he said. "What do you say we forget about fires and accusations and catch a movie Friday--tomorrow night?"
"I--I don't know," said Jill.
"You don't know if you're free, or you don't know if you want to go out with me?" There was no trace of his sarcastic smile, only a look of gentleness.
"I guess," said Jill, "I'm wondering if you really want to go out with me."
Gabe understood. "Because of Andrea?" She nodded. "I like her a lot, Jill. And I'm hoping she recovers from her accident soon. But the other night was--just one of those things. She was all over me--what could I do?"
"I just wanted to make sure," she said, "that there wasn't something more going on."
"Does this mean we're on for Friday night?"
"Sure," said Jill. "Why not?"
"Good," he said. He kissed her again, this time on the lips, then waited while she opened the door. "See you later," he said.
Jill shut the door and leaned against it, her heart pounding. Oh, Gabe, she thought, what am I going to do about you?
The real question, of course, was, what was she going to do about her feelings for him?
She went into the family room and found Mittsy curled up on the sofa, the TV playing softly in the background. She switched it off. Her parents were out playing bridge with some friends, and the house felt empty.
She sat petting the cat, staring at the TV without seeing it, and thinking about Andrea, Gabe, and the fires. But mostly she was thinking about Gabe.
Maybe he was right, that the best thing for her to do was just forget about the Fear Street fire. Even if he set it--or knew who did--he seemed to be telling her that there wouldn't be any more fires.
She stretched, then decided to work on her algebra homework. She was just heading up the stairs when the doorbell rang.
Maybe it's Gabe, she thought. She pulled open the door and was surprised to see two men in suits standing there. "I'm Detective Frazier," the taller one told her, holding out his ID. "This is my partner, Detective Monroe. Are you Jill Franks?"
"Yes," she said.
"Do you mind if we come in? We want to ask you some questions about a fire on Fear Street."
Chapter 21
"Come on in," she said, hoping that her voice wasn't shaking.
Be casual, she told herself. You haven't done anything wrong.
"We're sorry to bother you at this hour," said Detective Frazier. "Can you tell us where you were last night, the twentieth?"
"Last night? I was out driving around," Jill said.
"Yes?" said Frazier. He seemed friendly and not at all suspicious. "Our records indicate that one of our officers saw you on Fear Street last night just before a fire killed a homeless man. He said you had some sort of car trouble."
"That's right," said Jill. "My car stalled out."
"Do you mind telling us what you were doing on Fear Street?" asked Detective Monroe.
Jill thought fast. "I--I had a fight with my boyfriend. I didn't want to be home if he called. So I thought I'd just drive around. I didn't realize I was on Fear Street until my car stalled."
Detective Frazier raised one eyebrow.
"While you were on Fear Street, did you see anything suspicious?"
"I didn't see anything at all," Jill said. "I was too busy trying to start my car." She was amazed at how easily the lies came to her. But what else could she do? She was almost certain that Max and Nick hadn't started the fire, and if she told about them they would be in terrible trouble.
But what if they did start the fire? Another part of her wanted to tell the policemen everything, to get it all out in the open.
"You didn't see any other people?" asked Monroe. "Did you see the fire?"
"No, really, Officer," she said. "I didn't see anything."
"Our records indicate that the fire was called in from a fire box at the corner of Old Mill Road and Fear Street around the time you were there,"
he said.
"It must have been someone else," said Jill. She looked at both detectives intently, but their faces seemed relaxed and free of suspicion.
"Well, I guess that's about it,"
"I--I don't know," said Jill.
"You don't know if you're free, or you don't know if you want to go out with me?" There was no trace of his sarcastic smile, only a look of gentleness.
"I guess," said Jill, "I'm wondering if you really want to go out with me."
Gabe understood. "Because of Andrea?" She nodded. "I like her a lot, Jill. And I'm hoping she recovers from her accident soon. But the other night was--just one of those things. She was all over me--what could I do?"
"I just wanted to make sure," she said, "that there wasn't something more going on."
"Does this mean we're on for Friday night?"
"Sure," said Jill. "Why not?"
"Good," he said. He kissed her again, this time on the lips, then waited while she opened the door. "See you later," he said.
Jill shut the door and leaned against it, her heart pounding. Oh, Gabe, she thought, what am I going to do about you?
The real question, of course, was, what was she going to do about her feelings for him?
She went into the family room and found Mittsy curled up on the sofa, the TV playing softly in the background. She switched it off. Her parents were out playing bridge with some friends, and the house felt empty.
She sat petting the cat, staring at the TV without seeing it, and thinking about Andrea, Gabe, and the fires. But mostly she was thinking about Gabe.
Maybe he was right, that the best thing for her to do was just forget about the Fear Street fire. Even if he set it--or knew who did--he seemed to be telling her that there wouldn't be any more fires.
She stretched, then decided to work on her algebra homework. She was just heading up the stairs when the doorbell rang.
Maybe it's Gabe, she thought. She pulled open the door and was surprised to see two men in suits standing there. "I'm Detective Frazier," the taller one told her, holding out his ID. "This is my partner, Detective Monroe. Are you Jill Franks?"
"Yes," she said.
"Do you mind if we come in? We want to ask you some questions about a fire on Fear Street."
Chapter 21
"Come on in," she said, hoping that her voice wasn't shaking.
Be casual, she told herself. You haven't done anything wrong.
"We're sorry to bother you at this hour," said Detective Frazier. "Can you tell us where you were last night, the twentieth?"
"Last night? I was out driving around," Jill said.
"Yes?" said Frazier. He seemed friendly and not at all suspicious. "Our records indicate that one of our officers saw you on Fear Street last night just before a fire killed a homeless man. He said you had some sort of car trouble."
"That's right," said Jill. "My car stalled out."
"Do you mind telling us what you were doing on Fear Street?" asked Detective Monroe.
Jill thought fast. "I--I had a fight with my boyfriend. I didn't want to be home if he called. So I thought I'd just drive around. I didn't realize I was on Fear Street until my car stalled."
Detective Frazier raised one eyebrow.
"While you were on Fear Street, did you see anything suspicious?"
"I didn't see anything at all," Jill said. "I was too busy trying to start my car." She was amazed at how easily the lies came to her. But what else could she do? She was almost certain that Max and Nick hadn't started the fire, and if she told about them they would be in terrible trouble.
But what if they did start the fire? Another part of her wanted to tell the policemen everything, to get it all out in the open.
"You didn't see any other people?" asked Monroe. "Did you see the fire?"
"No, really, Officer," she said. "I didn't see anything."
"Our records indicate that the fire was called in from a fire box at the corner of Old Mill Road and Fear Street around the time you were there,"
he said.
"It must have been someone else," said Jill. She looked at both detectives intently, but their faces seemed relaxed and free of suspicion.
"Well, I guess that's about it,"
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