Chapter 3 #2
Just last week, Mr. Lewis had managed to bury a fishhook in his thumb while he and his daughters were fishing. That call had somehow taken forty-five minutes, mainly because Mr. Lewis kept regaling them with tales of other such incidents.
Phin grabbed her turnout gear. “Address?” she called.
“Brooks Street,” someone answered.
Brooks Street. That was on the other side of town.
The knot forming in her stomach tightened. A real fire. Phin climbed into Engine One and offered up a quick prayer she’d repeated more times than she could count.
Please let everyone be out.
The siren wailed as the engine rolled from the station. Red lights flashed across storefront windows as they sped through town.
Phin stared through the windshield. A dark column of smoke rose into the sky ahead of them.
Her stomach dropped. This wasn’t a kitchen fire or an overzealous barbecue. That was a house fire. A big one.
“That’s a lot of smoke,” Trevor said, his voice low.
Nobody disagreed. As the engine rounded the final corner, every firefighter aboard fell silent.
Flames shot from the roof of the house near the end of the street. Neighbors crowded the sidewalks while others stood in their yards, some still wearing pajamas and robes.
The Parkers were huddled together in the street, their children crying. Phin recognized them immediately.
The engine rolled to a stop.
Phin jumped down, headed toward the command side of the scene, and noticed something strange. The Parkers weren’t looking at the burning house. They were staring toward the gap between two neighboring homes while everyone around them talked at once.
“He went right in.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“He carried Lily out.”
“And then he went back for the dog!”
Phin slowed. What? She glanced toward Ryan Parker.
The man held their golden retriever by the collar while his wife clutched their daughter against her chest. Both parents looked shaken.
But they were alive. That’s what mattered. And Lily, their little girl, was also alive. Which made absolutely no sense. According to dispatch, the child had been trapped inside when the call came in.
“Hydrant charged!”
“Copy!”
“Attack line coming through!”
Phin stepped aside as two firefighters dragged a hose toward the burning house. Training took over. Adrenaline had its place, but structure fires ran on procedure. Establish water supply. Protect exposures. Search if needed. Contain the fire. Save what could be saved.
The problem was that half the scene seemed more interested in discussing a mystery man than the house currently trying to burn itself to the ground.
Phin knelt beside Lily Parker while Lyle, one of the EMTs, checked the little girl’s oxygen levels. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”
Lily looked up from her mother’s lap. “The dragon man saved me.”
Phin blinked. “The what?”
Lily blinked then rubbed one eye with a fist. “The dragon man.”
Erin Parker looked exhausted. She gave Phin a nervous smile and turned to her daughter. “Lily, honey, he wasn’t a dragon.”
The little girl frowned as if her mother had said something silly. “He was, Mommy. He was huge.”
Nearby, one of the firefighters snorted. Another coughed suspiciously into his sleeve.
Phin hid a smile. Kids said strange things after traumatic events. It didn’t mean much.
“Vitals look good,” Lyle said. “Some smoke exposure. Nothing serious.”
Thank goodness for that.
A shout drew Phin’s attention back toward the house. Flames still licked from portions of the roof, but crews were making progress. Water hammered the structure, causing steam to billow into the air.
The immediate danger was beginning to pass. Which meant people had more time to talk. A dangerous development in Moon Creek Falls.
Especially when Louise Tattleson was present. Which she was. Great.
“I hear he came out of nowhere,” Louise declared. “Who else saw him charge into the house?”
“You were standing behind me,” one neighbor pointed out. “You tell me.”
Louise rolled her eyes. “Details, Mr. Randall. Details. I’m a reporter after all, and this is news!”
Mr. Randall rolled his eyes too. “What are you and Chester doing in this neighborhood anyway? You live on the other side of town.”
“I saw the smoke, silly,” Louise shot back. She scanned the crowd as she gripped Chester’s leash. “Well? Anyone?”
“He carried Lily out,” a woman said. “And then went back for Wilbur.”
Louise glanced at the dog. The golden retriever lay sprawled across the lawn, seemingly delighted with all the attention.
David Plimpkin, a firefighter, walked by and scratched the dog’s ears. Wilbur immediately rolled onto his back.
Phin shook her head and approached Ryan Parker. The man looked exhausted. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly? I’m not sure.”
That wasn’t encouraging.
“I was in the garage when I smelled smoke. By the time I realized what was happening...” He swallowed. “The fire spread fast.” His gaze moved to Lily. “We got Mason out.”
Erin tightened her arms around their daughter. “But not Lily.”
The words hung between them.
Phin knew exactly what they meant. Not Lily. The one sentence every firefighter dreaded hearing.
Ryan heaved a sigh. “I was trying to get back inside when this guy showed up.”
“The rescuer?” Phin asked.
Ryan nodded. “Big guy. I’ve never seen him before. He didn’t ask questions or wait. He just ran in.”
Phin looked toward the house. The structure had been heavily engulfed by the time the engines arrived. The timeline didn’t sit right. Was the man a fireman visiting a friend or relative in Moon Creek Falls? “He went in without gear?”
“Yep.”
“No respirator?”
Ryan shrugged. “Nothing. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie jacket over a T-shirt.”
Trevor, who was standing nearby, paused. “What?”
Ryan pointed toward the house. “He ran into the house dressed like he was headed to the grocery store.”
Several firefighters exchanged looks. Phin felt a chill crawl up her spine. That wasn’t bravery. That was insanity.
Duke Jenson, one of the older volunteers, wandered over. “You mean he didn’t even appear burned?”
Ryan shook his head. “The guy came out without a scratch. He didn’t even cough.”
That earned another round of looks. Now Phin’s curiosity was more than piqued.
People tended to exaggerate after emotional events. Yet in this case, everyone kept repeating the same details. The man was tall. He ran inside and came back out carrying Lily, then went back in and rescued the family dog.
Every witness agreed on those points.
The only discrepancy was that some said he had dark hair while others insisted it was red. That wasn’t unusual. What was, was the fact that he came out unscathed.
He should have suffered smoke inhalation. Burns. Something.
Louise appeared at Phin’s elbow. How she managed that so quietly remained one of the town’s great mysteries. “I think he’s one of those survivalist types.”
Phin sighed. “Of course you do.”
Louise leaned closer. “Do you think he’s handsome? These stories are always better when the hero is handsome.” She smiled at Phin.
Phin stared at her. The house was still on fire. Firefighters were actively working. A family had nearly lost everything. And Louise was putting together her next column for The Daily Blabbermouth.
Unbelievable. “I didn’t see him,” Phin huffed.
“You didn’t?” Louise sounded more than a little disappointed.
“He left before we arrived.”
“Oh.” Louise suddenly brightened. “Well, I hear someone got a picture.”
Phin froze. “A picture?”
Several heads turned in their direction. Louise smiled triumphantly now that she had everyone’s attention. “Mrs. Harper across the street.”
The crowd collectively leaned in. Louise pointed. “I heard she filmed the whole thing.”
Phin followed the gesture. Across the street, Mrs. Harper suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
Interesting. Maybe Moon Creek Falls’ mystery man wasn’t going to remain a mystery for long after all.