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“Hey, you can’t go in there! Federal crime scene.” A heavyset man in a windbreaker wearing a tactical vest and a sidearm hustled toward them.
Nic stepped in to block him. “She’s the owner. You can’t keep her out.”
“Yes, I can. Miss Boulanger, you need to talk to us.”
“Not without my lawyer present.” Deb’s voice was loud and clear; the reporters on the front sidewalk could probably hear. “I don’t trust any of you. None of you took my reports seriously. It’s only now that the news is here that you care. Since you have Victory Security’s footage, you’re not going to learn anything new from this crime scene. And finally, it’s ‘Ms” not “Miss,” got it?” She pulled open the doors, blocking the FBI man and not waiting for his sputtered reply. The roar of the reporter’s questions had quieted, but when Deb finished, they surged again.
Michael put his arm out, stopping Deb. “Me first. Wait.” She nodded and stepped to the side. The bakery was dark, so he pulled a flashlight with his left hand and swept the area. Deb gasped, a pained noise. He wanted to pull her in close, but had to ensure her safety first, and Nic was busy blocking the obnoxious fed.
The bakery was a mess and reeked of burned plastics. To protect their lungs, they’d have to wear masks while working. The wall that separated the customer service area from the bakery was a splintered, scorched pile but the supporting columns appeared intact. Soot covered everything, and puddles shimmered darkly across the floor. The front windows were shattered. The tick-tock of water dripped; probably a sprinkler that didn’t shut off completely. Fortunately, since the enemy targeted the drive-through window, the worst damage was confined to that exterior wall and the dividing wall. They’d have to check everything carefully, but the expensive ovens, refrigerators, and freezer may have survived. A few cooling racks were bent, but they could probably straighten those.
He walked farther inside, checking behind the debris pile, inside the walk-in cooler, and bathroom. With that complete, he trod upstairs to Deb’s apartment. At the door, he wiped his feet, knowing it was mostly useless, and opened the door. Pictures were knocked off the walls, and ceramic and glass was shattered in the kitchen. The bathroom seemed intact. He retreated, trying to keep his dirty footprints to a minimum, but soot darkened the walls and everything else. Probably just as well Deb hadn’t bought a mattress, because cleaning was going to take a lot of time and effort.
He returned downstairs, to Deb’s side. Kim had wrapped her in a hug, but Deb’s eyes were wide, probably with shock. The vests both wore made the embrace look awkward, but protection was important. Nic and Geo blocked the feds at the back door.
“She already told you. She’s not talking without her lawyer present. Period. Now go away, and let the woman mourn in peace.” Nic shut the door in their faces.
Michael shoved his emotions away, and looked at the building from a contractor’s perspective. “Deb, I know it looks awful, but this is mostly cleaning. The drive-up window is a loss, but you weren’t using it anyway. The dividing wall is mostly cosmetic and the load-bearing pillars are intact, so it’s a simple rebuild. We can muck it out, get a restoration company for heavy cleaning, then we’ll check the equipment. But you can be back in business pretty quickly.”
“But only if you want.” Kim hugged Deb tighter, then stepped away. “Maybe it’s time to move on to something different. Or go smaller, or bigger. See this as an opportunity to change anything you didn’t like before.”
Deb meandered through the dark, dirty space, touching the scorched signs and charred decorations. She wrapped her arms around her waist. Kim joined her, then shot a look at Michael.
He wasn’t entirely stupid. He crossed the debris-laden floor, pushed the rifle to his side, and stepped up next to Deb, opening his arms. “Need another hug?” She pressed her vest to his, and slid her arms around his waist, gently. He wrapped his arms around her upper back, rubbing her shoulders and upper arms, where the vest didn’t block his touch, and ignored the jumping muscles between his shoulder blades. “I’m so sorry, Deb.”
The beeping of a truck backing up came from the back of the bakery, and the murmur of the crowd increased. Stupid reporters, trying to profit from sorrow. They could all go pound sand. He tightened his arms and laid his cheek against her hair.
