Victoria pulled her coat’s collar up over her nose. The scent of the smoke permeated the air in her neighborhood. The fire was out, but firemen still filled her house. Katy and Trinity had arrived fifteen minutes after Victoria and Seth. They’d been headed home from Lacey’s and had stopped, the street blocked by fire trucks.
Katy wrapped her arms around Trinity as she stared at Victoria’s smoking home.
The home didn’t look too bad from the outside. The fire had been put out quickly. There was probably more smoke and water damage inside the home than anything else. Thank goodness there were companies that specialized in cleaning up that sort of mess.
It’s just a house. Things can be replaced.
She sucked in a deep breath.
The firemen had made a disaster in the front yard, which had already been a swamp from the constant rains. Smoke scarred the outside walls where it had poured out the front window. Bulky shadows of men moved inside while others tramped in and out of the home, putting away their equipment.
A small crowd had gathered in the street, under the protection of the giant firs, avoiding the pounding rain. Katy had run to her house and returned with three oversized umbrellas, standard equipment for life in Portland.
Seth held one over his and Victoria’s heads, his other arm wrapped around her shoulders, watching the movements of the firemen. “What a fucking mess,” he muttered.
She nodded. It was an understatement. How long would it take to get her house back to livable shape? How would they remove the scent of smoke?
“They said something containing an accelerant had been thrown through the window. It was deliberate,” Seth added.
Victoria numbly nodded again. “Arson” was the word on everyone’s lips now. The firemen hadn’t let her in the house yet. They’d promised she could go in to collect a few things soon. Would any of her clothes be wearable? Katy had immediately informed her she’d be staying with them. In a mind fog, she’d agreed.
As if she could sleep tonight.
What a horrible day. For all of them. A deep shudder sped through her body, and Seth pulled her closer. “Cold?” he asked.
“Yes.” It was a good enough reason. Seth was like a furnace. She could feel his body heat seep through his coat and into hers, warming her skin. She needed more of it. Most of her body was freezing. Even her brain felt like it’d been lightly coated with ice; it was numb. Watching Seth pound on the door of the burning home had raised a level of alarm in her that she’d never experienced. He hadn’t been in much danger, but seeing him run toward the fire as she stayed back had ripped a raw spot on her heart.
She’d wanted to keep him safe. And the lack of control over the situation hadn’t sat well with her. She’d been shaking by the time he’d returned from investigating the back of the home. While he’d been out of her sight and she’d spoken with the 911 operator, she’d never felt so powerless.
What was he doing to her? Part of her wanted to shove his arm off her shoulders, while the other half of her wanted to burrow deep into his coat and hide her face, pretending nothing bad was happening.
He pulled out his phone and started subtly taking pictures of the people who were watching.
“What are you doing?” she whispered. She had a hunch, but why didn’t he leave it to the investigators?
“Fire starters like to see their handiwork,” he stated. “I haven’t noticed anyone else shooting the crowd yet. Why wait? I’ll offer the pictures later.”
Three police cars and two fire trucks blocked her street. Not many people were gawking. It was about the number she’d expect on her quiet street at one in the morning. Several people were headed back into their homes. The excitement over for the night.
“If I was setting a fire, I wouldn’t stand and watch where someone could notice me.”
“They like to try to blend into the crowds. We had a serial firebug two years ago in Sacramento.” He pressed his lips into a tight line, and Victoria wondered how many burned bodies he’d dealt with.
“It started off with empty buildings and rapidly escalated. I spent some time reading up on what makes these guys tick.”
“I’ve never understood the appeal.”
“It’s control and excitement factors. With the single act of lighting a match, they can regulate events that aren’t normally controlled. They manage to orchestrate the fire, the exciting arrival of the loud fire engines, the creation of the fascinated crowds, and the thrill of the destruction. At first they’re satisfied with property destruction. But many move on to destruction of life. They get a taste of the excitement and need to feed it. It takes more and more to satisfy their needs.”
“Christ. It’s like a serial killer who can’t stop killing.”
“Very similar. Sometimes there’s even a sexual release that comes with seeing their power—”
“That’s enough.” Victoria cut him off. She didn’t need to hear about that aspect. She had enough on her mind.
Seth raised a brow at her. “Too much for you?”
