“Done.”
“Okay. Good.”
The drive to the station was a short one and they parked at the curb in front.
“I’ll run these up to the lab if you want,” Dan said, locking he car. “You can get us a table or a booth.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’d better hand carry these babies myself.” Every now and then Dan handed over evidence for her but she was so itchy and antsy about these fires she wasn’t letting anything out of her hands until they’d caught whoever was doing this.
“Are you saying you don’t trust me?” His tone of voice was only half joking.
“Not at all. But this is my job and I need to make sure I have total chain of custody.” She frowned at him. “You can understand that right? You have the same thing.”
“I do, and you’re right.” Any resentment or irritation disappeared form his face. “I’ll take care of the booth. Meet you in a few.”
Randi was very specific when she logged the nylon bags in with Tran.
“Run every test possible, to determine if any of the accelerants or ILS compounds are related/ If one could appear as another or mask another. I’ll be doing the burn patterns again in a little while.”
“Randi, you’re going to kill yourself,” he cautioned, “but I know you. You’ll run full out until you get this solved. That’s what makes you so good.”
“Thanks for that.” She paused. “When do you think you’ll have something for me?”
“The captain has said to make this a priority so tomorrow at the latest.”
“Good. And thanks. A lot. Really.”
“I’ll get right on it,” Tran assured her. “I want to get this bastards as much as you do.”
*****
“How goes it?”
Noah looked up from his cell hone as Jeff dropped into the seat across the table from him.
“Better than I figured, not as good as I’d like.” He gave his friend a rueful grin. “About the way it usually goes.”
The waitress came by to take Jeff’s drink order and leave them menus. Noah had chosen to meet at the River Walk, the number one tourist attraction in Texas and a place he had always loved. Paved walkways wound around on both sides of the narrow San Antonio River, lines with restaurants and shops and other business that were tourist-oriented. Casa Rio, where the two men were having lunch, was the first place he’d ever taken Randi. They had come back frequently and today he wanted to relive those memories as well as feel the connection. He had a lot of work to do to repair his relationship with her and he hoped this place would inspire him.
They made small talk while they studied the menus, then ordered lunch. The mechanics out of the way, Jeff leaned forward with questioning look on his face.
“Okay, give. I want a report.”
Noah set his cell phone down. “Sorry, just looking for a text. Well, not a whole lot to tell although I have what could turn out to be a very good lead if I could put the pieces together. I need to see a couple more people this afternoon.”
“That’s terrific, but I really want the dirt on you and Randi. That text last night that you were leaving and taking her home really ramped up my curiosity.”
Noah laughed. “What, are we in high school or something? I’m not into gossip.”
“I don’t want gossip.” Jeff’s face lost the smile, replaced by a sober expression. “I want to know if last night went well. If there’s a chance you can get your head out of your ass and get back together with her.”
“Oh. Well. That.” Noah leaned back and blew out a breath.
“Yeah, that. Give.”
Noah rubbed his jaw, trying to find the right words. “Let’s say I think it could be a good possibility.”
“Wow. That’s about as noncommittal an answer as I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s because I don’t have another one.” He swallowed some of his cold drink. “Last night was great, but I want more than one night for her. And I want her to know I’m there for her. That she’s very important to me.”
“And have you come to terms with where the two of you would live and what she’s chosen as a career?”
“Where we’d live is no longer a problem. I spoke to my assignment editor before I left New York. I’m solid enough at the news agency plus we’re such an electronic world that I can relocate if I want to. Once a month meetings in New York and that’s it.”
“And the other?” Jeff pushed.
Noah blew out a breath. “That’s all on me. If I want her—and I do—I have to figure out how to live with what she does for a living and not make her miserable over it.”
“At least she’s not running into active fires any more,” Jeff pointed out.
“But some of these firebugs are dangerous,” Noah objected. “I’ve heard stories, too, about investigators going into buildings and the arsonist setting another fire to get rid of them.”
“She could get killed in an auto accident just as easily,” Jeff told him. “Maybe if you talked to her about her job, got the particulars so you understood it better?”
Noah shrugged. “Maybe.” No maybe about it.
“So what’s up with your story?”
They paused while the waitress delivered their plates and they took a moment to sample a few bites of food.
Noah washed his food down with a swallow of iced tea and cleared his throat.
“I stumbled over something when I was at city hall trying to chase down who the owners of the various properties were and if there is any connection.”
“See there?” Jeff poked a tortilla chip loaded with guacamole at him. “Randi could have
