The safe house turned out to be an old three-bedroom rambler build in 1972. It had a small, fenced backyard for the dogs, which only the police could go out in, and a two-car garage. That way, Maggie, Amelia, and Andy could leave the safety of the van and enter the house without stepping foot outside. Brighton pulled his car into the second half of the garage and followed them into the house.
The police department stocked the kitchen with a variety of foods, drinks, and snacks to prepare for their arrival. There was enough to feed an army. There was so much food because there would always be the three of them and at least two police officers with them. Brighton asked about special food and drink requests; therefore, Maggie wasn't surprised to find Diet Dr. Pepper in the fridge, sour cream and onion chips in the pantry, and chocolate fudge swirl ice cream in the freezer. There was a little treat for each of them.
Maggie and Amelia took over the primary bedroom with its private bathroom. Andy took the smallest bedroom, leaving the midsize bedroom for the police to use as needed. Ripley and Max were busy sniffing every corner of the small house, and Brighton walked through the house, checking all the windows and doors to make sure they were secure.
As Maggie and Amelia settled into their bedroom, Maggie took out the little picture she had grabbed on her way out of her condo and looked at it. Someone must have taken the photo when she was only three years old. Her family was at a local park having a party. Maggie was in a bright pink party dress. Her hair was wild and free, and she had a smile full of joy that filled her entire face. She was standing with her parents and grandparents at a table filled with gifts and food. She only vaguely remembered the day, but had always treasured the picture. It was one of the last pictures with her grandparents in it. Maggie put the little picture on the bedside table and finished unpacking her clothing.
Once she and Amelia unpacked, they returned to the living room and found Andy and Brighton with the two officers who would guard them during the first shift. They were watching the news on the 50-inch TV that sat in the room's corner. There was a play station connected to the TV and games, as well as a DVD player and a small selection of random DVDs. Most of which were wildly out of date but would keep them entertained for a while.
Maggie went to the kitchen and got a soda and sat at the table with Officer Brighton. Amelia and Andy came over and joined them to get their official safe house briefing. They knew they could not go outside, even to let the dogs go potty, but they needed to know if there were any other rules they needed to follow.
Top of the list was that they could let no one know where they were, or even that they were in a safe house. They should say that there were staying with friends for a few days and would be back soon. Maggie wasn't too sure her mother would buy that but would try it. Andy didn't talk to his family very often, so he wasn't too worried about needing to tell them where he was for the next few days.
Amelia was the one with the problem. Her husband's return from his trip would reveal her absence, and he wouldn't accept a weak excuse about her staying with friends. Brighton would need to deal with him for her, and she told him as much. He needed to devise a plan quickly because her husband was expected home tomorrow, and she was to pick him up at the airport.
Brighton would have to pick Amelia's husband himself and take him home while explaining that she was in a safe house, without giving away too much of the case he was working on to keep her husband safe. Not much to ask in a short time. He would do as he always did. Be tactful, professional, and polite.
Once everyone was convinced Brighton would care for Amelia's husband, dinner became the next priority. Andy and Maggie went to the kitchen and began rummaging in the refrigerator to pull together a meal for everyone there. Brighton excused himself, but the two officers that were on duty expressed an interest in a hearty meal with their wards. There was some chicken in the fridge along with fresh vegetables and a bag of potatoes.
Maggie washed a potato for each member of the group and put them in the oven to bake. Maggie cleaned and seasoned the chicken with garlic, salt, pepper, onions, and salsa. Olive oil, garlic powder, basil, oregano, parsley, and onion powder seasoned the roasted vegetables. Someone put a loaf of rustic bread in the oven to warm it just before dinner.
They set the table for the five group members, and they brought the food over. It had been a long time since Maggie had sat at a full table and enjoyed a meal with so many people. She was used to cooking for herself. Maybe a meal with enough leftovers for a meal or two? But cooking for a table of five and sit with all of them was a novel experience.
There was an awkward silence at the table when everyone first sat down, but the conversation slowly unfolded as they enjoyed their food. They passed the food around the table in a family style meal. Maggie relaxed some and realized that she was feeling a little more settled in at the safe house.
