Page 31 of Forged By Fire

“Better now.” She lowered her chin and looked at him with a relieved smile.

“Good.”

The other teams trickled out over the next five minutes until they were all standing together by the group of police cars. The warehouse manager returned and, with Detective Paris’s blessing, closed the door and secured the building again.

Collectively, they made sure all evidence was documented before Paris dismissed the other two teams of officers, leaving just him, Leslie, Clint, and Menendez.

“The lab will go through everything. I’m hoping they’ll be able to pull fingerprints and get DNA samples.” Detective Paris leaned against the bumper of his car. “I’m reading through the list of call-outs that you gave Officer Baker. Thank you for getting those to us, Chief.”

“Absolutely. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know. I appreciate you keeping me updated.” Menendez reached out and shook Paris’s hand before he turned to Leslie. “If you need additional time off, please let me know. Given the circumstances, I’d be happy to grant the request.”

As much as Leslie appreciated the offer, she couldn’t fathom just sitting around her house waiting for news on the case. She’d much rather be at work doing something useful and keeping her mind occupied.

“Thank you, sir, but I’ll be in for my shift tomorrow.”

If Menendez disagreed with her decision, he kept his thoughts to himself.

“Excellent. I’ll see you then.” He gave her a nod, thanked the officers, and got into his car to leave.

Menendez seemed to be fine with her returning to work tomorrow, but she wasn’t so sure Clint agreed with the surprised look he gave her.

The chief collected the flashlight from Leslie, loaded the hard hats into his car, and left.

Detective Paris addressed Clint. “Carrington and Smith are on their way to pick up Ortiz and bring him by the station. If we head back now, we should get there just in time to question him.”

“Absolutely. I’ll head that way momentarily.”

Paris gave him a nod, thanked Leslie for her part in the warehouse search, and drove away.

Leslie turned to find Clint watching her closely.

“Taking a few days off before you go back to work isn’t a bad idea.”

She flashed a smile that she hoped would put him at ease. “Are you worried about me, Officer Baker?”

“Yes.” He reached up and gently tucked a wayward section of hair behind one ear. “I want to keep you safe.”

The gentle sincerity sent tendrils of warmth through her body until they settled in her chest.

“I know. But I can’t just sit around waiting for something to happen. At least I’ll stay busy and can do some good while I’m at work.” She shrugged. “You and I aren’t that different. I suspect, if our roles were reversed, you would do the same.”

“You’re not wrong.” He sighed and gave her a wry grin. “I can drive you back to your house and make sure it’s clear before I head to the station.”

“I appreciate that, but could you drop me off at the hospital instead? I’d like to go and check on Danny and Becca. Visit a while and see if they need anything.”

“Will you do me a favor and hang out there until we finish questioning Ortiz? I’ll come find you. Between the security guards and one of our own watching over Danny, you should be safe there, but please don’t hesitate to call me if something seems off.” He reached over and covered her hand with his. “Keep your eyes open, okay?”

“I’ll be careful.”

Before going up to Danny’s hospital room, Leslie stopped at the gift shop. She’d hoped to find something funny orcheerful to bring up for him. She’d nearly laughed out loud at one mug that was hilarious but probably not the most appropriate.

She finally settled on a bottle of Dr Pepper—his favorite soda—and a pair of humorous socks. They totally gave off a Dr. Mario vibe with the bright colors and little pills covering the main part of the socks. On the bottom of the right one, it read, “If you can read this…” and on the bottom of the left sock, it continued, “…give me the good meds.”

Danny probably wouldn’t wear them, but if it brought a smile to his face, then it would be worth it.

She browsed for something to get Becca, then took everything she’d found to the counter to pay for them.

Even if she hadn’t known where Danny’s room was, it was easy to spot it with the officer standing outside. She didn’t think she’d ever met this one, but when she gave her name, he ushered her inside with a smile.

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