Read Jill Jackson - 04 - Watch the World Burn for Free Online

He shook his head. ‘Can you believe it? After what’s happened, and all? Anyway, we’d ordered and I’d finished my entrée. She takes a lot longer to eat than me, you see, and I thought I’d just have a stretch – you know, walk around a bit, check out the view, go to the toilet – before the mains came. Anyway, I’m on my way back to my seat and I see her ... she’s ... my mum’s on fire.’ His voice trailed away.
    ‘I’m just a bit confused,’ said Scotty. ‘You didn’t see she was on fire until you were almost back at the table?’
    ‘I came from behind her. I’d gone once around the restaurant. I heard her scream before I saw her.’ Caine paused, his eyes scanning a memory. ‘I’ll never forget that sound.’
    ‘What did you see, exactly, David?’ said Hutchinson. ‘It’s really important that we try to understand absolutely everything that happened last night.’
    ‘Like I said,’ said Caine. ‘I saw my mother burning. God! What do you want me to tell you? That she was screaming? That her hair was on fire and her face was melting? What do you want me to say?’
    Caine breathed hard, his hands flat on the plastic table, his eyes again alive. Troy wanted to tell him to take a break, to reach out a hand, but he sat still. The questioning had to continue.
    ‘You’re doing great, Mr Caine,’ said Jill Jackson, her level voice cutting through the pall of emotion that seemed to occupy the table they circled. ‘You’re taking us back to what happened. We weren’t there, and you’re helping us to be. You’re our eyes in there. Did you notice anyone–’
    ‘What do you think happened, Mr Caine?’ Emma Gibson interrupted, her pen poised over her notepad. Troy noticed that Jackson had put hers away. Huh.
    ‘I have no idea,’ said Caine. ‘I’m just completely shocked.’
    ‘Do you think the restaurant’s responsible?’ asked Scotty.
    Thanks a lot, Hutchinson, thought Troy. Still, it was a reasonable question. He was surprised this guy wasn’t talking to them only through a lawyer.
    ‘I don’t see how,’ said Caine. ‘There was no one cooking around her. There were no flames anywhere near our table.’
    ‘Do you think someone could have done this to your mother? Is there anyone who might want to hurt her?’ asked Scotty.
    ‘Who would set an old lady on fire? Who would do something like that?’ David’s voice carried, and Scotty reached his hand out to touch Caine’s forearm.
    ‘Sorry, mate, I gotta ask things like that,’ said Scotty. ‘And, look ... while I’m asking you upsetting questions, there’s another thing we need to know. Could you tell us how your mum was before this happened?’
    ‘What do you mean, how she was?’
    ‘Like, was she healthy, happy? Would you say she had any big problems? Was she depressed?’
    Caine stood. ‘My mother wouldn’t try to kill herself,’ he said.
    ‘Okay, mate,’ said Scotty. ‘Look, right now this whole thing is very upsetting and confusing. We can talk more another time.’
    ‘I’m going to go and check on her,’ said Caine. ‘The surgeon’s supposed to be coming.’
    ‘Of course. I’ll call in again tonight to see how she is,’ said Scotty. ‘And in the meantime we’ll be trying to find out what happened to your mum.’
    Troy stood and eyed the exit. He didn’t want to follow Caine into the ICU, but he’d prefer that to staying to chat with these cops. He just wanted to get out of here. But where was Lucy? He whipped his eyes around the room and spotted her, with Mona, standing before a vending machine way down the end of the hall.
    ‘So, what do you think of him?’ came Scotty’s voice, behind him.
    He’s probably speaking to his partners, Troy thought. He turned around anyway. Scotty was waiting for his reply.
    ‘He’s pretty upset about his mother,’ he said.
    ‘You think so?’ said Scotty. ‘If it was me this happened to, I’d be up in your face demanding you find out what the hell