Round and Round (16 page)

“I have to call Zach too,” Kevin said and then yawned. “I feel like I’ve been in bed for weeks and I’m still tired.”

Angus chewed a strawberry and swallowed. “That’s because your lungs are mad at you right now. I’ve had smoke inhalation, and it really sucks. You feel like crap, and if you push it, you swear you’re going to cough your lungs out. They will heal, but it takes time.”

Kevin had figured that out. He was seconds from saying that he wanted to go home and curl up for a while, but home was gone, and so was Mrs. V. “I’ll call the insurance company and try to start getting my life back together. Sitting here doing nothing isn’t going to help.” Kevin ate some, but his appetite had pretty much flown the coop. Angus ate a little more as well and then took the tray away. Kevin watched him go, then got out of the bed, heading to the bathroom with the kit Angus had given him in the hospital.

Everything he had felt like it belonged to someone else. It was stupid to think about, but the deodorant wasn’t what he used, and neither was the toothpaste. He liked a special kind of toothbrush, the ones with the bendy handle, but this one wasn’t right. He used them anyway. Even the shaving cream wasn’t what he liked, and it smelled funny, but he spread it on his face because it was all he had. Kevin rinsed the shaving cream from his fingers and used one of the disposable razors to shave. When he was done, he threw the razor in the trash and stared at his face in the mirror.

He looked the same, but he didn’t feel the same. His life had been pretty good before the fires. He’d had a place of his own, friends, Mrs. V to spoil him. Now nothing felt right. Kevin sighed and then began coughing when he breathed too deeply. He swore and eventually got himself calmed down.

“Are you all right?” Angus asked through the door.

“Yes,” Kevin answered, taking a drink to calm the roughness in his throat. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Of course. There are towels in the cabinet. I’ll bring the things you bought into the bedroom and meet you downstairs.”

“Thanks,” Kevin said. He was grateful that Angus hadn’t offered to join him. He needed some time to try to figure all this shit out. Or maybe what he really wanted was a few minutes so he could cry like a baby without anyone seeing him. No. He was an adult, and he was going to solve his own problems. That meant dealing with insurance people, finding an apartment, and rebuilding that part of his life. He had friends. He wasn’t alone. Kevin shook off the loneliness that threatened to wash over him. He got out some towels and started the water.

He didn’t take too long to wash his hair and get clean. It felt good to leave the remnants of the hospital behind. He was alone when he left the bathroom. Angus had left his clothes on the made bed, and Kevin dressed. At least the clothes felt like his, even if they were new. Once presentable, he went downstairs.

“Antonio—Officer Grumpy,” Angus clarified with a smile. “He called a few minutes ago and said they found some video footage. The news station didn’t want to turn it over, but he says he convinced them. He asked if you’d be able to come to the police station.”

“I guess,” Kevin said. “I should also see about my car.”

Angus shook his head. “You’ll need to call the insurance on it too. When the building collapsed, it fell on the side lot. There wasn’t anything left of any of the cars.”

“Oh,” Kevin said softly. “I guess I should have known there would be nothing at all left.”

“Your computer was in the apartment too, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Kevin groaned. “But I have cloud backup, so I shouldn’t lose anything.”

“Okay. Make the phone calls to your insurance agent and get them to handle what they can. The fire was news, so they should be able to help you right away. We can stop sometime today and buy you a new computer, so you’ll have something to work on. Then after we finish at the station, I’ll see if Janice is around so you can meet her. The two of you are going to get along great. You can call Zach and find out what the schedule is with him.” Angus was already guiding him to the door. “There’s lots we can do to start making you feel like you’re getting your life back.”

Angus was a bundle of energy, and Kevin went along with him. It felt good to have some semblance of a plan, even if it was Angus doing the planning.

“Let’s get this over with,” Kevin sighed. They left the house, and while Angus drove, Kevin made a call to Kyle, the guy who helped him set up his renter’s insurance policy. Kyle assured Kevin that he’d get everything rolling and that Kevin would hear back today. Zach was at work, but he said he and Bull would stop by Angus’s that evening. Kevin called in to work and told them he’d be back on Monday. He said he’d bring the note from the doctor at that time.

