Page 53 of Spark
“On viability?No.But we’re getting closer.”Maxwell nodded, his eyes flicking to the new image on the screen, which looked like an inventory sheet of some kind.“There’s a lot of protocol involved, obviously, and Tara didn’t want to take any risks, so she had the kit sent to the FBI’s DNA lab in Charlotte.”
“Wow.”Chloe’s brows lifted.“Guess I don’t have to ask if it’s secure.”
“You do not,” Addison said.“That sucker is locked down tight, along with twelve other DNA kits from the fire at Dynamics.Following the chain of custody to get them there properly was a hellscape, but it’s good that the RPD was so careful about it, because Navarro’s lawyer already moved to have the evidence dismissed.”
Panic snapped in Chloe’s veins, making her knees want to buckle.“What?”she barked, but Addison was already shaking her head.
“The judge denied it as soon as Tara presented the evidence that everything had been done by the book.Three other defense attorneys have made the same motion so far on behalf of their clients whose kits were moved.Tara said she was expecting it, especially from Navarro’s lawyer.”
Chloe fought a shudder.She’d never met Phil Constantine, but she’d heard enough from Tara and Addison to know the guy was the highest caliber of gross.“Okay.So, the DNA is secure, and the evidence is still admissible,ifit’s viable.What about the arson investigation?”
“You want to take this one?”Sinclair asked Tyler, who didn’t so much as blink before nodding.
“We can start with what we know.Obviously, the fire was pretty catastrophic.Given the extent of the damage and the burn patterns, the lab on the second floor was definitely the point of origin.”
“How much damage are we talking about, exactly?”Chloe asked, and Tyler exchanged a nano-glance with Capelli that had the tech expert’s index finger hovering over his mouse, just shy of the button.
“Just remember, sometimes things that look ruined?—”
“—actually aren’t.I remember,” she promised.
“Okay,” Tyler said with a nod.Chloe took a steadying breath as Capelli began to scroll through the images of the fire scene, but her heart was in her windpipe by the third one.What had once been a state-of-the-art science lab had been reduced to slide after slide of warped metal, smashed glass, and heat-damaged debris.Holy shit, how couldanythingpossibly be salvageable?She couldn’t even recognize what most of the things in these photos might have once been.And Tyler and Ryan had been inside the place?Whileit burned?
From the corner of her eye, Chloe caught sight of Tyler, perfectly fine and right there beside her, his words echoing back in her head.They gave her half a breath, and she repeated them to herself a few more times as she regained her footing.
“That is alotof damage,” she finally managed to say, and even Sinclair nodded in agreement.
“And Nat’s team confirmed it was definitely arson?”
“Yes,” Tyler said.“There were large traces of ethanol all over the lab, the second floor, and in the filtration system.Whoever did this clearly used it as an accelerant, then set the place on fire.He didn’t even bother trying to cover it up or make it look like an accident, probably banking on the fire destroying any evidence they might leave behind.”
“Where was Leo Navarro that night?”Chloe asked, diving right past pleasantries.
Sinclair shook his head.“At his restaurant, with dozens of people to back it up.We checked into everyone whose DNA was at the facility.We’re still chasing down a few details, but so far, they all alibi out.”
“That doesn’t mean Navarro couldn’t have hired someone to set the fire,” Addison added.“We’ll check out every possibility now that it’s a confirmed arson.”
“Yeah, about that,” Xander said, his dark brows bunched in thought.“This guy put accelerant in the filtration system?”
Tyler’s nod was grim.“This fire was strategically set to cause as much damage as possible in a short period of time.Filtration systems aren’t just designed to remove harmful particles.They’re built to control air flow and pressure.Add a highly flammable chemical and a source of ignition…”
“And you’ve got the perfect way to lead the fire through the entire system, all the way down to the lobby.No wonder it traveled so far, so fast.”Capelli finished.“That’s quite brilliant, actually.”Clearing his throat—likely at Maxwell’s high-level frown—he added, “You know, as far as evil plans go.”
A thought snagged in Chloe’s brain and tumbled out of her mouth.“I thought you said the containment system wasn’t working.”
“More like, it was working against us,” Tyler said.“Filtration is only part of overall containment.There are also sprinkler systems and emergency response alarms—those obviously weren’t functional—and most labs, including this one, also have what are called clean rooms.”
Tyler pointed to the center screen on the array, where Capelli had pulled up an image that had been taken before the fire, showing a series of small rooms divided by sliding doors made of what looked like plexiglass, three narrow booths equipped with multiple shower heads, and a row of HazMat suits hanging from hooks high above.
He continued, “They’re basically enclosed areas within larger facilities, specifically built to minimize contamination.As a safety measure, the doors are all programmed to automatically disengage if there’s a loss of power.That way, no one can get trapped inside.But Ryan and I had to breakinjust to get to the lab.”
“So, whoever did this had extensive knowledge of the filtration system, overrode the emergency response to kill the sprinklers and alarms,andtook control of the failover system on the doors to delay firefighters from responding?”Sinclair asked.
“Yes.We’re not talking about an impulse crime here.This arsonist is as meticulous as he is smart.”
Capelli nodded his agreement as Chloe tried—somewhat poorly—to wrap her head around everything Tyler had said.
“And thorough.He bypassed all the security cameras.”
