Save Me - Lisa Scottoline [46]
Mommy!
She got out of the car, closed the door behind her, and walked through the playground toward the cafeteria, which had been cordoned off in different sections with yellow caution tape, sawhorses, and a temporary fence of orange netting. She stood behind the sawhorse, eyeing the scene.
Klieglights lit up the façade of the cafeteria, making supersized shadows of the workmen as they went back and forth from the cafeteria to the dumpster with wheelbarrows, tarps, and trash bags of charred debris. Some of the workmen were building a plywood wall, probably the one that Mr. Rodriguez had mentioned, and a workman in a T-shirt and Carhartt overalls smiled as he walked to the pickup in front of her car. He was carrying a heavy-duty laptop, and he stowed it inside, slammed the door, and came over to her, with a confident stride.
“Can I help you?” he asked, in a friendly way. In the reflected light, Rose could see that he had an easy grin, a longish nose, and dark eyes under a white plastic hardhat with a Phillies sticker. “Name’s Kurt Rehgard.” He stuck out a large hand, and Rose shook it, feeling her fingers crunch.
“Rose. I’m just looking around.”
“Been a lot of that today.”
“I bet.” Rose eyed the bustling scene. “You guys are working late.”
“All night. The bigwigs want this school up and running, time is of the essence, and we don’t mind, I’ll tell you that. We’re all loving the OT, especially in this economy.” Kurt gestured to the work crews behind him. “My crew is all from Phoenixville, the electrical contractor’s from Pottstown, and the GC’s from Norristown. The district wanted all new on site, on account of the lawsuits they expect.”
“There’s more than one lawsuit?” Rose felt her chest tighten.
“Hell, yeah. Everybody’s pointing fingers and who’s responsible for what, who caused this, who did that.”
“I heard it was a gas leak and faulty wiring.”
“I’m not supposed to say, on pain of death.” The carpenter drew a dirty finger across his throat. “You a reporter?”
“No way.” Rose smiled. “Just a mom. You were saying, about the lawsuits?”
“Startin’ in already. The first electrical contractor says it was the GC’s fault, and the first GC says it was the gas company’s fault, and the HVAC guys are in trouble because the ductwork was too close for code, and somebody said the fire used it to spread so fast.” Kurt shook his head. “All the fire marshals, building inspectors came around, even the FBI, because of the fatalities. Then the lawyers and the so-called experts they hired, all taking pictures. It’s a damn circus.”
Rose’s head was spinning. It sounded like the lawsuits that Leo talked about at dinner, and she hoped they wouldn’t be caught in the middle, becoming the lawsuit that people talked about at dinner.
“You say your child goes here?”
“Yes. My daughter’s in third grade, and school’s open tomorrow, which seems kind of strange to me.”
“Not at all. It’s not unsafe or anything. The kids can’t go in the cafeteria, and there’ll be fire and water damage crews in the hallways, but your kid will be safe in the rest of the building. Don’t worry.” Kurt cocked his head. “I thought you were a lawyer, that’s why I came over. That, and to see if you were married.”
“Thanks, but I am married. To a lawyer.”
“No!” Kurt pretended he’d been shot, staggering backwards comically. “Dump his lame ass!”
Rose laughed.
“Hey, if you like, I’ll show you inside. You’ll see, it’s safe. You want a quick tour?”
“I’d love to,” Rose answered, intrigued. “Is that kosher?”
“The bigwigs are gone, and my guys don’t care. Act like a lawyer.”
“I can do that.” Rose