Love is fire, love is flame

It warms your heart, it lights the way.

It burns forever just like the sun.

It welds two souls and makes them one.

Love is fire, love is flame.

Bishop said to his daughter, “Hey, KT, don’t go blaming yourself. You can’t take into account all the damn crazies out there. That boy’s a sicko and nothing but. If it wasn’t you it’d be somebody else.” The sentences were wooden. He wasn’t adept at offering solace.

“He burned those people to death, Daddy!”

Bishop didn’t know what to say and he walked to the kitchen and got himself a glass of milk. Sheri stood uneasily beside one of the guitars. Dance called Harutyun again but there’d been no new developments.

When Bishop returned he looked at the watch on his big, ruddy wrist. “Hey, you heard from your sister?”

“Well, I talked to her this morning. I called her about Bobby. Why?”

“They shoulda been here by now. Or maybe—”

Kayleigh’s mouth actually dropped. “What do you mean, Daddy?”

“Maybe she’s headed to our place.”

“No, what are you talking about? ‘Been here’? Why would she be here?”

Bishop looked down. “I thought it’d be good for her to come. Moral support, with Bobby. Called her this morning. They flew up, landed an hour ago.”

This would be how he delivered important news. Tossed out casually like a softball.

“Oh, Christ. Why didn’t you tell me? She has no business … Wait, you said ‘them.’ Is the whole family coming?”

“Uh-uhn. Roberto’s working. It’s just Suellyn and Mary-Gordon.”

Kayleigh raged, “Why on earth would you do that? With this madman around. A little girl?”

“Moral support,” he growled back, flustered. “Like I said.”

“Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus.” Kayleigh sat down. “That’s not why you asked them….” But then her voice rose to a high pitch. “The fire … the attack. Oh, you don’t think … it’s not them?”

“Settle there, KT. How would this Sharp fella even know they were at the airport?” Bishop asked. “And what flight they were coming in on?”

Kayleigh grabbed her phone and dialed. She slammed the disconnect button. “Voicemail. Who was going to pick them up? Why didn’t you tell me, why didn’t you go?”

“Had that meeting with the congressman. I sent Ritchie. All right, I’ll give him a call.” Bishop found his mobile and placed a call. “Hey. Me. What’s the story? Where are they? … Who? Who d’you think I mean? Suellyn and her kid, that’s who … What?”

Every eye in the room was locked on him.

“When? … Oh, fuck.” He disconnected. “Okay, well, what happened was he got a call from a friend of yours.” A glance at his daughter. “He was going to give them a ride here.”

“Who?” Kayleigh cried. “Who the hell was it?”

“Ritchie doesn’t remember the name. But whoever it was knew the flight number, knew their names. Said you’d rather he picked them up.”

Sheri said, “But if it was him, Edwin, how’d he know Ritchie was going to pick them up?”