“Well…everything aches. Other than my head which is pounding, the rest feels tender.”
“We’re going to monitor you for the next two hours. We called the fire department and alerted them that you made it out and were seeking treatment. They’ll be here to speak with you as soon as they arrive.”
The doctor begins her examination and after five minutes, she is done. “I’d say you are extremely fortunate that you weren’t hurt worse than you are.”
“I think it was all the snow,” she says.
There’s a knock at the door and it’s the fire chief. “Hello there, Miss Mason. I’m Donald Rigging, Fire Chief. I want to ask you a few questions about the blast if you’re feeling up to it that is.”
“Sure, what do you want to know?”
“Walk me through the few minutes before the blast.”
“Okay…” She pauses, so I squeeze her hand to reassure her that I’m here if she needs me. “My dad told me they were going to go get food while I took a shower. They had just left when I realized I’d forgotten the body wash I bought in my SUV. Not all our things have been sent yet because of some issue with the moving company. I only brought my clothes and mementos with me in my SUV. So I bought some stuff in town this morning, one of them was the body wash. I ran to my SUV grabbed the bag and started back to the house. I couldn’t have been that far from the entrance when it exploded. I was blown back and then Mr. Davenport came to my aid.”
“Mr. Davenport, what were you doing there?” he asks me with a suspicious undertone.
“I was on my way home when I stopped to meet my new neighbors. I was about to get out of my truck when it happened and I rushed to help her.”
“Mr. Davenport, may I have a word with you out in the hallway for a moment?”
I look into her glossy eyes and ask, “Are you going to be okay by yourself?”
“Yes, Trent.” I give her hand a squeeze before we walk out into the hall and down to a private waiting room that’s empty.
I have known the chief for the past five years because, on occasion, we’ve gotten together with a few other guys and played poker or watched Oregon State kick some ass. My tendency for being anti-social is known all around. I have trust issues stemming from my childhood and my teen years in foster homes, so I don’t let people in, especially women. “I know you don’t talk to most people here, but I’m just curious why you didn’t call the police when it happened, Trent?”
“Don, I would’ve called if I didn’t already hear sirens as I was starting to drive her to the hospital. She told me there was no one else in the house, so I figured it could wait until I got her safely away from the blast zone.”
“Are you certain you heard the sirens?” he asks like I’m confused.
I roll my eyes at him because that’s a fucking stupid question, but I see the puzzled look in his eyes. “I’m not a kid or some senile old man like you. I know a siren when I hear it. Besides, they passed by us when I pulled to the side of the road about a hundred feet away from the house.”
“I ask because someone made a call about the explosion and it took our responders five minutes to get to the scene.”
“I didn’t make the call, and I don’t know who did, but it doesn’t make sense. If they knew where the fire was, then they had to be really close and nobody but the Mason’s and I live in that direction.”
“My thoughts as well. The explosion was massive and yes, we were able to see it from about two miles out, but the smoke would have taken a minute or two to reach high enough for anyone to notice from the road. How long was it before you got in your truck?”
“Not more than five minutes.” I’m pacing the small room. I had a bad feeling about it when I placed her in the truck. I’m uneasy, and I know that’s because I need to get back to my fragile Lily and protect her. “I’m not liking this one bit, Don.”
“It’s a big explosion. It will take investigators a while to figure out what caused it.” He’s not really talking to me. It’s like he’s working it out in his mind. Running through scenarios off the top of his head, he says, “A gas leak could have, but it would have to have been a massive amount of fluid and something would’ve had to set it off.”
“Listen, I need to get back to check on Lily.”
“Thanks for your help, Trent. By the way, since when do you care to meet the neighbors?” With a chuckle and a wink, he adds, “Also, Bobby Cole mentioned that you met Miss Mason earlier today.”