Page 27 of The Monster I Loved
Finally, I took a deep breath and started the car. Sitting there all day wasn’t very useful. I needed to get back to the office and fill Olivia in on what had happened.
Throughout the entire drive back into town, I searched my brain for options. I was a good lawyer, so I should be able tofigure out a way to help the families in the Starlight building. There had to be something the Fitzgeralds would agree to.
Olivia was sympathetic when I told her what had happened. Her mouth opened wide when I told her that Thaddeus was engaged to their lawyer. She asked me one final time if I was sure I wanted the case.
“Olivia,” I replied. “There’s no way I’m giving up this case. I’ll get justice for those families.”
After nodding, Olivia left for a meeting with a client.
I remained at the office for the rest of the day. Unlike most of my friends, I actually liked being at work, even when it overlapped with my personal life.
Just as I was about to leave, the phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Oh great, you’re still there. Come to the Starlight building.” Olivia’s voice sounded pinched.
“What’s wrong?”
The silence felt heavy.
“The town deemed the building uninhabitable.”
Shit! Already? I thought they’d assign someone who would get to it later in the week maybe.
“Fuck!I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone and jogged to the building. Thankfully, it wasn’t far from my office. As I hurried my boots up Main Street, chaos unfolded in front of me. Police cars, fire engines, a sea of people in high-visibility vests and hard hats.
“Summer, over here!” Olivia waved. She stood off to one side, away from the scene.
“How did this all happen so quickly?” I panted. Damn, I needed to exercise more.
“Seems the Fitzgerald’s words put the fear of God into the town. They organized this inspection, and it turned out that the building was in worse shape than even we thought. Fearing alawsuit if someone died in there, the town is putting up notices and telling tenants to get out.” She handed me an envelope. I knew it housed the report. That would be my bedtime reading.
I frowned. “To where? Most live on a fixed income. They don’t have any money to find different housing.”
Olivia nodded. Among the professionals surrounding the building were worried tenants. Olivia and I exchanged a look and stepped forward to try to provide some comfort (although I wasn’t sure what could possibly make them feel any better).
We went from person to person, ensuring they had places to go where they’d be safe. Luckily, most had family members or friends they could stay with. Others took the Fitzgeralds’ offer of helping them get to a shelter, understanding that the town decision was in regard to their safety. However, I knew deep down that one of the residents wouldn’t go. Mr. Dorman had lived in the building almost his whole life. “I’m not leaving,” he said when I approached him, “so don’t even try.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Dorman, but right now you don’t have a choice. We’re dealing with heartless people who have lots of money and influence. They’ll really ram a wrecking ball through your home and lie through their teeth that they didn’t know anyone was in here, after you’re long dead.”
For a second, it looked like Mr. Dorman understood me perfectly.
“Sweetie, I’m not scared of monsters. I’m a Tarrytown native.”
Unable to help it, I had to chuckle. “Mr. Dorman, I’ll come back tomorrow and see how you are. Please consider what I said. Keeping everyone safe and alive is our top priority. If the building is as bad as they say, you’re not safe here.”
His mouth twitched. “Save your time tomorrow and the day after. My answer will be the same.”
“Think about it,” I said.
“Nothing to think about.” He winked at me and went back into the building.
I’d try again tomorrow. There was nothing else I could do for the night. Olivia had vanished. With a heavy heart, I walked away, shrugging the leftover tension from my shoulders.
When I got to the sidewalk, I turned and took a good look at the old three-story building that I’d been trying to save. Some of the shutters were crooked, and the paint peeled. The building looked tired. This wasn’t a revelation; I was aware it needed a paint job and some screws replaced. Cracks traveled through the brick like veins. All old buildings had them. They weren’t especially huge or noticeable, but if the town had condemned the building so quickly, it must pose a significant risk. The envelope containing the report felt like a heavy weight. A broken window on a unit that wasn’t lived in. A gently sagging roof. None of this screamedMUST DEMOLISH NOWto me, but I wasn’t the expert—no matter how much time I’d invested into the case.
I worried that maybe I’d been blind. Maybe because Fitzgerald was trying to raze the building and build something else on it, I hadn’t seen the truth. Red-hot guilt flowed through my veins. What if the buildingwasdangerous? What if I’d put all those people at risk for the sake of a grudge?
