scene. Going up the back steps to the second unit, they stepped inside the kitchen, stopping well away from the body just as the medical examiner stood.
Pulling off his mask, Sean could see Natalie Bastion, and he nodded his greeting. She returned with a curt nod of her own toward the two detectives, and said, “I’ll have more when I do the autopsy, but the deceased is male with no obvious fatal wounds. His body was not burned, but with the amount of smoke, he could have died from smoke inhalation. Or… there’s more.”
She turned and moved toward the victim, kneeling by his side, Sean and Jonas right on her heels. The victim was wearing an oversized coat, and she pulled back the front and slid her hand into an inner pocket, removing a plastic bag filled with pills of varying sizes, shapes, and colors.
“I can tell you, at first glance, I’d say they’re prescription pills.” Natalie said, “I’ve called it in.”
Sean and Jonas stepped back outside while the ME performed her tasks. Moving back to the end unit as soon as the chief gave the go-ahead, they began searching for and collecting evidence. It appeared the origin of the fire came from the inside and they donned their hardhats and leaned inside the doorway to get a better view.
There was no basement to the building, but there was a crawlspace about four feet below what would have been the floor. It was made of packed dirt, and with the wooden floor mostly missing, the exposed water pipes snaked along. The back wall closest to them had the most charring and appeared to be where the fire originated.
“We’ll need a ladder,” Jonas said.
Already anticipating the need, Sean walked down the steps, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back.” Approaching his SUV, he could easily see Harper sitting in the front seat, her gaze pinned on him. He tried to offer a smile but was afraid it came out more like a grimace. Moving to the back, he opened the door and placed his hands on the ladder. “I need to get our ladder to be able to collect the evidence. I’m really sorry, babe. There’re complications. This will take a little while.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ve got my e-reader on my phone, so I’m fine. If I get tired, your vehicle is comfortable enough that I can go to sleep.”
With an appreciative nod, he pulled the ladder from the back of his SUV and closed the door. The uniformed police officer lifted the tape so that he was able to duck under easily with his load. Thanking him, Sean made his way to the end unit again, meeting Jonas.
Working in concert, they moved through the ash closest to the origin of the fires, seeing three places where accelerant was used. Collecting the evidence in both glass and nylon bags, they snapped pictures from every angle.
“I’m calling to see if we can get more light in here,” Sean said, pulling out his phone. “We’re supposed to get rain tonight and I don’t want all this gone.”
With police stations scattered about Hope City, it only took fifteen minutes for several officers to arrive with large lights. While waiting, he checked to see who had come to investigate the victim. Recognizing the detective, he walked over, clapping him on the back. “Carter. Haven’t seen you in a while.”
The tall, blond detective stood, grinning as he greeted Sean. “Good to see you, Sean.” Jerking his head toward the side of the building that had burned, he added, “You’ve been busy lately.”
“That’s a fucking understatement.”
“Is Jonas around? You still partnered with him?”
Nodding, he jerked his head to the side. “Yeah. He’s over there, waiting on lights.” Looking down at the victim, he asked, “Do you need lights over here as well?”
“I was just gonna call for some, thanks.”
“What do you think?”
“Medical examiner doesn’t see any signs of fatal injury, and I’m not seeing any signs of violence. I got the call and it seems right. I’ve got a couple of cases dealing with drug deaths of homeless persons, so this may just add one more to my load.”
“You’ve probably seen more of my brother Kyle than I have lately.”
Nodding, Carter agreed. “We’re both working the homeless drug cases. Up to our ears in this shit. We’re checking with some of the homeless shelters but it’s a slow go.”
“Hey, I’ve got someone who could help. You might want to talk to my sis—”
“Got the lights!”