Chapter 9
Alex pulled in behind a police car and shut off the engine. She stared at the burnt out shell that was all that was left of Jo’s house. This cannot be happening. Jo just lost her mother, now her house. This is unreal. [kk1] Alex tried to comfort Jo, but was at a loss. There was no way to sympathize with what this girl had been through in the last six hours, and now this. In shock and numb, Alex didn’t know what to do. She called her parents. Very quietly, she told them where they were, and what she saw. They were dumbfounded. How could two tragedies happen to the same person on the same day? It was impossible.
Alex’s mom and dad were on their way, so Alex sat in the car with Jo, rubbing her neck and shoulders, and just being there for her friend. Alex was incredulous at the sight before them. Jo had eventually stopped screaming, and her sobs weren’t so heart wrenching. Jo’s face was swollen and red from seven hours of crying.
When Jo had herself under control, she took a napkin that Alex handed her and mopped up her drenched face. She ran her fingers through her hair, and took a deep breath.
“Let’s go see what happened,” she said to Alex and opened the passenger door.
“My mom and dad are on their way, Jo. We can just wait, if you want.”
“I can’t just adopt your parents, Alex, as wonderful as they are. I have to be an adult. This is my responsibility, now, so, I need to be responsible. I need to find out what happened.”
The girls walked over to a fireman who was speaking directions into a radio. He stopped and looked down at them, realizing they wouldn’t be out at four o’clock in the morning unless they were somehow connected to the home fire. “This is my house,” Jo told him. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“We got here too late to save anything. It went fast. Was there anyone in there or any animals?”
“No. It’s just me and my mom,” Jo replied.
“Oh, where is your mother?”
Jo couldn’t help it. The tears started flowing again. She had no idea how she still had tears left. “My mother passed away an hour ago in a car accident. We’ve been at the hospital since about ten-thirty.”
The fireman they were speaking with was taken aback at the answer. This poor child has been through so much, he thought.
“Can you tell me what happened? What started it?” Jo asked.
“There was a lot of accelerant surrounding the skirting, and underneath the mobile itself. Once the fire was lit, it grew very large very fast. It would have totally consumed the entire mobile within five minutes, we speculate. The call came in around eleven-thirty, so you couldn’t have been gone long before the fire started. We are ruling it as arson. Do you have any idea who would have wanted to harm you?”
Jo looked up at the man, stunned at his question. “You think someone wanted me or my mom in there when they set the house on fire?”
“Our investigation isn’t complete yet, Ma’am. We have no way of knowing what was intended until we solve the case. Can you tell me: did you see anyone suspicious, or hear, or smell anything out of the ordinary today?”
Alex gasped, “Yes! Right as we were leaving for the hospital!” she exclaimed. She turned to Jo, “I noticed when we were rushing out to the car to get to the hospital. There was a horrid foul smell outside. I didn’t give it a second thought, because we were racing to get to your mom.”
“I remember that too. I wondered in passing if one of the neighbors was barbecuing or something, it smelled like briquettes, or lighter fluid, or the little lanterns you light to ward off mosquitoes, but it was unimportant at the time, I just got in the car.”
The fireman was jotting down the things the girls were saying as they spoke. The Turners had arrived and were standing nearby. Just their presence helped Jo cope a little better.
Jo, hesitant at first, finally dared to ask, “We were in a hurry when we left. Could I have left the stove on?”
The fireman glanced up for a moment then went back to writing. “No. The kind of damage that was done here was intentional. We have not been able to find what actually started it, but we do know it began underneath the mobile, where we found the accelerant evidence, and not inside. There was no way it was a kitchen fire.” Someone asked him something in his radio just then, and he listened, and then responded. Then he turned back to the girls again. “Did you notice anyone strange during the day? Or as you were leaving?” He saw Jo close her eyes, and realized she was drained. “I’m very sorry to have to keep asking you questions. I realize you are exhausted and grieving, and now to have this happen on top is just devastating. A house fire or death either one is very hard to get through. Both at once will knock your head off. I understand that, but I have to find out what happened.”
