The Wife They Burned novel · Chapter 19 of 32
Chapter 19: Lantern House Burns
"Don't touch the switch," I said.
Joy's hand stopped an inch from the lamp.
"Gas and a spark," I said. "Get the families up. Quietly. No lights, no stove, nothing. Front stairs, front door, across the street."
"Ada."
"Go, Joy."
I called Abel.
"Gas," I said. "The laundry room. It's coming under the door."
I heard his truck door slam before he'd hung up.
I pulled my boots on over bare feet and went out into the hall.
The smell was stronger there.
The laundry room door was shut.
There was a thin line of wet darkness on the floorboards under it, spreading.
Somebody was pouring it in.
From outside, through the low window over the dryer, the one that looked onto the garden.
A soft glugging.
The front door banged open and Abel came down the hall in his T-shirt and boots.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward the stairs.
"Out," he said. "Now."
"There's someone at the window."
"I know. Go."
The sound came from behind the laundry room door.
A low, soft whoomp.
Then orange light under the door, and a roar.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–16 of The Wife They Burned are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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