What was she going to say? Did he want her to describe the fire or what? She adjusted the microphone at the podium. She kept hoping someone would give her a clue as to what they wanted to hear from her. She’d been expecting to talk about the usual call and expense reports for the fire brigade. She had her speech ready about Eric for tomorrow. This was completely off the schedule. She flashed to what Flo had said about the fire brigade needing a boat. It seemed to her that this was a perfect time to talk about it. She didn’t know what else to say. They probably wouldn’t do anything about it, but at least she’d have something intelligent to present. “Mayor, council members, and fellow citizens of Sweet Pepper, there was a horrific fire at the Sunset Beach community that claimed the life of Mr. Barney Falk. I’d like to say that the fire brigade had a difficult time putting out that fire because of the close proximity of the house to the lake.” Stella paused, and warmed to her subject.