Amelia handed her the plate of chicken, and she passed on the bowl of roasted vegetables to the officer to her left. The baked potatoes and a dish of butter were sitting in the middle of the table. The potatoes were steaming hot. Maggie picked the smallest potato from the dish and added a little butter and sour cream with a dash of salt and pepper. Her chicken breast was perfectly cooked. She felt satisfied with the success of their first meal there.
After dinner and cleanup, Maggie, Amelia, and Andy sat in the living room, unsure of what to do. Andy sifted through the DVDs and picked out a comedy for them to watch. Some old Romcom from the 80s. He thought it would be a fun, nostalgic way to spend the evening.
They all settled in to watch the movie, and the two dogs made themselves comfortable among the humans. The two officers on duty sat at the table and would occasionally check the front and back windows of the house and as needed, would take the dogs out into the backyard for a little play and potty time.
Maggie hated not being able to spend time with Ripley outside, but understood the need to stay where it was safe. The police had done everything within their power to provide her and her friends with a safe place to stay, and it wouldn't make any sense to ruin it all by going outside just to watch her dog go pee. She made a point of playing with Ripley while they were watching the movie. Maggie piled the dog toys she'd packed in the living room, next to a small bed, and threw some for Ripley to chase. They played keep away and tug as well as fetch.
Andy sat on the far end of the overstuffed sofa with Max at his feet and watched the two play in the living room. Max's tail twitched every now and again as Ripley made joyful sounds with her toys. Maggie could tell he wanted to play, too.
"Does Max want to join us?" asked Maggie as she wiggled a toy in Ripley's face.
"He might destroy her toys." Answered Andy.
"Oh, they are just cheap dollar store toys. It's okay if they get beat up." Maggie replied as she looked over at Max and gave him a signal to come play.
Max jumped up and ran over to her. She tossed a toy for him to run and get. He ran and got it and gently placed it in her lap. There was not a bit of damage to the little stuffed cow. Maggie laughed as she tossed it farther across the room for him to chase. Ripley ran after him and tried to get to the little cow first, but Max beat her to it.
When the movie ended, the three residents of the safe house called it a night and headed to bed. Ripley and Max followed their humans into their rooms and curled up for the night as well after one last visit to the backyard. Maggie and Amelia took turns in the bathroom, getting ready for bed.
After she washed her face and put on her pajamas, Maggie climbed into bed and waited for Amelia to return before turning off the light. She lay there, thinking about everything that had happened over the last few days, and was amazed by her own resilience.
Amelia came out of the bathroom dressed for bed and turned the lights out as she, too, climbed into bed. The two women said their good-nights and dropped asleep.
Maggie dreamed of her little condo and smoke and flames. She kept trying to put the flames out, but every time she got a spot under control; another spot would flare up. Her comfortable home was in ruins. Ash and smoke were everywhere. The heat melted and curled up the photos and they lay on the floor, destroyed.
Sweat and ash clouded her eyes as she tried to fight the fires as they continued to pop up throughout her home. She ran from spot to spot, trying to save her home from the relentless flames. Her efforts, useless as they were, kept her focused on each small outbreak and not the overall impact of the fire.
Eventually, her body gave out, and she screamed in frustration. Suddenly, she was awake in the Safehouse with Amelia by her side and Ripley in her lap. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she tried to catch her breath.
All at once, the on-duty police officers burst into the bedroom to check on the two women, followed by Andy having heard the scream. Maggie shifted in her bed as the weight of eyes watching her felt like a building collapsing on her.
"Is everything okay in here?" asked the first officer in the room.
"I'm sorry to have bothered everyone. It was just a bad dream." Replied Maggie.
"What kind of dream?" asked Andy quietly.
"I dreamt my condo was on fire, and I couldn't put the flames out. Every time I got one spot under control; another spot would light up. Everything was smoke and ash." She answered through her tears.
As Maggie finished describing her dream, the cell phone of the second police officer rang. It was Officer Brighton, and he was on his way over.
Maggie, Amelia, and Andy all got dressed for the day and waited for Brighton to arrive. They started a pot of coffee and made breakfast. Everyone fended for themselves, as they all wanted different things first thing in the morning and this was an especially early morning. It was all of 5:30 A.M.
