Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [119]
“That was part of it, Elmo. Fear does strange things to a person. It also opens your eyes to what’s around you. Fear for your well-being and your life make you so aware of things it is almost impossible to miss all those things you ignored along the way. Does that make sense?”
Elmo nodded and looked at his watch. “It’s four-thirty. Everything seems quiet. I guess our nerves got the best of us.”
“Seems that way.”
“Want to play some checkers or some gin rummy?”
“Checkers,” Annie said.
“I’ll get the board.”
“I’m going to use the bathroom. What are we playing for?”
“Money, what else?” Elmo cackled as he headed down the hall to his room.
Two minutes later, just as Annie opened the bathroom door, an explosion rocked the back end of the house. Annie fell backward, reaching for the towel bar and swinging wildly on one foot so she wouldn’t fall. “Elmo!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
“What the hell was that?” Elmo shouted as he tottered to Annie, his arms outstretched.
“My God! Call the police, the fire department! Are you okay, Elmo?”
“Scared the bejesus out of me; but I’m okay. Where’s the phone?”
Annie hopped over to the bottom of the steps. “Everyone get down here! Tom! Jane! Clay! Hurry! There was an explosion in the kitchen. We need to get outside. Hurry! Hurry!” Annie screamed to be heard over the crackling flames in the kitchen.
Five minutes later they were all clustered together on the sidewalk in front of the house as the fire engine and police cars raced to a screeching halt, the ambulance directly behind the police cars.
Everyone started talking at once, the dogs barking and howling as the sirens continued to wail.
“Oh, Annie, your beautiful house is ruined. Thank God you’re okay. Thank God, we’re all okay,” Jane dithered as she crushed Daisy to her chest.
“I don’t care about the house. If Elmo hadn’t decided he wanted to play checkers and if I hadn’t gone to the bathroom, we’d both be dead now.”
Clay Mitchell stared at the firemen and the police as they raced inside the house. “What the hell is going on here, Tom? Do you have gas in the house?”
“No. Everything is electric,” Tom said as he clenched his teeth and balled his hands into tight fists.
Clay thought about the gun Annie kept near her at all times and the mess she’d been in a little more than twenty-four hours ago. Common sense told him he should take his dog and beat feet. Instead he planted his feet more firmly on the concrete. He’d never run out on a friend in his life. He’d never been one to run from trouble, either. His adrenaline started to boil when he saw the fear on everyone’s face, especially the little girl. “Easy, Jake. Stay,” he said calmly to the jittery dog.
An hour later, the investigating police officer offered to drive all of them to Elmo’s house with a strict warning not to return to the house until it was safe to do so.
“How long will that be?” Annie demanded.
“It could be days. It could be weeks,” the officer said. Annie groaned.
“Did my birthday cake blow up?” Daisy whimpered.
“I think so,” Jane said. “We’ll bake another one at Elmo’s house.”
Annie climbed into the police car and sat down next to Elmo. “We were all in the house. The three of us, Elmo. You know what this means, don’t you?”
“I’m afraid so, Annie. I don’t know if Jane’s figured it out yet, though.”
“We aren’t going to be safe anywhere. If the only way to get that man off our backs is a confession, then I’m going to the police and cross my fingers and confess. There was a child in the house. Doesn’t he care? Clay Mitchell has nothing to do with this. He’s an innocent party and he could have been killed and so could Tom. The bastard wants us or one of us three. I’m going to do it, Elmo. I can’t take this anymore.”
“You’re not going to do any such thing. The police will handle this. Listen to me, Annie. I’m speaking now to you like a father. I want your word.”
Annie clamped her lips shut. She unlocked them a moment later. “Don’t tell me what to do, Elmo. I’m all grown-up now.”
“Mind me now,