Spark of Desire ; All for You

by Sheryl Lister

  “Thanks.” The detective ducked under the yellow tape bordering the site and walked over to the opposite side of the building where he spoke with someone writing on a notepad. After a few minutes, he came back.

  “Randi will be with you in a few minutes.” He handed Cedric a card. “If you think of anything that might give us a lead, give me a call.”

  Cedric nodded and pocketed the card. He paced back and forth. “This is insane. Who would do this?” He didn’t have a clue as to whom or why someone would torch the site. They’d been in business for nearly thirty years and this had never happened before. He stared as the firefighters went around with the hoses battling the blaze. Because the roof hadn’t yet been constructed, the fire was fought from the ground.

  “I wish I knew,” Lorenzo said grimly. “I just hope it doesn’t take long for the investigator to release the site. I’m thinking we might need to pull a few people off the other projects to help with the cleanup in order to make up time.” As a civil engineer, Lorenzo oversaw the planning, budgeting and scheduling and made sure the sidewalks, parking lots and other roadways associated with each project were intact. Cedric, with his construction engineering degree, took care of site staffing, materials and making sure the buildings went up on time.

  He mentally went down the list of current projects. “I’ll have to see. I don’t want to put any of the others behind schedule, either. I may end up hiring a few temporary workers.” They continued to mull over options. After several minutes, Cedric glanced over his shoulder and, although his view was partially blocked, saw that the fire investigator still hadn’t moved. “What is he doing?” he mumbled.

  “Who?”

  “The fire investigator.” He checked his watch. It was almost five, nearly an hour after he’d received the call. “We’ve been waiting for almost fifteen minutes.”

  Lorenzo shrugged. “Looks like he’s still making notes.”

  “Well, I wish he’d hurry up.” Patience had never been one of Cedric’s strong points.

  “I’m sure he’ll be over when he’s done.”

  Cedric hoped so. He needed to know something...anything. After another forty minutes, Randi still hadn’t so much as looked their way and Cedric felt his patience slipping. “I’ve had about enough of this. I’m going over there.” He threw up his hands. “He knows we’re waiting.” He took a step and Lorenzo placed a staying hand on his arm.

  “No you’re not.”

  Cedric lifted a brow. “And who’s going to stop me?”

  Lorenzo blew out a long breath. “Look Ced, I know you’re anxious. So am I. But I don’t think charging over there demanding answers is going to win you any brownie points. You don’t want to piss the investigator off and risk us not getting any answers.”

  “I know, I know.” He closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He opened them and gasped as the fire investigator approached.

  “I’m Randi Nichols. I apologize for keeping you waiting, but I wanted to document as much of the scene as I could before it got dark.”

  Cedric couldn’t utter a word.

  Lorenzo cleared his throat. “Hello, Ms. Nichols. I’m Lorenzo Hunter.”

  Between her sultry voice, arresting green eyes and shapely body, every gorgeous inch of her had Cedric’s attention. She wore jeans, a zipped-up black jacket, work boots and a baseball cap. He finally found his voice and extended his hand. “Cedric Hunter.”

  Randi reached out, then paused. “Sorry.” She removed her latex gloves. “Let’s try this again,” she said with a little laugh, shaking his hand.

  Lorenzo chuckled and said for Cedric’s ears only, “Looks like I might be getting that two hundred dollars sooner than I thought.”

  Cedric disregarded his cousin’s comment, but he couldn’t ignore the instant attraction he felt toward the very sexy fire investigator.

  * * *

  Randi Nichols had sensed the site owner’s eyes on her as she sketched the perimeter of the building. She wouldn’t be able to get inside the building until it had been vented and the fire chief determined it was structurally safe. But the incident commander had assured her they would preserve the evidence as best they could. She’d interviewed the first officer on the scene and would interview and do a walkthrough with the first-in firefighter once they’d extinguished the fire. She made her way over to where the two owners stood and introduced herself. A slight smile curved her lips at their reactions. She got the same shocked stare from men nearly every time. Randi just hoped they wouldn’t behave like some others she encountered who seemed to think the only thing a woman could do on the job was get coffee. She studied the two of them. Both were good-looking and stood a few inches over six feet. They looked enough alike to be brothers. Cedric had slightly more muscle on his chiseled frame than Lorenzo. And his interest in her seemed to go beyond surprise. His dark brown eyes bore into hers and for a fleeting moment something inside her reacted. Randi quickly shook off the crazy feeling.

  “We’ve been waiting for over an hour,” Cedric said.

  She chalked up the impatience in his voice to his worksite being burned and tried to keep her voice calm and even. “I know and I appreciate you waiting. There isn’t much I can tell you until the investigation is concluded, but I will need to set up a time to talk with you.”

  “Do you have any idea how long it’ll take before we can get back to work? I smell gasoline, so I know it wasn’t an accident.”

  “I don’t know. And you could be correct.” Even though she could almost guarantee the fire was the result of arson she refrained from saying so. She’d always been cautioned not to make assumptions without all the evidence. “I understand how frustrated you must be and we’ll do everything we can to get you back on your site as soon as possible.”

