Page 40 of Arsonist’s Match (Blaze and Badge #1)

T hunder pealed across the sky. A powerful gust rocked the ambulance, but the driver kept it steady as it whizzed through city streets to Riverside General, mere blocks away.

Athena sat on one side of her prisoner, now handcuffed to the gurney, while the EMT specialist applied salve, gauze, and cold packs to Neel’s burns.

Flash was in the van with her team and would meet her at the hospital, mere blocks away.

Athena strode beside Neel, flashing her badge, as the ambulance attendants wheeled him into a private ER room.

A doctor and nurse quickly took their places.

Athena explained that Neel, an arsonist who’d tried to light himself on fire, was in her custody and couldn’t be allowed out of her sight until another FBI agent relieved her.

They agreed she could stay if out of their way while they worked on him.

Simon wavered between snarling obscenities and wailing cries of anguish. At one point, he begged for his mother.

“Special Agent Bouvier?” A staff member poked her head through the curtain with a questioning look. She glanced up in acknowledgement. “There are agents and a firefighter here for you.”

Agent Howard popped his head in above the shorter hospital staffer’s. “I can stand vigil. The desk clerk wants you to sign some papers.”

Athena gave a brisk nod and peered down at Simon. “Agent Howard will stay with you for a while. I’ll see about getting you a public defender. When the doctors are done treating you and you’ve rested a bit, I’ll be back to ask you some questions.”

Without waiting for a response, which would have probably been incoherent at best, she pivoted on her rubber boot heel and left. “He’s all yours, Agent Howard.”

Athena found her team—plus one brave, desirable addition—standing in a semicircle in the waiting area.

After signing the papers that the desk clerk waved at her, she joined them.

“He’s stable. Some burns to his right arm and torso, probably leave more scars, but the doc expects a full recovery—physically, that is.

We’ll need to have a psych eval before determining if he’s fit to stand trial, but there’s a high bar to reach to find him too mentally incapacitated.

Then again, with a full confession, we won’t need a trial.

Either way, we must have him evaluated.”

Shoops, who’d been madly punching buttons on her phone, said, “I just contacted Dr. McFadden from the BAU, asking if he could swing by soon and do that for us. It’s one of his specialties with the FBI, and he’s done hundreds of psych evals.”

Athena’s eyes brightened. “Well, aren’t you Johnny on the spot? Thanks.”

“I went ahead and g ot us a search warrant for Neel’s residence, vehicle, finances, and health records,” Paulson reported. “Easy approval after you caught him red-handed, so to speak.”

“Good. Ice, Hernandez,” Athena specified, swiveling toward her trusty muscle. “Pull in a couple of CSIs and turn his place upside down. Look for a journal, store of accelerants, and especially sparklers. We need the lab to make a positive match for the ones found at the fires.”

“We’re on it, Bouvier,” Ice replied. He nudged Hernandez, whispering loud enough for her to hear. “Tag Patty Singleton from Trace and DNA. I’ve been wanting to ask her out.”

Athena rolled her eyes behind their backs as the two hustled toward the exit.

“Flash.” Shifting her attention to the member of the group she most wanted to focus on, Athena issued another assignment. “Could you contact Captain O’Riley and Investigator Ballard and fill them in?”

“Sure thing,” she answered brightly, eager to help. Flash’s willingness to chip in brought a smile to Athena’s lips as she watched her move to a corner and pull out her phone.

“What about us?” Shoops asked, nervously twirling her fingers in front of her black vest.

Catching the desk clerk’s attention, Athena inquired, “Do you have a room somewhere we can work from? The storm will be raging for hours out there, and we need to monitor our prisoner’s progress.”

“Let me check.” She made a phone call, then gave instructions. “Out those double doors and down the hallway to the left, third door on the right. It’s a consultation room not currently in use. The hospital administrator said it’s yours as long as you need it.”

“Thank you. Let’s go.”

Agents Paulson, Campbell, and Shoops followed Athena to the room. “I’ll brave the rain to pull the van around under the canopy. That’ll offer some shelter while we unload what we need.”

“Both my laptops and a couple of big monitors. We can hang them there,” Paulson said, pointing at the still-life prints.

“I’ll wait at the door and help you bring everything in,” Shoops offered. “I’ll need a laptop too.”

