A Hope City Duet

by Kris Michaels

  He watched a visible shudder move over her body at the memory and reached across the table, resting his hand on hers, the feel of her scars rough against his fingers. He did not think she realized what she was doing, but she linked her fingers with his, clutching as she continued.

  “The kids were screaming, and the dad just kept telling them to be quiet. Something just didn’t seem right to me. That’s all it was… a gut instinct. I followed the detective around, watching as he looked at the evidence and then collected some in glass jars. I didn’t want to bother him, but he allowed me to ask questions and was really patient and explained things to me. As it turned out, the dad had set the garage on fire hoping to get insurance money, and instead, the whole house had gone up in flames.”

  Sean shook his head, having seen the same thing happen multiple times. “Is that why you went into fire examination?”

  Giving his hand a little squeeze, she nodded. “I talked to my boss and found out about becoming certified as an evidence collection technician. It didn’t take very long for me to obtain that and then I took more classes on fire investigation and now I’m almost finished. I was never very good at chemistry but thank goodness for the lab technician I use because he’s explained a lot to me.”

  She glanced down as though just realizing their hands were held together on the tabletop and blushed deeper as she released his fingers. In the process, his fingertips glided over the scars on the back of her hand and she caught his heavy gaze. “You’re probably wondering if this injury has something to do with my chosen career.” She shook her head, saying, “This was from years ago. When I was in high school I worked part-time in a small restaurant. There was a grease fire that destroyed the whole building. I was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “I can’t imagine how painful that was. Or the rehab. I have a few former buddies who were burned while serving, and I know rehab is a bitch.”

  “It wasn’t easy, but once I gained finger mobility again, I knew it would be okay.” She licked her lips, gazing down at her hand and wiggling her fingers. “I know people look at my burn scars and assume that’s why I went into the job I have, but it’s not. I do think it gives me empathy with those who have had loss due to fire.” Sliding her hand back into her lap, she startled as the server brought their check and a box for her extra food.

  As she reached for her wallet, Sean stopped her. “I invited you to lunch. My treat.”

  Her lips curved into a gentle smile. “Oh, okay. Um... thank you. It’ll be my treat next time.”

  Immediately heartened at the mention of a next time, he smiled.

  They walked out of the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk preparing to say goodbye. She suddenly jerked and blurted, “I almost forgot. I have a copy of my lab report for the shed fire from several weeks ago. I know my company hasn’t paid because it was tied into an arson investigation. I thought it was interesting because of the phosphorus with the carbon disulfide. With the level of phosphorus, that wouldn’t be something just from a match. That would be probably a chunk of solid phosphorus.”

  At those words, all thoughts of the next date flew out of his mind and he took the lab report from her hand, his gaze skimming over it. Looking up, he asked, “Will you to come with me to headquarters? I’d like you to take a look at some of the other fires we’re investigating if that’s okay.”

  “Absolutely, Sean. I don’t know if I can be of any help, but if I can, you’ve got me.”

  Ignoring the double meaning of those words, he escorted her to his SUV. “I’ll bring you back for your car later.” With his mind back on the cases, he pulled out on the street, heading to headquarters.

  11

  Harper had never been inside a police headquarters and wondered if the real thing was anything like the cop shows on TV. Excited to have the opportunity, she followed Sean as they entered through a back door. With her boots tapping out a staccato on the tile floor, they moved through a guard check and sign-in procedures.

  “The stairs are back here, but we’ll go around to the elevator.”

  Once they exited the elevator, they walked down the hall and she peered around in curiosity. Her dealings with the police in the past had been on the phone, never in the detectives’ lair.

  He pushed open the door and led the way into a large room that had several whiteboards around with desks pushed together in pairs. Weaving through, she noted other detectives looked up in curiosity as they walked by. Offering a slight smile, she felt sure they wondered what she was doing there.

  Moving toward a pair of desks with Jonas sitting at one, Sean said, “Harper’s got a report on the shed fire that we have in our list of possibly being one that our serial arsonist set.”

  Before Jonas could speak, her gaze moved to the board next to their desks and her attention was riveted to the photographs. There were only two of the fires that she had looked at because of her insurance company’s involvement: the warehouse and the shed, whose report she had just handed to Sean. But as her gaze moved around the others, she looked at the photographs and the lab reports underneath each one. The photograph of the warehouse had been moved to the side.

  “Could the phosphorus come from a match?” Jonas asked, staring at the report that Sean had handed him.

  She turned and looked at both men staring at her, then her gaze darted behind them to where several other detectives had closed ranks. Nerves shot through her. “Please, understand that I’m not a chemist.”

  “No, but you have experience in the business,” Sean said. “Anyway, I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

  Rubbing her lips together, she sucked in a deep breath. “We know that phosphorus is found on matches, so it’s not unusual to see traces of it in any fire started on purpose. But greater amounts are suspicious. According to my lab technician, if you take solid phosphorus and dissolve it in carbon disulfide, you get a toxic, volatile solution. In fact, exposed to air, it can combust.”

  “It would have to be mixed at the site… or transported in an airtight container,” Sean mused aloud.

