Page 20 of Single Mom's Firemen

“You’ll keep us posted?” Eric asks.

“Absolutely. You’ve got a personal interest in this case, don’t you?” Charlie asks with a wry smile. “That girl, Halle.”

“We’re friends,” my brother says. “Besides, it’s the kids, man. They’re five and four. It’s not just Halle. Somebody tried to burn her and her children alive. So yeah, it’s personal.”

We can all agree on that.

We leave Charlie to his business, knowing he’s got a couple of techs working on anything CCTV related. Whatever the raw footage fails to show, his guys will play with the contrast and resolution on those images until they get something better and clearer. If the DA is to build a case against the culprit, whomever that may be, it needs to be ironclad and impervious to any doubt before the jury.

Outside, my brothers and I stop to soak in the midday sun.

It’s one of those rare early summer days when it’s not too hot. Dallas can get pretty scorching as early as April, but the weather has been kind lately.

“Are we going to tell Halle about the guy we saw on camera?” I ask Eric.

He gives me a troubled look. “I don’t know,” he says. “Honestly, I’m not sure if we should. If we tell her, she’ll get scared.”

“She should be scared.”

“Yeah, but she’s also still fragile after the fire, after almost dying. Her kids need her calm and focused. How does it help if she’s constantly looking over her shoulder, expecting the worst all the time?”

I glance around, watching people as they pass us by. Normal people of different ages, varying skin color and ethnicity. Each going somewhere. Coming from somewhere. On their way to do something. How many of these people have the ability to switch off that part of their brain that deals with moral dilemmas? How many of these people are capable of setting a building on fire, knowing full well that a young woman and her two children will die screaming?

“We will have to keep an eye on her,” I warn Eric.

“There’s CCTV all over the fire station. At the house, too. We even have the backyard covered,” my brother points out, showing me his phone. “And we’re looped into all the cameras via the app. It’s covered.”

“I guess. I don’t know, man, something doesn’t feel right about all this.”

“Charlie is still investigating. It’s too early to draw any conclusions.”

He’s right. But it still irks me.

Whoever set that fire had a clear intention.

“We don’t yet know if Halle was the intended target or if she was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time,” Eric adds, as if reading my mind. We’re twins. Sometimes, I think he accidentally slides into my thoughts somehow, and mirrors what I’m pondering in that very moment. “It could be someone with a grudge against the diner, against the owner.”

“And if it involves Halle?”

“Well, she’s clearly innocent here, we can’t blame the victim.” He pauses and gives me a sour look. “What is going on with you, Chase? I’ve never seen you get so prickly about someone, especially a woman like Halle.”

“I’m just keeping my guard up until we know who exactly it is that we brought into our home.”

6

Halle

As the days go by, I settle into my new job with surprising ease. Suzy was a godsend. Had she not been here for the first week, I probably wouldn’t have handled the role as well. I can see why Holt was sorry to see her go. She’s quite the firecracker. I learned a lot from her, and that gives me a certain confidence in how I perform my tasks from the minute I arrive until the minute I walk out.

I’ve got Sammy and Luna on a videocall during my lunch break, courtesy of Marie. I can see they’re happy and giggly, even if a bit tired and in dire need of a nap.

“How do you like it so far?” I ask Luna.

The firehouse is empty with the guys out on a call.

“I love it,” Luna says, a broad smile drawn across her pink face. “We have so many toys!”

“Oh, I’m glad. Sammy? What about you?”

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