Opal Fire Read Online Free PDF Page A

resort than a Thomas Kinkade painting.
    “Okay. I’ll meet you at the back door.”
    “Thanks,” she said and hung up.
    I looked at Thor.
    “Come on, we have to go get Cinnamon.”
    Thor made a disgusted noise and sat down.
    “Thor, up. We have to go.” I tugged at his collar, which was futile. The dog was solid as a truck. Sometimes he could be incredibly stubborn, usually when I least wanted him to be. This might have gone smoother if I had a leash but it was still behind the bar.
    “Thor, let’s go. NOW,” I said as sternly as I could.
    He let out a wail like a tornado warning and put on the brakes. That was his hunger call. “Thor I am not going in there just to get your four cans of Meaty Dog. Stop acting so spoiled. I’ll get you a doughnut at the bakery.”
    Thor tossed his head back and bayed.
    “Fine, a dozen.”
    He plopped down and turned his head away from me.
    I squatted behind Thor and pushed to no avail. It was either leave him there or take a trip to the basement of the Opal and get his dinner.
    Not sure I made the right choice.
     
     
    I tipped through the back door of the Black Opal, stepping over the caution tape that Birdie had ripped down.
    Sage still permeated the air as I scanned the room. Paintings clung to loose hooks, tables wobbled on their sides. The damage didn’t seem too bad, save for the foamy mess from the firefighters putting out the blaze.
    I gingerly approached the stairs that led to the basement where Thor’s food was stashed, careful to avoid the front windows.
    The beam that separated the back room from the front of the place had crumbled into the floor. Cin always hated those beams. She was saving up to tear them down. She wanted to give the bar a facelift.
    Doubt this was what she had in mind.
    I peered down the cement stairwell but I couldn’t see much, so I fired up my cell phone for some light.
    At the bottom, the stone wall on the left seemed untouched by the fire. The metal shelves were still standing, stacked with napkins, glassware, liquor, and Thor’s Meaty Dog food.
    I took another step forward and aimed the light to the right wall.
    That side of the room was half stone and half red brick, now black and swollen. Loose wires dripped from an opening in the ceiling near a broken window. Bottles of booze had exploded and glass blanketed the floor.
    I crept to the shelves and scooped up several cans of dog food. When I turned back around, something near the corner, behind the stairwell, glimmered.
    I set the cans down and crouched in for a closer look. Wedged between layers of sticky dirt and brick was a bit of gold. I decided to use the bottle opener in my back pocket to uncover the source of the sparkle. It was a nifty little tool equipped also with a corkscrew, a pocket knife, and a nail file.
    The file latched onto just enough chain to extract a long gold necklace. Dangling from the chain was a cross shaped like nails, onyx topping each head. Onyx is great for severing a bad relationship.
    Unfortunately, I knew that from experience.
    “You shouldn’t be poking around down here.”
    I screamed and dropped the bottle opener, nearly wetting myself.
    First he mows me down, then he scares the piss out of me. Was this guy trying to give me a heart attack?
    “Don’t ever do that again,” I said to Derek.
    “Sorry. I heard you come down the steps, but I thought it was your boyfriend so I hid. Didn’t think it’d be too cool if he caught me.”
    I didn’t even ask how he knew who my boyfriend was. That was the casualty of life in a small town. People scoop into your business then hand out cones to anyone who asks for a lick.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked him.
    “Taking some shots,” He lifted up one of his umpteen cameras. “They’ll look hot next to your article.”
    I ignored the bad pun.
    Wait, my article?
    “I told you to tell Parker to get someone else.”
    “I did. But I thought that’s why you’re here.”
    “Oh. No, just picking up