Page 10 of Through the Fire
“Steve seems less annoying than most firefighters,” Kit said absently, and then darted a look at Hugh when she realized she was talking to her new PTO, whom she’d only known for an hour. But judging by his huge grin, he agreed with her.
“Yeah, Steve’s a good egg. Too bad he’s moving.”
“Where’s he going?”
“His brother has a ranch southeast of here. Steve’s already sent his four kids there, but he’s not leaving until his spot gets filled. As you can see, their numbers are already low.” Hugh spread his arms, indicating the handful of firefighters scattered around the scene. Even though Kit knew they were in a much smaller town than what she was used to, it really was a ridiculously tiny number.
“Why are they so shorthanded?” she asked.
“Same reason Steve’s leaving as soon as he can.” Although Hugh sounded amused, there was a grimness underlying his voice. “The semi-apocalypse scared some people away. Well, that, and the fact that this town is always a handful short of a ghost town in the winter.”
Kit could understand that. Just her short drive had almost been enough to send her out of town screaming, and, unlike Steve, she didn’t have any kids to protect. “Can’t really blame him for leaving.”
Before Hugh could respond, Steve called them over to where he stood in the middle of the wreckage. Exchanging a glance, Kit and Hugh jogged toward him.
“What is it?” Hugh asked, carefully picking his way through the still-smoldering debris.
“Remains.” Steve’s voice was grim as he bent over a blackened form.
“Human?”
Kit gave Hugh a sideways look at his question, but Steve seemed to take it in stride as he took out his cell phone. “Yeah. Pretty sure this is the point of origin, too.”
“Shit.” With a heavy exhale, Hugh reached for the portable radio on his belt. “Dispatch, we’re going to need the county coroner and the chief.”
“Copy.”
Tapping at his phone screen, Steve raised his cell to his ear. “Hey, Captain. You might want to call the fire marshal and then head this way. We’re here at a structure fire with at least one casualty.”
Kit pulled out her phone again and took multiple photos of the charred shape, staying several feet away so she didn’t contaminate the scene. Although she’d worked on a few arson cases with the investigators at her old department, she wasn’t an expert on burns and the effects of fire. What remained of the shrunken limbs was flexed in the pugilistic posture typical of burn victims, and the ash-colored skull had fractured into pieces.
Hugh gave a sharp whistle, making Kit look at him, but he was focused on catching Theo’s attention. “Can you grab tape?”
Raising a hand in acknowledgment, Theo headed toward his squad car.
As soon as Steve ended the call with his captain, Hugh asked quietly, “What do you think? Arson, or a lost hiker falling asleep with a lit cigarette?”
As he stared at the remains, the muscles tightened in Steve’s jaw. “Only if they doused themselves with some sort of accelerant first.”
Air left Hugh’s lungs in an audible huff. “Seriously? Can’t we catch a break? The worst crime around here used to be Mr. Wittlespoon stealing from the diner’s take-a-penny dish, and now people are either blowing shit up or burning it down. For Pete’s sake, are some petty misdemeanors too much to ask for?”
Steve didn’t respond except for a small shake of his head. He looked tired.
Theo approached, carrying multiple rolls of police tape. “Casualty?”
“Yeah, and possible arson. We’re going with Steve’s first impression,” Hugh said, keeping his voice low so it didn’t carry past their small group.
Swearing under his breath, Theo rubbed his temple and then adjusted his borrowed fire helmet. Kit noted that he looked exhausted and grim, but not surprised. Her first-day nerves fired up again, but this time, she wasn’t worried about whether she’d fit in or if her boss would be difficult. Her new town was a devastated wreck, and a possible murder-slash-arson had happened within the first hour of her first day.
She was beginning to wonder if she’d survive this new job.
Chapter 4
“Let’s secure the scene,” Theo said, holding out a roll of tape to Kit. “We’ll both start at that tree. You go clockwise, and I’ll go counter. We’ll meet at the back.”
“Got it.” Accepting the tape, she returned her borrowed helmet to the engine’s cab before moving toward the tree he’d indicated. A small crowd had gathered on the other side of Hugh’s squad car, so Kit pulled out her cell phone. The bystanders’ attention seemed to be focused on Steve, Hugh, and the final efforts of the firefighters to soak any remaining hot spots, so she was able to take photos of the watchers.
