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Distant Love

By Ann Bell

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Chapter 1


Help me, someone, please help me!”
Rebecca Sutherland bolted upright in bed. Am I dreaming or is someone actually calling for help? The pounding on the front door continued along with the intermittent ringing of the doorbell.
“Fire. . . Fire. . . My house is on fire. My wife and children are inside. Please help me.”
Rebecca grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed as she ran to the front door. She flung open the door. There stood Dick Reed barefoot, dressed only in a pair of boxer shorts. A red glow radiated from the house next door.
“Rebecca, call the fire department! Anita and the kids are still inside.”
Rebecca rushed to the phone and dialed 9-1-1.
“Emergency Services. May I help you?”
“There’s a fire at the Dick Reed residence, 2515 Rimrock Road. The wife and four children are still in-side,” Rebecca panted.
“The fire trucks and ambulance will be right there,” the dispatcher assured her. “Try to remain calm until they arrive.”
Rebecca ran outside. Dick was just coming around the side of the house with four-year-old Donna in one arm and two-year-old Jackie in the other. Pat Crouse came running across the street with her robe wrapped loosely around her. Sirens could be heard in the dis-tance. Flames were now leaping from the windows of the Reed home.
Pat took the two children from their father’s arms, while Rebecca tried to comfort her next-door neighbor. “I’ve got to go back!” Dick shouted as he turned back toward the house. “Anita, Chris, and the baby are still in there.”
Rebecca held his shoulder. “The fire’s spread throughout the house,” she stated firmly. “The fire trucks are on their way. They’ll get them out for you.”
The fire truck screeched to a stop in front of the Reed home and eight firefighters began running hoses to the nearby fire hydrant. The fire chief’s car stopped behind the truck and the ambulance parked behind him. The neighborhood was a flurry of activity. Additional volunteer firefighters appeared in pickup trucks from all directions.
The cool mountain breeze enveloped Fire Chief Andrew Hatfield as he quickly approached the small band huddled by the curb. “Dick, who’s left in the house?”
“My wife, Anita, six-year-old Chris, and the baby.”
“What rooms did you last see them in?”
Dick bit his lip. “Anita was asleep in the master bedroom and the baby was in a bassinet in the corner of the room. Chris was asleep in the room across the hall.”
“We’ll get them out,” Chief Hatfield assured him and then turned his attention to Rebecca. “Mrs. Sutherland, would you take Dick and the children to your house and warm them up? Could we use your place as a command post for a few hours?”
“Certainly,” Rebecca replied. “I’ll put on a large coffeepot for anyone who needs to get out of this wind.”
“Dick, we’ll let you know just as soon as we locate the rest of your family,” Chief Hatfield assured him. “We have the ambulance standing by and have notified Med-Evac from Great Falls. They’ll have their helicopters land in the school parking lot, where they can be transferred to the burn center, if necessary. All you can do now is go with Rebecca and wait and pray.”
Rebecca put her arm around Dick and directed him toward her front door. The tranquility of the living room conflicted with the terror and confusion outside. Pat sat the two stunned toddlers on the sofa and reached for the afghan to wrap around Jackie’s trembling body. Rebecca grabbed an-other blanket from the hall closet for Donna.
“Dick,” Rebecca said as she hugged Donna against her chest. “I’m sorry this house is devoid of men’s clothes, but I do have a sloppy pair of sweats that might be big enough to fit you.”
“Anything’ll be fine,” Dick mumbled as he slumped into the recliner. “I wish they’d hurry and tell me something. They should’ve found them by now.”
Rebecca handed Donna to Pat as she hurried to the bedroom. “Is Mommy going to be okay?” the child sobbed.
“The firemen are working as fast as they can,” Pat assured her as she cuddled the two children. “Why don’t you and Jackie stretch out on the sofa and try to get some sleep? We’ll let you know how they are as soon as we know.”
Donna pulled her two-year-old sister close to her as she put her head on a pillow and straightened her legs. She sobbed softly as she watched Jackie close her eyes.
