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Bri averted her face from the fire as a billow of heat surged toward them. “He called me yesterday morning. Asked me to meet him. I was supposed to drop by tomorrow afternoon.”
The pleats on Sarge’s forehead deepened. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” But a ripple of unease snaked down her spine as she processed the coincidence. “I mean, he retired a month after I joined the unit, so I didn’t really get to know him. He was in wrap-up stage. I did assist once at a scene he was working, but it wasn’t like we hung out together. I was too busy learning the ropes and digging into the warehouse fire that landed on my desk a week into my job.”
“The one that could have been ruled accidental if you hadn’t found out a guy with a drone had been in the adjacent field the day before. The footage he had of the subject’s car was the turning point. That was a stellar launch to your career with the unit, in case I haven’t told you that.”
The unexpected praise sent a rush of warmth through her. Being the new kid on the block was never easy, and an occasional compliment eased the transition anxiety. Not that Sarge had given her many during her four-month tenure.
“I believe in being thorough, but there was also an elementof luck with that one. If the kid who gave me the drone tip hadn’t shown up with his skateboard to practice kickflips in the empty parking lot while I was there, the owner could have gotten away with the insurance scam.”
“Nevertheless, a slam dunk. Assuming the prosecuting attorney does his job.” He squinted at the fire. “I wonder if that case could be why Les called you.”
“How so?”
“He hated loose ends and puzzle pieces that didn’t fit. Those kinds of cases ate at him. Whenever he had a spare minute, he pored over the files, searching for clues he might have missed.” Sarge shrugged. “Could be he was impressed with your work on the warehouse fire and wanted to pass on to you a few of the cases that troubled him.”
Like she wasn’t busy enough already.
“He could have done that before he left.”
“Unless he’d found a new clue.”
She hiked up her eyebrows. “You think he was still working cases after he retired?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Unofficially, of course.”
“That seems like a stretch, even for someone as diligent as Les.” She didn’t try to hide her skepticism, though the man’s out-of-the-blue call did raise questions.
“You didn’t know him as well as I did. But it’s a moot point now.” He motioned toward one of the fire trucks. “I’m going to talk to the captain.”
“And I’m going to make a circuit of the crowd. See if I can dig up any useful information.”
“Keep me in the loop. I’ll contact the ATF and have them get in touch with you.” With a wave, he strode toward the truck.
While the flames arced against the night sky and the fire continued to hiss and crackle, Bri frowned at his retreating back.
Why was he siccing an ATF agent on her? Hadn’t he justcommended her for solving the warehouse fire? Didn’t he trust her to handle this one?
Shoot.
That wasn’t exactly a confidence builder.
On the other hand, one of their own was dead. That made it personal. And she was new to the unit. Had admitted her quick resolution to the warehouse fire was due in part to luck.
Instead of grousing, maybe she ought to be grateful Sarge hadn’t yanked her from this one and assigned a more seasoned investigator.
Stop overanalyzing, Bri. Just do your joband quit trying to prove yourself. Your work will speakfor itself.
The pep talk she always gave herself when a new challenge arose replayed in her mind. It had served her well in her previous careers, and it would serve her well in her new job—even if she’d never quite managed to convince herself that an offer of help wasn’t necessarily a criticism of her abilities.
That’s what came from hanging with the alpha males in the McCall smokejumper unit, who hadn’t been at all certain she could pull her weight.
But she’d proved herself more than capable of holding her own there, and she’d do the same in this job and on this case.
With or without the help of the ATF.
Refocusing on the scene, she gave the onlookers another survey and psyched herself up for the long night ahead. Some of the questioning could wait until tomorrow, but fresh impressions tended to yield more detail. That could be vital if a crime had been committed.