  Harper nodded. “Probably in a glass container. They could dissolve the phosphorus in the carbon disulfide, make sure it was in an airtight container, and could take it anywhere. All they would need to do is pour it onto something flammable, such as rags or paper. It would not take long for it to combust all on its own and start flaming.”

  “So, they could actually be away from the area when the fire started?” Jonas asked.

  “Yes, they could. Or, if they wanted it to go faster, they could use a heat source, such as a match, to make the chemical reaction flame quicker,” she acknowledged.

  “And the phosphorus in the carbon disulfide would be masked by the use of the match,” Sean added.

  She looked up as another man came out from one of the offices. Sean looked over his shoulder. “Captain James, I’d like you to meet Harper Walsh. She works for Eastern Mutual Insurance Company as a fire evidence collection technician and is soon to be certified as a fire investigator. Harper, this is my supervisor, Captain Todd James.”

  Todd walked over, his hand extended, and she accepted his handshake.

  “This is very interesting, Ms. Walsh,” Todd said.

  “The lab technician I use is the one who explained this to me. I assure you that I’m no chemical expert.”

  “Would you be willing to look at the reports from our other fires?” Sean asked.

  “Of course,” she replied, excitement beginning to build.

  As they pored over the other reports, they noted the presence of phosphorus along with carbon disulfide in each of their suspected arson cases. Nodding toward the warehouse photograph, she asked, “I see it’s been moved to the side.”

  “It’s no longer part of our investigations. We’ve handed it over to homicide.”

  Her mouth opened, but she snapped it closed quickly. So, Mr. Scheer was right… Turning her attention back to the reports in front of her, she glanced over at
Sean.

  He scrubbed his hand over his face, lines of fatigue radiating from his eyes. “We have great lab technicians, as well, but the problem is that our labs are overwhelmed with cases. They handle the evidence for all of Hope City, the surrounding counties, and any nearby law enforcement that has need of the facilities. Often we just receive the report and it’s up to us to discern what is and isn’t normal.”

  “Honestly, I wouldn’t have understood what I was looking at if it hadn’t been for John’s explanations.”

  He lifted an eyebrow, and asked, “John?”

  Nodding, she said, “John Simpson. He works in a private laboratory that Eastern Mutual uses. He prides himself on being a chemistry nerd.”

  Sean grunted, but she was unable to interpret what the sound meant. Wondering if perhaps he was offended about the lab, she said, “I know your laboratory and technicians are excellent—”

  “Yeah, but they’re too damn overworked. It takes longer for them to get through the evidence, and I confess that I haven’t been as good about sitting down with them and talking over the results.” Shaking his head, he admitted, “That’s on me.” Before she had a chance to reply, he looked over. “Thanks for the input. I’ll take you back to your car.”

  She sucked in her lips at his rather brusque tone and nodded. Tossing a small smile toward Jonas, she turned and allowed Sean to escort her back out of the building into his SUV. “Are you okay, Sean? I mean… it kinda seems like you’re not very happy with me right now.”

  He jerked his head around and reached over, placing his hand on hers. “No, no, that’s not it. God, Harper, I’m sorry. I’m just... frustrated.”

  “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

  “You already have. Hell, before we left the building, I’m sure that Jonas was already starting to look at people who may have been purchasing both solid phosphorus and carbon disulfide.”

  He parked near her car, and she looked over, hesitating for a moment. He alighted from the driver’s side and walked around the front to the passenger door. Offering his hand to assist her down, he continued holding her hand as they walked to her car. Once there, he hesitated. “I’d really like to take you out again. This time for a non-working meal.”

  A laugh slipped out. “Non-working meal? That sounds like a...”

  He shook his head and laughed along with her. “You’re right. I’d like to ask you out on a date, but obviously, my asking-out technique sucks.”

  Placing her hand on his arm, she shook her head. “It’s okay. I can tell your mind is on work, and with the important work you’re doing, that’s fine. Anyway, I’d love to go out with you.”

  His smile widened, and her heart stuttered at the change in his appearance from serious to gorgeous.

  “Good,” he said. “How about tomorrow night?”

  “Sure. I’ll text you my address.”

  “Great, I’ll pick you up at six.”

  She watched him drive off and smiled. For the first time in a long time, she was excited at the idea of a date with someone who had captured her attention completely. Closing her eyes, she turned her face toward the sun, but only Sean’s face was impressed behind her eyelids. I could so lose my heart to him.

  Driving back to headquarters, Sean winced at how he had asked Harper out but was thrilled that she had agreed. Harper was the first woman to spark his interest in a while, and as frustrated as he was over the arsonist, he was excited to have someone who seemed to understand his world.

  Back at the station, he walked over to Jonas and they began going through the list of companies selling both phosphorus and carbon disulfide. He placed a call to Shamika, telling her of the findings that Harper’s lab had discerned, and she agreed that the combination of those two chemicals could have combusted when mixed with air.

  “My initial tests only showed us what chemicals were present but not the concentrations,” she explained.

  “Hey, that’s okay. We’re heading in the right direction now.” Disconnecting, he looked over at Jonas who was staring at him, a slight smile on his face. “What?”

