Page 209 of Smoke and Fire
"I don't know," I said.
Lizbeth reared back, hands in the air. "Hold the phone. How are we nottalking about the fact that Jessmight freaking live in Pineville?"
"According to Katrina," I squeaked. “She might have made it up!”
"Still." Lizbeth's face became a maze of concentration. "What if? That would be insane. What if she came into the shop all the time? What if I'd served her at the bakery? What if she vacations here at an old family cabin and I ran into her by accident on a frequent basis andI never knew? I readwhileI walk, you know? I know for a fact that I read three of her books while following JJ around the grocery store across the street. She could have seen that. Does that blow your mind?"
"The fact that you read while you walk blows my mind, yes."
"You bettah believe it," she murmured. "Saves a ridiculous amount of time and, c'mon! How did you set Rodrigo down? Anyway." Her expression brightened. "Think she could be that crazy lady that walks her dogs off leash by the river? No. Definitely not."
She continued to ramble to herself and I let her go. As long as she asked no questions, I had no obligation to provide answers. Before I could say another word, Katrina whirled around and came back inside. The wildness had calmed in her gaze, but uncertainty still lived there.
"Ah . . ."
She stopped a few paces into the room and chewed on her bottom lip. Her gaze drifted to Lizbeth and then back to me. Lizbeth waved.
"How'd it go?" I asked carefully.
Katrina pulled in a deep breath. "Fine. I mean, they're not going to storm the coffee shop, but . . . they also aren't going to leave."
"What?" I asked.
"They want Jess. I told them I was wrong but . . . they didn't believe me. They're going to start taking pictures and spreading the word to see if we can get more people. One lady thinks Jess will show up if we fill all of Pineville with love and support from her fans."
"Sweet baby pineapple," Lizbeth whispered again.
"In the meantime," Katrina continued, "they want to start a round-table discussion about the latest launch. Someone thought about playing the audiobook out loud until Jess comes, but I told them no one could disturb the peace."
"Thank you," I sighed.
My face must have betrayed my annoyance because Katrina winced. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do now."
Lizbeth leaned against the counter. "Well, let's get them fed." She reached into her pocket for a ponytail holder. "We'll put them in the back room until we meet the person limit, then people can cycle in and out. No reason the Frolicking Moose shouldn't be put to work." She pointed to Katrina. "Any rowdiness or issues? It's coming back on you."
Katrina nodded.
"Sure. I'll let them know."
24
BASTIAN
"She's going to try to make a run."
Mack, the hotshot Superintendent, pointed to a map with a sooty finger.
A red line behind his finger indicated where the fire had last been mapped. Not far away lay the highway that ran from Pineville to Jackson City. The beast had definitely advanced.
Mack stood in front of our squad with a plug of tobacco puffed against his bottom lip, near his teeth. Smoke filtered through the forest around us, blocking out sunlight with a dull, orange haze.
"She's a real witch,” muttered someone else.
Why, I wanted to ask,are fires always referenced as female?
"We shut down the highway between Jackson City and Pineville yesterday afternoon," Mack continued. "Last night, we did a controlled burn from the highway back toward the fire to get ahead of it. Squads have been patrolling through the night. No torching trees or sign of spotting on the other side of the highway yet, so it's doing its job so far."
A good sign. Burning before the fire arrived meant the fire would die down before it became out of control. Or so we hoped. Fire had a way of blasting through every expectation to do whatever the hell it wanted.
