Chapter 36 Today, Margaret Must Die
But when she turned around and looked carefully, there was nothing but a bustling market with vendors everywhere, a continuous stream of people, the sounds of haggling, and the honking of streetcars.
Margaret scrunched her face and thought, 'Is someone really tailing me? Or am I just losing it?'
At the police station, she laid out why she was there, and the officer, super chill and helpful, dug up the files and handed Margaret a hefty stack of papers.
Margaret grabbed them, thanked him big time, and started flipping through them seriously.
She skimmed the case report and a flicker of surprise crossed her face. "A fire from old wiring?"
The officer nodded, "Yep, there are pics in the later docs. Check 'em out. The Howard family's place was renovated ages ago. Their wiring's ancient."
He added, "Wiring usually lasts about twenty years. Theirs was way past that and super old. The night it happened, the wiring sparked and no one caught it in time. Plus, their place was stacked with firewood and dry sesame stalks for winter."
Margaret dug into the case report. Sure enough, the old photos showed the Gilbert family's wiring was ancient.
Folks from Ironwood Lane also said the Howard family's yard was full of firewood.
A fire from old wiring seemed pretty airtight.
Margaret remembered the burning hate in Raymond's eyes. "Marlon owes our family lives! He deserved to die!"
"Officer, could this fire have been set on purpose? Maybe the old wiring wasn't the main cause?" Margaret pressed her lips together and voiced her doubts.
Raymond must've found something to be so sure.
Could it be that what she found wasn't the truth?
Hearing this, the officer's face got awkward and he snapped, "Miss, how can you doubt the police? This case was closed over a decade ago. Cases are judged on evidence, not wild guesses."
The officer shot back, "The Howard family was nice and ran a small restaurant back then. They did well and often helped folks in need. Who'd target them?"
Margaret double-checked. "Are there any other docs related to this arson case?"
"Everything's here," the officer replied.
Margaret went through all the docs, checking every detail over and over.
Not a single doc was missed.
The docs showed it was just a regular fire from old wiring.
She handed the thick stack back to the officer. As if she remembered something, she asked, "Excuse me, do you know how to get to Hope Haven Orphanage?"
Margaret had once sponsored a boy, but she didn't know his name. She just knew that he was at Hope Haven Orphanage on Ironwood Lane.
With only 23 days left in her life, she wanted to see how that boy was doing now.
The officer was super helpful and drew her a map, assuring her she'd find it if she followed the route.
She thanked him big time, feeling there were still good people in the world.
Just as she stepped out of the police station, Margaret heard a woman's voice. "Mrs. Hughes!"
Margaret looked up to see Ashley in a baseball cap and mask, waving and walking towards her with a smile, inviting her. "Mrs. Hughes, today's my birthday. Can you join me for my birthday tonight?"
Ashley slipped her hand into her coat pocket, fingers brushing the cold, icy knife.
Sarah had already told her that if she didn't hear news of Margaret's death tonight, Emily would die. So tonight, Margaret must die.
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