“I did see a man this afternoon, right as my mom left for work. It was like a bug guy. He was spraying up the street, and I saw him go back around our mobile, and assumed he was spraying back there too. I didn’t see him come out, but I wasn’t watching either.”
“And why did that seem strange to you?” the fireman asked.
“Because the bug guy was also here last week. And I didn’t think our trailer park even paid for bug guys, they had never been around before that I had seen, in all the years my mom and I lived here.”
The fireman seemed very interested in the pest control man. He radioed something to someone and wrote a lot more things in his little notebook. Soon he looked up again.
“You obviously cannot stay here tonight, or anytime for that matter. I think I have all I need from you. We were just finishing up when you arrived. I can’t release the scene to you until later today, and then you can pick through the debris and see if there was anything left to salvage. I would recommend heavy duty gloves. There will be glass strewn about. Is there a number I can reach you at when I release the location?”
Jo told him her cell phone number, and Alex’s home number, too, and then the man told them to go get some rest. Jo realized with a start that losing the house meant losing a lot. For starters, once her cell phone died, there was no charger anymore. She would have to buy one. And there were no clothes except the ones she was wearing. She would have to buy some. Then there was the distinct possibility that someone was trying to kill her. Who would want her dead? Did this fire have anything to do with the black car with tinted windows? She stopped herself from thinking about it, as she began to sway. Grief, fatigue, loss, shock, and horror had taken their toll on Jo, and she felt as if she was going to faint.
“Alex, I need to go sit down.” Alex was at her side instantly, supporting her. They went to Alex’s car, and left the mobile home park, the Turners following them in their car.
The ride was foggy for Jo. She didn’t remember a lot of it. She dozed most of the way, she realized later. She felt Alex and Kendra support her as they led her to a bed, which she gratefully collapsed in. They took off her shoes, and lifted her legs onto the bed, covered her up and left her alone. They knew she needed sleep more than anything else at the moment. And she slept.
Shortly after noon, Jo woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She was startled at first, wondering where she was. She had stayed over with Alex enough through the years for her surroundings to make sense after a fraction of a second, though, and then all that she had been through came crashing down on her awareness.
“Hello?” she answered the ringing phone.
“Hi, Miss Becker? This is Molly, at the hospital. We need you to come down and make arrangements about your mother’s body. Unless you already have a mortuary lined up?”
“No, um,” she thought for a moment. “I need an hour, okay? Then I will be there.”
Fresh tears began swarming in her eyes, and she hung up the phone. No matter where she turned, all she saw was loss. Jo saw Alex sit up in a bed across from hers.
“Who was it, Jo?”
“The hospital needs to release my mom; they want to know where to send her.”
“Oh. Wow. We have to plan a funeral. I never thought of that.”
“I didn’t either, Alex. There’s just too much stuff. How am I going to pay for it? We don’t have any money. I don’t even know if Mom had anything at all in the bank.”
“Take it one thing at a time, Jo. I’m sure my parents can help you.”
Jo sighed. As much as she hated asking Alex’s parents for help, she realized Alex was right. There was no other way.
“The lady at the hospital didn’t mention anything about the hospital bill. I wonder if I have to pay that too.”
“No, either her car insurance or the drunken guy’s insurance will take care of that.”
“I hope so. I know hospitals are expensive.”
Jo pulled back the covers, and saw she was wearing the same clothes she had worn all day the day before. A few tears spilled down her cheeks, as she realized, this too, was something she couldn’t fix. She had nothing else to wear.
“Jo, come on, it will be ok.” Alex tried to comfort her friend.
“I don’t have anything to wear, Alex. I feel gritty, and I am homeless, broke, and an orphan.”
“Oh, Jo,” Alex sighed as she pulled Jo into her arms for a hug. “You are not homeless. And just think; now you get a whole new wardrobe.”
Jo tried to smile, but it was hard. She left the bedroom and headed into the kitchen where she heard some noises coming from. Kendra was making pancakes, and had just set a plateful on the table.
“Sleep well?” she asked Jo and motioned for Jo to sit where the piping hot breakfast was waiting.
“I slept hard. I don’t feel rested, though.”
“It was a long night. We are all still short a few hours of sleep.”
