Page 25 of Forged By Fire

Paris gave a satisfied nod and pointed to Clint. “Meet us in conference room three.”

“Will do.” He showed Leslie to the break room, where there was a small table for her to sit at while she waited. He immediately went to one of the vending machines, put two dollars in, and hit the buttons for M&Ms. When the candy dropped down, he retrieved it and set it on the table in front of her. “Do you want something to drink? I can grab you a soda, too.”

She looked up at him, her smile bright. “I’m good. Thank you for the candy. I’ll just munch on that and read a book I’ve got on my phone. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” He rested his hand on her shoulder, his thumb just grazing her neck. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

In the conference room, he claimed one of the chairs across from where Dr. Gerard and Paris were seated.

The first time he’d met the psychologist, he’d expected an older gentleman with wild hair and eyebrows. Something akin to Dr. Brown from the movie Back to the Future. Instead, Gerard was a man in his early forties whose thick, close-cut hair didn’t show a hint of gray. Clint never would’ve guessed his profession if he’d run into him somewhere else.

Dr. Gerard folded his hands and rested them on the table. “I looked through everything you have on Domingo Ortiz, which wasn’t a lot. As you know, it would take a warrant to gain access to the files concerning his stay at the rehabilitation facility.”

“And since we have no solid proof that Ortiz stole the equipment or is involved in any of this, a warrant isn’t in the immediate future.” Paris nodded to Gerard. “I understand you may not be able to give us any insight into Ortizspecifically. But what can you tell us about individuals who struggle with kleptomania in general?”

Gerard took a drink from a water bottle near his elbow. “Kleptomania is a serious mental health disorder. Typically, individuals who suffer from this disorder have a powerful urge to steal items that they don’t really need. The more they resist the urge to steal, the more tension and anxiety they may feel leading up to the theft. While stealing, or immediately afterward, they experience relief or satisfaction—an adrenaline rush similar to being high. Once that rush fades, they feel terrible guilt, self-loathing, shame, and fear of arrest.”

That seemed to track with a lot of what Chief Caradec told them. “Ortiz’s boss at the station where he worked said that Ortiz either gave away or trashed most of the items he’d stolen. Is that typical behavior?”

“Absolutely.” Dr. Gerard leaned back in his chair. “When an individual with kleptomania steals something, it’s not because they need or want that item. It’s the act of stealing and the temporary relief it provides that drives them. Most of the time, they stash the stolen items away, gift them to family or friends, throw them in the trash, or even secretly return them because the guilt they feel is overwhelming.”

Clint thought back over their conversation with Caradec. “I guess they finally figured out what Ortiz was doing when he tried to steal a set of turnout gear. He was attempting to pass it off to someone waiting for him outside when he was caught.”

“Now that’s interesting.” Gerard leaned forward, his brows drawn together in thought. “With someone who has kleptomania, stealing is often spontaneous and almost neverdone with the help of someone else. That specific behavior doesn’t track with everything else I’m hearing about Ortiz.”

Paris looked encouraged by that bit of news. “Is it possible he was coerced into stealing the turnout gear? Maybe someone knew he was stealing and took advantage of the situation?”

“That’s certainly possible. It also could be that he faked having kleptomania to cover what he’d really wanted to steal.” Gerard shrugged. “It’s impossible to know with the information we’ve been given. However, I’d be lying if I said it sounded like a cut-and-dried case of kleptomania.”

They needed to hear what Ortiz had to say about the attempted theft of the gear. If the man either faked his diagnosis or was working with someone else, then that changed everything.

“I’ll have him brought in for questioning tomorrow.” Paris pointed at Clint. “I’ll let you know when so you can be here.”

“I appreciate that.”

Paris reached over and shook Gerard’s hand. “Thank you for taking the time to come speak with us. The information was invaluable.”

“I’m happy to. I can come back when you question Ortiz if you’d like. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”

Paris’s cell phone rang. He waved goodbye to Dr. Gerard as he swiped to answer the call. “This is Detective Paris. That’s great. We’ll be there. Have a good night.”

“Good news?” They could certainly use some.

“That was Fire Chief Menendez. Would you please ask Miss Granger to join us?”

“Absolutely.” Clint took out the folder Menendez had given him. He handed it to Paris. “Speaking of the chief, hegave this to me earlier. He’d compiled a list of call-outs that involved a death or ended with the identification of an arsonist. Anything that might have given someone a reason to dislike the fire department.”

Paris accepted the folder with a nod. “I appreciate it. I’ll start going through this first thing tomorrow.”

Clint found Leslie sitting at the table in the breakroom, an empty M&M package at her elbow.

She looked up from her phone. “That didn’t take long.”

“Dr. Gerard just left. Detective Paris got a call and wanted to speak with both of us.”

“Of course.” She tossed the candy wrapper into the trash and followed him back to the conference room.

“Ah, Miss Granger. Thank you for joining us.” Paris sat on the edge of the conference table. “I received a call from Chief Menendez. It seems we’ve been cleared to go back into the warehouse and conduct a thorough search of the undamaged part of the building. It’s my hope that we’ll find some evidence that will tell us what happened to the shooter. If you feel up to it, I’d like you to be there, too. Your insight into where the shooting happened and what direction the suspect went would be a huge help.”

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