“No. Some things I don’t need to research. I work in the ME’s office, I hear enough about the deviants out there. And see some of their results.”
“It’s really a fascinating area of study.”
“I’m good. Thanks. I’ll stick to bones.” She sought for a topic change and glanced at the dwindling crowd. “I think most of these people are my neighbors.”
“You think?”
“I haven’t met everyone. And even the ones I have, I don’t recognize unless they’re standing in front of their house. Occasionally someone will greet me in the grocery store, and I’ll be totally lost about how I know them.”
“She’s getting better. Didn’t know anyone for the first year she was here.” A new voice entered their conversation. “Everyone okay? No one got hurt?”
Victoria turned to see her neighbor, Jeremy. He held a small umbrella over his gray head. He wore a brightly colored housecoat and rubber boots. The sight of the man gave her heart a much-needed happy jump.
“Seth, this is my neighbor, Jeremy. No one was home, thank goodness.”
The men shook hands.
“Seth Rutledge. I work with Victoria,” Seth added.
“You the new medical examiner?”
“Not yet. I’m currently in the middle of a working interview for the position.”
Sharp eyes studied Seth as he placed his arm back around Victoria’s shoulders. She tried not to cringe. Jeremy was always threatening to introduce her to the straight men he knew, but she always declined. “Soooo, I guess I missed quite a bit while I was laid up with that bug.”
Seth gave his slow half smile. “Don’t tell me you’re the person to ask about the latest goings-on in Tori’s life.”
Jeremy’s eyes narrowed. “Tori, eh? Sounds like you and I need to have a glass of wine and a long talk, Dr. Rutledge.”
“Deal.”
“Not tonight, we won’t,” Victoria quickly added. “You’re not a hundred percent yet, Jeremy. And I don’t like you running around in the middle of the night in the cold.”
“Heck. I don’t sleep anymore at my age, anyway.” He met Seth’s gaze. “See how she mothers me? Doesn’t let a man have any fun.”
“Did you see the fire before the fire department got here?” Victoria asked, shifting his focus away from herself. “Hear or see anyone around?”
Jeremy shook his head. “Nothing. I was watching TV and didn’t know anything was up until the trucks came screeching up the street. Who called it in?”
“We did. Seth was driving me home when I spotted it.”
“Home, eh?” The old man’s eyes sparkled in the dim light.
“Stop that,” Victoria ordered. She felt a laugh rumble through Seth’s chest.
“Victoria, I think we’re ready to go,” Katy said as she and Trinity approached. Trinity looked exhausted and half-dead on her feet.
“I’ll be there as soon as they let me grab a few things,” Victoria said.
Trinity seemed deflated, like half the oxygen had been sucked out of her cells. The girl was in desperate need of sleep. Victoria moved out from under Seth’s arm, feeling the cold air wash over the spots he’d warmed. She touched Trinity’s arm. The girl met her gaze and gave a wan smile. “You two head to the house. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Wait a minute, Ms. Peres?” One of the firemen stepped up to their circle.
“Yes?” Victoria said.
The fireman glanced at the group. “I need to ask you about something we found inside. We’re wondering if it belongs to you.”
“What’s that?”
“Maybe you could step aside with me for a minute?”
Victoria looked at her neighbors and Seth. “There’s no one here to hide anything from. What did you find?”
“We think the window was broken with a large rock we found inside. Then they threw in an accelerant in some sort of lit glass bottle.”
“Right. They told me this already,” Victoria said impatiently.
“Did you have any bones in that front room?” the fireman asked.
“Bones? No. You found bones? Like someone was in there?” Victoria’s brain shot into high alert.
Trinity gasped.
“No, not a body. Just a skull. Looks real, but I’m no expert.”
“I am,” said Victoria firmly. “Let me see it.”
The fireman raised an eyebrow at her. “This skull was on the floor close to where the fire started. If it didn’t belong to you, it was probably thrown in with the accelerant. Now it’s evidence.”
“Dr. Peres is the forensic anthropologist for the medical examiner’s office,” Seth interjected before Victoria could speak. “The skull will probably end up in her hands for confirmation anyway. Let her save you some time and tell you if they’re human or fake.”
