Wanted: Undead or Alive

Chasing Fire

The bus turned left just past the Kroger store.

I cut through the parking lot and tried to ignore my burning lungs. I'd been working out, and I was in better shape than at any other point in my life, but there was a world of difference between jogging on a treadmill and a dead sprint over potholed pavement. As I came around the back of the store, I saw a black and white cruiser, lights flashing, siren wailing, turn behind the bus. Seconds later, I ran up, arriving at just about the same time Chantelle did.

"Your fugitive is on this bus?"

Gasping for air, I nodded. "Redhead... young... with baby."

A male cop was already onboard, talking to the driver.

Chantelle walked with me to stand in front of the doors. "This is the agent with the bounty."

"Nobody here that matches your description, ma'am," the bus driver said.

The cop on the bus looked at me.

Chantelle looked at me.

Another police cruiser pulled up. The driver looked at me.

"Can I check?"

The bus driver shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

I mounted the steps and squeezed past the officer. Two women with reusable grocery sacks watched all this with wide eyes. A young man sat in a seat alone, still and silent. A chubby teenaged girl with frizzy brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes wept in the very back seat.

"Did any of you see a young woman with a baby? Pretty girl? Long red hair?"

They all shook their heads except the man in the middle. "I saw her."

"You did?"

"What'd she do?"

"Pretty sure she set that motel on fire."

"Why would a young mom do a thing like that when she's got a little baby to take care of?"

"It's in her nature."

He didn't say anything further. He just sat there, staring at me.

"If you saw which way she was going..."

"I don't think you much care what happens to her or her baby. You're a bounty hunter, right? This is about payday for you."

"She's accused of a serious crime and there's a real chance she just committed another. I don't understand why you—"

He chuckled. "Pretty lady, I bet there are a lot of things about me you don't understand. I saw your girl running as this bus pulled away. You know where the bus was so she can't have more than a two or three minute head start on you. That's all you're getting from me."

I took a step toward him.

Chantelle's hand clamped around my wrist. "Thank you for your help, sir."

He nodded at her.

She guided me off the bus, and we all watched it pull away.

"Can you guys help me look? If she was at that bus stop and running on foot with a baby, she couldn't have gone more than a couple of blocks."

We fanned out and spent the next two hours roaming the neighborhood in cars and on foot, talking to everyone we passed.

As far as we could tell, the fire fairy had vanished into thin air.

Chantelle was philosophical about it. "She'll turn up, but we can't have half the police force out looking for her right now."

"Yeah. I get it."