Chapter (6)
Ch. Finished 6 Finished 6
Chapter 6
On the drive back, his phone kept lighting up with live updates about the Alander Villa fire, the alerts filling his entire screen.
Kenneth’s mind was a blur. His hands clenched the steering wheel so hard the veins stood out, and he blew through who knew how many red lights before finally skidding to a stop at the villa.
The moment he stepped out of the car, his knees nearly buckled.
The entire villa was swallowed in flames.
The fire was so fierce it lit the daylight sky in shades of burning red.
Firefighters in orange suits and medics in white coats rushed in and out.
Servants sat slumped on the ground, filthy and shaking.
Daniel, covered in soot, ran up to him. “Mr. Thornton, thank God you’re
back.”
Kenneth’s sanity snapped. He grabbed Daniel by the collar. “Where’s Linda? Where is she?”
Daniel’s voice shook as he pointed to the charred ruins behind him. “We followed your order and didn’t open the door for Mrs. Thornton. When the banging stopped, we thought she’d just worn herself out. But not long after, smoke started seeping through the cracks. I knew something was wrong, but when I opened the door, the fire exploded out. The whole room was burning–it was too late to put it out…
“And…”
He faltered, not daring to finish.
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Kenneth’s pulse spiked, dread tightening around his chest.
“And what?”
Before Daniel could answer, a deafening boom tore through the air.
The windows blew out in a spray of glass, a cloud of black smoke, and blood-red fire mushrooming from my room.
Burning debris rained down.
Kenneth stared in horror, every drop of blood in his body rushing backward.
“No… no, Linda wouldn’t leave me. She wouldn’t die…”
He lunged toward the house, but Daniel clung to him. “Mr. Thornton, calm down! You’ll die if you go in there!
288 Vouchers
“The firefighters already found over a dozen gas cans in Mrs. Thornton’s room–there could be another explosion any second!”
Kenneth’s eyes were bloodshot, his whole body on the verge of collapsing.
“Gas cans?
“Why the hell would there be gas cans in Linda’s room?” he thought.
He remembered faintly smelling something strange when he’d been in there earlier. But he’d been too focused on Caroline to care.
The realization slammed into him, a wave of pain and regret so sharp it hollowed him out. He collapsed to his knees, tasting true despair for the first time in his life.
Mom arrived moments later. When she saw the blackened shell of the villa, she froze in shock, then stumbled toward a firefighter.
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1285 (Vouchers
“Where is my daughter? She’s the lady of this house; you must have saved her. She’s not well–she must be terrified. I need to see her, please. Where
is she?”
The firefighter hesitated, then sighed heavily. “Ma’am, the fire started in Ms. Melinda’s room. We found multiple gas cans inside. There were several explosions. I’m afraid…”
“Lies!” Her eyes went red, tears bursting free. “My daughter is fine–today is her wedding day. I promised to host her wedding myself. She’s so obedient, so good–she’d never want to make me sad!”
When the firefighter stayed silent, she turned on Kenneth, pounding at him with her fists.
“This is your fault! Why did you lock her in? She’s terrified of fire–she’d never start one! Give her back to me! Give me back my daughter!”
Kenneth stood there like a corpse, taking the blows without moving.
Others rushed to pull her away, but she collapsed in sobbing hysteria, then fainted.
Kenneth slowly lifted his head, staring into the inferno.
It hit him all at once.
After being burned in that past fire, even the faint flicker of a lighter sent me into panic
There was no way I’d start a blaze.
And someone that afraid of fire would never store gasoline in my own
room.
Just then, a firefighter approached, holding out a soot–covered recorder. “Mr. Thornton, we found this on your wife’s nightstand. I think she left
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you a message in her final moments. See if it still works.”
Vindus
288 Vouchers
Chapter 7
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