“And I need to update Mr. Smith.” Athena took out her phone and punched in the number.

An hour later, Athena and her team sat around a small table, minus their Kevlar, deep in research mode, while Flash played games on her phone. “Dang,” she muttered, turning off the screen. “Only 8% battery, and I didn’t bring a charger.”

Athena glanced up. “You should go home, or at least over to the firehouse to check on Snuffles. She might be afraid without you, with all this wind and driving rain.”

A dissatisfied look crossed Flash’s face, and she exhaled a bored sigh. “Yeah, I’ll text for an Uber.”

“I can drive you in the van,” Campbell volunteered. “It isn’t far.”

Flash held up a hand, shaking her head. “I’m not going to take you away from your work.

I know you’ve got a ton of loose ends to tie, none of which I can help with.

Athena’s right. Snuffles needs me. Plus, with the other shift out handling all the extra calls I know they’re getting, I can whip up a meal for them.

Chief Burks will appreciate an extra hand. ” She passed Athena a questioning look.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here,” Athena admitted. “I’ll call later when we find out more.”

“OK.” Flash slipped her phone into her pocket and bolted from her seat like she was off to the races. One thing the woman couldn’t stand: sitting idle.

Flash opened the door and turned back around, pride shining on her sweet face. “I enjoyed getting to watch you work. Neel might have thought he’d stop you in your tracks, but he sure met his match in you.”

“Thanks, Flash. It was a team effort.”

“Yeah, don’t forget us!” Campbell joked, prodding a laugh out of Flash.

“And Athena?” she threw over her shoulder on her way out.

“I know,” she san g back to her. “Be careful driving whenever we venture out. Horrible conditions, terrible drivers, falling branches and power lines. You forget—I’ve weathered more hurricanes than you have.”

“Yeah, and you get lax about them,” she smirked. Her heart growing with a sudden burst of love, Athena ached to rush to the doorway, wrap her arms around Flash, and kiss her silly.

“Hey!” she countered in teasing offense instead. Then she gazed at Flash admiringly. “You did good work today and were an invaluable asset.”

Her grin slouched into a frown. “I should have spotted the camera, the all-too-convenient piles of burnable junk, what he had rigged up in the office.”

“You got us out safely and, even though he’s still bitching about it, you saved Simon’s life. One day, I hope he’ll thank you. Today, I will. Thanks, Flash.”

“Well,” she flushed. “Seeing how attached to you Snuffles has become, I really had no choice.” A wink and a grin, and Flash was gone.

Soon after, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the doctor from the ER.

“I’ve ordered Simon Neel to be admitted to a private room on the sixth floor, between two empty rooms at the far end of the hall.

Your Agent Howard is escorting him up. I gave him a hefty dose of morphine for the pain, so he’ll probably fall asleep, but you can talk to him now or when he wakes up. ”

Athena’s jaw tightened, lips pressed in a hard line. “How long until it wears off? I can’t legally interrogate him while he’s under the influence of drugs or heavy medication.”

“If he’s lucky, not until tomorrow morning,” the doctor replied.

“Fine,” Athena clipped. “We’ll require cots. We aren’t leaving until I’m able to conduct a proper interview.”

Slack-jawed, the middle-aged ER doctor blinked at her. “If that’s what the FBI must do,” he finally said. “The room won’t accommodate five cots, but we have an intern bunk room—”

“It will do,” Athena quickly confirmed. “What’s Neel’s prognosis?”

“I’m not qualified to officially comment on his mental condition, which you know is fragile, but physically he’s in no danger of dying.

Scarring, yes, and he could benefit from skin grafting surgery.

Unfortunately, Mr. Neel currently has no medical insurance.

He was insured through his former place of employment but let his policy lapse after leaving Nutty Smooth.

Federal unemployment benefits don’t include health care coverage, and it appears the patient never applied for the ACA. ”

Yeah, Athena thought, Simon is screwed again. The prison system won’t pay for skin grafts, and, honestly, they shouldn’t have to. He’ll just have to live with his scars. I’m more concerned with the emotional scars that pushed him into committing multiple counts of arson.

“Thank you,” was all Athena could say. “We’ll take turns watching him until he’s lucid enough for an official interview in the morning.”

