Up in Flames (Carlisle Fire)

Chapter 4

“YOU SHOULDN’T have to help me find somewhere to stay,” Jerrod said. The near panic from earlier had subsided, and he was starting to think straight again. Yes, he needed a place to stay that wasn’t a hotel and somewhere that he could keep Peter safe, but….

Chase leaned closer, a wry smile making his eyes twinkle. “The captain is calling in a favor from his brother-in-law. I think he would rather have oral surgery, but he’s making the call.”

“Why would he do that?” Jerrod watched as Chase’s expression fell, and he realized it was because Chase had asked him to. “You don’t need to go out on a limb for me.” Still, he was honored and grateful. It had been a while since anyone had stood up for him. Not since Johnny.

As a kid, Jerrod had been scrawny and small, therefore a target for bullies who had something to prove. Johnny was two years ahead of him, and when they were in the same school, he always looked out for Jerrod. When the bullies came calling, they found out the price for bullying him. Thankfully that changed when Jerrod reached puberty and he caught up to the other kids, but Johnny was always there, encouraging him. Johnny had been whip smart, Jerrod not so much. But Johnny had encouraged him to find something he was good at and to go for it. Sometimes he still heard his older brother’s voice in his head, encouraging him, telling him he could do it.

“I didn’t. The captain is a really good guy, and he knows what you’re going through.” Chase stood, and Jerrod let his gaze rake over him. The man was fine in the most amazing sense of the word. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, incredible eyes, and a mop of hair that seemed to have a mind of its own, but only managed to make Chase look rakish.

“I appreciate it very much.” Jerrod leaned back in the chair, finally letting go of some of his tension, but when an alarm went off, he jumped to his feet, wondering what the hell was going on.

“I have to go,” Chase said as the other firefighters hurried through the station. The captain popped out of his office and shoved a piece of paper into Jerrod’s hand as he raced past. Soon sirens sounded as the trucks pulled out, and Jerrod found himself in a largely empty station with just a few of the crew staying behind. Not knowing what else to do, he looked at the paper, which listed a name and a phone number, and then he headed back to his truck.

Jerrod clutched the piece of paper like a lifeline. He hadn’t expected anything to come from stopping by the station, and now he was shocked and pleased. At least he might have a line on a place to live. He had been making calls for the past few days, only to find that many of the places listed in ads had already been taken and that Carlisle had a drought of available rental units.

Though it seemed that when the resolution to one possible situation appeared, another reared its ugly head. Someone had deliberately set fire to his home. That alone made the air whoosh out of his lungs.

He climbed into the truck and sat in the driver’s seat, staring out the window without seeing anything. He had nearly lost Peter in that fire, and now he was homeless and at the mercy of the insurance company, which was certain to use the investigation as a chance to delay paying any claims. Jerrod took a deep breath and wondered who might have done such a thing. He didn’t go around making enemies. He was an electrician who helped people build their homes. He worked on condos and on private homes. He wasn’t some bigwig who decided who worked and who didn’t; he was just a guy trying to make a living.

Jerrod’s phone rang, and he answered it and confirmed to the client that he was on the way and would be there soon. Starting the engine, he pushed aside all the thoughts racing through his head and tried to get back to work.

WORK HAD always taken his complete concentration. He needed to make sure all his work was up to code and that he made all the connections correctly. People paid quite a bit for his expertise, and it was up to him to make sure they got their money’s worth.

“Everything is done, and your kitchen wiring is now correct,” he told the hunched lady leaning on her cane as he presented her with the bill. The lights in her kitchen had taken to flickering on and off at unusual times. At first he thought it had been the switches, and they had been bad, but the wiring itself had needed to be replaced. Some of it had been installed in the twenties, and the cloth wrapping had worn away. Jerrod demonstrated all the switches and outlets, showing her that they worked each and every time.

“Thank you for helping. I wasn’t sure what to do and was afraid of a fire in the walls.”

Jerrod had to suppress a shudder. “You’re welcome,” he said gently. “I’m glad I could help.”

She went to the table and wrote him a check. Jerrod thanked her again before picking up his toolbox and returning to his truck. After stowing everything, he sat in front of the house and pulled out the piece of paper from earlier to make the call.

“I’m Jerrod, and I was told you might have a temporary apartment for me and my son,” Jerrod explained. “The captain at the fire station gave me the number.”

“Yes, I might,” the man said gruffly. “Look, I don’t rent to transients or people with credit problems. My place doesn’t have a revolving door.”

“Well, my home burned down, and I’m looking for a place to stay while the insurance people do their thing and I can figure out if I can rebuild or need to buy a new place. Mainly I need to have a place for my son to live instead of a hotel. The guys at the fire station were good enough to try to help.”