“I wanted to sleep more, but there is so much to do. “ Jo told her about the call from the hospital. “I really need something to wear, at least clean under things. Alex and I are so different in size; I don’t see how I can borrow from her.”
“Do you need some money to buy a few things? Sam and I will help out as much as we can, Jo, you know that don’t you?”
“I told her you and dad could probably help pay for the funeral, Mom.” Alex informed her mom as she came into the dining area where the others were. “I’m sure she can get a job after this all settles down, and then be a self sufficient, responsible adult, but for now, she’s ours, and we are going to help her get back on her feet.”
“Of course we can help with the funeral, Jo.” Kendra handed Alex a plate of pancakes, then left the room for a moment, returning with a wallet. She pulled out some cash, and held it out to Jo.
“Here, take some money and have Alex drive you to the local department store. Get a couple things to get you through a few days.”
Jo thanked her, and took the money. It was hard to do. She had learned from her mother that people earned what they received, and to just be handed money hurt her pride, but she didn’t have much choice.
“Thank you, Kendra. And please, keep track of everything you do for me. I really do want to pay you back.”
“It is our honor to help you, Jo. Consider us as if we were your parents, honey. We love you, you know, and will do everything we can to help.”
Jo nodded. “Yes, I know, but please, I really want to be able to take care of myself. I am grateful for the loans, but please, let me return everything once I can. I don’t feel right about accepting so much.”
Kendra nodded, understanding, and was proud of Jo for her stand. Jo would never take advantage of them, she knew. It was that reason she was so willing to give.
“All right, Jo, I will keep track,” she told her, then sat down with the two girls and ate some breakfast herself. While she was eating, she gently guided the conversation back to the issues Jo would have to face today.
“Did you have a funeral home in mind for the service?” she asked Jo.
“No, I hadn’t even considered it. I guess any one of them will do.”
“Did she have a lot of friends where she worked who would want to attend her memorial?”
Jo thought for a moment. “Mom was nice to everyone, and everyone liked her. I imagine the people at the grocery store will want to attend. And I’m sure many of our neighbors will.”
Kendra flipped through the phonebook and found a funeral home between the mobile home park and the grocery store.
“Okay. Jo, they are going to ask you some hard questions. You need to be ready. Would you like me to come with you to make the arrangements?”
Jo looked up at her, tears again wetting her cheeks. “I’m so sorry to cause you so much trouble. I feel like a burden.”
Kendra went over to Jo and hugged her. “That’s enough of that. Soon enough Alex will be out of the house, and you will be gone too. I will have nothing to do in my big empty house, and no one to bother me, and I will miss it immensely, so let me help while help is needed. It makes me feel better knowing I am doing what I can to make your circumstances a little easier on you. I love being there for you.”
Jo smiled up at Alex’s mom through her watery eyes. “Okay,” she said. “I would really appreciate it if you would help with the arrangements.”
“Thank you, Jo.” Kendra gave her an encouraging hug, and then returned to her seat. “There is one thing you have to answer though, honey. I can’t decide this for you. Did you want your mother to be cremated, or buried? Had she ever mentioned her wishes in that regard?”
“No, we never talked about it.”
“All right. We can talk to the funeral home director about it.”
They didn’t talk much more about that, and as soon as the girls finished eating, Alex dragged Jo out to a department store to get some clothes. She hurriedly picked out two pair of jeans, three shirts, and underclothes. It was just enough to get her through a few days. The one hundred dollars that she had been lent barely covered it, so it was enough, Jo decided.
They returned to the house where Jo showered and scrubbed her swollen face. It felt good to be clean. She quickly dressed in the new garments, and, while waiting for Alex to get out of the shower, started making a list of things she needed to do. Today was a Monday, so all the businesses were open. It was after one o’clock by this time, so she was late to the hospital, but it wasn’t really an appointment, so she wasn’t too concerned.
Once Alex was dressed, the two girls got into the family SUV with Alex’s mom and they drove to the hospital. They entered the business area, and after Jo asked to see Molly, they were shown into a small office. Molly was expecting Jo, and was ready. She asked curt questions regarding where to send Mrs. Becker’s body, and then there were a few other last minute papers that had to be signed. Jo signed every place that needed it, and then the three left for the funeral home.