  “No, I don’t think you have any idea how frustrated I am right now.” Cedric sighed heavily and ran a hand over his head. “I don’t have time for this.”

  Randi conceded him that point. No one ever had time for a fire that disrupted workflow and destroyed lives. “Is there a time we can meet on Monday?”

  “Yes.” He handed her a business card. “I’ll be at another site in the morning but should be back around three.”

  His hand brushed against hers during the exchange, and she was surprised by the softness. She’d noticed it when they shook hands, too. With him being in construction, she’d have expected them to be roughened by calluses. “Will four o’clock work?”

  “Fine,” he responded tersely.

  “Thanks for your time,” Lorenzo said and frowned at Cedric.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you on Monday at four.” She handed him one of her cards. “If you need to reschedule, just give me a call.”

  Cedric nodded, his eyes locked on hers. “Thanks.” He pivoted on his heel and strode off.

  Randi watched him as he and Lorenzo took up a position several feet away, near the area where the firefighters worked. Fortunately, no other structures had been damaged and no lives lost. Turning her attention back to where it needed to be, Randi made her rounds and interviewed the few people who had been standing around. No one had seen anyone near the building. More than once as she went about her tasks, she caught Cedric staring her way. It took another three hours before the firefighters had the fire completely out.

  “Hey, Randi.”

  She spun around at the sound of Detective Brian Warner’s voice. “Hey. Anybody see anything?”

  “Not one person.” Brian shook his head. “You know as well as I do, people are real hesitant to give up information these days.”

  “Tell me about it,” she murmured.

  “You heard about the task force?” When she nodded, he said, “The mayor wants to nip this in the bud before it gets out of control. Not sure how he heard about this one or the fact that it’s suspected arson, but...” He shrugged. />
  Randi lifted a brow. “He thinks they’re connected?”

  “I’ve no idea, but apparently he’s good friends with the construction company owner from the first fire and if there’s a connection, he said he wants to be on top of it.” That fire had been two weeks ago and they still had no leads.

  “Always politics. I wish he’d get more involved when it comes to our budgets.”

  Brian laughed. “Tell me about it. The first meeting is tomorrow at eight.”

  There goes my Sunday. “Hopefully, it won’t last too long.”

  “Hopefully. See you later.”

  After he left, Randi went to find the fire chief. She spotted him talking to Cedric and Lorenzo and decided to wait until they finished their conversation. She didn’t want another round with Mr. Personality. She wasn’t fond of Cedric’s attitude, but she couldn’t deny his good looks. She also sensed his attraction to her beneath the gruff exterior and briefly wondered what his smile would be like. She immediately dismissed the thought. I need to be focused on finding an arsonist, not worrying about the man’s smile. She’d always been able to hold her own in any situation and had worked to prove herself in a male-dominated profession, but something about the way Cedric stared at her had her off balance or something. As much as she hated to admit it, she felt a tug of attraction toward him.

  Chapter 2

  Instead of sleeping in on Sunday morning like she had planned, Randi found herself seated in a conference room with people from the local police and fire departments, two ATF agents and Detective Warner. The fire chief headed the meeting, which started promptly at eight.

  “Let’s get started.” Chief Milton Anderson had been Randi’s captain when she started as a twenty-three-year-old recruit almost a decade ago. Unlike some of the men in her unit, he’d never treated her differently because of her gender and she had the utmost respect for him. “The mayor is chomping at the bit to catch whoever is setting these fires.”

  “Has the first one been connected to this one?” an officer called out from the back.

  “Not yet, but there were some similarities. The only thing we know for sure is that both fires were at construction sites and deliberately set. We’ll know more once all the evidence has been processed. Randi, you’re all set to go.”

  “Thanks, Chief.” A small part of her had hoped the construction site hadn’t been released. She’d worked late six days straight and was exhausted. But Randi knew the drill and fires didn’t care whether you were rested or not. She texted her team the information and asked them to meet her at the site at ten. She took a sip of the coffee she had picked up on her way in and hoped the jolt of caffeine would kick in soon.

  The chief continued with his briefing, then gave everyone their tasks. An hour later, the meeting ended. “We’ll meet again on Tuesday at eight.”

  As they all filed out, one of the ATF agents stopped Randi.

  “You have a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  Randi studied him a long moment, curious as to why they couldn’t talk there, but nodded. She had worked with Jason Marks on a few cases and considered him one of the good guys. They didn’t speak until they’d exited the building and were halfway across the parking lot. “What’s up? Do you have some other information on the case we’re not privy to?” she asked with a smile. The feds were notorious for taking over local cases.

  Jason chuckled. “No. We’re just here to assist if needed. The mayor called the governor, who’s a good friend of my boss...”

  She laughed. “I get it.”

  He glanced around, then spoke quietly. “I know you’re looking to apply to the agency and I wanted to give you a heads-up that there’s going to be a position opening at the end of the summer.”

