Page 3 of Backdraft
"Yeah, she's new to our region, but she knows her stuff. Her reputation preceded her. She's tough, accurate, and she took control of the scene right away." Rage smiled at Taylor.
"Whatever makes this scene safe and properly investigated," Taylor told him, knowing the chief was baiting him. But he wouldn't bite.
"Yes, she's waiting for you and the forensic anthropologist. Found three bodies. One is disarticulated, the other two haven't been recovered yet. Waiting for both you and the anthropologist."
Taylor nodded and touched his fingertips to his eyebrows. "Gotcha. I'll get suited up.
At his van, Taylor pulled on his Tyvek suit and PPE. It was a hot day and wouldn't be long until he was sweating.
He walked over to the house and stood in the shade in front of the white picket fence that ringed the yard.
He gazed up at the ruined structure. He was dreading going in this time and drew in a deep breath, glad for the shade of the tree. He glanced back and saw the investigator walking toward him. He couldn't see her face behind the mask, so he just lifted a hand in acknowledgment. She did the same. She indicated for him to follow her, and he did as he was told.
When she led him over to the ladder truck, he knew that they were not going in through the front door. He watched her climb the rungs and followed her up the ladder. Firefighters followed behind them. She easily climbed over the sill of the burned-out window and into the gloom of the one of the upstairs bedrooms. Taylor quickly followed her, and she gave instructions on the layout so he knew where he could go and where he couldn't.
"Don't go over there," she told him and pointed.
Looks like the whole floor was gone as well as the stairs to the main floor.
Taylor flicked on his helmet light and followed the beam as well as the investigator.
He saw where the first body was. It was marked with a cone.
He met her eyes, and she nodded. Taylor sucked in a breath and crouched down. May as well get on with it.
She knelt next to him and gently swished some of the ash away with a brush until more of the child was exposed.
She took photos, and he stared at the body. Sometimes being the coroner was worse than being an ER doc.
* * *
Taylor checked the other two bodies. He wouldn't be the one extracting them from the scene. It would be the fire investigator and the forensic archaeologist in a time-consuming retrieval. They were buried under the layers of ash and debris from the house that had come down.
There were still hot spots smoldering in the walls, and he was anxious to get out of the building. He didn't know how firefighters did it. For him, coming into a scene like this took a lot of steel. They were trained for it, and it sometimes seemed like a lot of them lusted for it.
What kind of person wanted to be a fire investigator? Coming in after the fact. Looking for bodies, for the fire’s origin and cause. He peered through the ash and smoke hanging on the air. All he saw were charred outlines of what had once been someone's home. A home that had engulfed a mom and her two children.
The aftermath of the fire and water was incredible, and Taylor marveled that anyone could make sense of it.
After inspecting the bodies as best he could under these conditions, he indicated he was done. She turned, and he followed her back down the hall. She paused as they entered the original room they'd climbed into. She tilted her head as if she was listening for something.
He listened and frowned, not hearing a thing and pretty sure he didn’t want to either, if he was honest. Taylor wasn't freaked or nervous, just eager to get out of the house. Knocking down a fire and running into a fully engulfed burning building was beyond his scope of comprehension. But then not everyone could pronounce death and perform autopsies.
The investigator tapped him on the shoulder. He looked into her mask and goggles to see if he could recognize her. The gloom in the room shrouded her face, and the light on her helmet blinded him. She yelled loud enough loud enough for him to hear.
"You go on. Something I need to check."
"You want me to stay with you?" He felt he should hang back with her in case something happened.
He could see her cheeks bunch up the bridge of her nose, and the corner of her eyes crinkled. He realized she must be grinning under her mask.
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. You go." She waved her hand toward the window.
"Okay." Taylor picked his way back, doing his best to take the same steps they'd made on the way in. He glanced over his shoulder and saw she was touching the wall just inside the bedroom door. Was there a fire behind it? He climbed through the window and braced himself on the top rung of the ladder. The outline of her body bled into the gloom, and the light on her helmet haloed around her. She held a piece of equipment, raised it, and then swung it into the charred and burned drywall. She continued to break up the wall.
He was impressed at her lack of hesitation and tenacity.
At the bottom of the ladder, he pulled off his mask and hood.
