Little Secrets: No Accident
Alison Rose burst out of the French double doors onto the back patio of Grandmother Diamond’s mansion. She had no idea whether the scream she heard was her own or came from her aunts or cousin as they raced in a pack toward the burning building. Shielding her eyes from the searing hot, Alison squinted into the blaze and willed herself to see some movement, some sign of life.
Burning rubble, thrown from the blasts, littered the lawn and fizzled in the water of the swimming pool. Alison could not tear her eyes away from the inferno that had been the Diamond pool house-the pool house she had watched her grandmother, Tamara Diamond, walk into only a moment before it was rocked by a double explosion.
Choking on the thick black smoke, Alison tried to get closer. She had a strong urge to run into the towering flames and pull Tamara out. The family matriarch was more than a force to be reckoned with and often made their lives miserable. But Alison could not imagine her life without her.
Alison flinched as her uncle Bill put a hand on her arm to steady her and hold her back. Alison pulled away sharply, then surrendered and leaned heavily on her uncle’s shoulder. It felt unexpectedly good to have somebody looking out for her.
With her uncle still supporting her, Alison watched as the entire structure became engulfed in flames. There was no way Alison could get in and out alive, let alone save Tamara. If her grandmother had survived the initial blasts.
The weight of what she was witnessing caused Alison’s whole body to shake. She felt like an exposed nerve. Conflicting emotions crashed like violent waves within her. She was a boat unmoored.
Please let her be all right. Please let her be all right, Alison repeated her wish in her head like a silent prayer.