“Okay.” The man gave Jerrod the address on Louther Street.

“I just finished work, and I can stop by when it’s convenient for you.”

A heavy sigh followed. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” A click told him that the call had ended. Jerrod couldn’t help wondering what he had gotten in the middle of, but he pulled away and drove to where he’d been instructed. When he stopped, he wasn’t sure if he had the right place. Still, he got out, looking up and down the street.

“You Jerrod?” a man asked, popping his head out of the door at the address specified. “I’m Kyle. My dad said to show you the rental.” He opened the door, and Jerrod went inside. “You know Uncle Greg?”

“The captain? I met him at the station. Our home burned, and I need a place for me and my son.”

Kyle nodded. “This is the living room. The kitchen and dining room are through there.” The rooms were small but clean, with fresh paint. “There’s two bedrooms and a bath upstairs.”

“I didn’t realize the rental was the entire house.”

Kyle shrugged. “Uncle Greg said you needed a place right away, and this is what we have available. Dad and Mom have almost twenty units in town. Dad was just going to advertise this one when Uncle Greg called. So this is what we’ve got. It’s a nice place. My grandparents lived here before they died, and Dad kept it as a rental.” He followed Jerrod upstairs.

The bedrooms were in the same shape as the downstairs, clean, basic, but nicer that he had expected. There was room for Peter, and there was a yard out back with a swing set for him to play on.

This was what they truly needed. “What comes with it? The only reason I’m asking is because we lost everything in the fire and—”

“The appliances are here, and they all work.” He smiled and shrugged. “There isn’t much else. You’ll need to get furniture and stuff.” He went on to explain the rent, payments, and due dates. “We’d like a six-month lease to begin with. Dad usually does a year, but with your situation, we’ll do six months, if that helps.” He smiled, and Jerrod smiled back.

“That would help a lot. Thank you.” He was already trying to sort through how he could make this work financially. He figured he would need to contact the insurance company and see what they were going to do. After all, even though the house had burned, he was still responsible for all the other things that went along with owning a house. Most of that would continue regardless of the state of the property.

“So you’ll take it?”

“Yes. It’s a nice place,” Jerrod said. “Tell your father I appreciate his help.”

Kyle nodded slowly. “I’ll tell Dad to get the lease written up so you can sign it, and then you can move yourself in and stuff.” He led the way to the front door. “I think Dad said you were an electrician.”

“Yeah. I have my own business.”

“Cool. I’ll let Dad know. We often need work like that done when he buys a new place.” He shook Jerrod’s hand, and they left the house, with Kyle locking up. “I’ll call you once we have the lease done, probably today, and we’ll get it signed so you can move in.”

“Thanks.”

Kyle nodded and turned, walking down the block toward one of the brick row homes. He went inside, and Jerrod got in his truck. One problem solved. He had a place for Peter and himself to live. Now he needed to talk to the insurance company to find out what help they could provide. But the big questions remained, and he had no idea how he was going to get answers.

“ARE WE leaving, Daddy?” Peter asked as Jerrod finished packing up the few things they had at the hotel.

“Yes. I found us a place to live, and we’re going there.” He had managed to get a bed for Peter and a few pieces of furniture. The insurance company had agreed to help, but only on a limited basis until the questions around the cause of the fire and who was involved were answered. The fact that the police and the fire department didn’t think he was involved helped, but the insurance company had decided to perform their own investigation, which probably meant they were stalling for time before paying. Still, he was getting them into a more permanent home.

“Will I have my own bed?” Peter asked.

“Yes. I already have it set up in your room.”

“What about my toys? Are they there too?” Peter asked.

“A few of them.” Jerrod sat on the edge of the bed. “A lot of them were burned up in the house.” They had lost so much. Jerrod lifted Peter onto his lap. “I’ll see if I can go into the house and get what’s still there, but I don’t know when they’ll let me.” He hoped it would be soon. “But I’ll do my best to get you new toys and stuff.”

Peter looked up at him, his eyes wide. “Is the fireman going to be with us?”

Jerrod paused. “No. Why, do you think he should?”

“Who will save me if the house catches fire again?” he asked as though it were a completely logical supposition.

Jerrod pulled Peter into a hug. “That isn’t going to happen again.” At least he hoped not.

“Are you sure? Do you promise? I don’t want to be burned. Maybe you should call the fireman and make sure he keeps us safe.”

Jerrod chuckled. “Chase. The fireman’s name was Chase, and he helped us get the house we’re going to move into.”

“But what if it goes on fire?” he asked again. “I’m scared, Daddy.” He hugged Jerrod tighter, and they sat together on the side of the bed, comforting each other.

