Kilt at the Highland Games by Kaitlyn Dunnett Read Free Book Online

was the largest of the four. They didn’t have the tax base to support more than one fire truck and had to rely on an outfit in Fallstown, where the closest hospital was also located, for ambulance service. Since it took at least twenty minutes for those folks to respond to a call, Moosetookalook’s lone fire truck was loaded with supplies for medical emergencies, as well as for search-and-rescue missions and equipment for fighting fires, but only a few of the volunteers were qualified as EMTs.
    Sandy was one of them.
    â€œWere you one of the ones who checked out Angie’s apartment?” Dan asked.
    He glanced up in time to catch Sandy’s nod and the bleak expression on his face. “We should have gone on down into the bookstore. Just to be sure.”
    Dan’s movements stilled. “They haven’t—?”
    â€œNo.” Sandy huffed out a breath. “No sign that anyone was in the building. Thank God. But early this morning, when I heard that Angie and her kids hadn’t been seen anywhere . . .” He let his voice trail off, reluctant to utter aloud the paralyzing fear he must have felt until it was confirmed that no bodies had been found.
    â€œNo one in their right mind would have tried to get out through the shop.”
    Sandy gave a snort of laughter. “Since when do fire victims think straight? But the door to the stairs was closed. Hell, it was locked. I tried it myself. And I know I did everything by the book. Checked the bedrooms, the closets, even pulled back the shower curtain to make sure no one was hiding in the bathtub.” He shook his head. “But the place was already full of smoke. It would have been easy to miss something in the rush to get back outside and help put out the fire.”
    â€œBut you didn’t miss anything. There was nothing to miss.”
    A furrow appeared in Sandy’s forehead. “Nothing to miss, but there was something missing.”
    Dan cocked a brow at him. “What?”
    â€œNo idea. I’d forgotten till now, but there was something odd in one of the bedrooms—a couple of shelves on one wall.”
    â€œWhat about them?”
    â€œThey were empty.” He shook his head. “I don’t suppose it’s important. Maybe Angie had been cleaning house. Or she was getting ready to redecorate. Hardly matters now. Those shelves are nothing but ash.”
    â€œI can’t believe how fast the whole place went up. If we’d had more men, we might have saved the building.”
    â€œWe need more volunteers. No question there. Especially younger guys.”
    Dan just looked at him. Neither of them were exactly over the hill.
    â€œYou want to help recruit? Talk to anyone over eighteen who has a high school diploma and a driver’s license.”
    â€œI couldn’t have started that young,” Dan admitted, “but I should have volunteered when I first came back to Moosetookalook after college.” The application of polyurethane finished, Dan turned his back on Sandy to clean the brush he’d been using.
    â€œAnd when, exactly, would you have scraped out time for training? Until the last year or so, you were working three jobs.”
    â€œThere weren’t so many requirements back in the old days.”
    It seemed to Dan that the state added more rules and regulations every year. Even when he qualified to fight fires, his training wouldn’t be finished. There were required meetings, like the one tonight. Even without the hours spent fighting fires and cleaning up after them, volunteering required a huge commitment, and if he ever opted to go to the Maine Fire Academy, at his own expense, he’d have to be away from home for the duration.
    Dan put the can of polyurethane on its shelf with a little more force than necessary. Other people managed to find time to take the training. Ninety percent of the firefighters in the state were volunteers.
    Sandy eased himself off