The fireman studied Victoria for a long moment. “Okay. One look. No touching.” He turned and raised a hand to another fireman by the truck, gesturing for him to bring something over. The second man walked over with a large paper bag and handed it to the first. He opened it for Victoria to peer inside. Her heart speeding up, she peeked in the bag. Too dark. She smelled a familiar scent. Burned bone. Seth held up his cell phone and shone its light in the bag.
A woman’s skull glowed. Its lack of brow ridges and small size stated its sex. Its fused seams and teeth stated its maturity.
I knew it.
A small part of her knew it would turn out to be one of her skulls.
Whoever had burned her house had stolen her bones. But why?
“It’s human. Female,” she reported. “And please contact Detective Callahan at OSP, because I suspect it’s related to a case he’s working on.”
“What?” The fireman and Katy spoke at the same time. Jeremy took a step closer to look in the bag, shaking his head. Victoria noticed Seth was silent and knew he’d had the same suspicions as she.
“Just one skull? That was all?” Seth asked.
The fireman nodded, an odd look on his face. “You expected more?”
Seth shrugged.
“It was stolen from your lab?” Katy asked Victoria. She looked stricken. “Why was it thrown in your house along with starting a fire?”
Victoria had no answer. The fireman left with his bag and startling information. Victoria’s mind spun. Why? Why return the skull like that? Assuming it’s one of the skulls that was taken. She wouldn’t know for certain until she compared it to the photos and X-rays. But why would they steal it and then return it?
“Does someone know where you live?” Seth said under his breath for her ears only.
“I don’t know.” Her brain hurt. “I need to talk to Callahan.”
“We’re heading in,” Katy said. “We both need bed.”
“Go ahead,” said Victoria. “I’ll be right there.”
The two women walked away. Trinity’s feet dragged in her boots.
Victoria turned back to Seth and Jeremy. “I need to go. Seth, I’ll see you tomorrow. Jeremy, get back to bed.”
“Yes, Tori.” Jeremy winked at her with his use of Seth’s nickname. “Good to meet you, Dr. Rutledge.” He headed in the direction of his house.
Victoria didn’t have the energy to reprimand him. Does it really matter? She sighed, placing all thoughts of the skull out of her head. There was nothing she could do about it tonight. She looked at her ruined home and tried not to cry. There was nothing she could do about that tonight either.
She’d check in with the police tomorrow. And find someone to clean up her house. The mental checklist to restore her home came to a screeching halt. Tomorrow. Take care of it tomorrow. She was too exhausted to think about it.
She looked up at Seth, seeking a distraction from the voices in her head. It was nice to have to look up at a man. Most men were about the same height as her or a little shorter. Something about a taller man made her feel a bit feminine. Few things did.
He rested the umbrella against his shoulder, angling it to keep the both of them dry, and met her gaze, studying her face.
For a long moment, Victoria didn’t hear the mumblings of the firemen and onlookers. The rain splashing on the street was the only sound. Seth’s eyes were dark in the poor light, and she wished she could see their beautiful blue shade. How many times had they stood like this on campus long ago? It felt completely familiar and comforting.
She didn’t want to let him go home.
Seth reached out a hand and brushed back her hair. “The rain sparkles in your hair.”
“It makes it frizz,” Victoria added unhelpfully. What a stupid statement.
Seth’s smile grew. “I remember how you hated the dampness in the air at school sometimes.” His brows angled down. “I remember a lot of things. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday, our days together. I have to think hard to remember a lifetime has passed. That Eden has grown from a toddler into a young woman. Almost the same age you were when we met. How is that possible? My daughter is still a girl. You were a woman.”
“I suspect it is all in the eyes of the beholder.”
He smoothed her hair again. “Tori…”
She closed her eyes at his touch on her hair and the memories washed over her. He’d loved to touch her long hair. So many nights they’d spent together simply watching TV in bed while he ran his fingers through her hair. It’d been soothing and relaxing. After they’d split up, she’d struggled to fall asleep for months and suspected part of her issue had been the loss of the soothing gesture before she slept.
She felt him gather her hair into his fist at the back of her neck and gently tug her head backward. She arched her head back, her eyes still closed. Rain hit her forehead and eyelids, shocking her with its chill. He must have moved the umbrella, because more drops hit her mouth and neck. She shuddered and parted her lips.