“An update from Clint. I need to speak to the chief. Then it’s something everyone needs to see.”
Ten minutes later, Menendez had everyone gather in the meeting room. Leslie had sent the picture of King to his phone, and he had it up on the large smart board.
“Some of you may recognize this man. His name is Christopher King. When we responded to the fire at the warehouse, he was the security guard who was unaccounted for. Keyes and Cho, you located him and were able to get him out of the warehouse safely. However, it has now come to the attention of the DPD that King may have had a hand in setting the fire and informing the suspect who shot Bracken when we got to the building.”
Angry murmurs filled the room as everyone spoke of their disbelief.
Jin stood from his chair. “You’re telling me that idiot may have had us in there looking for him for no reason? Did he start the fire?”
“Is he in police custody?”
“Do we know who actually shot Danny?”
Menendez raised his hand to try to quiet the group. “First of all, we have to remember that these are just allegations at this point. The DPD is still working on getting solid evidence. Until then, they didn’t have enough to charge him, and they’re hoping he’ll lead them to the shooter or they’ll be able to find irrefutable proof that he was involved.” He walked over and tapped the TV screen. “If he knew what was good for him, guilty or not, he’d stay holedup in his house somewhere out of sight. But if you see him, whether here at the station or at any call-out locations, we need to know about it immediately.”
The chief took a moment to meet each of their eyes before speaking again. “It’s imperative that this information stays within the department. Is that understood?”
Everyone acknowledged his orders. Bryce was just about to ask a question when the station alarm sounded.
They were the closest station to a residential fire. A shop behind the house was involved, and there was concern that the fire could jump to the house or even possibly the neighbor’s house.
Their engine company was activated, and within minutes, they were driving out of the station, their lights flashing and siren blaring.
As she always did, Leslie said a prayer that her fellow firefighters would stay safe.
Menendez went back to his office to take a phone call. That left Leslie, Bryce, Chet, and Jin to wander to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure any of them were hungry, but the weight of knowing about King was a lot to deal with.
Chet pulled a plate of chocolate chip cookies from the fridge and set them on the counter. Leslie grabbed one and took a bite, but even the chocolate barely registered as it hit her tongue.
Jin flopped into a chair with a growl. “I hate that this makes me second-guess everything.” He addressed Leslie. “I mean, did the guy go way into the back of the warehouse just to draw us away from you and Danny? Was it the luck of the draw—and if we’d swapped search areas, would it have been me and Keyes who were targeted?”
“I don’t know.” Thinking about the possibilities gaveLeslie a headache. “I wish we knew something definitively. None of this makes sense.”
Jin glowered as he ate a cookie in two bites and reached for another.
The station alarm sounded again, and this time the alert came up on Leslie’s phone along with the rest of the ladder company.
Cookies abandoned, they put on their gear and made their way to the ladder truck for a call-out to a structure fire on the edge of town, not far from the station. A large barn was on fire, and it was filled with hay and feed.
Leslie knew from experience that the entire thing was going to go up in minutes because of how flammable the contents of the barn were. But they needed to get the fire put out before it spread to any fields or structures nearby.
Minutes later, they were on their way with Bryce behind the wheel.
Leslie stared at Danny’s empty spot, and her heart ached. She had to remind herself that he was going to be okay. Soon, they’d be working together again, and the people who put him in the hospital would be behind bars.
“Granger.” Chet’s voice came over communications.
Her gaze snapped away from Danny’s seat to find Chet watching her in the rearview mirror from the passenger seat up front. As the ladder company officer, he was the one who kept them running efficiently.
“I need your head in the game. Are you good?”
He was right. She needed to focus so she could do her job and not be a liability for her company.
“I’m good, Lieutenant.”
With a single nod, he turned his attention back on the road in front of them.
The fire was located on a family farm that was down several small roads once they got off the highway. As they approached the farm, the owners had already opened the large double gate and were waving them in. As soon as the truck made it through, the couple got onto their ATV and followed.
