Chapter 6 - The House Fire
A very nasty surprise was waiting for the coach and her student when they pulled up the street leading to the Rogers' address. It turned out Eveline no longer had a home. The house was burnt to the ground and there were police barricades placed around the periphery of the property.
Well, at least Eveline now knew why the sirens were going non-stop the previous night... .
Coach Strickland didn't say anything. She was glad her student wasn't at home to be involved in the disaster, but she figured that Eveline would have to decide for herself what she wanted to do, and more importantly, where she wanted to go.
Two unpleasant-looking cops approached to chase the women off the property. The first thing they asked was why Eveline was naked, to which the coach responded with the truth. Eveline and Coach Strickland found out that the house was not just destroyed by a simple fire, but that a suspected meth lab had exploded and set off a propane tank and some nearby gas canisters. It was a very ugly event, one that caused panic among the intoxicated party-goers and sent 38 people to the hospital with multiple fractures and severe burns. Eveline's brother was also in the hospital, but was under arrest, along with his girlfriend and various other members of his gang.
When the cops realized Eveline was the main culprit's sister, they started questioning her. When she admitted she knew about the meth lab, their questions became more aggressive and totally terrified her. Coach Strickland intervened:
"Excuse me, Officer, is my student being charged with any crime?"
"Not yet, ma'am. Right now we just want to talk to her."
"Not yet. I see. Very well, Officer. Before she says anything more, I'm gonna have to insist she have a lawyer present."
"She's not under arrest, so no need for a lawyer ma'am."
"... and I'd like to keep it that way, her not being under arrest. So I'm afraid there is a need for a lawyer. Fifth amendment, you know."
"You need to stop it, ma'am. Now. You're impeding an investigation."
"No, I am not, Officer. I'm not impeding anything. You can ask her whatever you want, after I call my attorney."
The police and the teacher exchanged some additional unpleasantness and veiled threats, but it was obvious Coach Strickland was not going to budge on her insistence that Eveline not say anything more without her lawyer being present. The cops didn't have any grounds to arrest Eveline, and with Strickland present, they couldn't intimidate her. Finally they jotted down some information in a notepad and dismissed the two women.
Eveline was shaking as the cops walked off. To get her to move, Coach Strickland suggested they step inside the wrecked house to see if anything remained of her belongings. They found nothing. Eveline was totally destitute.
"I... what am I gonna do, ma'am?"
The coach put her hands on the student's shoulders.
"Do you know anyone you can stay with?"
"Not really."
"Well then, at this point you have two choices. I can drop you off at a homeless shelter, or we can go back to my place."
"I... I mean... you wouldn't mind... Coach... after...?
"Well, if you stay with me, there will be a rule. Just one rule, but it's an important one. If I tell you to do something, you will do it the first time I tell you. No questions or arguing. If I have to repeat something, you're going over my lap."
Eveline opened her mouth to speak, but Coach Strickland cut her off.