Rebecca returned to the living room carrying a pair of faded gray sweats and handed them to her neighbor. The warmth of the clothing felt good to Dick as he pulled them over his shivering body and slumped into the recliner.
“I better get the coffeepot started,” Rebecca stated as she hurried to the kitchen. “Dick, can I make you a cup of instant while the pot’s brewing?”
“I’m fine,” Dick muttered as he stared nervously out the window at the activity next door.
Pat went to the window. “It looks like they’re getting the fire under control. I’m sure we’ll be hearing some-thing soon.”
“I hope so,” Dick muttered. “This night seems like an eternity.”
Pat had just returned to the sofa where the children were sleeping when the doorbell rang. She hurried to the door and flung it open. There stood Police Captain Philip Mooney holding a small bundle. “Any news?” she begged.
“The firemen kicked in the door to the back porch and found the kitten. I thought the children would like to cuddle it as they wait,” the officer explained as Donna let go of her sleeping sister and hurried to retrieve her pet.
“How’s my mommy?” Donna begged as she cud-dled her kitten.
Captain Mooney knelt before the child. “We haven’t found them yet, but it shouldn’t be long now. Will you take care of the kitten while we keep looking?”
Donna nodded and then took the kitten back to the sofa, where her sister was beginning to stir. “Look, Jackie. They found Muffie.”
Just then, Rebecca appeared from the kitchen and nodded to the officer. “How’s it going?”
“We haven’t found them yet,” Phil Mooney replied. “This is the worst tragedy I’ve seen in my life. The night Harkness Hardware Store burned was bad enough, but at least lives weren’t involved there.”
Dick appeared detached from the tragedy going on around him when Captain Mooney approached the recliner by the window. “I’m sorry for what is happening. I wish we could do more. Chief Hatfield will be by shortly to talk with you.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Dick replied with a glaze in his eyes. “I know you’re doing all you can.”
No sooner had Captain Mooney left than the fire chief arrived at Rebecca’s door. He greeted everyone and then pulled a chair close to Dick.
“I’m sorry, Dick. We did the best we could, but the flames were too hot by the time we arrived. We found your wife by the children’s window, the matting on the baby’s bassinet melted, and the baby fell through to the floor. We found the older child’s body in the hallway. He must have been trying to escape by himself. Our first observations are that Anita broke the window and got the first two children out but was overcome with smoke when she turned to get the other two. Where were you when the fire broke out?”
A long silence enveloped the room. Dick’s eyes became even more glazed than before. “I . . . I . . . I was in the living room watching TV,”
he mumbled. “I must have fallen asleep on the sofa because when I awoke,
the house was full of smoke and flames were coming from the hallway. I didn’t know what to do, so I came to get Rebecca.”
Chief Hatfield cleared his throat. “The bodies are being taken to the hospital for autopsy. You’ll need to select a mortuary to handle the final arrangements,” he said. “I’ll have more questions in the morning after we’ve begun to investigate the cause of the fire. In the meantime, if there’s anything we can do, please feel free to call.” Chief Hatfield shook Dick’s hand and started for the doorway. He paused as he noticed Re-becca standing in the kitchen doorway dressed in a royal blue robe, her hair tousled around her face.
“Rebecca, may I speak to you privately in the kitchen?” the fire chief asked.
“Certainly,” she responded as she led the graying career firefighter into the kitchen and pointed to a chair by the window. “Would you care for a cup of coffee?”
“I’d appreciate one. It’s been a long night and I’m afraid it’s going to get even longer,” Chief Hatfield sighed as he slumped into a chair. “There’s a lot of suspicious loose ends about this fire.”
“How’s that?” Rebecca queried as she poured two mugs of coffee.
“Don’t you think it’s pretty unusual that Dick would come to your home before he tried to get his family out of the fire?”