  “Did you ask Harper out for a date?”

  “Yep.”

  Beth piped up from her desk, “It’s about time you went out with somebody again.” He caught her smiling along with Terrence’s wide grin.

  Before he had a chance to retort, Todd came out of his office, and he glanced up to see what his captain wanted.

  “Do you think you can get Ms. Walsh to take you and Jonas to her lab? If the technician who works there can give you and Jonas an example of what they’re finding, it’d be productive to have it sooner than waiting on our labs.”

  “I’ll call her and find out, Sir.” Secretly interested in seeing John Simpson, he did not want to acknowledge his jealousy. Dialing her number, she answered laughing.

  “Didn’t we just leave each other?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say he already missed her but realized with Jonas staring at him, he had an audience. Instead, he simply explained what the Captain had asked for.

  “I don’t think John will have a problem with that. I’ll give him a call and then let you know.”

  Within ten minutes, she called him back. “I spoke to John, and he’s more than excited to show you how it’s possible to start a fire with just the chemicals mixed with air.”

  “When can we meet?”

  “John said he was busy today, but we can meet first thing in the morning. Meet me at the front of the Central Lab that’s on 23rd Street. I’ll walk you through the building and take you to where he works.”

  Looking at Jonas, he said, “Looks like both of us have a date with Harper tomorrow.” He gave Jonas the information, and they agreed to meet at the station and drive together. With a firm plan in mind, they went back to work, digging through their evidence.

  12

  Sean drove into the parking lot at headquarters to pick up Jonas the next morning, appreciating the fact he had a full night’s sleep. And, finally, a day when I had my morning cup of coffee in my own kitchen. As he had rested his hip against the counter, he had looked around, wondering what Harper would think of his house.

  Jonas climbed into the passenger seat before doing a double take toward Sean. “Man, even with this suck-ass traffic, you’ve got a smile on your face. So, where are you going on your date tonight?”

  “I thought I’d take her to the Inner Harbor. There are lots of restaurants, and if she likes seafood there’s Charlie’s right on the water. Plus, I thought we could do a sunset boat ride.”

  “Nice. I think there are some concerts going on at the Inner Harbor this week.” They were quiet for a moment, then Jonas continued, “I haven’t seen you this excited in a long time, Sean. I’m glad you’re going out with her.”

  He maneuvered through traffic with ease. “Hey, it’s just a first date. But I feel like all I’ve done is focus on my career and family in recent years. Hookups just aren’t doing it for me anymore, and at my age, I’m ready to find someone I can really talk to.”

  “It’s hard when you’re a cop.”

  “You got that right. Hours are crap, and you never know when you’re going to get called in. It’s often at night, and a lot of women can’t take that. Hell, I didn’t mean for that to sound sexist. Lotta men can’t take it with a female cop either.”

  He found a parking space outside the lab and could not keep the grin off his face when he saw Harper standing just outside the front door, wearing her now-familiar wool coat paired with a bright pink knit cap She smiled widely and gave a wave as they alighted from his SUV.

  Jonas chuckled. “I thought she was beautiful, and she is. But seeing her smile and wave like that... hell, she’s also cute as fuck.”

  Sean agreed, his steps hurrying toward her. His gaze landed on her splinted wrist and he reached out, his fingers barely touching hers.

  They greeted each other and she said, “I’m okay… really. Come on thr
ough. John said we can meet him in his lab.”

  Once inside, he helped her remove her coat which she draped over her good arm. They followed her down the hall, and Sean’s eyes continued to drift down to her ass. Today she was in a tight skirt that extended almost to her knees but cupped her ass perfectly. Walking into the lab, he hoped that John was as geeky as she described but instead discovered him to be a decent looking guy who greeted Harper enthusiastically. Feeling unwarranted jealousy, he nonetheless shook John’s hand, introducing himself and Jonas.

  John waved his hand toward the back. “I’ve got everything set up here.” They gathered around a lab table and John began. “Here I’ve got a small cylinder of solid phosphorus.”

  Looking down, Sean saw what looked like a piece of yellow chalk sitting in a glass container of liquid, and he watched as John sliced off a small segment at the end.

  “If phosphorus is left exposed to air for about fifteen minutes, then it will spontaneously ignite, producing a yellow-orange flame and a dense cloud of choking vapor.” John sounded almost giddy. “It only needs the air to be about 30°C… that’s close to 86°F.”

  “Just about any time in the summer makes it to that temperature,” Sean said, eliciting a nod from John before he continued.

  “White phosphorus has been used in munitions since the 1800s. Now, to make this more interesting… this clear liquid in the test tube is carbon disulfide. You’ll notice that I have a stopper in it because this is highly volatile, toxic, and can be flammable when exposed to air. Its flashpoint is -22°F. It, by itself, can be an accelerant in a fire. Mixing it with phosphorus makes that occur even quicker.”

  Taking the rubber stopper out of the test tube, John dropped in the small lump of phosphorus and then immediately put the stopper back in place. He began to shake the test tube gently, allowing the phosphorus to dissolve, turning the liquid yellowish brown.