“No. Because if a fire was set in the fourth-floor apartment, how could it have gotten to the lobby?”
“It traveled.”
“Nope. Fire never descends. It always travels up. That’s the science of fire, but you knew that. You were testing me.”
Kate smiled. “Just seeing if you were on your toes.”
Kate pulled out her report. “You’re right. There was evidence of accelerant in the soil.”
“I knew it. I’m going back to the first suspicious fire and gather another sample. You willing to analyze that one, too?”
“Unofficially?”
Lana rolled her eyes. “Yes, since I have no authority to be doing this.”
Kate laughed. “I broke the rules for you when Paige was in trouble with that FBI agent. What makes you think I would ever let you down, Lana?”
“I know you’re already in hot water with St. James.”
It was Kate’s turn to roll her eyes. “I can handle him.”
“I have not doubts about that.”
“After you left us yesterday, did you see Sean?”
Excitement at the mention of Sean’s name washed into her system. “I went to Mahoney’s, and he followed me home,” Lana said, suddenly breathless. “This morning, he was torn between the lovers to friends’ thing.”
Kate looked worried. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Why should it?” Lana shrugged. “I know that Sean will always be in my life.”
“Do you want more from this, Lana?”
“I don’t know. My path is already set for me. My career is high priority. Making captain is all I’ve worked for, and I can’t let anything jeopardize that.”
Kate touched Lana’s arm. “Sometimes I think that you repress so much it comes as second nature to you.”
Lana viewed Kate thoughtfully for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“Lana, I know you’re crazy about Sean, but you act like it’s no big deal. Deep inside, I’m sure you’re in as much turmoil as he is, but God forbid anyone should know about it. You don’t have to hide your real feelings all the time.”
They walked back out to Kate’s lab. Lana said, “I’m just trying to keep everything in perspective. And I’m not repressing anything. Sean and I are friends first. Once we get this sex thing out of our system, things will go back to normal.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Lana, and you might believe it.”
She gave Kate a cheeky grin, knowing that she was safe in her belief. She leaned over and looked into the microscope. “Looks like a match.”
“Sorry you didn’t go into forensic science instead of firefighting?”
Lana raised her head. “Once a geek, always a geek, I guess. I love this stuff, but it doesn’t compare to firefighting. Even though I majored in fire science in college, I minored in chemistry.”
“Why anyone would want to take organic chemistry when they didn’t have to is beyond me.”
“You aced that class, Kate.”
“I know, but it doesn’t mean I love it. Now the science of DNA, that’s a different story.”
Lana looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late.”