Part VI

Devon never expected such news, although he later admitted that he should've known that there was really nothing else to correct the problem. Kitt, on the other hand, wished he had never said anything about what had been happening. Bonnie had told him that this was for his own good, to remind him that more problems could happen further down the road, but Kitt was skeptical.

He had been passing by Devon's office after visiting the facilities when he heard Bonnie arguing with Michael. He stopped and listened carefully only to hear that he was the basis of the argument.

"Michael, what else is there to do?" Bonnie asked in a raised voice.

"Bonnie, they should've had this right the first time. I don't trust that Larson. I'm wondering if he did this on purpose just to line his own pockets."

"That's not true!"

"How do you know, Bonnie? Doctors have done things for the buck, and they know that most of their patients have no choice but to go along."

"Michael, nothing's going to happen to Kitt. This will be the last time."

"Until a few years from now something else happens—he'll have had more surgeries this year than I've had in the last ten."

"Michael, there's nothing else we can do for him," Bonnie said more softly now.

Kitt was turning away from the door so he could find something to take his mind off what he just heard when Devon came around the corner with a cup of tea. "Ah, Kitt," he said in that friendly tone he had. "Do you want a cup?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Kitt replied and started to continue forward again when Cathy came jogging up to them.

"Mr. Miles," she said quickly. "A call just came from Nadine Corvonce; her grandmother's house is on fire."

"It's what?" Devon asked again in utter shock.

Kitt, however, didn't wait for her to repeat herself. He quickly opened the doors of the office and caught Bonnie and Michael off guard. "Michael, we have to go."

They were there in a matter of minutes, but had to park the car at the end of the street, seeing that the fire department had it blocked off for the firemen to work. By the time they reached the house, the flames were out and only black smoke rose from the back of the house.

Kitt pointed to two people standing on in the middle of the road, looking at the house in a ghostly gaze. He and Michael jogged up to them, Michael calling out Nadine's name.

Grandma Nelly turned around, her eyes red from crying and fear, but forced a smile to greet him. "Michael, Kitt—you didn't have to come."

"Yes we did," Michael said putting his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?" He asked Nadine with a serious eye.

"The deck off the kitchen caught fire," she said trying to hold back tears. "I wasn't even home at the time and Grandma was taking a nap in her bedroom. I came home…" She started crying.

Michael pulled her into a hug as she cried into his jacket. "Michael, I was so scared! At first I thought that Grandma was—"

"She's okay," Michael tried to comfort. "You're both okay."

A fireman came up the group and took off his helmet. "Mrs. Appleton, you're house isn't gonna have to come down," he told her bringing a relieved smile to her face. "We were able to keep the fire from spreading; only the deck and kitchen were destroyed, and that can be fixed. A few of your things might be blackened by the smoke, but other than that nothing."

"Oh, thank you young man," Grandma Nelly said softly. "Are we able to get anything from the house?"

"Give us a few minutes and we'll have someone escort you inside so you can get a few clothes and stuff," he told her. "It shouldn't be that unsafe."

"Michael, I know I usually don't like to point out the obvious," Kitt started as the fireman walked away, "but I believe that these ladies will need somewhere to stay."

"You're right, Kitt," Michael said letting go of Nadine. "For now you guys can stay at the foundation."

"The where?" Grandma Nelly asked politely, yet a little confused.

"Michael, we're not staying there," Nadine said, glancing at Kitt briefly. "A hotel is fine."

"Do you know how this fire started out?" Michael asked, countering her statement.

"Well, not really—"

"Well I have a hunch that it was Robert Oliver; I'm not taking a chance that he can go after you again. You'll be safe at the foundation," Michael told them.

"Mrs. Appleton? We can take one of you inside now," the same fireman said as he walked up to them once again.

"I'll go Grandma," Nadine said, giving Michael a look that told him she wasn't happy for him making a choice for her.

Nadine returned a few minutes later with a duffle bag of clothes for both her and her grandmother. Michael tossed the bag into the trunk of the Trans Am and told Kitt to let Grandma Nelly sit in the front so she didn't have to climb behind the passenger seat. Kitt agreed, but he felt a terrible coldness coming from Nadine as she sat behind Michael with her arms folded, and staring out the driver's side window.

"This is some car, Michael," Grandma Nelly said as they started down the road. She looked all over the dash, her hand laying flat on the screens to her left. "Amazing."

"It is," Michael agreed.

Going at the normal speed limit, they arrived back at the foundation half an hour later. Kitt assisted Grandma Nelly up the front steps while Michael got their bag. "Michael, we're not staying here more than a few days," Nadine said.

