Athena’s eyes brightened. “Well, aren’t you Johnny on the spot? Thanks.”
“I went ahead and got us a search warrant for Neel’s residence, vehicle, finances, and health records,” Paulson reported. “Easy approval after you caught him red-handed, so to speak.”
“Good. Ice, Hernandez,” Athena specified, swiveling toward her trusty muscle. “Pull in a couple of CSIs and turn his place upside down. Look for a journal, store of accelerants, and especially sparklers. We need the lab to make a positive match for the ones found at the fires.”
“We’re on it, Bouvier,” Ice replied. He nudged Hernandez, whispering loud enough for her to hear. “Tag Patty Singleton from Trace and DNA. I’ve been wanting to ask her out.”
Athena rolled her eyes behind their backs as the two hustled toward the exit.
“Flash.” Shifting her attention to the member of the group she most wanted to focus on, Athena issued another assignment. “Could you contact Captain O’Riley and Investigator Ballard and fill them in?”
“Sure thing,” she answered brightly, eager to help. Flash’s willingness to chip in brought a smile to Athena’s lips as she watched her move to a corner and pull out her phone.
“What about us?” Shoops asked, nervously twirling her fingers in front of her black vest.
Catching the desk clerk’s attention, Athena inquired, “Do you have a room somewhere we can work from? The storm will be raging for hours out there, and we need to monitor our prisoner’s progress.”
“Let me check.” She made a phone call, then gave instructions. “Out those double doors and down the hallway to the left, third door on the right. It’s a consultation room not currently in use. The hospital administrator said it’s yours as long as you need it.”
“Thank you. Let’s go.”
Agents Paulson, Campbell, and Shoops followed Athena to the room. “I’ll brave the rain to pull the van around under the canopy. That’ll offer some shelter while we unload what we need.”
“Both my laptops and a couple of big monitors. We can hang them there,” Paulson said, pointing at the still-life prints.
“I’ll wait at thedoor and help you bring everything in,” Shoops offered. “I’ll need a laptop too.”
“And I need to update Mr. Smith.” Athena took out her phone and punched in the number.
An hour later, Athena and her team sat around a small table, minus their Kevlar, deep in research mode, while Flash played games on her phone. “Dang,” she muttered, turning off the screen. “Only 8% battery, and I didn’t bring a charger.”
Athena glanced up. “You should go home, or at least over to the firehouse to check on Snuffles. She might be afraid without you, with all this wind and driving rain.”
A dissatisfied look crossed Flash’s face, and she exhaled a bored sigh. “Yeah, I’ll text for an Uber.”
“I can drive you in the van,” Campbell volunteered. “It isn’t far.”
Flash held up a hand, shaking her head. “I’m not going to take you away from your work. I know you’ve got a ton of loose ends to tie, none of which I can help with. Athena’s right. Snuffles needs me. Plus, with the other shift out handling all the extra calls I know they’re getting, I can whip up a meal for them. Chief Burks will appreciate an extra hand.” She passed Athena a questioning look.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be here,” Athena admitted. “I’ll call later when we find out more.”
“OK.” Flash slipped her phone into her pocket and bolted from her seat like she was off to the races. One thing the woman couldn’t stand: sitting idle.
Flash opened the door and turned back around, pride shining on her sweet face. “I enjoyed getting to watch you work. Neel might have thought he’d stop you in your tracks, but he sure met his match in you.”
“Thanks, Flash. It was a team effort.”
“Yeah, don’t forget us!” Campbell joked, prodding a laugh out of Flash.
“And Athena?” she threw over her shoulder on her way out.
“I know,” she sang back to her. “Be careful driving whenever we venture out. Horrible conditions, terrible drivers, falling branches and power lines. You forget—I’ve weathered more hurricanes than you have.”
“Yeah, and you get lax about them,” she smirked. Her heart growing with a sudden burst of love, Athena ached to rush to the doorway, wrap her arms around Flash, and kiss her silly.
“Hey!” she countered in teasing offense instead. Then she gazed at Flash admiringly. “You did good work today and were an invaluable asset.”
Her grin slouched into a frown. “I should have spotted the camera, the all-too-convenient piles of burnable junk, what he had rigged up in the office.”