“I know, buddy. But I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe. The house is nice, and the people who we’re going to be renting it from live down the street. Everyone wants us to be safe, including the firefighters.” God, the last thing he wanted was to see Peter being pulled out of another building. He had nightmares about Peter every night, and he woke up in a cold sweat after not getting to him in time.

“It’s going to be you and me, and we’re going to watch out for each other.” He hugged Peter once more before carefully setting him back on his feet. “Let’s finish packing so you can see the new house and your new room.” There had to be something he could get Peter excited about.

“Okay.” Peter rushed to the bathroom and returned with all the hotel towels in his arms.

“What are you doing?”

“The old ones burned, so we need new ones.” He set the load on the bed and raced back, then returned with more that he added to the pile.

“Those aren’t ours. We have to leave them here,” Jerrod said gently, closing his suitcase, and then he began putting everything back. “We’ll have to buy our own towels and stuff.” Once he was done and their possessions, meager as they were, had been packed, he took Peter’s hand and led the way out of the room and down the hall to the elevator.

It took a few minutes to check out, and then they were on their way to the house. “Who is that?” Peter asked as someone came out of their rental.

“Chase?” Jerrod asked as he pulled to a stop. “What are you doing here?”

“The team took up a collection of sorts. It isn’t much, but Hayden had a chair he wasn’t using anymore, and some of the others had things. I gathered them and brought them over. I know it isn’t a lot, but we figured that you’d need most everything.”

Jerrod went inside.

The living room had boxes stacked against one wall. A chair and a coffee table sat in the center of the room. “What’s all this?” He was more than a little taken aback.

“Many of the firefighters’ families have things they no longer use. One of the boxes has pans and some kitchen things. There are some basic appliances and silverware. There are some mismatched towels, but they’re clean—I put them through a cycle in the station laundry. Just things we knew you had lost and were going to need.”

Jerrod didn’t know what to say. “And you brought it all over?”

“It was just a truckload. There’s also a bedframe, but you’ll need to get your own mattress.” Peter raced past them, through the room and up the stairs, his footsteps echoing through the largely empty house.

“Daddy!” This cry was one of delight and excitement. Then footsteps approached the stairs and he barreled down and into Jerrod’s arms. “There are toys. My toys.” He jumped up and down for a few seconds before hurrying back upstairs.

“I was able to get in the house and brought out a few bags of things from upstairs. I put the cleaned toys I could save into Peter’s room, and the bags in the other bedroom are what I could get of the things that seemed to be yours. His room was less burned, so there isn’t much of your stuff, but I brought what I could. We’ll have to wash everything.”

“I was going to ask if I could go inside,” Jerrod said.

“The police are still investigating, so it’s off-limits. But they let me in once I explained what I was looking for and promised not to go to the basement or the main floor.”

“Thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say. No one had gone as far as this man to help him, and Chase was largely a stranger. “I really appreciate the help.” He’d go through the stuff later. “I’d offer you something to drink, but….” He shrugged and looked around.

“Daddy, can we have pizza? I’m hungry,” Peter called as he came back down the stairs with his favorite stuffed turtle under his arm. “Look what I found. I thought he was lost forever.” Peter cradled the toy, rocking back and forth. “Maybe he’s a super turtle that can’t be burned up.”

It felt so good to see Peter smile that it made Jerrod’s heart ache. “What else was there?”

“All my Legos and my army men. The fireman brought them all!” He was so excited. “And there are dinosaurs. Roarrrr….” He ran back up the stairs.

“There are also fresh sheets for both of you in the boxes. I washed them as well.” Chase flashed that smile, and Jerrod had no idea what to do. This was too much, and yet he didn’t have the strength to turn anything down. He and Peter were starting over from scratch—less than scratch, because Johnny’s pictures of Peter had been in the house as well. “I can’t imagine how hard all of this is, but we hoped this would help.”

“It does. Please thank everyone for their generosity and thoughtfulness.” All he wanted to do was go somewhere, be alone, and lick what felt like mortal wounds. Instead, he found himself standing in a strange living room, shaking like a leaf. “Sorry.” He fought to get himself under control and nearly had it when he found himself wrapped in a pair of strong arms holding him tightly.

“It’s okay. Everything is going to work out in the end,” Chase said softly. “I know you probably feel like it, but you aren’t alone.”

Jerrod closed his eyes, trying very hard not to need the comfort Chase offered so easily, but he really did.

“Daddy, I want a hug too,” Peter said as he hurried into the room. Chase backed away and lifted Peter, then gently hugged them both. It was as strange and comforting as anything Jerrod could remember.