"You're staying here until that nut case is behind bars," Michael told her. "Whether you want to admit it or not, he's after you for whatever his reasons are. Now I'm not going to put you, or that sweet little old lady in jeopardy, got it?"

Kitt heard their short conversation as he opened the front doors only to see Devon and Bonnie making their way to see them in. "Grandma Nelly, this is Devon Miles and Bonnie Barstow—Bonnie, Devon, this is Grandma Nelly."

"Pleasure," Devon said with a smile. "Where's Michael?"

"Right here," Michael said coming through the front doors. "Devon, I know what you're gonna say."

"On the contrary, I know what you'll tell me," Devon said. "You two ladies are more than welcome here. We have a spare room, so it's not a problem."

"Spare room, to say the least," Grandma Nelly said in an exciting voice. "I haven't been in a house this big since…well I don't remember when! What a set up, Mr. Miles."

"Please, call me Devon," he told her.

"Grandma Nelly, can I get you some tea?" Bonnie asked politely.

"Oh yes, dear, that'd be nice."

Grandma Nelly followed Bonnie down the hall to the kitchen while Nadine looked around the foyer. Devon patted Michael on the shoulder and headed back to his office, leaving Kitt and Michael to figure out what to say to someone who was obviously not thrilled with her new living conditions.

"Nadine, I think you have some explaining to do," Michael said walking further in and dropping the duffle bag next to the stairs. "He has to be after more than revenge for you taking off."

"And what makes you think that?" She asked quickly.

"Because of the reason why you're standing where you are right now," Michael snapped back to counter her attitude. "Nadine, he just tried to burn down your grandmother's house. He had to have known that she was inside."

"I don't know!" Nadine argued. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Perhaps there's a logical explanation for this," Kitt suggested thoughtfully. "Maybe you've forgotten about something that could have upset him more than you leaving."

"Alright," Michael said, holding his hands up in defense. "I'm going to have a word with Devon. Kitt, can you show her where the guest room is?"

"Of course, Michael," Kitt said and picked up the semi-heavy duffle bag. He started up the stairs, having to pause to wait for Nadine to finally start to follow after him. "I'm sure we can find a cot if you'd like," Kitt told her, trying desperately to find a way to start up a civilized conversation with her.

Nadine didn't answer, which gave Kitt the feeling that she was not going to an easy houseguest. The guest bedroom was at the very end of the hall from where the other bedrooms were located. He opened the door and let her walk in first. "I hope you'll be comfortable."

"I suppose," she said as she looked around the room, not taking more than a few steps in. Kitt rested down the duffle bag on the undressed bed. "I'll find out where they keep the sheets and get that made up for you."

"Just find the sheets," she ordered. "I'm capable of making the bed myself."

"You know if we're going to be sharing living space then the least you could say is thank-you."

"Just because you offered to make our bed doesn't mean I've forgiven you for what you've done."

Kitt nodded and made his exit, not really concerned if she was following back downstairs or not. He went back to where Michael had gone. Devon's office door was open and before he even turned into the room he knew what they were talking about.

"Devon, I don't know what that girl's problem is, but she's insistent she doesn't know why this guy Oliver is after her," Michael explained. "That and the site of Kitt seems to make her want to hit someone."

"Yes, well, seeing that her old boyfriend was Mr. Bordeaux, then that's natural," Devon stated, pushing back in his chair. "However, I agree with you Michael; there's more than the reason than he got mad at her coming out to California."

"She claimed money," Kitt added as he came in and sat down.

"Yes, don't they all," Devon said. "I'm having Bonnie look up anything that comes up in police reports about Mr. Oliver or Miss Corvonce."

"I already took the liberty of doing that myself, Devon, and unfortunately I didn't come up with anything," Kitt said. "Except for a minor lawsuit that didn't concern Robert Oliver."

"What lawsuit?" Michael asked.

"Soon after Scott Bordeaux's accident, she was in one herself because another woman cut her off at an intersection. Nadine suffered only minor injuries; however her car would never see the pavement of a road again."

"And she sued the other woman," Michael finished. "You think that Oliver wants some of that money she got?"

"I wouldn't know," Kitt said with a shrug. "What worries me is that this Oliver just appears out of nowhere, but we can't seem to find where he's staying."

"Nadine said he had friends, so I'm willing to be he's stashing himself with them," Michael pointed out.

Devon nodded. "And unfortunately we have no real proof that he is behind the house fire, and without knowing just who his friends are we can't trace him. I'm sure he's not naïve enough to be driving around a car with Kentucky plates on it."

"Doubtful," Kitt said in agreement. "Nadine will just have to stay here until something comes up and he's caught."