Upstate Uproar (35 page)

V
ivian banged on the
door to the attic as smoke began filling the small staircase.
“Help! Help! We’re in here!” She tried the knob again, but no go.
She, Wendy, Kate and Lucy were trapped.

“Help!” All the girls yelled, banging and
shoving on the door.

The smoke started getting thicker so Vivian
pulled her sweater up over her face and indicated they should do
the same. “Kate, get back upstairs. Wendy, go with her. Lucy, let’s
try to break open this door.”

“No, let’s stay together,” Wendy yelled.
“Buddy system. We can’t get out that way anyway.”

Vivian looked at Lucy, who nodded. They all
four turned and ran up the narrow staircase.

Once in the attic, Wendy ran to open the
window, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Watch out!” Lucy ran toward the window,
floor lamp in hand like a javelin. She let it fly and the glass
shattered, letting in fresh air, just not enough of it. Smoke now
poured through the floorboards and attic walls.

Kate coughed several times and looked around
frantically. “This is a balloon frame house. This attic will be
engulfed in minutes, especially if this started on the second
story.”

Vivian’s eyes burned as she looked around the
attic again, just in case she had missed something, but there was
no other way out. “We’ve got to get through the window.” She ran
over to it and looked below.

The pitch was steep, but if they could crawl
down the roof of the second story, they might be able to swing over
the side and drop down. Anything was better than burning alive.
“Pierre! Pierre! HEEEEELLLLLLPPPPP!!!!”

Vivian turned away from the window. “Lucy, go
first so you can help Kate. And see if you can get Pierre’s. He and
Brandon need to catch Kate.”

Vivian moved out of the way and looked at
Kate, who had one hand pulling her shirt above her mouth, the other
wrapped protectively around her belly.

Wendy held onto Kate’s arm and, between
coughs, said over and over, “It’s going to be okay, we’re going to
get out of here.”

Lucy knocked the few remaining pieces of
glass out of the frame and then crawled through the window.

Kate stepped up, ready to go next, and Lucy
reached for her hand. “Don’t cut yourself on the glass,” Lucy
yelled, helping Kate steady herself.

Kate looked inside the window at Vivian and
Wendy. “The shingles are hot, hurry!” She turned and sat on her
butt, scooting down after Lucy.

Wendy looked at Vivian.

“You go,” Vivian said. “Go! I’m right behind
you!”

Wendy didn’t hesitate and carefully but
quickly got out the window. She dropped to her butt and followed
after Kate. Lucy was already at the edge.

Vivian started to crawl out, then remembered
the senior yearbook. She hesitated for a second before deciding to
go back for it. Flames now lapped up the steps and on the wall
around the door. Vivian held her breath and ran to the boxes.

The flames provided a little light, and she
was able to make out the books through the haze. She grabbed three,
hoping 1995 was among them.

“Vivian!” she heard Wendy screaming from the
window. “VIVIAN! Hurry! Let’s go!!”

Vivian fell to her knees, her eyes and lungs
burning. She crawled toward the direction of the window, pushing
the books in front of her.
Audrey, Lauren, Olivia, Ben. Audrey,
Lauren, Olivia, Ben.
After the agonizing crawl, she reached the
window and popped her head outside, needing oxygen.

“I’m here, I’m here,” she coughed, then
shoved the three books outside.

“You scared me! Come on!” Wendy yelled,
grabbing the yearbooks and chunking them off the roof.

Vivian threw herself out of the window, not
realizing how steep it was. She landed with a thud, then began
rolling down the roof. She tumbled over and over, unable to
stop.

“Viv!” Lucy yelled, lunging for her as she
approached the edge. She grabbed Vivian’s sweater and pulled, which
was enough to stop her momentum, but they were both perilously
close to going over.

Vivian righted herself, rubbing her eyes. “I
can’t see anything.”

“That may be a good thing,” Kate said,
looking at what lay below.

Wendy joined them at the edge. “Holy
shit.”

“I’m jumping down,” Lucy said. She dropped
one leg over the edge.

“Be careful, Lucy!” Vivian yelled. Their
bloodshot eyes locked for a moment before she dropped down,
dangling from the roof’s edge.

Pierre came running from near the lake just
in time to see Lucy hanging from the second story. Brandon was
behind him.

An old truck crashed through the door of the
garage and raced off down the drive. Brandon had to jump out of the
way to avoid being hit.

