rankled him that she was further along in her career than he was, and she was not about to let him take over her cases.
With a few taps of her keyboard, she left the article on Sean, pulling out her case reports instead. Last year in Hope City and the surrounding counties there were over seven hundred structural fires, part of the over two thousand total fires reported. Thank God there were only twelve fatalities due to fire, but that was still twelve too many. Eastern Mutual Insurance Company was only one insurance company, but just with their clients alone, she stayed busy.
Evidence at the site was collected, and in the case of suspected arson, obtaining the police and firefighter’s report was integral. Sometimes when she visited a homesite where there had been a fire, the family was present. That was always difficult because she needed objectivity to do her job. She needed to stare at the structure and the damage and assess the evidence.
But for the family, the fire was personal. It had stolen something from them, their security as well as their belongings. So, she would take extra time and listen to what they had to say. Listen to their experience. Listen to their fears. Even listen to their stories of what happened. She understood. And then I go inside and let the building talk to me.
“What cases do you have open?” Casey asked.
She smiled at the claims adjuster. “I’ve got a fire in an old shed that held gasoline cans, paint cans, and other flammable liquids where the owner dropped a cigarette. Also, a garage fire sparked when the owner was working on his car and was careless in his surroundings while he was welding. Two house fires, both started by improperly ventilated space heaters.”
A shadow appeared near her shoulder, and she looked up to see Peter standing by her desk. Cocking her head to the side in silent question, she waited to see what he wanted.
“I saw on the news where Samuel Treyson’s body was found at the warehouse you’re investigating. What did you find?”
“I’m still waiting on the report from the lab before turning it over to the detective,” she answered, keeping her reply evasive.
“There’s gonna be a lot of press with that. I mean, that’s a huge deal, to have a man of his caliber murdered and then an arson committed to cover it up.” Peter placed his hands on her desk as he leaned forward.
“The press has nothing to do with us. The fire is being dealt with by the police as is his death. It’s a police matter, and they’ll handle any of the news coming out about their investigation.”
“But surely you got an idea about the arson. Like what kind of accelerant was used. Where it was set. Inside or outside—”
Her patience snapped, and she held his gaze. “Peter, I will not be talking to the press. My report will have the facts determined by the lab and the police report. We’re in the insurance business, not the police business, and certainly not in the tell-all-to-the-press business! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.”
He scowled as he stomped back to his desk. Casey rolled her eyes behind Peter’s back before winking at Harper. Once Casey headed to her office, Harper sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Her phone rang and she looked down in surprise to see Sean’s name in the ID. He’s calling from his own cell phone? She had entered his number from the card he had given her but assumed a call from him would be on the police number.
She glanced at Peter, not wanting him to hear her conversation about the fire with Sean. Grabbing her phone, she hurried out of the office and down the hall. “Hello?”
“Harper? It’s Sean McBride.”
“Detective McBride, what can I do for you? I... uh... don’t have the results back from my lab yet.”
There was a slight pause before she heard a sigh coming over the line. “Please, call me Sean. And… I’m not calling about that. I wanted to see how you were doing. I… uh… feel really bad about what happened yesterday and can’t believe I was the cause of your broken arm. I don’t usually... well, typically I don’t... um... that’s never happened before.”
She leaned her back against the wall, her eyes darting back and forth to make sure she was still alone, a smile spreading across her face. “It’s fine, Sean.”