The Fire Across the Street
When the fire consumed the little house across the street, our quiet neighborhood was shaken. Everyone came together — cooking meals, collecting donations, offering comfort. The couple who lived there, Tom and Sarah, were kind people who smiled at everyone. The news called it “a story of community strength,” and for a while, that was enough.
But from my porch, I noticed small details — a designer handbag that hadn’t existed before the fire, whispers of an upcoming “healing” trip to Europe. I wasn’t suspicious, just curious — the way math teachers always are. Life, like numbers, usually adds up if you look closely enough.
So when the insurance investigator came knocking — and Tom and Sarah followed him in — I already had my quiet doubts…