Page 55 of Flash Freeze

“I knew there was ice on the roof, but not that the chimney fire would melt it and it would go sliding down the pitch in a giant avalanche. I should have thought of that, anticipated it.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Athena remembered what agony Flash went through when her rookie was killed by the pizza bomb. That really wasn’t her fault, but she’d found a way to blame herself.

“No, but I sent Woods up to check the roof, and he slipped. It almost pulled him over the eaves of a two-story house. At best, he’d have broken a leg. At worst …”

“But he didn’t,” Athena emphasized. “You said no one was hurt.”

“Only because he grabbed the ladder. It was a close call, and it shouldn’t have been.”

“Did he blame you for almost getting hurt? Did your captain call you out on it?”

“No,” Flash answered, sounding calmer. “They said none of us know how to handle these winter conditions. If I wasn’t already spent from rushing from one emergency to the next, maybe I’d have been thinking clearly enough to realize the heat from the chimney fire—which had spread to the attic—would cause the ice to melt and slide off.”

“Listen to me, hot stuff,” Athena said, assuming an authoritative tone. “Did you attend a training course on fighting fires in freezing weather?”

“Do they have those?” Her voice pitched with interest.

“And have you ever worked under these conditions before?”

“In 2021,” Flash said. “This is just like that, only now I have to call the shots.”

“Which you didn’t back then,” Athena reminded her. “Did every call run smoothly in ’21?”

“No,” Flash sputtered out in a disbelieving huff. “Of course not. But I learned stuff that winter, and I should have been able to transfer—”

“And I should have caught whoever started the Gulf Allied Chemicals plant fire that killed four people by now, right?”

“Not so!” Flash snapped. “It takes time to gather and analyze evidence, to track down every witness and person of interest to interview. It took you guys two weeks to catch the smugglers in Laredo. How’d this switch from me screwing up to you taking too long to make an arrest?”

“Because they’re the same, sweetie,” Athena answered patiently. “Just because you’re an officer now doesn’t mean you’ll magically get everything right. We all make wrong calls from time to time and just hope and pray no one gets hurt because of it.”

A pang of old guilt poked Athena, reminding her of walking her team into a trap that had gotten Agent Martin Cruz killed. She knew exactly what Flash was feeling, why it wasn’t helpful, and that it would pass.

Athena heard another station alert in the background. She quickly added, “Thanks for letting me crash here in the warm and cozy.”

“Anytime. Sorry. Gotta run.”

“I know,” Athena said. “And hey, you’ve got this. Whatever the emergency, I have faith in you, Lieutenant Cash. Now, go do what you were born to do, and don’t let anything shake your confidence.”

“Damn, I love you!” Flash clicked off the call, doubtless rushing to save someone from danger.

Hoping her encouragement would help Flash snap out of it, Athena returned to the microwave to get her dinner. As she ate, a mini-documentary played in her mind of all the times she’d been wrong or failed to solve a crime. While her track record was solid, it wasn’t perfect. Nobody’s was. Well, maybe Alexander the Great, the only general in history to have never lost a battle.

I’m no Alexander, she admitted. But in her heart, she knew that’s who Flash strove to be. She’ll learn and be a stronger leader for it.

Chapter 26

Thursday, February 12

Athena hummed and reached for Flash, then remembered she was alone in the loft. She’d slept well in the bed that held so many fond memories. Would moving in together be just as dangerous for Flash as marriage? Surely not. A criminal would have to dig deep to gain that information—especially if she kept her apartment near FBI headquarters as her official residence. She could install automatic light switches and would have to drive by a few times a week to pick up the mail, but she didn’t have to live there.

Sitting up, Athena glanced around the eclectic bedroom, cluttered with books, games, and CDs, colorful art, green plants, and family and pet photos. The five-by-seven propped on Flash’s nightstand was of the two of them, faces beaming, Flash’s arms around Athena. A brilliant striped Mexican sarape blanket covered the bed, oddly paired with a green-and-white square pillow with the Irish Blessing embroidered beside a big shamrock. Compared to her subdued, orderly apartment, the loft seemed like chaos. It felt alive. Athena smiled, hugging the pillow to her chest, debating whether to ask Flash about living together.

A text message alerted on her phone. Agent Ice, asking if she needed to be picked up for work. Athena moved to the window and pulled open the drapes, hoping to see everything melted. Alas, it was as frozen as yesterday.

Yes, thank you, she typed back. Finding clothes in Flash’s closet, a hairbrush, toothbrush, shampoo, and deodorant she’d left tucked in a designated drawer, she went about getting ready for the day, determined to make headway in the case.

Athena’s unit members were all at their desks when she and Travis entered. “The internet is working better today,” Paulson announced with cheer.