“You got us out safely and, even though he’s still bitching about it, you saved Simon’s life. One day, I hope he’ll thank you. Today, I will. Thanks, Flash.”
“Well,” she flushed. “Seeing how attached to you Snuffles has become, I really had no choice.” A wink and a grin, and Flash was gone.
Soon after, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the doctor from the ER. “I’ve ordered Simon Neel to be admitted to a private room on the sixth floor, between two empty rooms at the far end of the hall. Your Agent Howard is escorting him up. I gave him a hefty dose of morphine for the pain, so he’ll probably fall asleep, but you can talk to him now or when he wakes up.”
Athena’s jaw tightened, lips pressed in a hard line. “How long until it wears off? I can’t legally interrogate him while he’s under the influence of drugs or heavy medication.”
“If he’s lucky, not until tomorrow morning,” the doctor replied.
“Fine,” Athena clipped. “We’ll require cots. We aren’t leaving until I’m able to conduct a proper interview.”
Slack-jawed, the middle-aged ER doctor blinked at her. “If that’s what the FBI must do,” he finally said. “The room won’t accommodate five cots, but we have an intern bunk room—”
“It will do,” Athena quickly confirmed. “What’s Neel’s prognosis?”
“I’m not qualified to officially comment on his mental condition, which you know is fragile, but physically he’s in no danger of dying. Scarring, yes, and he could benefit from skin grafting surgery. Unfortunately, Mr. Neel currently has no medical insurance. Hewas insured through his former place of employment but let his policy lapse after leaving Nutty Smooth. Federal unemployment benefits don’t include health care coverage, and it appears the patient never applied for the ACA.”
Yeah,Athena thought,Simon is screwed again. The prison system won’t pay for skin grafts, and, honestly, they shouldn’t have to. He’ll just have to live with his scars. I’m more concerned with the emotional scars that pushed him into committing multiple counts of arson.
“Thank you,” was all Athena could say. “We’ll take turns watching him until he’s lucid enough for an official interview in the morning.”
“I wish I could do more,” the doctor added, seeming genuine, “but I don’t make the rules. If it was something vital to the FBI’s case, the hospital might make an exception and wave the charges.”
Athena shook her head. “As long as he’s in no risk of dying and healthy enough to go to trial. His face wasn’t affected, and any other scars could be hidden in long sleeves in front of a jury.”
The doctor frowned. “I can’t believe anyone would do that to themselves. Anyway, there’ll be a patient waiting for me by now. Talk to you later, and good luck.”
Returning to the table, Athena continued to pour through files on her laptop, lamenting Neel’s tortured situation.I hear severe burns like that are terribly painful. Did his victims feel it, or did the smoke get to them first? Flash said that smoke inhalation kills most fire casualties before the flames ever reach them.
“Bingo!” Paulson shouted, a triumphant grin on his face. “I’ve tied Neel to the Knight’s Construction Company fire.” All attention shifted to the senior agent. “It wasn’t in the records, but the manager remembers. Little Rock FBI agents interviewed key employees, and the guy in charge of hiring recognized his photo. Neel came in and applied for a job the day before the fire and was turned down. I also dug up another nugget—he has an uncle in Little Rock.”
“Call him,” Athena directed. “He might lie to cover for his nephew, but, if we can get him to admit Simon was in town job-hunting, we’ll havemotive, means, and opportunity for that fire. Good work.”
Athena paused, replaying their confrontation in the alley. “There’s something else we’re missing,” she mused aloud, tapping a polished nail to her chin. “Neel started carrying on about being betrayed. Did he just mean by these companies for refusing to hire him? Had someone promised he’d get a job, then ghosted him? Or is it something else?”
“Maybe Jolene Carver dumping him,” Shoops suggested. “Maybe they’d formed some sort of pact to burn down their places of employment, only Jolene didn’t follow through, forcing him to start the fire at Synergy Warehouse Collective when she chickened out.”
“That could play.” Athena could see it. Still, neither ratted the other one out when they could have. “There’s another possibility. He mentioned one guy in the fire department who tried to help him, who took his side. Could that be who he meant when he said, ‘Where is he now?’”
Glancing at the clock, Athena instructed, “Campbell, go relieve Howard upstairs, and don’t let the low barometric pressure put you to sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The ginger agent pushed up from his seat with a yawn. “You didn’t see that. I’ll be vigilant.”
Athena spared him a smirk before moving on. “Shoops, let’s focus on figuring out who this mysterious benefactor could be. I might send agents to pick up Ms. Carver as soon as the weather clears.”
“You’ve got it,” she chirped, and gave her glasses a shove.
Buzz. Athena’s cell phone vibrated, and she picked it up, Ice’s voice on the other end.
“We found a lot of evidence to bag up and take in,” he reported, “including a half-empty box of sparklers and a partial case of BBQ lighter fluid bottles from one of those wholesale places. He’s got a pot he must love to burn things in. No family photos. Nothing cheery—just a bleak basement apartment I wouldn’t wish on anyone. The landlord upstairs said he’s a month behind on his rent but has been paying when he can. Otherwise, he reports Neel never has company over and likes to stick to himself.”
“Excellent. You andHernandez help the CSIs take everything back to the bureau lab, and I want fingerprints, DNA, and that sparkler analysis ASAP. A journal?”
“Not yet. Still looking.”
“CSI Singleton?” Athena asked playfully. Everyone was due a break from the emotional rollercoaster this day had been. She could picture his face turning beet-red.
“Uh, yes, ma’am. She’s collecting those samples you want as we speak.”
