Page 81 of On Fire

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dave Keller

The adrenaline wears off in the twenty-minute drive back from the site. The road is still closed and probably will be until six or so in the morning. When there are human remains to be found like this, it takes a while. Right before I left, a team of dogs had arrived. All five were German Shepherds.

I am so proud of my unit. They did a bang-up job and did it with courtesy and due diligence. When FBI muscled in and almost disrupted gathering evidence, it was Devon and McKinley who politely called the feds off. When ATF arrived ten minutes later, one fed spoke with the other fed and turns out Devon was right.

The firehouse is quiet. Unit B is still on duty, so there’s a slight overlap. When we arrive there’s engine and truck detail to finish off. A few of the crew head out and will shower at home, but most want an update and hang around. McKinley sticks around and so does Devon. She’s going to wait for Luke to return.

Suddenly my cell phone goes off. It’s Nic. I’ll have to call him back.

Then Devon’s phone chimes.

She answers. “It’s Nic,” she says, trying to hand it over.

I shake my head. “I’ll have to call him back.”

I shrug out of my heavy fire jacket and start to hand it on a peg.

“He’s adamant.”

“I’ll have to call him back.”

“No,” she says and hands me her phone.

Nic’s voice is low, deep, and tense. “Get out of there.”

“What?”

“I think the firehouse is rigged.”

Right then the Lexus comes to a screeching halt. Nic and Jackson exit the car. He’s got a megaphone on him. Slipping his phone into his pocket he raises the megaphone to his face.

“Everyone freeze. Do not touch anything. Do not shut doors or lockers. Please watch where you are stepping and exit the building.”

You could hear a pin drop. Nic’s standing there looking calm, no feathers ruffling on this guy.

“Step out of the building,” he repeats.

A few men start to head out.

“Avoid anything that looks like a trip wire. Look for any package and report to me, Keller, or Jackson.”

“McKinley’s in the shower,” Devon whispers. “He can’t hear what’s going on.”

“Go,” I say to her. “I’ll take care of McKinley.”

The shake of her head is imperceptible.

“That’s an order,” I say. “Eyes on me, Devon Russo. You step away from this.”

She struggles with herself.

“You are out of here.”

Her lips press together, but she moves toward the open bay doors.

Nic raises the megaphone to his mouth. “I’m Nic Silvano with Colton Security. Many of you know me. Jim Graham may have placed another device in the building. Please exit slowly and carefully.” He sounds like this is perfectly normal.