Montana Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

closed. Not only
     were local law enforcement vehicles blocking the path to the vacant parking lot, the
     horror of the mostly collapsed warehouse had her heart slamming against her ribs so
     hard she almost lost her grip on the wheel.
    She rolled down her window to draw in more air, but not only did the cold fail to
     relieve the sludge in her veins, the heavy scent of the fire made her gag. Stunned
     by the shambles, she shut the window.
    Reality pierced her brain. The burned out shell of a building was where she believed
     Jonathan lived. Oh, my God!
    Quickly nabbing one of the prime spaces in front of the clinic, instead of waiting
     to be diverted to a new lot, she jerked the car to a stop and jumped out. Leaving
     her food purchases in the car, she ran down the sidewalk. Cop cars, a CSU van, as
     well as an assortment of other vehicles, were spread out everywhere.
    Where was her friend? Jamie frantically searched for Jonathan, and prayed he had the
     sense to find other shelter once the blaze started. As she glanced across the street,
     she spotted Larry and sighed. Thank God, he was safe. He might know where to find
     Jonathan.
    Swallowing the ebbing panic, Jamie rushed across the street, holding her hand over
     her nose to keep the stench from entering.
    “Larry. Have you see Jonathan?”
    He looked up from the sidewalk with bloodshot eyes and shook his head. A giant claw
     of worry ripped a hole in her gut.
    “It be bad, missy. Real bad.”
    Her stomach contracted as his ominous words found their mark deep inside her. Maybe
     he was talking about the state of the building and not about her good friend.
    “What about Jonathan?” Blood pounded in her ears.
    Larry wove his gnarled fingers together and refused to look at her. Then he shrugged.
     “Ambulance came for him last night.”
    She prayed Larry knew the difference between an ambulance and a coroner’s van. “He
     isn’t…dead, is he?” The word dead wedged in her tight throat.
    “Tall man talked to him.”
    Tall man? Did he mean Max? “Did you see the blaze?”
    He nodded. She waited for him to say he’d tried to help his friend or that he found
     someone to call 911, but she didn’t want to push him. Larry often shut down when she
     asked him too many questions.
    Jamie wanted to rush to the scene to find out about Jonathan’s condition, but Larry
     probably needed her kindness more. Jonathan was his friend, too. “I’ll be right back.”
    She jogged to her car, grabbed the snack bags with the fast food, and returned. She
     set the food next to him. “You might as well eat Jonathan’s share. I’ll see what I
     can find out and let you know. You take care now, you hear?”
    “Yes, missy.”
    Larry refused to call her Jamie. He said it wouldn’t be a sign of respect to use her
     first name.
    She jetted back across the street, dodging the rubberneckers, and headed toward the
     carnage. A good head taller than the short squat man next to him, Max Gruden was easy
     to spot. He’d have the information she needed.
    As she approached the yellow crime scene tape, a cop materialized as if out of thin
     air. “I’m sorry, ma’am. No one is allowed any closer.”
    Desperation flooded her system. Even if she explained she was a friend of the man
     who’d been burned in the fire, the cop would have no reason to let her speak with
     Max. Jamie had been raised never to lie, but desperate times called for desperate
     measures. “I need to speak with Max Gruden. He’s my boyfriend.”
    *     *     *
    Trent strode up to Max. “Your girlfriend has asked to speak with you.” He nodded toward Jamie.
    “My what?” Max must not have heard Trent correctly.
    He and Jamie had gotten along really well at the wedding until he started to preach
     to her about how thinking like a victim would hinder her ability to heal. Like she
     needed a lecture from him? Jesus. He’d been such a jerk. And she’d told him, too.
    “Your dance partner over there