Mitchell pulled to the side of the road when my house came into view. He hadn’t turned down our street but instead had taken Hickory and followed it up to the top of the hill. The property was visible in the valley beneath us; the driveway was still filled with ambulances, fire trucks, and other vehicles most likely belonging to law enforcement.

The car jerked as he shifted into park before we had come to a complete stop. I heard Nicole Milligan roll in the trunk, thud against the back seat. She let out a muffled sound of complaint.

Mitchell was out the door and standing next to the car, his face turning red.

He stared down below.

My stomach sank at the sight of it. It didn’t seem real; it was like watching a scene from a movie. The roof was a skeleton of sticks. Half the walls were missing. All the windows were destroyed. Black smoke poured out from every opening, staining the sky and what little still stood of the outer shell.

When he got back in the car, I asked, “Do you think she was in there? Dr. Rose?”

He ignored me and pulled back onto Hickory, followed the quiet street down to Danby Road, and made his way back to NY-13 toward Lansing.

“Do you think she was in the house?” I repeated, craning my head back toward the smoke. “She must have gotten out, right?”

He kept ignoring me. I watched as he reached over and flicked on the radio. He pressed the scan button, and kept punching it with his fingertip until he came to a news station.

“…Cornell University security has been asked to prevent the student body from approaching the bridge while local and federal authorities attempt to piece together the events unfolding this morning. Why the Cornell instructor would jump from the beloved suspension bridge to her death in Fall Creek Gorge is still unknown. Dr. Rose Fitzgerald, a practicing psychologist, recently lost her husband, Dr. Barton Fitzgerald, a renowned psychiatrist and author. Perhaps his death was too much for her. We have learned a substantial police presence has gathered at her home in South Hill. A fire has been reported at the residence as well. We will continue to keep you apprised as events unfold. Dr. Rose Fitzgerald is survived by two adopted children, her daughter, Megan, and son—”

Mitchell shut off the radio, beat his fist on the steering wheel, and screamed so loud your buddies at Quantico probably heard him.