Read Online Gina Cresse - Devonie Lace 04 - A Deadly Change of Power by Gina Cresse - Free Book Online
Authors: Gina Cresse
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pointed out the window at an upcoming street sign. “You want to make a left there,” she told Craig.
“Anyhow, I never heard from him again.”
“Doesn’t sound like anyone from an oil company,” I said.
“No, it doesn’t,” Craig said.
Ronnie pointed to another street sign. “Make a right there. I’m just about a half mile down on the left.”
As we rounded the corner, a dozen flashing red lights caught our attention. As we got closer, we could see they were fire trucks.
“What’s going on?” Ronnie blurted, staring at the fleet of big red trucks.
“Oh my God,” I said as we rolled to a stop in front of what used to be Ronnie’s house. All that remained was a pile of burning embers and a few charred two-by-fours left standing.
Chapter Five
T he firemen at the scene told us the neighbors reported an explosion at Ronnie’s house, followed by the fire that engulfed it within a matter of minutes.
Ronnie stood, dazed, in her driveway, watching the last of the embers turn black with the stream of water from the fire hoses. Craig and I gave her a few minutes to be alone, then we gradually coaxed her back to the car so we could take her home.
The drive back to Del Mar seemed endless. I finally broke the silence. “You have insurance to rebuild. Right?”
Ronnie sniffed. “Yes. That won’t be a problem.” The tears started flowing again. “It’s not the house that I’m crying about. It’s everything that was inside the house. All the memories. My project s. The model train— that took me forever to build. The pictures. All those pictures of my mom and dad and Lance and me —I can never get those back.”
Craig drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “Any idea what should cause the explosion? Did you use any flammable materials in your projects?” he asked.
“No. I didn’t even keep a gas can around. Anything like that I kept out in the shop. Nothing in that house was prone to explode.”
“No methane experiments? Anything like that?” Craig pressed.
“No. Why would I be experimenting with fuels? I have no reason to.”
“I don’t know. I just had to ask. I was hoping there’d be some logical explanation. If there’s not, then I suspect someone destroyed your house on purpose,” Craig said.
When we arrived home, I called Detective Wright to see if he’d had any luck locating Lance Oakhurst. He hadn’t found him yet.
Ronnie sat on the floor in the corner of the living room, tears streaming down her face as she stroked the puppy’s ears. He’d fallen asleep in her lap, thankful that someone finally came to his rescue and let him out of his new prison.
When I finally hung up the phone with Sam, after listening to his ten-minute lecture about disobeying his orders by going to Ronnie’s house, I sat down on the floor next to her.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but everything’s going to be okay,” I said. How could I tell her such a thing? I had doubts that her life would ever be the same again. If our theory was right about the powers that might be after her, she’d never be safe.
Ronnie nodded her head and continued petting the puppy.
“Where did you put the folder you brought back from your house? The one with the copies of the patents?” I asked.
Ronnie raised her chin and nodded toward the kitchen. “They’re on the table. I was showing Craig the drawings for the engine before we left tonight.”
I retrieved the folder from the kitchen and retu r ned to our spot on the floor in the corner. I opened the folder and began taking out one page at a time. There were half a dozen copies of patents for different engines— some similar to Ronnie’s, but not nearly as advanced. Some were for other types of engines — steam and fuel cell. I noted the applicant names. “They don’t put the phone numbers on these?” I asked.
“No. Just the names of
“Anyhow, I never heard from him again.”
“Doesn’t sound like anyone from an oil company,” I said.
“No, it doesn’t,” Craig said.
Ronnie pointed to another street sign. “Make a right there. I’m just about a half mile down on the left.”
As we rounded the corner, a dozen flashing red lights caught our attention. As we got closer, we could see they were fire trucks.
“What’s going on?” Ronnie blurted, staring at the fleet of big red trucks.
“Oh my God,” I said as we rolled to a stop in front of what used to be Ronnie’s house. All that remained was a pile of burning embers and a few charred two-by-fours left standing.
Chapter Five
T he firemen at the scene told us the neighbors reported an explosion at Ronnie’s house, followed by the fire that engulfed it within a matter of minutes.
Ronnie stood, dazed, in her driveway, watching the last of the embers turn black with the stream of water from the fire hoses. Craig and I gave her a few minutes to be alone, then we gradually coaxed her back to the car so we could take her home.
The drive back to Del Mar seemed endless. I finally broke the silence. “You have insurance to rebuild. Right?”
Ronnie sniffed. “Yes. That won’t be a problem.” The tears started flowing again. “It’s not the house that I’m crying about. It’s everything that was inside the house. All the memories. My project s. The model train— that took me forever to build. The pictures. All those pictures of my mom and dad and Lance and me —I can never get those back.”
Craig drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. “Any idea what should cause the explosion? Did you use any flammable materials in your projects?” he asked.
“No. I didn’t even keep a gas can around. Anything like that I kept out in the shop. Nothing in that house was prone to explode.”
“No methane experiments? Anything like that?” Craig pressed.
“No. Why would I be experimenting with fuels? I have no reason to.”
“I don’t know. I just had to ask. I was hoping there’d be some logical explanation. If there’s not, then I suspect someone destroyed your house on purpose,” Craig said.
When we arrived home, I called Detective Wright to see if he’d had any luck locating Lance Oakhurst. He hadn’t found him yet.
Ronnie sat on the floor in the corner of the living room, tears streaming down her face as she stroked the puppy’s ears. He’d fallen asleep in her lap, thankful that someone finally came to his rescue and let him out of his new prison.
When I finally hung up the phone with Sam, after listening to his ten-minute lecture about disobeying his orders by going to Ronnie’s house, I sat down on the floor next to her.
“I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but everything’s going to be okay,” I said. How could I tell her such a thing? I had doubts that her life would ever be the same again. If our theory was right about the powers that might be after her, she’d never be safe.
Ronnie nodded her head and continued petting the puppy.
“Where did you put the folder you brought back from your house? The one with the copies of the patents?” I asked.
Ronnie raised her chin and nodded toward the kitchen. “They’re on the table. I was showing Craig the drawings for the engine before we left tonight.”
I retrieved the folder from the kitchen and retu r ned to our spot on the floor in the corner. I opened the folder and began taking out one page at a time. There were half a dozen copies of patents for different engines— some similar to Ronnie’s, but not nearly as advanced. Some were for other types of engines — steam and fuel cell. I noted the applicant names. “They don’t put the phone numbers on these?” I asked.
“No. Just the names of
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