literally two desks between them all, but at the end of the day they had coffee. “Anything I should know?”
Handing over was so much more informal in Ellery. Back in his first posting, Knoxville and wet behind the ears, handover was signing and dotting I’s and crossing T’s, it was routine and structured. Here, despite there being a definite organisation, there was room for a much less official handover.
“Fitz is on the move again. Brenda Skylar said there was something happening around the cabin, lots of banging. She went over to check it out, found him wandering the yard in just his shorts and looking twenty sheets to the wind.”
“When was this?”
“Just before four p.m. but we haven’t had any calls out to pick up his sorry ass.”
“Anything else?”
“Reports dropped off on the fire, scene analysis and the boss had a meeting with the fire guys about possible scenarios and responsibilities. It’s all in the logs.”
Finn smiled. He couldn’t stop himself. His body was still buzzing from what had just happened in Max’s kitchen and the thought of the sexy fireman being involved in anything remotely connected to Finn made him want to smile.
Drew narrowed his gaze. “Something you wanna tell me, Ryan?” he asked.
Finn shook his head. He wasn’t ready to share Max with anyone just yet. “You driving past the cabins on your way home?”
Standard procedure in all things Mike Fitzgerald was just to drive past the place when he was at his worst. None of the cops complained about doing so. Small town meant everyone was intimately involved in what everyone else did. Fitz and his demons included. Something had gone down in his past. He’d left a soldier in the Eighties and returned home a broken man who had aged dramatically and lost all grip on what was real. Finn couldn’t imagine the fears that rode the man to self-destruction, but it couldn’t have been good.
“Yeah, I’ll check it out as usual.” Grabbing his jacket from the small hook near the door, he let himself out of the coded door and Finn watched his fellow cop disappear down the road.
“White, two sugars,” Kathy announced behind him.
Gratefully, Finn took the offered caffeine and smiled his thanks.
“Fitz isn’t having a good day again,” she said as she slid into the seat Drew had just left.
“So I heard.”
“Sue switched so she’s in at four a.m..”
“Okay.”
“And the reports from the fire guys are on the desk to look at.”
She in turn peered at the screen she had on in front of her and, drinking down her coffee, lost herself in Days of Our Lives and associated soaps. Everyone had to kill the dead hours in one way or another. Normally Finn read, but tonight he wanted to see what the fire guys had on this case. Settling at the other desk and squirming to get comfortable, he opened the file and began to read.
Two a.m. came and went, three was missed entirely, and Finn only registered four because Sue, one of the three shifted dispatchers, came in with warm bagels and a cheery smile despite the time.
“You’re looking serious,” she said. “Did you get called out to Fitz?”
“Drew went to check him out, called in and said it was all quiet. I was just reading the
department reports on the fire and researching online.”
“It’s fallen in our lap then?” she asked as she wandered coffee-way.
Since the machine was in the room next door, Finn kept talking. “Nothing else they can
do. It was arson, that was obvious. They pinpointed location, burn patterns, and gave a quick behavioural profile to back up what we are looking for.”
“Coffee,” Sue said and placed the mug to his right.
Finn concentrated on the research. If someone wanted revenge on one of the cops in the station at that point, then it meant he was potentially one of the targets, which didn’t sit well with him. Drew had been there, as had Kathy. The three of them, plus Fitz, were all that the firebug could have been aiming at. If the firebug were a
Handing over was so much more informal in Ellery. Back in his first posting, Knoxville and wet behind the ears, handover was signing and dotting I’s and crossing T’s, it was routine and structured. Here, despite there being a definite organisation, there was room for a much less official handover.
“Fitz is on the move again. Brenda Skylar said there was something happening around the cabin, lots of banging. She went over to check it out, found him wandering the yard in just his shorts and looking twenty sheets to the wind.”
“When was this?”
“Just before four p.m. but we haven’t had any calls out to pick up his sorry ass.”
“Anything else?”
“Reports dropped off on the fire, scene analysis and the boss had a meeting with the fire guys about possible scenarios and responsibilities. It’s all in the logs.”
Finn smiled. He couldn’t stop himself. His body was still buzzing from what had just happened in Max’s kitchen and the thought of the sexy fireman being involved in anything remotely connected to Finn made him want to smile.
Drew narrowed his gaze. “Something you wanna tell me, Ryan?” he asked.
Finn shook his head. He wasn’t ready to share Max with anyone just yet. “You driving past the cabins on your way home?”
Standard procedure in all things Mike Fitzgerald was just to drive past the place when he was at his worst. None of the cops complained about doing so. Small town meant everyone was intimately involved in what everyone else did. Fitz and his demons included. Something had gone down in his past. He’d left a soldier in the Eighties and returned home a broken man who had aged dramatically and lost all grip on what was real. Finn couldn’t imagine the fears that rode the man to self-destruction, but it couldn’t have been good.
“Yeah, I’ll check it out as usual.” Grabbing his jacket from the small hook near the door, he let himself out of the coded door and Finn watched his fellow cop disappear down the road.
“White, two sugars,” Kathy announced behind him.
Gratefully, Finn took the offered caffeine and smiled his thanks.
“Fitz isn’t having a good day again,” she said as she slid into the seat Drew had just left.
“So I heard.”
“Sue switched so she’s in at four a.m..”
“Okay.”
“And the reports from the fire guys are on the desk to look at.”
She in turn peered at the screen she had on in front of her and, drinking down her coffee, lost herself in Days of Our Lives and associated soaps. Everyone had to kill the dead hours in one way or another. Normally Finn read, but tonight he wanted to see what the fire guys had on this case. Settling at the other desk and squirming to get comfortable, he opened the file and began to read.
Two a.m. came and went, three was missed entirely, and Finn only registered four because Sue, one of the three shifted dispatchers, came in with warm bagels and a cheery smile despite the time.
“You’re looking serious,” she said. “Did you get called out to Fitz?”
“Drew went to check him out, called in and said it was all quiet. I was just reading the
department reports on the fire and researching online.”
“It’s fallen in our lap then?” she asked as she wandered coffee-way.
Since the machine was in the room next door, Finn kept talking. “Nothing else they can
do. It was arson, that was obvious. They pinpointed location, burn patterns, and gave a quick behavioural profile to back up what we are looking for.”
“Coffee,” Sue said and placed the mug to his right.
Finn concentrated on the research. If someone wanted revenge on one of the cops in the station at that point, then it meant he was potentially one of the targets, which didn’t sit well with him. Drew had been there, as had Kathy. The three of them, plus Fitz, were all that the firebug could have been aiming at. If the firebug were a
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