“There goes Tracy!” Wendy yelled, then turned
her attention back to Lucy. “Hang on, Lucy, here comes Pierre!”

Pierre made it to the porch and underneath
Lucy just as her grip slipped and she fell.

“Kate, you’re next!” Wendy said.

Kate was sitting on the ledge, feet dangling
over the side. “I can’t!” she screamed.

“You have to!” Pierre yelled up at her.
“We’ll catch you, I promise.”

Lucy yelled to her from the ground, “Do it
for Little Plum!”

Kate was bawling.

“Do it like Lucy did,” Vivian said. “Turn
around and drop down.”

Wendy and Vivian helped Kate turn, then
helped her balance as she got ready to go over.

“You’ve got this,” Wendy said. “Nothing bad
is going to happen.”

Kate screamed as she dropped over, kicking
her legs wildly. Both Vivian and Wendy held her arms as she
dangled.

“Kate, look at me,” Wendy said. “On three
you’ve got to let go. Pierre is down there.”

Kate closed her eyes. “Okay. Okay. I can do
this.”

“Here we go,” Wendy said. “One, two
three!”

Kate dropped, screaming a scream Vivian would
never forget.
The scream of a mother afraid for her
child.

Pierre held Kate close as she sobbed into his
chest. Lucy ran over and helped Kate get away from the house so
Pierre could catch Wendy. She dropped to the edge like Lucy and
Kate had, dangling from the second story.

Brandon and Pierre stood below, ready to
catch her. Suddenly, the edge she was holding crumbled and gave
way. She dropped awkwardly to the side as Vivian watched from
above.

“Wendy!” Vivian yelled.

Brandon shifted to the left, reaching for
her, but her knee hit Brandon in the jaw and her boobs wound up in
Pierre’s face. Part of the porch railing fell and they all landed
with a thud. Brandon definitely softened the blow, and Wendy was
able to stand and join Lucy and Kate.

Tar from the shingles had begun to melt and
stick to Vivian’s hands, and smoke was pouring from the window and
all areas of the roof.

“Okay, Vivian, you’re up.” Pierre clapped his
hands and held his arms out for her.

Vivian had never been so happy to see two men
waiting on her. She shifted around, getting on her knees, then
dropped the first one over.

Audrey, Lauren, Oliva, Ben. Audrey, Lauren,
Oliva, Ben.

Crash! The roof collapsed.

S
parks swirled around
Vivian as the second-story roof caved in and she fell. Pieces of
the house flew everywhere; one hit her leg before it hit the ground
in a spray of embers. The kids’ faces flashed before her eyes, and
she knew they’d miss her.

Before she could scream, strong arms caught
her. She, Pierre and Brandon tumbled to the ground in a heap,
Vivian on the bottom.

The men out of the way, Lucy poked Vivian in
the face. “Viv, Viv, can you hear me? I think she’s
unconscious.”

The cracking and roar of the fire blared in
Vivian’s ears. She opened her eyes and sucked in a few lungs-full
of air. “I’m not unconscious,” she responded, still trying to catch
her breath. “I’m waiting for my fireman to give me mouth to
mouth.”

“They’re almost here,” Lucy said, relieved.
“My god, girl, you’ve got nine lives.”

Vivian sat up. “Meow.” She took a deep
breath. “That was scary!”

“Get back! Get back!” Brandon yelled as more
of the roof started to crumble.

Lucy helped Vivian up and they all backed
away from the house.

“Where are the yearbooks?” Vivian asked
between coughs. She spotted one close to the broken off porch
railing.

Lucy dashed to pick it up.

Brandon got the other two and looked at
Vivian in bewilderment as she took the books from him.

“I’ll explain later.”

A siren wailed down the driveway and red,
flashing lights shone through the trees.

“How did the house catch on fire?” Brandon
asked.

“Was that Tracy in the truck?” Kate asked,
wiping at the tears running down her cheeks.

Brandon looked at Pierre and the girls. “Yes.
What the hell is going on?”

Vivian looked at the yearbooks. Thankfully,
1995 was among them. She turned to Mary Beth’s senior picture and
showed it to Brandon. “Tracy killed her. And probably Rebecca,
too.”

Brandon’s eyes were wide and he shook his
head. “No. No way. Mary Beth drowned and the police are looking
into Rebecca’s death. Tracy didn’t kill them.”