Officer Brighton arrived as someone finished brewing the coffee. Everyone sat around the dinner table and waited for his news.
"At 4 A.M. fire trucks were called to a fire at your condo, Maggie. An intruder broke in through the boarded-up back slider (which we had boarded up after someone shot it out) and set several small fires. The fire department got the fire out, but there was some damage. They could got there quickly. It's nice that there is a fire station two blocks from where you live. Most of the damage is from smoke with some ash from the small fires that were set in several locations around your place. It looks like they didn't really want to burn the place down or hurt anyone as much as scare you with several small fires." Explained Brighton.
"Oh my God, that was my dream!" exclaimed Maggie. "Lots of little fires all over the place, not enough to kill me, but enough to do some damage and to be scary as hell."
"Well, it's out and everything is okay. Except a few photographs in the entryway. The heat ruined the photographs. We'll need to get in touch with your insurance company to get someone out there to do some cleaning before you can live in there again, you know after we are sure it's safe to leave here, that is." Said Brighton as he fidgeted with his car keys.
"It's on my cell phone. Let me go grab it from the bedroom." Answered Maggie as she excused herself from the table and headed down the hall.
When she was out of sight of the others, she leaned against the wall, tears welling in her eyes again, as she tried to catch her breath. She thought about the little picture that she brought with her at the last minute. It had been in her entryway. If she hadn't grabbed it, it would be a melted mess on the floor of her condo now, lost forever. She could replace all the other photos except that one, and that one was the only photo she brought.
Her intuition had spoken to her as she was leaving the condo that day, and she listened. Last night it spoke to her in her dream. She thought back to all the steps she had taken during the entire ordeal and at every turn; she had felt something urging her on in one direction over another. Talk with Andy at his table, invite him to join her for lunch, text with him, the doggie play date at the dog park, finding him and rescuing him from the kidnappers, and on and on.
Maggie pulled herself back together and made it to the bedroom just as Amelia came looking for her. The two women sat on the side of the bed and looked at the little picture that Maggie had brought with her.
"At the last second, just before we left my place yesterday, I pulled this off the wall in the entryway and stuck it in my bag. Something made me bring it with me. It was a feeling like if I didn't bring it, I would never see it again. And now there were the fires that ruined all the other photos in my entryway." She whispered to her friend.
"Wow! Good thing you listened to that inner voice," Replied Amelia. "So much has happened in the last few days. Are you okay?"
"I honestly don't know." Answered Maggie as she replaced the little photo on the bedside table and grabbed her phone.
The two women returned to the kitchen where Maggie started asking Brighton a long list of question about where the investigation was with the added layer of the fire in her home. Kidnappings, shots fired, and now arson. They had to have some new ideas about who is behind these shenanigans.
"What's the latest on Deandra Logan?" asked Andy. "She was the last person we were looking at from my office, but she seemed to be a ghost at the last check. Is there anything new on her?"
"I can't find anything on her older than three years ago." Answered Brighton,
"That would be about when she started working with us," said Andy.
"With our luck, she is probably in witness protection." Said Amelia, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Hmm, I'll have to investigate that. It would explain a lot," Replied Brighton thoughtfully. "That would leave us with no leads who is after all of you, though."
Brighton excused himself and made a few calls to contacts he had that might give him some information on if Deandra was involved in some kind of witness protection program. After a series of calls and little direct information and a lot of stalled answers, he returned to the kitchen with a satisfied look on his face.
"I got a lot of refusals to provide information about whether or not she was in any program, as it would violate witness privacy. They wouldn't deny or confirm her connection to them, which was a confirmation in my book." He explained to the group at the table.
"Well, that doesn't mean she isn't innocent of this mess!" said Amelia as she got up to refill her cup of coffee. "It just explains why we can't learn more about her background. Not everyone in witness protection is an innocent witness. Some of them are criminals that are testifying against someone else."
"Well, if it's not her, who else could it be from Andy's work? The janitor? "It seems we've exhausted all other possibilities at Andy's workplace," said Maggie, feeling defeated.