Best Place to Die by Charles Atkins

her wonder if maybe there’d be more to this story than just a fire – Detective Mattie Perez.
    â€˜Mother . . .’ Ada’s jaw was clenched. ‘Are you sure you won’t let us take you to the hospital?’
    â€˜Why? So you can kill me there?’ Rose turned to her new, albeit confused, BFF, Alice in her soaked nightdress, the two of them huddled under a red wool horse blanket that Lil kept in the trunk for emergencies. ‘Do you have children, Alice?’
    â€˜Vicky. But she’s no use,’ the redhead offered, shaking her head. ‘I want to go home. Please take me home?’
    â€˜Where do you live?’ Aaron asked.
    His question worried her. ‘I don’t know.’
    He switched tactics. ‘Do you know where your daughter Vicky lives?’
    â€˜Who?’
    â€˜Your daughter.’
    â€˜She’s no good. Can you take me home?’
    Lil glanced in the rear-view mirror at the two older women under the blanket, with Aaron on the far side in a smudged white tee shirt, having given his leather jacket to Alice. She cranked the heat, and the car filled with the mixed smells of wet wool and char. She tried to figure what made the most sense. A pair of medics had tried to talk Rose into getting into an ambulance so she could get checked out at Brattlebury Hospital. Not only had Rose adamantly refused, but had insisted that Alice didn’t need it either. All of Lil’s years with Bradley, and a decent amount of common sense, told her that neither of the women was in medical peril. They had the occasional cough, but Rose was right. Hospitals were places of last resort, and best avoided. Which meant they were headed back to Pilgrim’s Progress. Lil threw Ada a glance, and, with her voice low, said, ‘You doing OK?’
    She shook her head, and cracked the tiniest smile. She leaned toward Lil and whispered, ‘She thinks I set the fire.’
    â€˜And this is what I get,’ Rose declared, ostensibly to Alice, but clearly meant for Ada. ‘I wish I were dead!’
    â€˜Mom,’ Ada said, ‘you don’t mean that.’
    â€˜I most certainly do! What do I have? Everything is gone. Everything! I didn’t want to come to this place. But no, I’m not safe in my own home where I’ve been living for fifty years. I’ve got to move to Connecticut, and that pushy Delia woman.’
    â€˜She’s dead.’ Ada was struggling to keep her temper in check. ‘And you’re safe. That’s what matters.’
    â€˜What do you know?’ Rose spat. ‘This is your fault.’
    Ada’s hands balled into tight fists as Lil turned into the gates of Pilgrim’s Progress. She longed to reach across the seat and comfort her, but didn’t. Instead, she kept silent as they passed one of the two eighteen-hole golf courses, the man-made three-acre lake and finally came to their cul-de-sac.
    Ada unbuckled and leaned toward Lil. ‘I’ll put them in my place.’
    Lil nodded, and waited as Aaron helped his great-grandmother and Alice out of the back seat. Unseen by the older women, Lil took Ada’s hand and squeezed. ‘We’ll get through this.’
    Ada shook her head, her beautiful sapphire-blue eyes sought out Lil’s. ‘She hates me.’
    â€˜No, she’s just scared and angry. She doesn’t hate you.’
    â€˜Maybe . . . you know I haven’t told her about us.’
    â€˜I know.’
    â€˜She’s smart. She’ll find out.’
    â€˜We’ll deal.’
    â€˜I love you, Lil.’
    â€˜Love you too. And it just amazes me.’ And with that she let go her hand, and got out.
    Ada jogged up the walk passing Aaron and the two women. Her first impulse was to unlock Lil’s condo on the right, but instead opened the door to hers on the left.
One thing at a time
, she told herself, as she waited for the trio to make it up the path. The phone started to