Wendy pointed down the driveway. “Tracy
almost ran you over just now, and I’m pretty sure that was the
truck that ran us off the road.”

“No, I don’t believe it.”

Vivian pointed to the heart with SB+T beside
Brandon’s yearbook picture. “This is scratched into the dock behind
your house, and it’s also on the tree Rebecca was buried under.”
Two fire trucks had parked in the driveway, and Vivian had to yell
to be heard over them. “She called you Scooter Bill, right?”

Brandon ran his hands through his hair, then
pulled on the ends. He looked from the fire truck to the house.

Six firemen jumped off the trucks and
unrolled the hoses. Larson, in full gear, ran up to Vivian and the
group. “Is anyone in the house?”

“Everyone’s out,” Vivian said, indicating
herself and the girls.

He held her by the shoulders and looked her
in the eyes.

Vivian was a sooty mess, her blonde hair
frizzed out and her blackened face streaked with tears. “I’m mostly
okay. I was hoping for mouth to mouth.”

Larson smiled at her and shook his head.
“You’re one hot mess.” He turned serious, back to business.
“Kate?”

“I need to get away from the smoke, but I
think I’m fine,” she answered.

Larson glanced at the house, then back to the
group. “Where were you in the house when the fire started? Any idea
what happened?”

Lucy explained how they’d been locked in the
attic, crawled out of the window and then on the roof. “Pierre and
Brandon caught us when we jumped and Vivian fell.”

A Mustang and a sedan pulled to a stop behind
the fire trucks and two more volunteer firemen got out and put on
their gear. They ran to the trucks and started helping the others.
An ambulance raced down the driveway and screeched to a halt.

Larson ushered them all farther from the
house. “As you learned the hard way last night, debris can go a
long distance.”

The group walked behind the fire trucks and
the paramedics hustled over.

Larson handed Vivian, Wendy and Kate off.
“This one took quite a spill and this one’s pregnant. They all
jumped off the second-story roof.”

“Check her first,” Vivian said, pointing to
Kate.

Two sheriffs cars stopped. Deputies Stokola
and Young got out. “Is anyone in the house?” Young asked.

“Not anymore,” Pierre said.

“What happened?” Stokola asked.

“Tracy happened,” Lucy said. “She set the
house on fire and blocked the attic door so we couldn’t get out.
She tried to kill us, then took off in their truck.”

“She just drove off?” Young asked
Brandon.

The flames reflected in Brandon’s eyes as he
watched the bed and breakfast burning. He dropped to his knees,
head in his hands, and began to cry. “Yes.”

Pierre stepped up. “She tore out of here like
a bat out of hell and almost ran over Brandon and me. You need to
catch her.”

“What’s the color and year?” Young asked,
hand on his walkie-talkie.

“Black, 1977, GMC Sierra 4x4,” Brandon
answered quietly.

Young called dispatch. “She’s suspected of
arson and 4 counts of attempted murder.”

Vivian sat on the bumper of the ambulance.
“We think Tracy killed Mary Beth and Rebecca.” She still held
Tracy’s senior yearbook and showed them the heart with SB+T by
Brandon’s picture. “She calls Brandon Scooter Bill. This same
inscription is on the dock behind the house, and it’s on the tree
at Rebecca’s grave.”

Brandon took the yearbook and opened to the
page with Mary Beth’s scratched-out picture. Then he shoved it
away, looking even more depressed and upset. He cleared his throat
and wiped at a tear.

“Mary Beth had celiac disease. If she ate
wheat it could cause cramping in her muscles, but she was beyond
careful with her diet. I’ve thought about it and thought about it,
and to me, it has to come back to the celiac disease. She must have
eaten something with wheat in it. Please don’t tell me Tracy did
this to her. Please.”

“Sorry, Brandon.” Vivian looked away from
him, upset to see him cry. The fire was completely out of control.
Not a good day for Brandon Holt.

Stokola turned to Brandon. “Do you have any
idea where Tracy would run to? Any place she’d hide?”

Brandon sniffed and stood up. “No idea, but
she does know all the back roads. I think she’d stick to
those.”

“Hearing this makes me wonder if Tracy
slipped something into Nicole’s hot tea the other day and that’s
what made her sick,” Vivian said. “She said it tasted funny. I had
a cup of tea, too, and it was fine so I assumed Nicole just didn’t
like the taste.”