shop’s had a run of bad luck… and this woman just started.”
“It was her grand opening,” I replied. “But for now, I think we’re safe. If there’s a flare-up, we know what to do. Let’s get back to the station.”
I took one last walk through the shop. Though there was a lot of water pooling on the floor, and I was almost sure the purses that Maria had made that were here were destroyed with the amount of water we had needed to use, I hoped they hadinsurance. This was clearly not negligence. There wasn’t a candle or a lighter anywhere near here. The most I hoped to find was ash, which might have once been a match.
But there was a sweet smell in the air. Like someone had used lighter fluid to get this going.
I shook my head. The theories could wait until I knew for sure that Jade was going to be alright. Someone would have to call Maria, and I didn’t have her number. Jade’s cell phone was useless right now, and it absolutely needed to be dried out.
One of the other men drove the truck back to the fire station upon seeing the state I was in.
“You’re not usually so quiet after a fire, Jesse,” he said. “What’s got you going?”
“I don’t think that was an accidental fire or an electrical fire,” I replied. “I think someone set it intentionally. I don’t think it was the shop owner, either. She called 911 and almost died. Who does that if they’ve put their own shop on fire while they’reinsideit?”
“Could have been an attempt at insurance fraud, but she looked so sweet. I doubt she would have been trying that,” my friend said. “It’s a real piece of work. We’ll just have to do some testing. I know one of the other men got air samples. I think he said he smelled something sweet. Sent it off to the forensics lab for testing.”
I nodded. That was good. Meant I wasn’t the only one smelling the accelerant. If that was the case, then we had a better case for arson to present to everyone.
Chapter twenty-four
Twenty-Four: Jade
Igroaned heavily as I tried to open my eyes. The last thing I remembered was passing out in my shop with a fire burning around me. Though I had a feeling that I had been in Jesse’s arms. But now, I didn’t smell the tell-tale signs of purses burning or the smell of the wood heating up underneath my feet. I smelled lemon and antiseptic spray or soap or something like that.
When my eyes finally opened, I was greeted by a bright light overhead. I blinked, my first instinct to look away. This is when I finally noticed that there was a sensation of heat all across my right arm and my abdomen. Instead of looking right at the light as I opened my eyes, I looked down at my body. My right arm was in gauze bandages, as was my midriff. Peeking out from under the bandages, I could see the irritated tell-tale red of a burn.
A nurse walked in.
This is when I realized I had to be in the hospital. I didn’t remember calling 911 for help, but I must have. I was theonly one in the shop. Our fire alarms worked, but I couldn’t remember if they had gone off or not.
“Oh, good. You’re awake. The doctors said you might take a day or two to wake up,” the nurse said as she walked over. “I’m Felicity. I’ll be your nurse this morning.”
I managed a smile, then realized my throat was sore, scratchy, dry. I motioned for a cup.
