removed his sunglasses. “What happened? How did
the fire start?”
He was ignored by both Flynns as the emergency
crew charged up the stairs with Eugenia Fleming in
their wake. Somewhat to her surprise, Judith didn’t
recognize any of the rescuers. Maybe, she thought a bit
hazily, that was because it was a Monday. She couldn’t
recall anyone ever dying or almost dying at Hillside
Manor on a Monday. This must be a different crew.
Somewhat giddily, she wondered if eventually she’d
know them all—police, firefighters, medics, maybe
even a coroner or two.
“Clear the area!” one of the firefighters shouted.
From somewhere on the stairs, Judith could hear a
vaguely familiar female voice giving orders for the rest
of the guests to stay put. The girlish tones sounded
more like Ellie than the buglelike Eugenia. But the
voice belonged to a newcomer.
The medics had moved Winifred down the hall.
“We’ll work on her here,” one of them announced with
a slight Spanish accent. “Everybody else get lost.”
Finally, Joe got Judith to her feet. “Can you walk?”
he whispered.
She bit her lip, then wiped at her eyes, which were
still smarting. “I’m not sure,” she replied unsteadily.
But one foot went in front of the other. There was none
of the agonizing pain she’d suffered from previous dislocations. Perhaps the sensations trying to move
Winifred had only been a warning.
The others had already trooped downstairs, except
for Vito, who lingered in the hallway.
Eugenia was standing under the arch between the
entry hall and the living room. Cautiously, Judith
stepped over the tan fire hoses.
“Where is that woman?” Eugenia demanded, fists
on hips. “It must be all her fault.”
Judith stared. “What woman?”
“Your cleaning woman,” Eugenia snapped. “What
kind of a person is she to cause such a mess?”
“My—” Judith stopped, allowing Joe to help her
onto the sofa.
Eugenia followed, a bulldog running down a cat.
“I let her in while I was waiting for you to serve
breakfast,” Eugenia said, incensed. “How did I know
she was a pyromaniac?”
Judith forced her brain to kick-start. “No. That
couldn’t have been my cleaning woman. I spoke to her
