“Go away,” Deke said. “Come on,” he told Tess. “Let’s find out what’s what.” And he started walking toward the fire captain in charge of the scene.

Before she could follow him, the man from the bank inserted himself in front of her. “He didn’t smell the smoke in time, did he? And your house didn’t have any working detectors.”

“We won’t make that mistake again,” she assured him.

He leaned in. “The thing is, he could have easily died in his sleep if the fire had occurred at a different hour.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “And he still could.” The man smiled. “Why don’t you talk to him about moving. I think a new house would be…safer.”

She met his eyes for a second, then looked away, frightened.

“Besides, that lack of smoke detectors? Insurance company’s not going to like it. They use minor details like that to try and deny coverage. This house is going to sit here like this until all the i’s are crossed and t’s are dotted. Could be six months, could be a year, could be two.” He smiled again. “Talk to your hubby. We’ll finance a new house no problem.”

“Tess!” Deke called, noticing that she wasn’t behind him. He frowned at the man from the bank.

Tess hurried over to where he was asking the fire captain about a timetable for going back in to assess the damage.

She glanced behind her.

The man was gone.

Eleven

ELEVEN

1

When Coy arrived at the bank Wednesday morning, Ben Shanley was waiting for him, and before Coy could even get to his desk and put down his briefcase, the manager was calling him over in the overly hearty voice he used when dealing with hesitant customers. This couldn’t be good, and for a brief moment Coy thought he was going to be fired. But then Shanley closed the office door behind them and sat down heavily in the chair behind his desk. There was a moment of silence. “We’re in big trouble,” the manager said finally. “And I need your help.”

Coy was not invited to sit down, so he remained standing awkwardly. “O…kay,” he said hesitantly, not sure where this was headed.

“It’s that new bank. First People’s. They’re not only scooping up B of A’s old customers, but they’re stealing some of ours as well. And somehow they’re signing up people who’ve never had bank accounts before. That untapped base is our Holy Grail, and banks and credit unions’ve all been trying to stimulate that segment for years to no avail. But these guys’ve done it.”

He wasn’t sure what this had to do with him or how he could help, but he nodded his understanding and agreement.