Page 19 of Inferno

The older man looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes and the lines on his face more pronounced than usual. He should have shifted to more of a desk job years ago, but who would give up field work if they didn’t have to? Julio didn’t plan to quit going out on calls anytime soon. Even if he got reprimanded for entering the building.

As if he’d leave his men without someone to aid them getting out.

The fact he’d wound up one of the victims but saved the life of an employee—a civilian—managed to cancel each other out, thankfully.

Maybe Tennet would let Julio help with the case.

At least, that was what he was going to try to get out of this briefing.

He stepped in and saw that half the chairs had been stacked against the wall. Four long rectangular tables had been arranged facing each other, a line of chairs around them. He chose the east side, preferring a corner close to the coffee pot. He could smell it. When he was done with this tea, he needed at least three cups of coffee.

Then he’d feel like he could get going with his day.

Samantha turned from the coffee pot, a paper cup in her hand. Stirring it with a little wooden stirrer which was cuter than it should be. One sugar, no milk or cream.

Did she still remember how he took his?

She spotted him, and the rhythm of her stirring hiccupped. He watched her survey him, assessing his condition? Taking stock of how he looked two days after he nearly died, trapped in that room. After he couldn’t talk and they had to sign to each other.

After he kissed her.

No matter that no one had answered his questions. The guys on his truck hadn’t quit texting him since, asking about his parents being deaf. Checking he was all right. Asking about the kiss—at least those who didn’t know he had dated Samantha, or that they’d broken up two years ago.

Work was way better than sitting at home.

Or trying to burn some energy when he had little to spare to start with. He felt like he needed a nap, which was seriously unhelpful.

She signed,How are you?As if she didn’t know the answer.

He signed back,How areyou?Emphasizingyoulike he was issuing a challenge. She wanted to talk to him? That was going to go both ways.

“Hey.” Romeo Alvarez slapped Julio on the back, jostling him. “How’s it going?”

Ithadbeen going okay. Now, not so much.

Julio just lifted his chin and took a seat.

Romeo went around the table and sat on the side where Samantha had her stuff out. But she’d done that thing where she put her backpack on the chair beside her, so they weren’t right next to each other.

He liked Romeo just fine. The guy was a good guy, a solid believer and a cop, but his history with women? It wasn’t that Julio didn’t trust him to do the right thing. It was that he didn’t trust anyone to treat Samantha right. He wondered if that meant they were destined to be alone forever. Was he resigning herto singleness for the rest of her life just because things hadn’t worked out for them?

It wasn’t like there had ever been anyone else for him.

Mostly they were at an impasse as far as he was concerned.

Tennet sat down from him, flipping open a paper file. Greyson and a few others had arrived, personnel from the fire department mostly. So why were Samantha and her partner here? Did it have something to do with why they’d been at the scene the other night?

“Okay, let’s get started,” Greyson said, still standing at one end of the table. “For the sake of those of us who need to be brought up to speed, I’ll reiterate the basics. So far we have confirmed three fires are the work of a single assailant, an arsonist. At the second fire, which took place at a residence, a body was discovered shut up in a basement closet.”

A woman to Julio’s right shuddered. He was pretty sure she did admin for the arson department but hadn’t met her before.

Greyson said, “Detective Jesse?”

Samantha nodded. “The woman has been identified as Eva Bronswich, eighty-four years old. A lifetime resident of Benson. No living relatives listed. We’re digging more into her life, but it appears she was renting the house where she died.”

Romeo leaned back in his chair. “Neighbors said she was quiet, never really had visitors. They hadn’t seen her for a few days before her house caught on fire. The couple next door who usually try to regularly check on her were out of town that week. They’re pretty cut up about not being around.”

“Investigation of the warehouse fire scene is ongoing,” Greyson said, then passed it over to Captain Tennet.

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