“Because she was right,” O’Riley firmly pronounced.
“Lieutenant Edwards,” Athena inquired, “why did your report flagrantly omit mentioning the V patterns on the office wall, the pile of curtains and burnable materials in and around a trash can, the accelerant’s odor, and the peculiar wire Cash discovered at the point of origin?”
Balling his hands into fists, Edwards hardened his expression toward Athena. “I didn’t smell anything. And V patterns are present at a lot of fires that aren’t arson. Why should a little wire stick be suspicious? I couldn’t have set that fire—I was on duty at the station when the call came in. Did you find a delayed detonator or any such thing? Why are you accusing me?”
“No one accused you of starting the fire,” Zapata said, holding out a hand to wave down his temper. “But it’s extremely suspicious that, even after having the evidence pointed out to you, you tried to pass this off as an accident of unknown origin.”
“Because that’s what it looked like to me,” Edwards argued. A glare from Chief Burks sent him back into his slumped posture. The lieutenant folded his arms over his chest and glowered.
“Maybe he’s just incompetent,” Athena commented in a dismissive tone, as if making an observation about the weather.
“I’m not incompetent!” he thundered in a rebuttal aimed at her.
“Lieutenant Edwards, do you have a problem with women in the HFD?” asked Inspector Ballard, who wore his same rank, though she was much younger.
“I, uh,I mean, no—certainly not,” he squirmed, shifting his hands to the table. “I mean, women are well-suited for many jobs in the HFD.”
“Just not on the ground fighting fires,” Athena supplied cooly. Her entire demeanor remained relaxed, in charge, and above the fray. She took a moment to study her manicure.
“Well,” he fudged uncomfortably, shrugging his shoulders. “You know, Chief. You’ve been around longer than I have.”
“Indeed,” replied Chief Burks with a nod. “I was around when it was nearly impossible for a Black man to join the fire department, much less gain a promotion. I respect how hard a woman must work in order to be respected and looked at as an equal.”
“That’s different,” Edwards insisted. “It’s clearly wrong to discriminate based on race or ethnicity, but a woman doesn’t have the same strength or stamina. I don’t want to see one get hurt or killed on the job, and I sure as hell don’t want the same to happen to me because a girl wants to play fireman and can’t cut it.”
“Tell me, Chief Burks,” Athena asked conversationally, “is there a separate standard for women to pass the fire academy training program?”
“No, actually, there’s not,” he replied. “Female candidates must pass the same rigorous training as men, including physical strength standards. I’m not sure what data Lieutenant Edwards is using to base his assumptions on.”
“OK,” Edwards admitted in frustration. “I’m sorry if I grew up believing men and women belong in different roles, and maybe I don’t like having a woman on my engine, but that’s a personal opinion that doesn’t interfere with me behaving professionally and doing my job.”
Athena had to bite her tongue to stop from bursting out in laughter; she couldn’t control the humorous twinkle lighting her eyes.
“I’m not so certain you do behave professionally,” Bonnie accused, her glare flashing with insult.
“No, you don’t understand,” Edwards rushed to defend himself. “I’m simply trying to establish my authority with the firefighters under my command here at Firehouse Eight. They’ve been without a lieutenant on engines since May. Engineer Aguilar, who was filling in for the role, was extremely popular with the crews. I’m new, and everyone acts like I don’t measure up to their old buddy. How will they ever respect me if, every time I turn around, I’m being shown up by a woman—a girl, practically?”
He brushed his palm over his stubbly hair, taking on an aspect of defeat. “I honestly didn’t think what she showed me proved arson, and, I guess, I didn’t want her to have spotted something I overlooked. I should have included her findings in my report, but I just wanted that impossibly arrogant woman to learn her place, to follow my lead, my orders … that’s all. I wasn’t trying to cover up anything or, God forbid, aid an arsonist.”
“You just didn’t want to be outdone by a woman,” Zapata concluded.
“You mean a highly decorated firefighter and asset to the Houston Fire Department,” Chief Burks added. “Edwards, are you even aware she was presented with an award of valor by the city?”
Lowering his gaze, his shoulders slumped, he muttered, “I knew she was Ms. March on the Firefighters’ Calendar.”
“A word of advice, Christopher,” O’Riley said. “Stop making assumptions or letting outdated prejudices get in your way. Pay attention to your firefighters and nurture them instead of competing with them. You can’t lead a team unless they know you’re part of the team too.”
“Take the rest of the shift off,” ordered Burks. “Jake, find some training courses for Edwards, if we’re going to salvage keeping him on as an officer. I’ve half a mind to demote him.”
“Yes, sir,” the two men replied at once.
“Please, Chief, give me another chance. I can do better. Iwilldo better.” Edwards almost looked sincere.
“See that you do,” Burks charged. Once Edwards left the room, he returned his attention to Athena. “So, a joint task force. Who do you want on it?”
“Us,” she responded. “The FBI, HFD, and the Fire Marshal’s Office. If we end up with any homicide victims locally—which I certainly hope we don’t—we’ll need to loop in HPD. Now, let’s talk about the specifics.”
The meeting proceeded smoothly as they discussed the aspects of the case and how to move forward in catching the perpetrator before he struck again. That was the biggest obstacle—no evidence pointing to an individual. Maybe the lab could narrow the sparkler employed down to a certain brand, but, even then, he had probably bought such an inexpensive item with cash. Leading up to the Fourth of July, tents had sprung up like weeds in parking lots all over town, run by seasonal vendors who didn’t keep records of sales.
