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“Burke. Keep this channel clear,” Captain Koker snapped.
Damn. When did he get here? I’d hoped to avoid him . . . forever.
He strolled toward us and crooked his finger. “Don’t say shit like that over the comms.”
It would all be public record soon enough anyway. Why not let some nosy reporter who was listening help authorities get the jump on solving what appeared to be a crime?
“Looks like we need to call in homicide,” I said.
“This could be some homeless person in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He made a disgruntled noise. “Crime unit is en route. I want a report on my desk tonight.”
He stalked off.
Burke rolled his eyes. “Me and my big mouth.”
“It won’t take long to write.” I scanned the area. “‘Contained bystanders. Dumpster exploded. Foot landed in front of me.’ That should about cover it.”
“You left out ‘Got ass chewed by Captain.’”
I grinned. “Yeah. Don’t let me forget that part.”
“Are you two gonna help put out this blaze or stand around all afternoon?” Rivera called.
“Looks like you’ve got it covered,” Burke said before he fist-bumped me. “We’re just over here dodging body parts.”
Some guys didn’t mind the gruesome stuff. I dealt with it, but knowing there were pieces of someone scattered around bothered me. Had they been alive when the fire started? Had they been dumped first? Had they started the fire to keep warm and it got out of control?
Once the investigators took over, the questions were likely ones I’d never know the answers to. Sure, we gossiped around the station, but so often we were on to the next one.
I’d gotten good at sweeping the things I’d seen from my mind over the years. When I first started, I carried every single call with me. If I’d stayed on that path, I’d have never made it this long.
But sometimes those things that were long forgotten would creep up unexpectedly.
I scanned the scene against my better judgment, cataloguing every detail. The sequence of autopilot events had been broken with the explosion. Deviating was what would get me in trouble later. Because I’d remember.
And then my mind would wander with a million questions.
“Yo.” Burke said that word so much I was surprised I didn’t say it on repeat. “Blaze is out. Help me roll up the hoses.”
I appreciated him saving me from my own self-destruction. In this line of work, there had to be a wall of separation between the job and personal life. Unfortunately, my wall was made of glass instead of concrete.
Do not think about this later.
As I tried to sweep everything I’d just seen from my head, I noticed a dark car easing away from the curb down the street.
And it looked an awful lot like my father’s.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Pepper
“Sweetheart, you have to eat.”
I sat in Ash's kennel with a bowl of food in front of me. She refused to lift her head, no matter how I coaxed.
For two days, she hadn’t eaten. I’d gotten a little water into her by dipping my finger into the bowl and putting it on her tongue. She’d go outside and didn’t appear to be injured.
But I was about to the point of calling Dr. Lyons.
