Disbelief washed through her. Could she be reading the signs wrong? It was incomprehensible that a person would deliberately set two fires designed to keep the residents trapped and unable to escape.
She stopped her work and alerted the battalion chief, who promised to pass the information onto the arson investigator.
But the whole incident left her feeling restless and unsatisfied.
Impatiently she continued to clean out the basement, waiting for the investigator to show up.
Finally, he walked in, and her heart sank.
Dane Bryant was a large man and came from the old school of firefighting. He didn’t approve of women in the ranks and didn’t hide that fact from anyone. He had the look of a bully about him, the kind of man who only sought out positions of authority to give him a sense of power over other people.
He grunted at her, and she pointed to the area where she had discovered the spalling.
Dane bent down and examined the area while Lana watched over his shoulder. He shifted and blocked her view and a little tendril of anger sprouted in her.
She moved over so that she could see what he was doing.
“Dempsey, don’t you have something constructive to do?”
His tone of voice was very clear. He doubted she could be trusted to change a lightbulb, let alone be competent to spot signs of arson.
Eyes narrowed in annoyance, Lana said very succinctly, “Yes, Lieutenant Bryant, I have something to do.”
He turned to look at her, his pale eyes narrowed.
“And what’s that?”
“My job.”
He snorted, clenching his jaw. “Well, I’m doing mine and I say you’re wrong.”
“It’s spalled.”
“Sure, it is, but the fire was strong down here.”
She used his words to strengthen her argument and insisted, “But how do you explain it? Fire never descends.”
“This whole place collapsed. This fire was most likely caused by burning debris from above.”
“Why not take a sample of the soil and test it for accelerants? This arsonist has come close to killing people. He’s not going to stop now.”
He stepped closer to her, an attempt at intimidation, but Lana held her ground, never giving an inch.
“I know my job, Dempsey, and can muddle through without your expert opinion.” The mocking expression on his face made her anger burn hotter than the fire just extinguished. He would undoubtedly laugh at her if she lost control and smirk at her if she backed down. It was a no-win situation.
“If you give her enough time, Bryant, she’ll browbeat you into complying.”
Sean’s voice penetrated the thick air, and Lana moved away from Bryant as Sean came into her view.
“What will it hurt to take a soil sample?” Sean asked.
“Butt out, O’Neill. I don’t needyouand her ganging up on me.” He brushed past Lana, making her stumble to the side.
Sean’s strong arms reached out to steady her.
Something flashed bright hot inside of her, a pure reaction to her emotions, emotions she couldn’t express. “I don’t need you standing up for me like some big brother. I can fight my own battles.”
Wrenching herself away, she walked out of the burned building, knowing that her anger was more directed at the fact that Sean felt she needed protection at all.