“I wish I could do more,” the doctor added, seeming genuine, “but I don’t make the rules. If it was something vital to the FBI’s case, the hospital might make an exception and wave the charges.”

Athena shook her head. “As long as he’s in no risk of dying and healthy enough to go to trial. His face wasn’t affected, and any other scars could be hidden in long sleeves in front of a jury.”

The doctor frowned. “I can’t believe anyone would do that to themselves. Anyway, there’ll be a patient waiting for me by now. Talk to you later, and good luck.”

Returning to the table, Athena continued to pour through files on her laptop, lamenting Neel’s tortured situation.

I hear severe burns like that are terribly painful.

Did his victims feel it, or did the smoke get to them first?

Flash said that smoke inhalation kills most fire casualties before the flames ever reach them.

“Bingo!” Paulson shouted, a triumphant grin on his face.

“I’ve tied Neel to the Knight’s Construction Company fire.

” All attention shifted to the senior agent.

“It wasn’t in the records, but the manager remembers.

Little Rock FBI agents interviewed key employees, and the guy in charge of hiring recognized his photo.

Neel came in and applied for a job the day before the fire and was turned down.

I also dug up another nugget—he has an uncle in Little Rock. ”

“Call him,” Athena directed. “He might lie to cover for his nephew, but, if we can get him to admit Simon was in town job-hunting, we’ll have motive, means, and opportunity for that fire. Good work.”

Athena paused, replay ing their confrontation in the alley.

“There’s something else we’re missing,” she mused aloud, tapping a polished nail to her chin.

“Neel started carrying on about being betrayed. Did he just mean by these companies for refusing to hire him? Had someone promised he’d get a job, then ghosted him? Or is it something else?”

“Maybe Jolene Carver dumping him,” Shoops suggested. “Maybe they’d formed some sort of pact to burn down their places of employment, only Jolene didn’t follow through, forcing him to start the fire at Synergy Warehouse Collective when she chickened out.”

“That could play.” Athena could see it. Still, neither ratted the other one out when they could have. “There’s another possibility. He mentioned one guy in the fire department who tried to help him, who took his side. Could that be who he meant when he said, ‘Where is he now?’”

Glancing at the clock, Athena instructed, “Campbell, go relieve Howard upstairs, and don’t let the low barometric pressure put you to sleep.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The ginger agent pushed up from his seat with a yawn. “You didn’t see that. I’ll be vigilant.”

Athena spared him a smirk before moving on. “Shoops, let’s focus on figuring out who this mysterious benefactor could be. I might send agents to pick up Ms. Carver as soon as the weather clears.”

“You’ve got it,” she chirped, and gave her glasses a shove.

Buzz . Athena’s cell phone vibrated, and she picked it up, Ice’s voice on the other end.

“We found a lot of evidence to bag up and take in,” he reported, “including a half-empty box of sparklers and a partial case of BBQ lighter fluid bottles from one of those wholesale places. He’s got a pot he must love to burn things in.

No family photos. Nothing cheery—just a bleak basement apartment I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

The landlord upstairs said he’s a month behind on his rent but has been paying when he can.

Otherwise, he reports Neel never has company over and likes to stick to himself. ”

“Excellent. You and Hernandez help the CSIs take everything back to the bureau lab, and I want fingerprints, DNA, and that sparkler analysis ASAP. A journal?”

“Not yet. Still looking.”

“CSI Singleton?” Athena asked playfully. Everyone was due a break from the emotional rollercoaster this day had been. She could picture his face turning beet-red.

“Uh, yes, ma’am. She’s collecting those samples you want as we speak.”

“You and Hernandez can call it a day. Meet us at the hospital in the morning.”

“Are you sure? We can take turns watching Neel.”

Athena leaned back in her chair, noticing a pain in her lower back. “We’ve got it covered. Don’t blow away, and maybe you can babysit tomorrow night.”

As she clicked off her phone, Paulson announced, “Uncle says Neel spent four nights on his couch while he applied for jobs, covering the date of the Little Rock fire. I didn’t mention him burning down Knight’s Construction, and got the impression the uncle’s clueless.”

“Bouvier?”

She swiveled to Shoops, who peered at her hesitantly over the top rim of her glasses. “You’re going to want to see this.”