“I don’t think you should be here by yourself,” he said right off, and he was keyed up and disheveled.

“You want to tell me where I might be safer? I don’t know what’s happening. Benton’s left no messages. He isn’t answering his pager.”

“You two didn’t get in a fight or something, did you?”

“For God’s sake,” I said in exasperation.

“Look, you asked me, and I’m just trying to help.”

“I know.”

I took a deep breath and tried to settle down.

“What about Lucy?”

He sat on the edge of my bed.

“There was a pretty big fire near the university. She’s probably still there,” I answered.

“Arson?”

“I’m not sure they know yet.”

We were quiet for a moment, and my tension grew.

“Look,” I said. “We can stay here and wait for God knows what. Or we can go out. I can’t sleep.”

I began to pace.

“I’m not sitting here all night worrying that Carrie might be lying in wait, damn it.”

Tears filled my eyes.

“Benton’s out there somewhere. Maybe at the fire scene with Lucy. I don’t know.”

I turned my back to him and stared out at the harbor. My breath trembled in my breast, and my hands were so cold the fingernails had turned blue.

Marino got up, and I knew he was watching me.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s check it out.”

When we reached the fire scene on Walnut Street, the activity had diminished considerably. Most of the fire trucks had left, and those few firefighters still on the job were exhausted and coiling hoses. Steamy smoke drifted up from the plenum area of the store, but I could see no flames, and from within voices and footsteps sounded as the strong beam of flashlights cut the darkness and were caught in shards of broken glass. I sloshed through water as more groceries and debris floated past, and when I reached the entrance, I heard McGovern’s voice. She was saying something about a medical examiner.

“Get him here now,” she barked. “And watch it over there, okay? No telling where all it’s scattered, and I don’t want us stepping on anything.”

“Someone got a camera?”

“Okay, I got a watch, stainless steel, men’s. Crystal’s shattered. And we got one pair of handcuffs?”

“What did you say?”

“You heard me. Handcuffs, Smith & Wesson, the genuine article. Closed and locked like someone had them on. In fact, they’re double locked.”

“You’re shittin’ me.”

I made my way inside as large drops of cold water smacked my helmet and dripped down my neck. I recognized Lucy’s voice, but I could not make out what she was saying. She sounded almost hysterical, and there was suddenly a lot of splashing and commotion.

“Hold on, hold on!” McGovern commanded. “Lucy! Someone get her out of here!”

“No!” Lucy screamed.