Page 21 of Fire and Bones

Ya think?

Doyle’s mouth twisted to one side in fierce concentration. Then her face lit up.

“But this is so simple.” Spreading her impeccably manicured hands. “You must stay with me.”

“I couldn’t possibly do that.”

“Why not? I have a huge house and I’m hardly ever there.”

“Your offer is very generous. But I wouldn’t feel right imposing.”

Doyle produced a card and handed it to me, her smile a brimming red bucket of warmth.

“If you change your mind, just give me a jingle.”

“Okay,” I said.

Hell no, I thought. Colossal hell no.

We both knew I’d never make that call.

We were both wrong.

CHAPTER 5

Even quick, hot flare-ups can cause death from smoke inhalation. People killed in this way often appear unharmed. With higher temperatures or longer burn times, or both, the eyes and tongue swell and the skin blisters. Though disfigured, these DOAs may also remain visually recognizable.

Those are the best-case scenarios. Raise the heat or increase the length of exposure and death by fire is far more brutal.

This blaze had been a ballbuster. I feared we were facing the worst-case alternative.

While I was changing, Hickey had issued a general all-clear signal, so Thacker’s team had moved from their vehicle to the base of the front steps. I walked toward them, every neuron in my brain firing.

Imagining the people trapped in that building, I wondered about their last moments. Had the couple clung to each other for solace? Had the Canadian teen cowered alone in her room? Had the foreign national knelt to pray, terrified of dying far from his homeland?

Or had each made a wild dash to escape? Might all four have ended up in the same location? Finding no exit, had they huddled together in a place they hoped was protected?

My thoughts weren’t simply morbid speculation. A victim’s final actions are pertinent in the search for remains.

If the four had dispersed throughout the building, their bodies could be anywhere in the debris. Finding them would be the challenge. Had they died together, commingling could be an issue.

Commingling occurs when parts of one person break off and mix with parts of another. Heads detach and reposition. Arms entwine. Legs overlie torsos. Individuation can be a bitch when separate bodies have congealed into one amorphous mass of charred muscle and bone.

I also considered the legal implications of the task ahead.

Every fire triggers an investigation. Where was the origin? What was the spread pattern? What was the cause of ignition? Was the blaze accidental or intentionally set?

I knew from Sergeant Burgos that fatalities mandated activation of the Joint Arson Task Force. That the JATF consists of representatives from the DC Fire and EMS Fire Investigation Unit, the Metropolitan Police Arson and Explosives Unit, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. And that a homicide detective might also get involved.

I also knew that this inquiry would go beyond the routine. Had the property been operating as an illegal Airbnb, its owners could be subject to criminal charges. That meant that painstaking evidence collection and scrupulous maintenance of chain of custody would be essential.

Looking around, I noticed that the crowd had grown. Was thankful for the police tape barricading both ends of the block.

A fire often triggers a media circus. Throw in deaths, and coverage can grow frenzied. We’ve all seen the footage. A bar pyrotechnic display gone wrong. A high-rise gas explosion. A post–plane crash inferno. All the pics fit to print. All the human tragedy capable of boosting viewership

Doyle’s coverage had already drawn public attention to the Foggy Bottom blaze and her rivals were now parking their vehicles by hers. FOX5. NBC4. WJLA. All local, nothing national.

A good fire also piques the morbid interest of Joe Q. Citizen. Despite the early hour, the usual nosey gawkers were gathering. A tall skinny man in a red tracksuit. A woman pushing toddlers in a stroller. A couple sipping coffee from Starbucks cups. A preteen on a scooter. The kid and the mom were holding smartphones above their heads and clicking away.