ping ponging between Charly
and the activity swirling around her sphere.
He’d like nothing better than to tear
CC from stem to stern right now. Even without seeing the damage
wrought, he had no doubt his colleague was responsible for this
travesty. That conclusion only made sense.
And he was responsible for it, as
well. He could have left well enough alone, but he hadn’t. He’d
been so damned concerned with winning Charly’s trust that he hadn’t
considered the ramifications, what CC might do if provoked. And
Charly had certainly provoked the man last night.
He ran a hand through his hair. Jesus.
What had he done?
As if reading his thoughts, Charly
bumped his shoulder with hers and walked back to her car. While
Reynolds questioned Emma inside, she leaned against the hood, arms
crossed, waiting ... for both him and clearance of the scene. Nate
joined Charly at the hood of the car but shoved his hands in his
pockets to keep from reaching for her. He’d done enough
damage.
“ Stop it.” Charly’s voice
was so quiet he almost didn’t hear her.
“ Stop what?”
“ Beating yourself up. I
would have done the same thing to CC with you by my side or
without. He’s the bastard here, Nate, not you.”
He sighed. “Maybe, but I sure hurried
it along.”
She huffed out a humorless laugh. “I
wouldn’t call waiting eight years hurrying anything along. CC had
it in for me from day one. I should have known he was spreading the
rumors; he hated me too much, y’know? But, I didn’t have the balls
to confront him. I just didn’t want to stir the pot, not after
everything died down. It was easier to be mad at you.”
Huh. He certainly never expected this
conversation. “And now you have a reason to be mad at me all over
again.” He wasn’t a masochist, really, but given his past with
Charly, dissembling was a luxury long gone.
She turned to him, her face set in
professional lines, but her belief in him shining fiercely in her
eyes. “Don’t play the martyr, Nate, it doesn’t suit. This is all
CC.”
“ Maybe,” he
replied.
Janssen exited the building, his face
expressionless as a stone. She’d never seen that blankness on
Janssen’s face, and she’d been working with him for a long damned
time. What the hell was inside that would make a veteran look like
that?
The arson investigator made his way
across the lawn slowly. He walked to the driver’s side of the sedan
without a word to them and waited for Reynolds to exit the vehicle.
Seconds later, Charly’s precinct captain stepped out of the car and
turned away from them. He talked to Janssen in low
tones.
As Nate and Charly watched silently,
Reynolds sighed, his shoulders slumped. Finally, he turned and
walked to them. He looked tired as they pushed away from the hood
of the car and waited.
“ You can go in. CSU isn’t
done yet, but I want your impressions, as the owner, now.” He
handed Charly a digital tape recorder. “I want it all. Don’t hold
anything back.” He faced Nate. “You too.”
Nate squared his shoulders and nodded.
What in the hell had CC done?
*
The familiar smell of smoke
and burned materials assaulted Charly as she stepped over the
threshold. A distant part of her mind screamed that the space
was hers ,
that she’d been violated, but the professional in her muted it
down. She needed to remain distant if she wanted to get through
this walk-through.
She viewed the carnage that had been
her carefully restored living room with dispassionate eyes. Piles
of smoldering clothing were scattered in strategic heaps designed
to use the airflow through the rooms for maximum damage. An open
paint can still stood by the front door, just as Emma had
described; it seemed to mock her. She hoped to God the perp had
left prints this time around. She had no doubt it was her serial;
the clothing trail was eerily similar to the last blaze.
Her kitchen was by far the
worst, and as soon as she entered, she understood why Reynolds had
sent
and the activity swirling around her sphere.
He’d like nothing better than to tear
CC from stem to stern right now. Even without seeing the damage
wrought, he had no doubt his colleague was responsible for this
travesty. That conclusion only made sense.
And he was responsible for it, as
well. He could have left well enough alone, but he hadn’t. He’d
been so damned concerned with winning Charly’s trust that he hadn’t
considered the ramifications, what CC might do if provoked. And
Charly had certainly provoked the man last night.
He ran a hand through his hair. Jesus.
What had he done?
As if reading his thoughts, Charly
bumped his shoulder with hers and walked back to her car. While
Reynolds questioned Emma inside, she leaned against the hood, arms
crossed, waiting ... for both him and clearance of the scene. Nate
joined Charly at the hood of the car but shoved his hands in his
pockets to keep from reaching for her. He’d done enough
damage.
“ Stop it.” Charly’s voice
was so quiet he almost didn’t hear her.
“ Stop what?”
“ Beating yourself up. I
would have done the same thing to CC with you by my side or
without. He’s the bastard here, Nate, not you.”
He sighed. “Maybe, but I sure hurried
it along.”
She huffed out a humorless laugh. “I
wouldn’t call waiting eight years hurrying anything along. CC had
it in for me from day one. I should have known he was spreading the
rumors; he hated me too much, y’know? But, I didn’t have the balls
to confront him. I just didn’t want to stir the pot, not after
everything died down. It was easier to be mad at you.”
Huh. He certainly never expected this
conversation. “And now you have a reason to be mad at me all over
again.” He wasn’t a masochist, really, but given his past with
Charly, dissembling was a luxury long gone.
She turned to him, her face set in
professional lines, but her belief in him shining fiercely in her
eyes. “Don’t play the martyr, Nate, it doesn’t suit. This is all
CC.”
“ Maybe,” he
replied.
Janssen exited the building, his face
expressionless as a stone. She’d never seen that blankness on
Janssen’s face, and she’d been working with him for a long damned
time. What the hell was inside that would make a veteran look like
that?
The arson investigator made his way
across the lawn slowly. He walked to the driver’s side of the sedan
without a word to them and waited for Reynolds to exit the vehicle.
Seconds later, Charly’s precinct captain stepped out of the car and
turned away from them. He talked to Janssen in low
tones.
As Nate and Charly watched silently,
Reynolds sighed, his shoulders slumped. Finally, he turned and
walked to them. He looked tired as they pushed away from the hood
of the car and waited.
“ You can go in. CSU isn’t
done yet, but I want your impressions, as the owner, now.” He
handed Charly a digital tape recorder. “I want it all. Don’t hold
anything back.” He faced Nate. “You too.”
Nate squared his shoulders and nodded.
What in the hell had CC done?
*
The familiar smell of smoke
and burned materials assaulted Charly as she stepped over the
threshold. A distant part of her mind screamed that the space
was hers ,
that she’d been violated, but the professional in her muted it
down. She needed to remain distant if she wanted to get through
this walk-through.
She viewed the carnage that had been
her carefully restored living room with dispassionate eyes. Piles
of smoldering clothing were scattered in strategic heaps designed
to use the airflow through the rooms for maximum damage. An open
paint can still stood by the front door, just as Emma had
described; it seemed to mock her. She hoped to God the perp had
left prints this time around. She had no doubt it was her serial;
the clothing trail was eerily similar to the last blaze.
Her kitchen was by far the
worst, and as soon as she entered, she understood why Reynolds had
sent
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