Page 27 of Inferno

Samantha said, “Everything okay?”

“Sure.” The most benign, nothing word in the world. But it served his purpose, walking alongside her to where he’d parked his truck.

“I know you just assumed that you’d be the one driving, but I appreciate the ride. That way I don’t leave Romeo without a car.”

He stopped by the passenger side and opened the door for her. “You’re welcome.”

She shook her head, actually smiling.

When he got in on the other side, he decided that rather than keep the banter going he would let her have the security of just talking about work. “So tell me what you know about this arsonist guy. We were pretty young when it all went down. But I remember it being in the news and on the newspapers we used that summer when we went camping without telling our parents.”

She chuckled. “It was freezing, and the tent had a hole in it. I do remember you used the newspaper to light a fire.”

“What else was I going to do? Your teeth were chattering.” He’d had a good time, but the moment they were back from the park the next morning both of their parents had been at her house. The two of them had been in serious trouble for only telling Samantha’s sister where they were going. “How is Bristol these days?”

“Oh, she’s fine.”

Julio glanced over. “What does that mean?”

He realized that instead of talking about work they had slipped into something personal—their shared history. Because God had led their conversation this way? Julio was willing to concede being in control of everything. Especially if God gave him the desires of his heart.

He just wasn’t convinced his motives were pure enough God would honor that.

Samantha sighed. “I’m just balancing everything. Trying not to let work and my personal life overlap.”

And here he was, determined to convince her to give him another shot. “Is it so bad if there’s a little crossover?”

“I like my life segmented. I prefer it when everything stays in its lane, and I can manage, rather than it all being messy and complicated.”

Okay, so that was progress at least. “Complicated doesn’t always mean bad, and neither does messy. Sometimes things are chaotic in a good way.”

“And sometimes we just need to focus on thing in front of us—a case involving an arsonist who has committed more than one murder.” She kept her focus on the road in front of them, the way he probably should be doing.

“And when the case is done?”

She didn’t answer his question, and Julio wasn’t going to push her to do so. She flipped through the dials on his radio andfound a soft rock station she put on low while he drove them to the jail.

He left the volume where it was but said, “I still need an answer to my original question.”

She stiffened.

“What do you know about this arsonist guy?” It wasn’t like he’d ever interviewed a suspect before, and he certainly hadn’t visited anyone in jail. The last time he’d been out here it was because half the building had exploded in another bomb attack.

Another suspect at another time. The same person who had been responsible for her partner’s death in the drive-by shooting that took out more than a few cops after a fake funeral.

He’d been called in because he headed up the bomb squad in Benson. Not that they were official, or anything.

“Oh,” she said. “Right, Richard Sylvana. He’s in his sixties now. He had skin cancer a few years ago, but received treatment for it in prison and is in remission now.”

“Is he likely to answer any of our questions?” Julio paused. “Do people in prison do that? Or do they get shanked or whatever for talking to the cops?”

She chuckled lightly. “It’s up to him if he talks to us. We can’t compel him to answer any questions. This is just a friendly chat.”

“I’m not feeling very friendly toward a guy who murdered people and set fires.”

“We need him to be friendly. We’re going to be professional.”

“Right.” Julio figured he could do that.

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