By the time they pulled into the police station, he was feeling better. Things were rolling a little, and it felt good to be doing something.

“We’re here to see Antonio Reyes,” Angus said to an officer behind bulletproof glass once they’d walked inside. “He’s expecting us.”

She nodded and made a phone call. When Officer Grumpy came out, he shook Kevin’s hand and was even cordial, which was a bit of a surprise. “We’re hoping you can make a positive identification.” Officer Grumpy led them to a small conference room, where a computer and large monitor had been set up.

Kevin sat down, and Officer Grumpy took the seat next to him. Kevin looked at Angus, who smiled and nodded. “He doesn’t bite.”

“I’m not so sure. After all, our dealings have been so pleasant up until now.”

“Okay,” Officer Grumpy said. “I get the point.”

“I don’t think you do,” Kevin said, turning to him. “You treat people badly and then expect their help. I’m here because I want to catch the guy who burned down my building and killed Mrs. V.” Kevin turned to the screen and waited while Officer Grumpy pulled up the video and got it started.

“This is raw footage from a news van, but they panned over the people who were watching the fire. They didn’t do it for long.” Officer Grumpy ran the video at normal speed and then slowed it down. “Do you recognize anyone?”

Kevin watched as frame after frame shifted on the screen. “Him.” Kevin pointed. “That’s the guy who said he was from the gas company. He’s still wearing the same shirt. See? Like at the club, he isn’t turning his face to the camera, but that’s his shirt. It didn’t fit very well when he came to the house, and I thought he might have lost weight or something. But now I’m wondering if the shirt was someone else’s and he stole it or something.”

“You have quite an imagination,” Officer Grumpy said.

Kevin stood up. “Am I done now, Officer Grumpy?”

“Reyes,” he corrected.

“You can call yourself whatever you want, but you’ll always be Officer Grumpy to me. I think it’s kind of cute, like a Disney character rather than a clueless jerk.” Kevin walked to the door.

“I still have a few questions.”

“Kevin,” Angus said gently. “He’s trying to help. Antonio comes across as gruff, but he’s trying to find the man who burned down your building.”

Kevin crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, but be nice.” He sat back down in the chair and heard Angus snicker. He swiveled the chair to glare at him and then realized the snicker was for Officer Grumpy. “It isn’t going to kill you.”

“Had you ever seen the man before he came to the door posing as an employee from the gas company?”

“No. In fact I thought it strange that they were there on a Saturday. I never let anyone in the building, but I heard the buzzer, and Mrs. Carter, who lives across the hall from Mrs. V, must have let him in. I questioned him as I was going down to see Mrs. V. I should have looked closer.”

“Can you remember anything else about him?”

“Brown hair, maybe 180 pounds or so, I guess. He was a little taller than me. Baggy clothes, but that doesn’t really matter because he won’t be wearing them anymore. He couldn’t have been very old, though, because he had acne on his cheeks. Yeah….” Kevin smiled as the memory became clearer. “The guy’s cheeks and stuff were marked, maybe scarred, like from a bad case of acne or something.”

“Okay, that helps. Did he wear glasses?”

“No,” Kevin answered. “And he had a ball cap on from the gas company and his hair stuck out the sides.”

“So his hair was longer?”

“Yeah, I think you can see it in the video,” Kevin said and turned back to the monitor. “Advance it a few frames.” Officer Grumpy did, and Kevin pointed. “See? He isn’t wearing a hat, at least not then. You can see his hair. It goes to the shoulders. But if I were him, I’d get it cut, because then it would be harder to trace him. He has to know that there’s video everywhere. You guys have cameras in your cars, and I bet there are cameras on the front of the fire engines. So he’d have to change his appearance.” Kevin watched the screen as the video slowly advanced. “There, that’s him. You can see part of his face really clearly.” Kevin pointed excitedly. “That’s definitely the guy.”

“Okay. Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“Can you enhance it or blow it up to see anything more?”

“We’ll try, of course,” Officer Grumpy said. “You’ve been a huge help, and I appreciate you coming down. This may be the break we’ve all been hoping for.”

“You’re welcome,” Kevin said.

“Have you had any luck finding a place to live?”