Rebecca sat in a chair across from the fire chief. She was still shaking, she noticed, but she made her-self choke back the sorrow and horror she felt about Anita and the two children who had not escaped the fire. She took a sip of coffee. “That bothered me from the beginning, but he said the fire was so intense in the hallway and he was frightened and couldn’t think straight. I took that explanation at face value.”
“I guess I have a suspicious mind,” Chief Hatfield confessed, “but my years in investigative work have taught me to question everything. Tonight after things settle down, would you jot down every observation and impression you had from the moment you first heard pounding on your front door? I’ll be by tomorrow and take a complete statement. The arson investigation will begin just as soon as it is light.”
“You don’t think Dick actually started the fire, do you?”
“I’m not making any accusations at this point,” Chief Hatfield stated. “I’m merely trying to make a thorough investigation as to the cause of the fire. Thanks for all the help you’ve been. I’d better get out there and see how the cleanup is progressing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her haze of grief parted for a moment, and a puz-zled expression covered Rebecca’s face as she fol-lowed the fire chief to the door. She closed the door behind him and turned to the dazed father sitting in the corner.
“Dick, I suppose you’ll want to make some phone calls.”
“I guess I’d better give Anita’s family a call, but my address book burned in the fire,” Dick mumbled as he followed Rebecca to the kitchen phone. “They live in Spokane.”
“What’s her father’s name? I’ll call directory assis-tance for you.”
“Kenneth Taylor. Her mother’s name is Laura. Kenneth has a bad heart, so I hope the shock won’t be too hard on him.”
Rebecca dialed directory assistance for the Spo-kane area and wrote the number on scratch paper. She dialed the number and waited. When the phone began to ring on the other end, she handed the receiver to Dick and left the room. This was a time when he would need privacy the most.
The former librarian of Rocky Bluff High School returned to the living room and sat in the chair next to her neighbor. “I’m glad to see the children finally went to sleep,” she whispered. “When Dick gets off the phone, I’ll see if he wants to get some rest in the guest room. We’re going to have a long few days.”
“It’s a good thing tomorrow’s Saturday and I’m off work,” Pat replied. “I’ll begin getting community assis-tance organized. I assume Dick will want to stay at his motel with the children until he’s able to find another place.”
“Perhaps,” Rebecca replied. “But for the next few days they’re more than welcome to stay here. He’s going to need a lot of help caring for the children while making the final arrangements for Anita and the other two children. He must be numb with grief.”
Pat wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s such a tra-gedy. They were the model family. They built the Slee-py-Eye Motel from a depressing flophouse to the nicest motel in town. They both were so devoted to their children.”
“That’s what bothers me,” Rebecca replied. “Why didn’t he try to get his family out before he came here to report the fire?”
Pat’s eyes widened and then she shrugged her shoulders. “I guess one never knows how they might react under pressure,” she sighed.
“Pat, why don’t you go on home and get some rest,” Rebecca said as she patted her friend on the arm. “I’m going to be depending a lot on you during the next few days.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can help you with before I leave?”
“No. I think I’ve poured the last cup of coffee for the evening and I’m sure Dick will want to get some rest as soon as he finishes calling relatives.”
Dick insisted on the two children sleeping with him, so Rebecca carried Jackie while Dick carried Donna into the guest room. He thanked her for her hospitality and closed the door. Rebecca returned to her bedroom and collapsed onto her pillow. She tossed and turned the remainder of the night without ever completely returning to sleep. When the sun began to shine through the closed blinds, Rebecca arose. She showered and then began brewing a fresh pot of coffee and fixing herself a couple pieces of toast.
As she was spreading the strawberry jam on her toast, the doorbell rang. She laid the knife on the corner of the plate and hurried to the front door. “Chief Hatfield, do come in.”
“I’m sorry I’m so early, but the investigation team rolled into action at dawn. They’re next door right now securing the premises.”
“No problem,” Rebecca assured him. “Can I pour you a cup of coffee and fix you a bite to eat?”
