behind the wheel and pulled into the street after she
heard Nate’s door thunk closed.
“ I need you to talk to me,
Emma,” she said, sliding a glance at her friend. Emma still looked
as shocky as she had before.
“ I’ve never seen anything
like it,” Emma said, unconsciously parroting Officer Williams’
words. “It wasn’t just trashed, Charly, it was destroyed. I dropped
by to see if you wanted to go to breakfast. The door was partway
open, and even though I knew you’d never be that careless, I pushed
it open anyway.” She shuddered, as if the vision sickened her even
now. “There was red everywhere. I thought it was your blood, but
then I saw a paint can sitting right by the door. The whole place
reeked of smoke, dirty smoke, not like you’d get from the
fireplace. That’s when I called you. I couldn’t stand the idea of
you being in there. Your car wasn’t out front and...”
Charly clasped Emma’s hand in her own.
“It’s okay, Sweetie, I get the picture. I’ll need you to repeat it
all for the Detective, but don’t worry about it now. I’m okay. It’s
just a house. It’s just a house.”
“ Fuck,” Nate cursed lowly
behind her, and the sound of his voice strengthened her, where
Emma’s terror had left her weak. She never wanted to see her friend
like this again. Never.
The lights of the fire truck and squad
cars painted the houses of her neighborhood in strobes of red and
blue. One rig was on station, an attack line snaking from the truck
into her front door. Three black-and-whites, a CSU van and a
supervisor’s sedan were parked haphazardly on the street and her
lawn. Officers stood in clumps around the entryway.
“ Shit,” she swore beneath
her breath and put the car in park. She turned to Emma. “Stay here
until either I or one of the officers comes for you. Make them show
you their badge. No firefighters,” she said sternly.
“ Okay,” Emma replied
shakily.
“ Lock the doors after us,”
Charly ordered and then stepped into the street. Her precinct
captain was already on his way over. She met him halfway as her
inner cop rose to the fore.
“ Potential witness in the
car. She needs to be questioned, but she’s shocky.” She gentled her
tone. “She’s my friend, Captain. Be gentle with her. It can be
anyone but Williams.”
Captain Reynolds cocked his head at
her in question.
“ He was at the last scene.
I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s clean, but we can’t take the
chance, not if it’s as bad as she says it was.”
Reynolds nodded. “It’s that bad. I’ll
question her myself.” He turned to face her house, which looked so
innocent on the outside. Well, except for the uniformed presence,
that is. The firefighters were exiting the building, and CSU and
John Janssen, a fellow arson investigator, were entering. “As soon
as Janssen and CSU clears it, then, and only then, can you take a
look, understood?”
She nodded, hating to have her hands
tied, but understanding nonetheless. “Can Nate go in? He’s a
firefighter, former military, but you know that already.” She knew
she wasn’t asking anything Nate didn’t want, or at least she hoped
not. Then he was standing by her side, strong and silent, and she
knew she was right.
Reynolds scrutinized them. “And your
boyfriend.” When Charly didn’t contradict him, he continued. “Yeah,
he can go in. You’ll see why in a few minutes.” He paused, as if
weighing his words. “This was a message, Charly. To both of
you.”
Without another word, he turned and
walked to her sedan, pulling his badge to show Emma. He disappeared
inside the car, leaving Charly with more questions than answers and
a raw, burning feeling in her gut.
*
Nate wanted to pull Charly into his
arms and comfort her but knew she wouldn’t welcome the embrace, not
now, not in front of the firefighters and cops. He already gritted
his teeth against their prying eyes. Across the street, a neighbor
hovered on her front porch, her gaze
heard Nate’s door thunk closed.
“ I need you to talk to me,
Emma,” she said, sliding a glance at her friend. Emma still looked
as shocky as she had before.
“ I’ve never seen anything
like it,” Emma said, unconsciously parroting Officer Williams’
words. “It wasn’t just trashed, Charly, it was destroyed. I dropped
by to see if you wanted to go to breakfast. The door was partway
open, and even though I knew you’d never be that careless, I pushed
it open anyway.” She shuddered, as if the vision sickened her even
now. “There was red everywhere. I thought it was your blood, but
then I saw a paint can sitting right by the door. The whole place
reeked of smoke, dirty smoke, not like you’d get from the
fireplace. That’s when I called you. I couldn’t stand the idea of
you being in there. Your car wasn’t out front and...”
Charly clasped Emma’s hand in her own.
“It’s okay, Sweetie, I get the picture. I’ll need you to repeat it
all for the Detective, but don’t worry about it now. I’m okay. It’s
just a house. It’s just a house.”
“ Fuck,” Nate cursed lowly
behind her, and the sound of his voice strengthened her, where
Emma’s terror had left her weak. She never wanted to see her friend
like this again. Never.
The lights of the fire truck and squad
cars painted the houses of her neighborhood in strobes of red and
blue. One rig was on station, an attack line snaking from the truck
into her front door. Three black-and-whites, a CSU van and a
supervisor’s sedan were parked haphazardly on the street and her
lawn. Officers stood in clumps around the entryway.
“ Shit,” she swore beneath
her breath and put the car in park. She turned to Emma. “Stay here
until either I or one of the officers comes for you. Make them show
you their badge. No firefighters,” she said sternly.
“ Okay,” Emma replied
shakily.
“ Lock the doors after us,”
Charly ordered and then stepped into the street. Her precinct
captain was already on his way over. She met him halfway as her
inner cop rose to the fore.
“ Potential witness in the
car. She needs to be questioned, but she’s shocky.” She gentled her
tone. “She’s my friend, Captain. Be gentle with her. It can be
anyone but Williams.”
Captain Reynolds cocked his head at
her in question.
“ He was at the last scene.
I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s clean, but we can’t take the
chance, not if it’s as bad as she says it was.”
Reynolds nodded. “It’s that bad. I’ll
question her myself.” He turned to face her house, which looked so
innocent on the outside. Well, except for the uniformed presence,
that is. The firefighters were exiting the building, and CSU and
John Janssen, a fellow arson investigator, were entering. “As soon
as Janssen and CSU clears it, then, and only then, can you take a
look, understood?”
She nodded, hating to have her hands
tied, but understanding nonetheless. “Can Nate go in? He’s a
firefighter, former military, but you know that already.” She knew
she wasn’t asking anything Nate didn’t want, or at least she hoped
not. Then he was standing by her side, strong and silent, and she
knew she was right.
Reynolds scrutinized them. “And your
boyfriend.” When Charly didn’t contradict him, he continued. “Yeah,
he can go in. You’ll see why in a few minutes.” He paused, as if
weighing his words. “This was a message, Charly. To both of
you.”
Without another word, he turned and
walked to her sedan, pulling his badge to show Emma. He disappeared
inside the car, leaving Charly with more questions than answers and
a raw, burning feeling in her gut.
*
Nate wanted to pull Charly into his
arms and comfort her but knew she wouldn’t welcome the embrace, not
now, not in front of the firefighters and cops. He already gritted
his teeth against their prying eyes. Across the street, a neighbor
hovered on her front porch, her gaze
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