“I just got out of the hospital yesterday. I’m hoping to start the search for something I can afford in the next day or so. I guess I probably have to wait for the insurance company. Hopefully they’ll come through and I can get another car and stuff.”

“That’s good. I just have one more question for you. Have you noticed anyone following you? Or has it seemed like you’re being watched?”

“No. But I’ve been with Angus almost the entire time I’ve been out of the hospital.” He turned to Angus. “Have you noticed anything?”

“I haven’t, and I’ve been watching. Of course that doesn’t mean someone isn’t keeping tabs.”

Officer Grumpy nodded. “Okay.”

“That’s good, right?” Kevin asked.

“To guys like this, fire is like a drug. He got his fix at the club and at your building. So the need will die down for a while, and maybe he’ll find someone else to fixate on before he needs another jolt of whatever it is that makes him do this. Then again, he might start looking for you once more when the need gets to be too much. Keep an eye out and call if you see anything suspicious. I’d rather have a number of false alarms and have you safe than one real incident that you were afraid to call in. We all want this guy.”

“Okay. I’m staying with friends until I get a new place. My dad made me promise that if I wasn’t going to go home with him that I wouldn’t stay alone until this guy was caught.”

“That’s a good idea, but you call if you see anything or anyone suspicious. Our arsonist knows the system and how to make himself look harmless. He got into your building and ultimately your apartment because he didn’t look like a threat.” If Office Grumpy was trying to scare Kevin, it was working.

“I will,” Kevin promised. He wanted to get out of there as fast as he could.

Angus looked about ready to kill as he stared bullets at Officer Grumpy. “Let’s go. We have things to do.” He led Kevin to the door, and they had just stepped into the hall when Angus’s phone rang. Angus answered it and listened. “We’ll be right there. … Yeah, he’s with me now. … I’ll bring him too.” Angus ended the call and stopped Officer Grumpy as he left his office. “We all need to go.”

“What?” Officer Grumpy snapped.

“There’s a fire in Camp Hill.”

“That’s out of our jurisdiction.”

“Yes, but it’s at Kevin’s job. The captain heard it over the scanner and called me. It has to be him. We can’t go officially, but what if he’s there?”

“I’ll drive,” Officer Grumpy said.

“I’m not riding in the back where the criminals go,” Kevin said. “If I get out of the back of a police car, rumors will go all around my office that I was arrested, and I’ll never get off the help desk.”

“My car is unmarked.” He was already leading them through the station and out the back to the parking area. Officer Grumpy unlocked a car, and Kevin and Angus got in the back together. Kevin was about ready to crawl out of his skin with worry.

“My building is pretty secure, and they wouldn’t let anyone in unless they were with an employee,” Kevin explained as they pulled out of the parking lot. “There are also security cameras around the building.”

“For an office?”

“It’s got all the computers and accounting systems, as well as other departments. So proprietary information and confidential records are stored there. After the whole Enron mess years ago, and the resulting fallout about accounting records, they instituted a lot of additional security.”

“Antonio will work with the local police to get whatever information he can. Maybe we can get a better image of our fire starter.”

No one wanted that more than Kevin. It seemed no one in his life was safe. “We have to call my dad. What if after this he decides to go for him?” Kevin began to shake and then coughed when he started to panic and breathed too hard. He couldn’t have his dad hurt or lose the home he’d grown up in. Everything else was being taken away piece by piece.

“Give me his address after we see what’s going on, and I’ll contact the local police there. They should be able to help. I’d also like the names and addresses of your friends. He may go for them next.”

This was a nightmare. Kevin leaned back in the seat and tried not to breathe too deeply. He almost asked Officer Grumpy—Antonio. He needed to think of him with his proper name—to take him back to the hospital. They had given him an inhaler, and he pulled it out of his pocket and took a dose. He hated the thing because it tasted like crap, but he felt better as soon as he took it.

“It’s all right. This isn’t your fault,” Angus said.

“It definitely is not,” Antonio said. “This is all the arsonist’s doing, not yours. So don’t start feeling guilty. Abusers and criminals always try to justify their crimes by saying it’s someone else’s fault. It distances them from their deeds and makes what they know is wrong easier to do.” Antonio drove like a bat out of hell, screaming down the freeway and then pulling off and exiting onto the surface street.