Haunting Rachel by Kay Hooper

exclusive.”
    “Umm. Let’s take a look inside.”
    The key stuck a bit, but finally turned with a faint click, and they went into the store. It was a very plain space, virtually unfinished, with concrete floors and white block walls, and their footsteps echoed hollowly. An interior wall held a single door, which presumably led to either office or storage space in the back.
    “Not much personality,” Adam noted.
    “No, but that could be—” Rachel caught a faint whiff of an odor like rotten eggs, and a chill chased up and down her spine. It was what she had smelled in her dream. “Do you smell something?”
    Even before he spoke, Adam was grabbing her hand. “Gas. Let’s get out of here.
Move,
Rachel.”
    He hadn’t shouted, and didn’t seem to move hastily, yet Adam had her outside the store in seconds.
    Seconds later, the whole world seemed to blow up.

SIX
    he storage room was bigger than it looked, and it was full of gas.” Adam’s voice was level. “That’s why the explosion was so big even though we barely smelled the stuff.” Rachel winced as the paramedic stuck a small Band-Aid on the cut on her cheek. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t quite keep her voice as steady as his. “Will there be enough of the building left for them to figure out what caused the spark?”
    Before Adam could reply to that, a plainclothes cop approached them, notebook in hand. “Miss Grant? If you’re up to it, I’d like to ask you a few questions now.”
    He had talked to Adam before, while Rachel was being checked out in the paramedics’ van.
    “I’m fine,” she said, but she was grateful for Adam’s quick hand helping her out of the van, and glad he kept an arm around her shoulders. She felt more than a little shaky, and she would undoubtedly be stiff and sore tomorrowfrom all the bruises, since she and Adam had been thrown to the pavement by the force of the explosion.
    Fire department personnel were still milling around, but the explosion had been so ferocious that there had actually been little fire. There was also little left of the store, except for a few yards of the side walls and a very large heap of rubble from the collapsed roof.
    “I have Mr. Delafield’s statement,” Detective James said. “It’s pretty clear. Did you see or hear anything unusual, Miss Grant? Before the explosion?”
    “No.”
    “Did you notice anyone lurking around the store, or walking away quickly?”
    “No.” She frowned, the idea occurring to her for the first time with a sharp chill. “You don’t think it was an accident?”
    The detective shrugged. “Well, Miss Grant, we’ve had some arson in this area, and several times the target was a vacant store. That’s the most likely answer. We think a valve was opened, and that doesn’t happen by accident.”
    “What about the spark?”
    “There are some fairly easy tricks to set up a delayed spark, and most arsonists know them all. We’ll find enough evidence to be sure of just how he did it.” He shook his head. “Bad luck that you two happened to be looking at the store today.”
    “Yes.” Her voice was hollow. “Very bad luck.”
    Adam’s arm tightened around her.
    “I’m going to give you one of my cards,” Detective James said, “so you can call me if you think of anything else. You might have seen something you don’t remember right now—a person or thing out of place, something like that. Give me a call if you do.”
    She accepted the card. “I will.”
    Adam asked, “May we go now?”
    “Sure. I have your numbers if I need to get in touch.”
    Rachel took one last glance at the smoldering ruin, then walked with Adam back to her car, which had narrowly escaped getting a huge dent when a chunk of concrete had fallen near it. She didn’t object when Adam took her to the passenger side, and even managed a smile when he spoke.
    “This time I’ll drive.”
    He turned the heater on when he got in, land Rachel realized only then that she was