“Deb, you need to see this!” Nic laughed. “People can amaze you, sometimes.”
Kim trotted to the door. “Oh, wow. Deb, come here. Nic’s right.”
Michael squeezed a little tighter, then released her. She stepped away, and trudged to the door. In the door frame, she jolted, and raised her hands to her face. Cheers and clapping grew louder.
Despite the pain jolting along his spine, Michael trotted to catch up, and couldn’t help smiling. Outside, people lined up, holding shovels, brooms, and cleaning supplies. Marcus Hardware handed out N-95 masks, gloves and hardhats. Erin and Ryan held clipboards, getting signatures from each volunteer. Probably a liability release, which was smart. A huge dumpster waited for debris with a small skid steer in front of it, two people in high-vis vests standing nearby. Local churches set up tables with snacks and coolers full of drinks in front of the lumberyard, and more volunteers put up chairs and tables for people to eat at. A food truck was setting up, and a huge grill on a trailer was backing into the slot next to it. Marcus Fire pulled an ambulance into the area between the food truck and the church group, probably for first aid. Down the alley, hoses and pressure washers rolled out of a local cleaning company’s van.
Deb grinned through the happy tears rolling down her cheeks. Erin gave the clipboard to a woman, and jogged to join Deb, pulling her forward. “And here she is, safe and sound. Please welcome Deb Boulanger, Cupcake Woman!”
People whooped, hollered and clapped, while Deb wiped her cheeks. Cries for a speech rang. Deb raised her hands and the crowd quieted. “Thank you all for coming. I can’t believe it! I’m so, so grateful and I can never, ever repay you. Thank you so, so much.” The crowd clapped and yelled. Deb turned to Erin. “Did you set this up?”
Erin laughed. “No. The county volunteer disaster response coordination group contacted me. They had people willing to help, but someone had to organize the effort, because most of the leaders are busy with flooding in eastern Montana right now. Ryan’s had a little training, so he took command. Each organization took a specific job. And the local businesses are grateful you took the mob on.”
Deb hugged her. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s literally my pleasure. I’m thrilled so many people stepped up.” Erin hugged her back.
Geo sauntered to them, his hands in his pockets, with a huge grin on his face. “The feds are pissed, but the Fire Marshall and your insurance adjustor released the scene. Don’t worry, my folks are staying on overwatch, and I’m directing the downstairs cleanup so no one takes out a support column. That’s really why I’m here. Erin’s coordinating the apartment cleaning.”
Michael didn’t like how flirty Geo was, but he couldn’t complain. Geo had gone way above and beyond, and especially with cleanup, a thankless chore. Michael was lucky to walk; shoveling wasn’t going to happen.
Erin pointed at a canopy with a few chairs set up next to the lumberyard’s wall, facing the bakery. “That’s where you’re staying, Deb.” She held up a hand when Deb started to protest. “We need you to decide if we should try to clean items, or get rid of them. If it’s obviously destroyed, it’s going in the dumpster, and you’ll never see it. But you’ll have to make a lot of decisions, and we need to know where you are.”
Kim led her there, and Michael followed. He’d play bodyguard, while Geo’s people took the sniper positions. Kim pointed at a high, director’s style chair. “If you can handle it, we’ll bring the press here too, singly or in small groups. Invite only and some of them won’t be getting the call.” Her lips compressed.
Michael chuckled. “Just let me know who to escort away, and I’ll be happy to help. I won’t be good for much else, that’s for sure.” He’d anticipated a long day and brought more meds, but he still wasn’t up to hard physical labor.
Deb put a hand on his arm. “I’m happy you’re here. I need the moral support more than another shoveler. I can’t believe so many people showed up!”
“I can. You’re a mainstay of the community, and a ray of sunshine in the gloom.” He forced his gaze to her surroundings, grateful Deb’s chair backed against a sturdy wall. “We should block the street view of Deb with something.”
