Page 13 of Backdraft
Because of the fatalities, the scene was being held by Oak Creek police. I always went into an investigation with an open mind, not ready to judge until I had all the evidence to determine what happened.
There were a few things I wanted to look at again after we finished with the autopsies and I got the ME's thoughts. My stomach turned over thinking of him. Would we be able to navigate our job responsibilities with our previous entanglements staring us both in the face? We were professionals, so I was optimistic we would. But I couldn't get the image of his naked body out of my head.
The man’s voice startled me from my thoughts.
"Well, I'm off today, so you'll have a different team with you," he said.
"As long as the scene’s being held, I really don't need anybody there," I advised him while swirling some pancakes around in the buttery syrup while I eyed him. “What’s your name?
"Chad, sorry, should have introduced myself. Do you think it's suspicious?" he asked.
I furrowed my brows. That was a very quick segue from name to weird question. "What would make you ask that?"
"I don't know." He shrugged.
I picked up my mug and looked at him over the rim. I don't remember him at all from yesterday. He was being nice enough, but a bit too nosy for my liking. He sat for the next few minutes after he said he was going to leave. I kept my conversation to a minimum and focused on my food.
"Well, I guess I better get back to it. Just coming off shift and wanted some breakfast before hitting the hay." He stood and dropped a couple of bucks on the table. "Was nice chatting with you."
"You too." I looked up at him and smiled.
He returned it and nodded. "I'm sure of it."
He left, and I ran over the conversation in my head. Getting to know people was difficult. And since I was somewhat of a closed book most times, it was challenging coming to a new place and trying to fit in.
After breakfast, I followed my GPS and pulled into the parking lot of the fire marshal's office. This would be my home base, along with whatever living arrangements I would secure. The building was kind of different. It had nice architecture and didn't really look like an office building.
It was surrounded by trees and strangely enough, it had vineyards behind it. I was unaware grapes grew in this area.
Oak Creek was a pretty place, at least what I’ve seen of it since I got here. Maybe it would work for me. I’d had another opportunity down in Florida Keys that was really pulling at me. I love it down there, so living and working in a beautiful place would be an absolute dream.
I climbed out of the truck, and the image of Taylor's face floated in my mind. Yes, Oak Creek did have some things going for it.
Chapter Four
Everything went fine at the fire marshal's office. They wanted me to work more remotely than in office, which was exactly what I preferred. Basically, I had a desk and a plug-in to Wi-Fi. All reports, files, photos, and everything I needed was on a secure network with firewalls. I was also provided with a tablet to use to interface with the office. I was impressed with the organization.
Now it was time for the postmortem on the three victims. On the drive to the PM, I had to bolster myself. It was not going to be pleasant. I'd be watchful on every little thing, taking photos to document as well. It was my responsibility to determine if it was arson after the coroner pronounced the cause of death and whether the victims were alive or deceased at the time of the fire.
My belly did a little tumble knowing I'd be standing across the table from Taylor, watching him work with the memory of our steamy weekend hanging between us.
It was a short drive, and I let out a sigh as I pulled into the fire marshal’s parking spot. I smiled. It was nice to have my own space. I grabbed what I needed from the passenger seat and got out.
I paused and looked at the building. Taking a deep breath, let it out slowly.
“Here we go.”
Once, inside, after passing through security and finding my way to the ME wing and the morgue, I was shown to a change room. Gowned up with protective clothing, cap, and face shield, I waited in the vestibule outside the autopsy suite.
My business attire wasn't the most attractive or alluring getup. That's why when I first started working in the field, I decided to indulge my passion for lingerie by wearing it under all this non-glamorous workwear.
I pulled the gloves on, now quite used to not poking a nail through the fingertips. I didn't keep my nails long or sharp, just a nice length and rounded. I held my hands in front of me; fingers splayed and inspected the purple gloves. All good.
Voices from down the hall reached me, and I turned to watch the team approach. They were also geared up like I was.
It was easy to find Taylor. He was the tallest and broadest of the bunch. I swallowed and fisted my hands. Memories would not leave me alone. This one was me with my arms wrapped around his shoulders, ankles locked behind his butt, my face buried into his neck as we fucked against the hotel room wall.
"Drea?" Taylor invaded my hot thoughts.
