to the technician that would run the tests. She knew it would duplicate the work that the police had done, but it was standard procedure for her company.
Not all fires were given a full investigation by the police unless arson was suspected, so Eastern Mutual Insurance had their own evidence collected and analyzed. She caught sight of one of the technicians, John Simpson, as he walked back into the lab from the hallway. He reminded her of a cartoon character... tall, thin, reddish hair, and big glasses. He was cute in a geeky way, and his enthusiasm for all things related to chemistry was fun to watch.
“Hey, Harper, what happened?” John nodded toward her splinted wrist while shoving several papers toward her.
She forced her lips into a smile despite the pain. “I had a little accident at the fire site.” She signed the forms, glad she was right-handed. “Just let me know when you have the results, and I’ll compare them to the detective’s findings.”
He lifted his brows. “Oh, the police are doing a full investigation?”
She nodded. “I have a feeling with several buildings catching fire in the city recently they’re going to investigate all suspicious fires to see if they tie in together.”
“You want to hit the pub later?”
She usually stayed and chatted with John for a little while and sometimes joined him for drinks with some of their other friends. She lifted her splinted wrist and shook her head. “Sorry, just not up to it. All I want to do is go home.” She tossed a little wave with her uninjured hand. “Just send the results to my office, and I’ll call if I have any questions.”
He nodded in sympathy and offered a chin lift as she turned and walked out. She wanted to drive straight home, but her office was nearby. I’ll make a quick stop to report in.
Once more, she drove using her right hand and was glad for the employee parking lot so that she did not have to attempt to parallel park. Inside the building, she rode the elevator to the second floor, too tired to attempt the stairs. She offered nods to a few of her coworkers as she walked directly to Mr. Scheer’s office, glad for his open-door policy.
He looked up, motioned her to come forward, and she stepped into his office, gratefully sinking into one of the chairs facing his desk.
Martin Scheer was in his early fifties, fit and athletic, his dark brown hair shot with a bit of silver. He was friendly to his employees without being friends with them. She often wondered if he was not former military, his management style being precise and orderly. He had taken a chance on her two years ago when she requested to become specialized as a fire investigator for the insurance company.
After graduating from college, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her marketing degree. Unlike some of her friends, she hated to admit it, but she had never had a dream job. Envious of those who entered college or the workforce with a specific goal, she found lots of careers interesting but not overwhelmingly desirable.
Sitting at a desk all day seemed boring, but the most adventurous thing she had ever accomplished was leaving Wallburg, North Carolina, after she graduated from high school and moving to the metropolis of Hope City, much to the despair of her parents. She had sent her applications to lots of businesses, and Martin Scheer was one of the first to respond. After meeting him—and being desperate to pay her bills—she accepted the position.
Smart, tenacious, and willing to get out in the field, she had moved into the areas of loss control and risk inspection. From there, she worked to obtain the certification to become a fire evidence collection technician. Martin had seen and appreciated her desire to move up in the company and made sure she was placed in his division. Now, she was almost finished with her fire investigator program.
His gaze moved from her face down to her splinted wrist, and his brows snapped together. “You should’ve taken the rest of the afternoon off.”
“I wanted to drop my samples off at the lab and thought I would stop by just to give you a brief update.” Please let my voice sound stronger to him than it does to me. She stiffened her spine to keep from slumping deeper into the chair.
“I suppose with everything going on today, you probably haven’t had a