Page 33 of Hot Zone

I’d planned on talking to Mars at breakfast. I felt bad about leaving like that the night before, but I was holding on to my control by a thread, and I needed a little time to get my shit together. Unfortunately, the call I got from Ford changed those plans, so I had to settle for leaving Mars a note.

I wasn’t sure if Fox had slept since the fire at the Majestic, but he’d called me early this morning because he’d found something he wanted me to see. They’d cleared what was left of the building so he’d been able to get in and dig around.

He was waiting out front for me when I pulled up, and he jogged over to my truck to meet me. “Morning, Chief.”

“Morning, Fox. You found something?”

“I did. I don’t know if it’ll be the break we need, but it’s something.”

“Something’s better than what we have so far. Why don’t you show me?”

We started inside while Fox explained what we were about to see. “So we knew what fuel he was using, but up till now, the incendiary devices have been destroyed in the fires. So we weren’t sure exactly how he was starting them.”

“Right.”

“Look out,” he said, shining a light on a piece of debris hanging from the ceiling, and I ducked under it. “But this time, he used more than one device to make sure the whole place went up. Turns out, he’s using the old cigarette and matchbook trick where you put a cigarette in a matchbook and light it. Then you can just walk away. The cigarette burns down and until it lights the matches. It’s simple, but it works. Or at least it does most of the time.”

“I thought cigarettes now were designed to burn out if left unattended,” I said.

“They are unless you roll them yourself.” He grinned at me. “And our guy does, as you’ll see.”

I followed him down the stairs to the basement where the concession counter was located. Unlike the rest of the theater, this area was largely still intact.

“I’m surprised this area wasn’t where everything started.”

“I had the same thought, which is why I was digging around down here, and look what I found.” He pointed his light towards the corner behind the counter.

“Wow.” In order to keep with the look of the old theater, the wall of the concession area was covered with a heavy stage curtain, and right at the edge of the curtain was a pile of rags with what looked like a homemade pinecone fire-starter sitting on top.

“Looks like the cigarette didn’t burn down far enough to ignite this one. But here’s the main thing.” He bent down and used a pair of tweezers to pick up the intact matchbook that was nestled into the scales of the pinecone.

He turned it over so I could see the familiar logo of a Dalmatian wearing a fire hat. “The Spotted Dog.” I sighed.Dammit. That was the most popular bar in town for first responders to hang out.

“The Spotted Dog,” he said in a resigned tone.

“This doesn’t mean the arsonist is a firefighter.”

“It doesn’t, but it’s something we need to consider.”

I looked back at the pile of rags and shook my head. “I don’t know what I expected, but something more sophisticated than this.”

“It’s simple, but it’s effective. He can soak the rags in just about any accelerant he chooses, and they’re easy to place under extremely flammable things like these curtains.”

“This was a good find, Fox. I hope it helps.”

“Me too. I’m going to bag this up and take it to the lab.”

“Sounds good. I think I’ll stop at Sugar Rush Sweets and grab some donuts for today’s crew.”

“Donuts are always a morale booster,” Fox said with a grin. “Just save me one with sprinkles.”

I tried to stay busy the rest of the day, but working on the schedule and reading reports wasn’t enough of a distraction to keep me from thinking about that damned kiss or the fact that I left without talking to Mars about it.

I swear I could still feel his body pressed against mine, and damn if he hadn’t fit there perfectly. Which didn’t mean he was right for me. I didn’t even know if he was a boy or if he knew I wasa Daddy. Not to mention the fact that he was literally young enough to be my son.

Speaking of my son, a notification pinged on my phone, and I flipped it over to see that I had a text from Steven.

Steven:Hey Dad.

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