Page 68 of Built of Flames
He surged into her, and they became a blur of hands and tongues and lips. When she knew she was close to soaring again, she whispered against his lips. “Now, Mitch. Come with me.”
And they tumbled together.
Let There Be Light
Five weeks later
Bella studied the series of miniature motel rooms she’d built. They were as identical as she could make them. Each with its own tiny bed and matching bedding. She hadn’t worried about the colors, but the materials were important. These had the same ratios as the motel’s linens.
The motel chain had been hit with arsons across five different states. So far, no one had identified the arsonist, nor proved that it was the same person. It was always an empty room. No person had stayed in each of the different motels.
They also couldn’t figure out the exact combination of liquids used as an accelerant. The chain’s CEO had contacted Bella to see if she could figure that out. If she could, the CEO figured they had a better chance of catching the person. Hopefully, something unique was in the mix, and that would help.
It was an intriguing case and, so far, Bella had come close to replicating the exact burn patterns, but not close enough.
She opened her laptop and input the information for this series of trials. She believed she was close to having the correct mix of ingredients, but the ratios she’d tried so far were off.
Now, she had five new mini-rooms and five new chances to get it right.
Bella mixed the first batch with eye droppers. Then she set the rags in the middle of the bed, copying the arsonist’s pattern. Five drops of the liquid in the middle and a small trail leading to the wall completed the setup.
A quick peek ensured the door was locked and the ventilation system was ready to go. She pressed record on her tablet, set the timer, and announced the combination of liquids and the time of the experiment.
Using a match, Bella lit the pile and watched the result.
When the timer beeped, she closed the glass box to block out new oxygen and turned on the ventilation system.
It didn’t take long for the fire to burn out. The timer ensured she’d copied the real-life fires as accurately as possible.
Using a magnifying glass, Bella studied the burn trails and compared them to the crime scene photos. Hers were a little wider and traveled further.
She took pictures from all angles, recorded the data, tweaked the ratios, and reset the box with the next motel room.
On her third attempt, she found the combination. The burn trails were exact.
Smiling, Bella recorded everything and then cleaned up the room. One ingredient she’d tried today was found in only a few cleaning products, so she hoped she’d be giving the motel chain the clue they needed to find their arsonist.
She unlocked the door and found Tess sitting at the conference table, working on her own computer. The woman looked up with a smile. “How did it go today? Did you find the right combination?”
Bella nodded. “I did. After I narrowed it down yesterday, it only took three tries today.”
“That’s terrific. Hopefully, the company can use your data to find the arsonist.”
Bella sat with her laptop and opened up her notes section. “I hope so. It’ll be nice to get another one off the streets.”
The two women worked in silence for a while, then Bella stood up and stretched. “Would you like some lemonade? Tansy was experimenting with mangoes this time.”
Tess nodded. “Thank you.” Then she stood as well and moved into a stretching routine Bella had become used to. She’d offered use of the main room in the cabin to Tess if she ever needed it. The woman hadn’t taken over any space on the property other than her own room. The cabin was brighter and a pleasant place to work, and Tess often used it.
Bella set the glasses on the table. “What are you working on today? Anything you can talk about?”
Even when she was still in the room, Tess always closed her screen when anyone was around. Bella wasn’t sure exactly what kinds of work a zoologist with a specialty in adapting to climate change did, but she knew Tess was sometimes contracted out by different government agencies. She assumed that was because of Tess’s talent as a data analyst and not the result of the hours she spent in the canoe and in the woods around the Lodge.
Tess straightened. “I’ve been observing the turtles on the lake and watching how they prepare for winter. The lake is an entire ecosystem, and it’s fascinating to see the species interacting. I’m logging the data from my observations. We have at least seven turtle and ten frog species.”
Bella grinned. Tess was so quiet most of the time, but when she talked about animal behaviour, she got enthusiastic. “As long as you don’t bring any snakes into the cabin, we’re good.”
Tess smiled. “I don’t mind them. They’re a lot less slimy than some people.”