PIERCE

Ambulance and fire truck sirens wailed in my ears long after calm returned to Pelican Bay. It spectacularly shattered the afternoon, and of course, it concerned a Kensington. They cordoned downtown off to keep onlookers safe— smart decision considering we lived in a town of gawkers.

"Are you sure there’s no injuries?" I asked my cousin Jerome for the third time.

His answer came as a shout. "None. Not even any damage to the building. Only the ...