The chief opened the door and retrieved a pair of flashlights andhanded one to Leslie. The electricity had been cut off as soon as the fire was discovered. It would be dangerous to restore it now. Much of the warehouse would be dark. The chief lifted a box of hard hats, which Clint took from him, and then closed the door.
They walked over to where Paris and the other officers were waiting. Once pleasantries were exchanged and the protective headgear handed out, the group approached an open door.
“The manager gave us access to the warehouse,” Detective Paris explained. “He’s nearby and said he’d check in with us again before we left. You all know what areas you’re supposed to cover. We’re looking for anything that the shooter might have left behind. Bullet casings, firefighter gear, or anything else that seems out of place.”
Chief Menendez spoke up. “I got a call from the fire marshal last night. The investigators confirmed that kerosene was used to start the fire, and we all know this place is filled with enough paper to keep the fire going. The point of origin was at the southwest corner, which means our arsonist has likely been all over this building.”
Paris nodded. “He was either killed in the fire, or he likely slipped out long before we had a police presence on the property. That said, we’ve learned to assume nothing. Keep your head on a swivel and stick with your partners. We don’t need any lone wolves here today. Report anything and everything you find.”
They entered the building together. Once inside, Paris and Menendez discussed more aspects of the fire investigation as they moved off in one direction. The other four officers proceeded in pairs, leaving Clint and Leslie working as a team.
Clint took a flashlight from his belt and flickedit on. Leslie did the same with the one the chief had given her. Light from outside the door illuminated the entrance, but what filtered in was quickly swallowed by the darkness ahead. Memories of going into the warehouse with Danny collided with those from the nightmare last night, and the combination made Leslie hesitate.
Clint reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’ve got this.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed back before they dropped their physical connection and focused on the job ahead of them.
“Do you remember what direction you and Danny went? If we can, we need to find the room where the shooting took place.”
Everything looked different without the smoke or the fire glowing in the distance.
“We were searching for potentially missing employees. We took the area over there.” She shined her flashlight in the general direction. “We followed the hallways around to that far side of the building.”
“Okay, let’s start there.”
Chapter Sixteen
Clint gave Leslie enough space to lead as they slowly made their way down hallways and through rooms, scouring the area with their flashlights and looking for anything that stood out. The radio on his belt came to life occasionally as people reported in, and he did the same. So far, no one had found anything of importance in the last hour, but the warehouse they were searching was expansive. It could take some time to finish their investigation.
They went through a maze of hallways until they entered a larger area. Leslie, who had kept an even pace, suddenly stilled. She slowly looked around them as though she were trying to orient herself. Maybe even remember something. Clint waited silently, giving her the time she needed.
She glanced at him, and the haunted look in her eyes cut him to the core. In that moment, all he wanted to do was gather her in his arms and protect her from all of this. Memories of their kiss that morning made his need to shelter her even more intense.
“We saw the shooter for the first time here.” She turned again and pointed her flashlight into the hallway on the right. “He was standing over there and waving his arms to get our attention. Keyes and Cho were working to get one of the employees out of the building. For a moment, I thought it might be one of them who needed help. It was impossible to identify him in the dim light and smoke. He looked like any other firefighter.”
It made sense. The headlamps alone would make it difficult to see the man’s face inside his helmet or even notice that the name badge was missing from his jacket. “What happened next?”
“I said something over the radio. I don’t remember what—maybe asking if something was wrong. Danny must have thought it was Keyes or Cho, too, because he immediately went toward him. I followed.”
Cautiously, she continued in that direction. The hallway ended with an open doorway on the right. Leslie stepped through it, shifted slightly to her left, and stopped. Clint moved to stand beside her.
“Here. This is where he shot Danny.” Her flashlight illuminated several water jugs against one wall. “I remember seeing the water. I don’t know why that stuck out. Maybe because of the fire.” She motioned to the ceiling high above them. “The glow from the fire reflected off the metal.”
Clint illuminated the room with his flashlight. A water cooler sat against the far wall, along with a short counter that held a coffee maker and a microwave. A small table was set up in one corner. It was a breakroom, and the door they came in was the only way in or out of the room.
“When I came around the corner, Danny was over to the right, and the shooter was standing in the middle of theroom with his gun aimed at him. As soon as I came in, Danny moved to stand between us.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t see much after that. Danny tried to get him to calm down, and I heard the gun go off moments later.”
Leslie lowered her flashlight to the floor where a reddish-brown stain marred the concrete. “He fell right there. I ran and dropped to his side. The shooter walked away. He didn’t try to shoot me, and he didn’t run. He walked out of the room as if he didn’t have a care in the world.” Her gaze slid from the spot to the wall across the room.
Clint placed a hand on the back of her neck, his thumb gently rubbing the tense muscles coiled beneath his hand. “You’ve done an amazing job.” He picked up his radio and spoke into it. “Granger and I have located the site of the shooting. It’s a breakroom about halfway down the building on the east side. Beginning to look for evidence now.”
“Copy that.”
He gave Leslie’s shoulder a squeeze. “I’m going to take some pictures for evidence, and then we need to go through the room. See if we can find the casing from the bullet. We know this guy has been careful to wear gloves, but he may not have thought about it when he loaded the gun.”
She looked at him, her eyes focused with determination. “If there’s even a chance there could be a partial print on that casing, then we need to find it.”
He nodded once and pointed his flashlight at one area of the room. “Given where the shooter was standing, it’s most likely over there, although it could’ve rolled anywhere.”
