Page 13 of Forged By Fire (Danger in Destiny #9)
Chapter Thirteen
M enendez had been right. Chief Caradec wasn’t especially thrilled to welcome Clint into his office, but when Leslie introduced herself, a little of that stony exterior seemed to crack.
She couldn’t blame him, though. If someone entered her station with potential accusations, she’d be on the defensive as well.
The men and women she worked with were a family of sorts, and they protected their own.
“I wish I could tell you exactly when the equipment went missing. It’s been at least a month.
But Ortiz was dismissed a year ago, so if he is the one who took it, I don’t understand why the delay.
” Chief Caradec stood from his chair and crossed the room to a window that overlooked the area in front of Station Four.
“We had several sets of gear that we retired either due to wear and tear or because it had been more than ten years since it was manufactured. Very little of it was still serviceable and was sent to be disposed of.” He turned and leaned against the windowsill.
“Clearly, someone did take the gear, but it had to be somewhere between here and its destination. If it was Ortiz, he didn’t leave on a good note.
There’s no way he could’ve gotten back into the station without someone noticing and reporting the incident. ”
It'd be nearly impossible to determine at what point the equipment had been swiped. Even if it had been caught on camera, that would have been an almost impossible amount of footage to go through.
Leslie nodded her head, hoping that Caradec would understand that they were on his side. “What were your impressions of Ortiz?”
Caradec shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe it all happened in the first place.
“He was a nice enough guy. He made it through everything—the medical examinations, the interviews, the evaluations, and the academy—but all by a narrow margin. He wasn’t especially personable, but then not everyone can be the class clown.
People either seemed to really like him, or they were offended by him.
There wasn’t much in between. To be honest, I had my doubts when he started working here, but I wanted to give him a chance. Everyone deserves that much.”
Clint made several notes. “How long did he serve here?”
“It wasn’t quite eight months. We started noticing things missing maybe two months after he came on board.
They were little things that we kept chalking up to accidents or a prank.
Things that didn’t really matter in the long run, like the stapler or pepper shaker.
That went on for several months. I think we all suspected something was going on, but we couldn’t prove it.
It wasn’t until a smartwatch and a framed photo disappeared that I knew there was more to it.
” Caradec returned to his chair and sat down.
“We tried to catch the thief in action. I’ll hand it to Ortiz.
The guy was good. We didn’t catch him until he was trying to carry a set of turnout gear to a buddy parked behind the station. ”
Clint tapped the back of his pen against his notepad. “Did he ever admit to the thefts?”
“Yes. I have to give him credit for that. It wouldn’t be easy to stand in front of your peers and admit that you stole from them. Not only that, but he swore that he felt so guilty each time that he’d either given everything away or tossed it. Said he didn’t deserve to keep them for himself.”
Leslie frowned. For some of those personal items that had been stolen, it must have been frustrating and disheartening to know they might have simply been tossed into the garbage.
Caradec cleared his throat and continued.
“Needless to say, he lost his job that day. Ortiz seemed devastated, and we quickly learned about his kleptomania. He ended up checking into a rehab facility for a while. Honestly, it didn’t seem right to press charges at the time.
Now, however, I’m thinking we probably should have.
Either way, he’ll never work as a firefighter again.
I haven’t seen or spoken to him in almost a year. ”
That seemed to satisfy Clint. He made several more notes then slipped his notepad into a pocket along with his pen. “Is there anyone on duty now who worked with him? If so, we’d like to speak to them. Get their impressions as well. If you don’t think it’d be too much of a disturbance.”
They ended up talking to three different firefighters who had worked directly with Ortiz.
All had similar reports to what Caradec said.
Ortiz was an odd guy who either really connected with another person or came off as annoying or obnoxious.
None of them suspected kleptomania until it’d officially come to light.
If there was one thing everyone agreed on, it was that they couldn’t picture the man becoming violent.
Leslie had thought this visit to Station Four would bring some things into perspective. Instead, she came away feeling even more confused.
“It’s quite a jump to go from kleptomania to arson and attempted murder.” Apparently, Clint had been thinking along the same lines. “I’m sure it’s possible. A lot can happen in a year—a year in Ortiz’s life that we know nothing about.”
She looked at the time. It was after five in the evening. “What now? We wait?”
“Unfortunately, it’s all we can do.”
It was not knowing how long they were going to have to wait for answers that got to Leslie. “I need to check in with my sister and see how she’s doing. She’s had a rough go of it lately, and my brother-in-law is likely out of town again.”
“Wow, it must be hard on her with him gone so much.”
“It is. His workaholic tendencies are a sore subject between them. I do my best to try and stay out of it, but it’s not always easy.”
Clint looked like he wanted to say something else and thought better of it. “How do you and your sister feel about fried chicken?”
His question was so random that Leslie stared at him for a moment.
He laughed, the sound rumbly and low. “We could go by and pick up a bucket and sides and take it to your sister’s place. Eat there, if you want to.”
“That’s actually a very sweet idea. The thing is, Cindy doesn’t know a whole lot about what’s going on.
I told her about Danny, and I’m sure she’s seen some of that on the news.
I also texted her today and told her about the break-in at my house.
” She pulled the seat belt over her shoulder and secured it.
“I haven’t mentioned anything about the creepy picture or that there might be a connection between what’s going on with me and what happened at the warehouse. ”
“I won’t say a word. But if you feel like my being there might make her worry, I completely understand.”
Her nieces would probably get a kick out of eating dinner with a real police officer, especially since Clint was wearing his uniform. It’d be good to see Cindy and the girls. Plus, she was starving.
“Let me call and make sure she doesn’t have any other plans.”
Cindy had been about to make macaroni and cheese for dinner, and apparently the opportunity to have a conversation with other adults sounded like heaven. She jumped at the idea. Leslie had been right—Peter was out of town for the next three days.
Half an hour later, they arrived at Cindy’s house. They’d barely pulled up to the curb when the front door slammed open and five-year-old Izzy came running down the walkway, her bare feet slapping the concrete.
Leslie got out of the car and scooped her niece into her arms. “You must’ve been watching for us, huh?”
Izzy nodded but kept her wide eyes on Clint as he got out of the car and started pulling bags of food from the back seat. “Who’s that?”
“That’s my friend, Officer Clint.”
“Izzy! What have I told you about closing the door behind you?” Cindy stood in the open doorway, her hands on her hips, and two-year-old Bree in her arms. “Your sister could follow you and get hurt or lost.”
“Sorry, Mama.” Izzy spared her mom a glance as Leslie set her back down .
Clint closed the door and smiled down at the little girl. “Do you want to help me take the food in?”
Izzy looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded.
He handed her a small plastic bag with handles. She clutched it close and carefully carried it inside as though it might hold something precious.
Clint waited for Leslie to lead the way. As they approached the door, she introduced her sister and youngest niece.
“He’s Auntie’s boyfriend,” Izzy declared as she marched right past her mom and into the house.