Juan and Carmen knew it was wrong to have come. Their mother would start to shake every time she heard a fire alarm. Her father and brother had been firefighters and had been killed trying to rescue people from burning buildings. But she never asked her husband to look for another job. She was proud of him and knew he thought it was the best job in the world.

But Juan and Carmen did not go back home. They were worried about their father. It seemed that no one could get out of that building!

Suddenly everybody saw Ricardo Lopez on the roof. He picked up the man and started back through the smoke. A few minutes later a firefighter ran out from behind the building. “They’re down,” he shouted, “but Ric is hurt! He fell down the stairs!”

Carmen and Juan ran to their father, but he didn’t answer them when they talked to him. Captain Donovan told them that their father was badly hurt, but would be taken care of in the hospital. “He’s a brave man and saved the life of the man on the roof,” said the captain. “I’m sure this is a fire started by a criminal, by an arsonist. It started too quickly and we found two empty gas cans.” Then the captain told them to go home.

As the children started to leave, they met Mr. Ozmer, their friend with the electronics store. He offered to drive them home to pick up their mother and then take them to the hospital. On the way, he talked about the arsonist. “It’s not safe to live in a place with a guy like that,” he said.

When the children got home, their mother noticed immediately that something was wrong. The kids told her Ric was hurt and she started crying. “I knew this would happen sooner or later,” she said.

At the hospital, they found Ricardo awake. The doctor said he wouldn’t be home for a few days. The man who was on the roof was also okay. There was a detective there, called Paul Russo. He was a friend of the family’s. He showed the kids a cap. “Why, that belongs to Hammer Garson!” Juan exclaimed.

Answer these questions with your colleagues or teacher:

1. What happened when their mother heard an alarm?
2. Why did she feel like this?
3. Why didn’t she ask her husband to get another job?
4. Why didn’t the children go back home?
5. What happened to Ric?
6. What did the captain say about him?
7. Why did he think the fire was started by an arsonist?
8. What happened when they met Mr. Ozmer?
9. What did he think about the arsonist?
10. What did Mrs. Lopez do and what did she say when she heard the news?
11. What did the doctor say?
12. Who showed them a cap?
13. Whose cap was it?