“I’d appreciate that,” he grinned as he eyed her plate. “Do you have a couple more pieces of bread to slap in the toaster?”
“Chief Hatfield, it’d be a pleasure,” she responded, trying to mask the fatigue and strain of the night before.
“To you it’s Andy,” he chuckled and then became serious. “Are your guests still sleeping?”
“I haven’t heard any stirring coming from that room since I’ve been up,” Rebecca replied as she hurriedly set another place at the table and poured a cup of coffee.
Andy shook his head with approval. “Good, be-cause I think we have a real tiger by the tail. This in-vestigation is becoming more and more suspicious and I’m going to be depending on your observations a great deal to provide us with possible leads.”
“I’ll help all I can,” Rebecca promised, “but I’m afraid I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. Dick talked with his wife’s parents for quite awhile last night. Anita’s parents and her sister and husband are flying in this afternoon from Spokane. They’ll be staying with Pat Crouse for a few days while the Taylors will probably stay with Edith Dutton.”
Andy wrinkled his brow. “Why don’t they all stay at the motel?”
Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. “Dick said it would be too hard for them to stay in the motel that he and Anita worked so hard to build.”
Andy’s expression softened as he eyed the mid-dle-aged librarian across the table. “The strain of this is going to be hard for the next few days. Are you sure you want to be headquarters for all the commotion?”
“I think I’m up to it,” Rebecca assured him. “Besides, the first of August I’m leaving for a two-week vacation in Hawaii before I go on to Guam and my new job. I’ll just leave Rocky Bluff with a blaze of excitement.”
“That it will be,” Andy replied. “I brought my tape recorder along to begin taking your statement as to the events of last night. If Dick gets up, we’ll have to stop and continue another time. However, your first impres-sions are crucial to the investigation.”
For the next hour and a half, Andy questioned Rebecca concerning every detail of the events of the night before. She answered the best she could, but the stress of the ordeal was beginning to take its toll. Her voice faltered. Andy’s concern for her mental stress became apparent as he sat in silence while Rebecca stared out the kitchen window.
I haven’t had any personal contact with Andy since he moved to Rocky Bluff five years ago, and yet there is something familiar about him, Rebecca mused. I wonder who he reminds me of.
Rebecca’s thoughts drifted back through the years. She had grown up in a little town in Iowa and had gotten her teaching degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Two weeks after graduation she married Eric Sutherland and moved to Mason City, Iowa, where he was the social studies teacher and she was the school librarian. Everything was going well for them and they were making plans to start a family in a couple of years. However, the Vietnam War was at its peak and Eric’s number was drawn in the lottery for military service. Within months, Eric was a first lieutenant in the United States Army and leading a platoon in the Tet Offensive.
After she was notified of his death, she stayed in Mason City for a couple more years, but could not shake loose his memory. Rebecca sold their small home in Mason City and accepted a position as the high school librarian in Rocky Bluff, Montana. Using part of his insurance money, Rebecca bought one of the nicer homes there. Since she was certain she would never be able to fall in love again, her home, school, and church became a replacement for intimate relationships. No one would ever be able to match the pedestal her war hero had been placed upon.
Rebecca visualized Eric’s warm compassionate eyes and suddenly saw that same compassion in An-dy’s eyes. I wonder if Eric would look like that today. she pondered. Would he have distinguished gray hair or would his hair have thinned and left him bald?
“Rebecca, I know you’re getting tired,” Chief Hat-field said as her faraway gaze remained. “Why don’t I come back later today after you’ve had time to rest.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I’m having trouble keeping my mind on task. Maybe I’ll be able to remember more after I’ve rested. I certainly hope you can complete the investigation soon.”
Suddenly Jackie’s cry could be heard from the guest room and then Dick’s low voice trying to comfort her. “I’d better be going. At this point, the less Dick knows, the better off the investigation will be.”
Rebecca escorted the fire chief to the door and then returned to her private thoughts. The terror of last night is bad enough, but why do the memories of thirty years ago come back and haunt me now?

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