At the funeral home, the nice gentleman spoke very plainly then gently explained the difference between cremation and burial to Jo. Since her mother was very badly inured, an open casket was discouraged, so either method was acceptable. Jo decided to go with cremation. She vaguely remembered her mother telling her once that Jo’s grandparents, her mother’s own parents, had been cremated and that her mother had scattered their ashes. This was the second decision Jo had to make as a legal adult. She was starting to think that turning eighteen was a curse and was wishing she were seventeen again. Yet she signed all the papers they put in front of her, and Kendra wrote a check to cover the costs, a little over three thousand dollars in total.
Once all the arrangements were made, and a service set for Thursday of that week at two o’clock in the afternoon, they left the funeral home and returned to the Turner’s house. It was late in the afternoon by that time, and though they had a late breakfast, they decided to have some lunch anyway, and not wait until dinner.
As they munched on sandwiches, Jo reflected on the past few days. It had only been three days since graduation, and it was hard to believe that so much had happened in three days. The final, the party, helping Charlie pack to leave, the long talk about her father, and then, last night: the world coming to an end. Jo sat up sharply, and realized, “Today is my birthday. I had forgotten.”
Kendra looked at her sadly. “I’m so sorry you will have sad reminders of your birthday from now on. Life just isn’t fair sometimes.”
“Yeah, it isn’t,” she agreed.
Just then there was a knock on the door. Charlie rushed in as Alex opened the door, and headed straight for Jo. Her parents and her thirteen-year-old brother, Kyle, were close behind.
“Jo, I’m so sorry. We got here as fast as we could. I figured you would be here, so we didn’t stop by your house first.” She was hugging Jo, and crying, and of course Jo started crying again with her.
They all sat down in the living room and Jo asked Alex to fill everyone in, so Alex told the story, from the phone call they thought was fake, through the hospital ordeal, and ending with taking Jo to get some clothes from her house and finding it burned to the ground. Jo sat silently, tears streaming down her face as she relived the evening. Charlie was sobbing, holding Jo, saying, “Oh, No!” at every bad turn of events.
By the time Alex finished relaying the entire catastrophic evening, Bradley Allen, Charlie’s dad, an attorney, was pacing. He was angry that so much could happen to such a young, promising person in a day. And, from knowing Jo her whole life, he knew that Jo and her mom were good people, and didn’t deserve this. However, he had learned in his line of work that most often it was the good people who were hurt the worst, but he was determined to somehow make it right.
“Did the police give you an incident report?” he asked Jo.
“We never spoke to the police at all,” she answered. “We went straight to the hospital.”
Charlie looked up at her dad, who had always done everything for her, whenever she asked. She pleaded with him, “Daddy, can you help Jo in any way? This is terrible.”
Brad looked at the three best friends sitting on the sofa and replied, “Jo, will you let me help you? At least to recover the costs of your mom’s car, and pay for any expenses incurred.”
“My mom’s car wasn’t worth much, maybe a few hundred dollars. And I was hoping that the person responsible for the accident was responsible for the hospital bills.”
“Have you contacted the insurance company? Either you mom’s or the drunk’s?”
“No. I haven’t done much of anything. It’s all happened too fast.”
“Jo, will you let me handle it for you? I would really like to take charge of this part. And I will also find out if there was insurance on your mobile home. Maybe there was, and you can get some of your things back.”
Jo, sighed, relieved. “Yes, please. I would appreciate your help with all of that.”
Charlie hugged Jo, happy to be able to contribute something to ease Jo’s pain. Then Jo’s cell phone rang again. She was almost afraid of it by now, since it always gave bad news, but she pulled it out of her pocket, and answered it. Everyone in the room got quiet.
“Hello?”
“Miss Becker? This is Capt. Evans from the fire department.”
Jo pushed a button on the side of the phone, and turned the cell phone into a speakerphone. She decided it would be just as easy for everyone to hear at once, rather than have to repeat it. She asked him his name again, so everyone would know who was speaking.