Fire Devil by J L Bryan

Author:J L Bryan [Bryan, J L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-16T18:28:11+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

The smell of smoke grew stronger as we parked at the Bishop fairgrounds, which was a hive of activity with a few emergency vehicles and many more civilian ones.

Most of the people were gathered in a heated auditorium building. A few small kids and babies were awake and crying despite the late hour. Their parents tried to comfort them. I hoped none of them had lost their homes in the fire.

Scores of people were there, most of them huddled in little family groups.

“Do you see him anywhere?” I murmured as we walked among the tables where the evacuees were seated.

“I'm not even sure I'd recognize him, honestly,” Michael whispered. “It's been about fifteen years. He could have changed. Sometimes I have trouble remembering his face. It's not like we keep pictures of him around.”

“Yeah, I guess you wouldn't,” I said.

“And I don't know whether he'd be alone, or with...with a new family or something.” He cleared his throat.

We walked a lap around the auditorium, but didn't see Michael's father, as far as he could tell. So we started asking whether anyone knew Brent Holly.

After a few people shook their heads, one middle-aged lady named Rosa said she knew him.

“Brent is my neighbor,” Rosa said. “At High Pines Trailer Court. I don't know him too well, but he helped me start my car once. I haven't seen him since they ordered the evacuation.”

“Do you think he could still be at home?” Michael asked.

“I don't know. I hope not.”

“Okay, thank you,” I said, ready to move on and avoid troubling the lady too much. Michael didn't move when I took a couple of steps away. He kept looking at Rosa.

“What's he like?” Michael asked. “My father?”

Rosa's brow furrowed. “I don't understand. You are asking what your own father is like?”

“Yeah, I don't know him well.”

“Oh.” Rosa frowned and fell silent for a minute. “I...do not know him very much, like I said. Just see him coming and going.” She gave an apologetic smile. “I'm sorry, I really don't know more than that.”

“Does he live alone?” Michael asked.

“I think so,” Rosa said. “As far as I have seen. But again, I don't really know.”

Michael nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“I am sorry. I hope you find him.”

As we walked away, it occurred to me that I didn't know whether she meant she was sorry that Michael couldn't find his father during the current wildfire, or sorry that Michael knew so little about the man.

We made another pass, but couldn't find many people who knew Michael's father, and nobody could tell us where he was.

“He sure doesn't have a lot of friends here,” Michael muttered at one point.

“We don't know how long he's lived in Bishop,” I said. “Though it does seem like the kind of place where you might move if you want to get away from people.”

“Getting away from people is one thing he definitely knows about.”

I gave Michael a hug. “Let's find a place to stay for now. The auditorium floor looks nice and cozy, but maybe there's a cheap hotel in town.

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