Page 36 of Spark
The two seconds it took Addison to read the message on her screen lasted at least a month.“I don’t know.But that was Tara.”
No, no.No, no, no.If Tara was texting Addison this early, the news couldn’t be good.“What did she say?”Chloe managed.
“Nothing, yet.But she just called a meeting for an hour from now to talk about the case.Intelligence, Arson Investigation, and?—”
Chloe’s phone vibrated with an incoming text, the request on the screen filling her chest with dread.
“Child and Family Services,” she finished.
The next thirty minutes rushed by in a series of power-texts (Chloe’s) and an impressively expeditious shower/get dressed/get out the door routine (Addison’s).Chloe’s texts with Tom quickly revealed that he knew only what she did; namely, that there had been a fire at the lab where Navarro’s DNA was stored and that Tara wanted them to come in ASAP for a “situational awareness” meeting, whatever that meant.Addison volunteered to drive, which ended up shaving ten minutes off the twenty-five-minute commute, and Chloe spent every single one of them forcing herself not to fidget.
“And you’re sure Sinclair doesn’t know anything new about the condition of Navarro’s DNA kit?”she asked Addison, her heel tapping ever so slightly beneath the table in the conference room they’d been shown into upon arrival.
“Unfortunately, I do not,” came a gravelly voice from the doorway, and speak of the devil.Sinclair crossed the room, his gray eyes betraying no emotion.“Morning, Chloe.Hale.”
Addison nodded in greeting.“Boss.”
“Good morning, sergeant,” Chloe’s manners made her say.Her anxiety added, “So, no news at all?”
Sinclair shook his head.“The last update I got was that the RFD and Arson Investigation were still working to assess the cause of the fire, and that RPD brass had called in forensic experts to transport the DNA kits for analysis.But I’d guess Tara has something to share, otherwise she wouldn’t have called us in.”
“That doesn’t automatically mean the news is bad,” Addison said preemptively.But then, Ryan and Tyler walked into the room, accompanied by a thirty-something white woman wearing an RFD uniform, complete with a crisp button-up shirt bearing a badge that readRemington Fire Department, Arson Investigation Unit, N.Delacroix, and okay.Shit just got very real.
“Hey,” Ryan said, exchanging a thousand-word glance with Addison where most of the words were some variation of “I really fucking love you”.“Sorry we’re cutting it close.We had to wait until our shift ended.”
“Why are you two here?”Chloe heard her lack of social graces only after it had escaped, her heart doing a full backflip in her chest—why did Tyler smell so good after a full shift at the fire house?—but he rescued her with a fast answer.
“The Arson Investigation Unit asked us to help piece this one together, since we were the first two firefighters on the scene.We were giving our reports to Nat when she got called in, and she figured we should come, too, in case Tara or Intelligence needs an initial assessment.”
Looking at the redhead who had come in with them, Ryan shook his head.“Ah, right.You two probably don’t know each other.Nat Delacroix, this is my sister, Chloe Ferguson.Nat’s from Arson Investigation.She worked with Faurier and Lucy on that serial arsonist case earlier this year.”
Chloe fought—and probably failed—to keep her face in neutral.Between Ryan and the news, she’d heard enough about that case to know it had been gravely serious, with lives on the line.Including Sam and Lucy’s.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Nat said.Before they could get past a handshake, though, Tom and Maxwell both came in from the hallway, and everyone began taking seats at the large table in the center of the room.
“I guess that’s our cue,” Addison said, nodding a silent greeting at her big, broody partner before turning to look for an open spot.Chloe moved to do the same, but the sound of Tyler clearing his throat stopped her, mid-step.
“Breakfast,” he murmured, her heart vaulting in a perfect ten against her breastbone as he held out a package of mini-cinnamon rolls and a bottle of cranberry juice.“And before you argue, just remember, I have ulterior motives.”
She caught her laugh, but not her smile.“Ah.Right.The Burrito Hut.”
“Now you’re catching on.”
Tyler passed the rolls and juice over, his fingers brushing hers in the exchange.The touch was slight—barely there, if she were being brutally honest.But that didn’t stop her from feeling it in about six different places, half of them NSFW.
Thankfully, Tara saved Chloe from herself by striding into the room.Her long auburn hair was pulled into a sleek French twist, her navy-blue suit dress and heels a perfect match for her authority and confidence, and she waited only a beat for Tyler and Chloe to get seated, then turn their attention to the front of the room where she stood.
“Good morning, everyone.Thank you for coming on such short notice.You’re all here because you’re trusted members of the RFD, the RPD, and CFS.That said, for the record, all of the case information we’re going to discuss in this meeting is extremely sensitive and highly confidential.It doesn’t leave this room under any circumstances.Are we all clear on that?”
A series of murmurs and nods went up across the group.For the sake of awareness, Tara introduced everyone in the room by name and title, and for the sake of candor, she dove into business directly afterward.
“As you’re all aware, Squad Six responded to a two-alarm fire last night at the Dynamics Lab Corporation, which, among other things, is where the Remington Police Department tests, analyzes, and stores the forensic samples collected at crime scenes.I don’t have to tell any of you that this situation has more than a few potentially bad outcomes.But the one we’re all gathered here to discuss is that the DNA kit holding the forensic evidence in the Leo Navarro case may have been either damaged or destroyed.”
“May have been,” Chloe repeated, her cheeks flushing hot when everyone in the room turned to look at her.But she’d been in for a penny the second she’d opened her mouth, so she added, “We still don’t know for sure yet?”
Tara shook her head.“Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy.Forensic investigators were on the scene as soon as it was cleared by the RFD, but chain of custody protocols for DNA kits are very rigorous.Properly removing the kits and re-securing the contents in a controlled environment, then analyzing the forensic evidence that’s left to determine its integrity isdefinitelya process.The Navarro kit is top priority”—this, Tara aimed at Chloe, probably because she saw the protest brewing on her face—“since, obviously, the DNA is crucial evidence.But it’s going to take some time before we know for sure.”
“How long are we talking about, here?”Tom asked, and Chloe’s stomach tightened at the way Tara pressed her lips together before answering.
