Silent Scream by Karen Rose Page A

first, taking the bag from her hands. “There’s coffee in the thermos,” he heard
     her say when he got close.
    Jeff was already stuffing his face. “Bacon, egg, and cheese,” he mumbled. “God, I thought I was going to drop. Thank you.
     There’s plenty, Dave. Have some.”
    “There is plenty,” she said quietly, her eyes flickering everywhere but at his face, and David felt the frustration of being
     an adult trapped at a junior high party.
    “Any news on the girl?” he asked and she finally met his eyes. Hers were round, blue as the sky, and very serious.
    “Not yet. The hearing aid should help us narrow it down, so thank you.”
    “Barlow said you wanted to see the fourth floor. I can take you up from the outside, but getting around on the inside still
     isn’t safe, especially without boots.”
    She nodded. “Got it. Is there room for both Kane and me in the bucket?”
    Kane walked up, a small black bag in one hand. “Me, go up in the bucket? I don’t think so. You go up. Here’s the camera. And
     my field glasses.”
    She took the items he shoved into her hands. “You’re not going? Why the hell not?”
    Kane’s expression was one of mild embarrassment. “Heights and me… a big no.”
    She gave her partner a dirty look. “Wuss,” she muttered, then looked back up at David resolutely. “Then let’s go up. You want
     to eat something first?”
    He didn’t think he could. “No, thanks. Zell, let’s go. I need you to man the truck.”
    “I could go up with her. Or not,” Jeff added when David’s eyes narrowed. With a jovial grin, Jeff wiped hishands on the bandana he kept in his pocket and passed the bag of sandwiches to the captain, who’d just joined them. “Save
     me one.”
    Casey smiled at Olivia. “Thanks, Detective. This was really nice of you,” he said.
    “Our pleasure. I figured you’d all be hungry, staying here all night. We won’t keep you here any longer than we have to.”
     She looked around. “Where is Sergeant Barlow?”
    “He said he had some reports to write,” Casey said, “and he’d be back after noon. Two guys from Arson are in there now, gridding
     off each floor so they can search.”
    They’d search carefully, David knew, sifting the ash, looking for anything that could lead them to the arsonist. “Barlow said
     we should show you what we showed him. You can see the first floor through that window.”
    David led Olivia and Kane to the first-floor window. “This window was regular glass and probably blew out in the first minutes
     of the fire. We found the backpack and the hearing aid on the other side of that hole.” Standing behind her, he leaned so
     that his cheek was inches from her temple and pointed. “There, where CSU left the markers.”
    “I see,” she murmured. Her shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t shrink away and he took that as a good sign. “CSU took the
     items already?”
    “About an hour ago.” He should move. He really should. He knew he reeked from smoke and sweat. But her hair smelled like honeysuckle,
     just as he remembered, and he took another second to fill his head with her scent before backing away.
    Kane had leaned around her other side to stick his head through the window and whistled softly. “That is one hell of a hole,
     Hunter.”
    “Tell me about it,” David said grimly.
    Olivia’s brows crunched as she strained to see around the interior walls that remained. “The gel that covered the ball,” she
     said. “Did you find any down here?”
    “No,” David said. “And I looked. But this area is a mess. If there was any gel, it’d be mixed with ash by now. The water pushes
     everything together. If it’s there, the arson guys will find it while they’re sifting. It’s thicker than kindergarten paste.”
    She glanced up at him then. “We need you to keep the gel and the ball to yourself. It’s important. Who else knows about it?”
    “Just me and Zell,” he said. “And Barlow. And the