Page 41 of Spark
“So, let me get this straight.Some giant firemaybeburned up the DNA kit that has Leo Navarro’s blood in it.If the stuff in the DNA kit is okay—viable, right?”Esme asked, waiting for Chloe to nod before continuing, “then everything stays like it is now, and the A.D.A.gets to use it to arrest him like she was supposed to.But if it’s not, then there’s no proof that Navarro did what he did unless I testify, which might not be enough, and it’s going to take, like, three weeks to find out if the evidence is trashed.”
“Yep,” Chloe said.“That sums it up pretty well.”
Turning to Tyler, Esme asked, “You’re the rescue squad expert guy, right?Why does it take so long to find out?If something is wrecked in a fire, can’t you just…I don’t know, tell by looking at it?”
“Sometimes, yes,” he said, and it was a valid question.“But for things like DNA, the process is more involved.The kit had to be removed from the scene by an expert who knew how to handle it properly, and under the supervision of the police.”
Tyler gave her a quick rundown of chain of custody laws.Although it didn’t happen often, he’d responded to a handful of incidents that had required police investigations in his time on squad.He got how easily evidence could be contaminated, or, worse yet, tampered with.“The RPD needs to find a new, safe place to store the kit, then do a bunch of different tests to see if the evidence is still viable.That takes a lot of time.”
“You saw the kit, right?”Esme asked, her brows furrowed.“Does itlookruined?”
Shit.He wasn’t going to lie to her, but he needed to proceed with caution.“That’s kind of a tough question.Sometimes things that looked ruined actually aren’t.”
Esme huffed out a breath.“I get that it’s a tough question, but you’re not answering it.”
“Fair enough.”Tyler held up his hands.“I don’t know if I saw the specific kit with the DNA for this case in it, but I did see the room where the kits were stored, and yes, there was significant damage to a lot of them.Chemical fires spread really fast, and they burn differently than regular fires.”Hotter was a more accurate word, but not one that was strictly necessary to say, especially if the goal was not to freak her out.“The good news is that it only takes a small amount of forensic evidence to make a DNA match, and blood can survive some pretty high temperatures, depending.You’d be surprised.”
“That’s gross,” Esme said, then added, “how high?”
“It depends on a couple of factors, but generally speaking, blood can hold up until things get to about a thousand degrees Celsius.Even then, it’s still possible to get a complete DNA pattern if the circumstances are just right.Just not as likely.”
“So, there’s really a chance the DNA is okay, and Navarro will go to jail?”
Tyler had promised her honesty, so he said, “Yes, there’s a chance the DNA is viable.But that also means there’s a chance that it’s not, and we just won’t know which we’re dealing with until the analysis is complete.”
Chloe looked at Esme with determination.“I know there are a lot of question marks right now, and I really hate them, too.But like Tyler said, there are a few things I can tell you for sure.One is that both the fire and police departments are taking this seriously, and the very best units are running the investigation.Intelligence, the D.A.’s office, the RFD—it’s not a small team of people, and they’re all experts.”
Esme’s eyes darted to Tyler.She didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she also didn’t argue, so he’d take it.“What else?”
“Leo Navarro still doesn’t know what you saw or who you are.Nothing about your level of safety has changed, and if it does, I will do everything in my power to make sure you’re protected.I really, really am on your side, Esme.”
Chloe said the words with so much intensity that Tyler actually felt them.Esme must have, too, because she gave a small nod.“Okay.So, what am I supposed to do now?”
“Well, now comes the hardest part,” Chloe said.“We just have to be patient and wait.”
13
As it turned out, Chloe was shit at practicing what she preached.In the four days that had passed since she and Tyler had told Esme about the fire at the forensics lab, she’d worked five shifts at the bakery, taken care of over a dozen less-than-a-week-to-go details for Ryan and Addison’s bachelor/ette party, and made a trio of appearances at the yoga studio up the street from her apartment, where the classes she’d taken had done jack shit for her screaming lack of patience.Esme had begun to thaw a little, though, their daily check-ins lasting a few minutes more each time, and while the waiting was driving Chloe batshit crazy, her anxiety was receding along with Esme’s attitude.
Helps to have a drop-dead serious, drop-dead sexy firefighter as your wingman,came her inner voice, stopping her short halfway across her kitchen floorboards.Okay, so she’d had her doubts about Tyler tag-teaming the news about the fire last week.But where she had momentarily struggled to get Esme to see reason, he’d been the high lord of patience and calm, deftly keeping Esme from spiraling, then giving her the scary facts about the fire in a way that hadn’t been condescending or, worse, coated in sugar.Then, rather than hogging control of the conversation, he’d simply opened the door for Chloe to explain exactly what was happening with the case, so she couldn’t even be mad about the assist.Esme had lowered her guard enough to listen.Tyler had delivered the facts.Chloe had reassured Esme she’d be there to keep her safe no matter what.It had been damn near perfect.Hehad been damn near perfect.
And now, just as she checked in with Esme, Tyler checked in with her on the daily.No babying.No bubble wrap.Just a quick status check that only lasted for a handful of texts and yet still managed to be her favorite part of any given day.
That she hadn’t learned her lesson and wanted to kiss him again, now more than ever?Yeah,thattook her thoughts from nice and easy to hot and heavy in about two seconds flat.
Moving to the desk between her kitchen and living space, Chloe grabbed the box of favors for Ryan and Addison’s party, determined to distract herself from her increasingly dirty thoughts of Tyler.Of course, he’d been perfect for the job when they’d gone to talk to Esme.He was practically a walking, talking Calm app.Meanwhile, every time she got within a ten-foot radius of him, she turned into a great, big pile of goo.
She really, really needed to fix this re-virginization problem.Fast.
Her cell phone vibrated with an incoming text, thankfully saving her from the thought.
Or not.
Tyler: Just confirmed final party RSVPs from everyone at S17.All yeses, including Kellan and Isabella w/ both kids.
Chloe: Considering how close you all are, that’s not entirely shocking.
Tyler: Could also be the open bar.
