Free Backfire by Elizabeth Goddard

about any of that.
    David had listened, frown lines growing deeper. They hadn’t left his face. Nor had he said much to her, but to be fair, he’d spent most of the time on the phone trying to reach someone for details. She didn’t want this to be all about her, but she would still like to know what was going on. What he was thinking.
    She climbed out of his truck and followed him across the street, sticking close; though she wasn’t sure he even remembered she was there. Emergency vehicles had taken over the parking lot of the small grocery store. Fire crews had already put out the fire, and the acrid smell of recently doused flames lingered in the air.
    An ambulance was parked there, too, its lights flashing, but there did not appear to be the usual urgency of emergency personnel rushing to save someone. That could mean one of two things. No one had been inside who needed medical attention. Or they were already dead. Dread soured in her stomach. She followed David past a fire truck and then he turned to face her. He seemed torn about what to say or do.
    Tracy didn’t know what to say, either, her own fear curdling with the hurt and pain of this loss in her stomach.
    “Come on.” He took her hand.
    She thought he would lead her over to where some officers and firemen were talking. Instead he positioned her near a couple of cruisers, out of the way of the chaos.
    “What are you doing?” she asked.
    “I need to go, and you need to stay here.”
    “I want to go with you.”
    “It’s not a good idea. Just let me find out what is going on—what happened. If this looks like arson or an accident. Find out if anyone was hurt.” He grimaced and then his gaze pierced hers. “Trust me on this—you need to stay here. You should be safe. Plus, I can find you when I’m done. Okay?”
    Tracy nodded. Her need to argue would only keep him from where he needed to be. She watched him trudge over to the authorities and hoped he could find out what she wanted to know, too. From here she could see what she hadn’t been able to earlier: the store had been so damaged by the fire, it would likely have to be completely rebuilt.
    There wasn’t anything that could be salvaged.
    Too many unbidden memories surged to life in her mind and heart, but Tracy didn’t want to lose it here and now, in front of the onlookers across the street. She’d already done that in front of David twice now.
    No more. She had to keep it together.
    Across the street the crowd watched in dismay. Tracy scanned it for familiar faces and she saw a few but didn’t know their names. Medics came around from the other side of one of the three fire trucks and into her view, heading for the ambulance with a body bag. And it wasn’t empty.
    Tracy rushed forward to meet them. “Who is it? Please, I need to know.”
    “Ma’am, step out of the way,” one of the medics said.
    A police officer grabbed her arm. “You shouldn’t be here. Please leave the premises.”
    The burn of tears singed her eyes. “Who died?”
    “Ma’am, we won’t know anything until there’s an investigation. Please cross the street and stand with the others or get in your vehicle and leave.”
    Oh, Lord, if it’s possible, please let this be an accident. Please let this have nothing at all to do with me or with Santino’s gang.
    The officer assisted her to the edge of the parking lot, after which Tracy crossed the street and stood with the crowd. Some of them asked her questions. But she had no answers other than she knew that someone had died in the fire, though she kept that to herself. The community was small enough there was likely at least distant family or friends of the grocery store’s employees or customers, whoever had died, in this crowd. Sharing that news wasn’t Tracy’s place, but surely they all had eyes and could see for themselves.
    Finally she saw David emerge from around the charred walls of the building, shaking his head. The serious look on his face told her