Senseless Read Online Free PDF Page B

long.
    “Will do.” Malcolm peeled off toward the onlookers while Garrison cut back toward the front yard where the seven survivors were huddled under blankets and cradling cups of coffee. Each stared blankly—a sign of shock.
    The group looked ragtag, worn and shell-shocked from the fire. Garrison’s gaze scanned the group, beginning with a woman in her fifties. Wisps of gray hair escaped a thinning ponytail, and crow’s feet highlighted brown sunken eyes and leathery skin.
    At the opposite end sat a man—mid-thirties with a mocha complexion. He wore a thick hunting jacket two sizes too large, a tattered ball cap that read ACE, steel-toe boots, gray shirt and jeans covered with a half-dozen patches.
    He’d have to talk to them all individually so one person’s story didn’t contaminate another’s. Eyewitness testimony coupled with trauma often meant skewed memories.
    “I saw what happened.” The man on the end with the ACE hat had spoken up.
    Garrison slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum as he strolled toward him. He offered the man a stick and waited patiently as the guy unfolded the wrapper and folded the gum in his mouth.
    The guy nodded. “Thanks.”
    “Let’s walk.”
    “Sure.”
    The two moved out of earshot of the other six survivors. Garrison learned long ago if he didn’t rush the interview process he often learned more in the end. And a little kindness led to more information than hard-edged questions.
    “Can I have the rest of that gum?” Ace said.
    “Sure.” Garrison handed him the packet. “My name’s Detective Garrison.”
    “I’m Ace.”
    “Just like your hat.” Garrison pulled out a slim notebook and pen from the breast pocket of his blue sports coat.
    “They call me Ace because of the hat.” Ace fumbled with the gum and then held it up to his nose. He inhaled deeply then shoved the pack into the pocket of his jacket.
    “What’s your real name?”
    Dark brows knotted. “I don’t remember.”
    Garrison smiled. “Maybe it’ll come to you.”
    He knotted his brow as if it bothered him that he didn’t know his name. “Sometimes it does. Give it time.”
    “Well, we’ll just stick with Ace for now. Ace, what happened? How did the fire start?”
    “I was watching the television. We were all watching Entertainment Tonight. I like Mary Hart. You watch ET?”
    “No. Not much of a TV guy when it’s not football season.”
    “I love ET. Proves even the celebrities got their issues. Maybe if I’d had a handler like those stars I’d still be fine.”
    “I suppose we could all use a little handler.” Hell, there’d been a time when his parents had stepped into his life and straightened him out. No telling where he’d have ended up if not for them. “Did the fire start before or after the show ended?”
    “Right at the end, thank goodness. I was just getting up to get water from the kitchen when I saw this flame in the front yard.”
    “A flame?” Garrison jotted notes.
    “Yeah. Some guy held a flame in his hand.”
    “A Molotov cocktail? ”
    “Could be. I ain’t never seen one before.”
    “What happened next?”
    “The flame carrier came right up to the house and tossed the fire bottle at the house. When it hit the house, it kind of exploded. If you don’t believe me, then check the eyes.”
    “Eyes?”
    “Cameras. They are all around. They catch ever y-thing.”
    Garrison’s gaze swept around. “Mostly homes around here.”
    “There’s a camera on the home on the corner. The guy is afraid of us. Doesn’t like homeless people on his street. Uses the camera to watch us.”
    “Which house?”
    “White one on the corner.”
    “Thanks. I’ll check it out.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Know anyone that would want to burn the place down?”
    “Some.”
    “Like?”
    “Always someone that’s mad with someone here. Last week I got into a fight over the television remote. Darryl demanded the remote during ET. I got