Fall Guy

did the fire start?“
    „They'd stolen cigarettes. They were smoking, all of them. Someone dropped a match,“ she said, „or a cigarette. It fell into the dried leaves they'd put around the base of the tree, around me.“
    „You don't know who?“
    „It doesn't matter, does it? No one did it on purpose.“
    „And once the fire got going, it was Francis Who untied you?“
    „Yes.“
    „And what did the other boys do?“
    „At first, they were sort of yelling and running around, not doing anything...“
    „Useful?“
    „Yes. But then they began to kick snow onto the burning leaves and put out the fire. I didn't get to see that. Once Francis untied me, he wrapped his , jacket around my legs, rolled me in the snow and then picked me up and began running toward home.“
    „He must have been a very brave boy”, I said. But that's not what I was thinking. I was thinking that Francis was a twelve-year-old kid. He couldn't have picked her up and carried her all the way home. That wouldn't have been possible. I looked at Maggie, over at Tim's desk now, picking up the little statue of the horse, tracing the graceful arch of its neck with one finger. She was still doing it, still trying to glue the past back together with storytelling. Whom was she trying to kid this time, I wondered, me or herself?
    „I meant to give this to Detective Brody,“ she said.
    „I can do that for you if you like.“
    „You've already done so much, Rachel.“
    „It's okay,“ I said.
    She put the horse back on the desk. „Then I guess I'm ready to go.“
    „There's one more thing I need to do for you, something urgent.''
    „What's that, Rachel?“
    „I'm sending Dashiell home with you.“
    „Why? What do you mean? I don’t understand.“
    „I don't want to alarm you, Maggie, but I have no choice.“
    „Rachel?“ She took my hands in hers, holding on for dear life. „It's because of Dennis, isn't it?“
    „Yes. I don't think you're in danger, Maggie, but you might be. Detective Brody has notified your local police and they're going to be watching your house and stopping by to make sure
    you're okay. Here's what I need you to do. Are you listening?“
    „Yes, I am.“ Her professional voice now. She had spent her adult life taking care of crises. I knew she could do this.
    „When you get home, if everything looks normal, and I'm pretty sure it will, unlock your door and send Dashiell in first. Tell him, 'Find it.' He'll check every inch of the house. If anyone's there, he'll take care of it. If you hear barking, go back to your car and drive to the police station. Do you understand?“
    „I do.“
    „If Dashiell comes back to you, wagging his tail, you're safe and you can go inside. Lock the doors.“
    „I always do.“
    „Good. No one can get in without Dashiell warning you. He'll take care of you. You're not going to work for the next few days?“
    „No, I'm not.“
    I nodded. „If everything's cool two days from now...“
    „I'll bring him home.“
    „I'll come and get him.“
    „But you need ...“
    „Shhh. This isn't up for discussion, Maggie. I’m still not sure why Tim asked me to take care of things for him, but I am sure that it had to do With you, perhaps with protecting you from the Secrets you already knew. He loved you very much, Maggie. You do know that, don't you?“
    „I didn't.“
    „But now you do.“
    She nodded.
    „So I'm just doing my job. I'm protecting you as best I can, with Dashiell's help.“
    „You're sure?“
    „I'm sure. Why don't you bring the car around. I can take the things outside and wait for you, help you put them in the trunk.“
    „But what about his food and—“
    „Feed him whatever you're eating. He'll be fine. And when you walk him, go out in front where people can see you. For his night walk, just let him out in the back. And keep him in your room when you go to bed.“
    „Where will he...“
    „Not to worry. He'll figure it out.“
    When the car was loaded, I opened the back door and told Dashiell to hop in. I took off the leash and put it on the front seat, next to Maggie. Then I leaned into the back seat and put my arms around my dog's thick neck, pushing my face into his fur. He was looking out the back window as she drove away, his forehead creased with concern, but I knew he'd take care of her. Though I felt unimaginably empty watching them leave, I knew I'd done what I had to do.
    I went back inside and closed the shutters. Then I picked up the little