  She stopped walking. “I didn’t see anything posted on the website.”

  “It hasn’t been advertised yet. You’re good people, Randi, and we could use someone with your expertise and professionalism on our team.”

  Inside, she bubbled with excitement but kept her voice calm. “I appreciate the endorsement and the heads-up. I’ll be watching for the announcement.”

  He nodded. “See you later. Let me know if you need help with anything on the case.”

  “Thanks.” They parted ways and she continued to her car. Randi got in, started the engine and pulled out of the lot. She smiled, thinking she might just be able to reach her goal sooner than planned and without having to move away. She did a little fist pump. When applying, all applicants had to sign a mobility statement, acknowledging they could be relocated at any time. As she drove, she thought about what she needed to do to prepare. The ATF required each person to take and pass special agent and assessment exams, and a physical-task test comprising sit-ups, push-ups and a mile-and-a-half run.

  Randi was in good shape—she’d had to be as a firefighter—and continued to work out regularly. However, due to the many hours she had worked recently, she hadn’t been to the gym in nearly two weeks. She would have to find time because she wanted to do everything in her power to get that job.

  She arrived at the site first and parked at the edge of the property. While waiting for her colleagues, she answered a few emails and confirmed dinner with her sister for later in the evening.

  When her team arrived, the five of them went about the arduous task of collecting evidence. One of Randi’s forensic science professors had mentioned wearing two pairs of gloves to make it easier when having to document samples and Randi had continued the practice to this day. The gloves kept them from cross-contaminating the evidence and while processing a scene, it wasn’t uncommon for her to go through more than a dozen pairs. She continued the task, placing pieces of wood, soil samples and other findings into separate containers, sealing them and labeling each one.

  Starting from the least damaged area and progressing to the most heavily affected, Randi searched for the point of origin, paying close attention to burn patterns along the partially completed walls. Fire tended to burn upward and outward, but she didn’t find any of those patterns, further strengthening the theory that the fire had been deliberately set. They found three points of origin with erratic burn patterns. Whoever had set the fire had intended to burn the entire building. That, along with the lingering smell of gasoline, left no doubt in her mind that this was arson. She made sure to carefully document the scene, writing her observations and descriptions, sketching and marking each area, and photographing and taking videos of everything.

  The sun had begun to set when the team started packing up. All the evidence would be transported to the lab by one of her team members. “Be extra careful maintaining the chain of custody. The mayor is involved and he’ll want every detail.” And she didn’t want any problems when it came time to prosecute.

  “Will do,” Jada said, placing the various containers into the back of the van. The young woman had joined the team less than a year ago and often shadowed Randi or the other senior member, Marlon Wilson. “I’ll leave a copy on your desk.”

  “Thanks. Before you leave, I’m going to do another walkthrough to make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Marlon said. “I’ll take the back.”

  He started toward the rear of the building and Randi went in the opposite direction. Near one of the points of origin, a partially covered, blackened piece of wood caught her attention. She added a second pair of gloves and squatted down. She could see something written in gray paint on one side. “Hey, Marlon, can you come get a shot of this?” There shouldn’t be paint, since the building hadn’t been completed.

  Marlon came to where Randi knelt, and complied. After she moved the top piece of wood, he took another picture. “This means it’s personal.”

  She studied the written words. “Yeah, it does.” Cedric’s dark, penetrating stare filtered through her
mind. She wasn’t looking forward to telling him. They collected two other pieces of evidence, made plans to meet in the morning and went their separate ways.

  Before driving off, Randi called her sister to let her know she’d be there in an hour. It took her half an hour to get to her Natomas condo from Elk Grove. Once there, she showered quickly and changed into jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and tennis shoes. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. At the site, Randi had stopped long enough only to down a protein shake. She grabbed three crackers and a slice of cheese to hold her until she made it to Iyana’s place and went out to her car. Luckily, her sister lived only fifteen minutes away.

  “Hey, Randi,” Iyana said when she opened the door. They shared a quick embrace before Iyana stepped back to let Randi enter.

  “Hey.” Randi sniffed. “Please tell me that’s my favorite food I smell.”

  “Come see for yourself.”

  Randi followed her to the kitchen. She smiled when she saw the enchiladas, Mexican rice, black beans, chips, salsa and guacamole. She immediately scooped some of the guacamole onto a chip and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes slid closed and she moaned. “You make the best guac ever. Ooh, and sangria.”

  Iyana laughed. “You always say that. I decided to try a tropical sangria this time... Moscato and rum.”

  “Say no more. Just pour me a glass.”

  “I guess that trip to Puerto Vallarta three years ago is still paying off. Well, in one way, at least,” she said wryly.

  Randi gave her sister a sympathetic look. “I still want to rip his heart out.”

  “You and me both.” What was supposed to be a romantic getaway with her fiancé had turned into a disaster when Iyana caught him cheating with a woman he had invited to the resort. She’d sworn off dating since then. Iyana waved a hand. “Let’s not ruin a perfectly good meal.” She picked up two plates and handed one to Randi.