Chapter 4 #3
Lena started the engine, but instead of immediately pulling away, she sat with her hands on the steering wheel. The afternoon had grown later, and the sun was lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the dashboard.
"At least we have a clearer picture now," Erin said, breaking the silence. "Webb disappeared months ago, took his equipment, and left no forwarding address."
"And the timing fits. He left Phoenix Ridge Building Safety Services, then vanished right around when the fires started." Lena drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. "Tomorrow we should contact his former colleagues."
"I can reach out to the company directly, get a list of people who worked with him," Erin offered. "Maybe someone knows why he left so suddenly."
"Good. We should also check if he's registered any business licenses elsewhere or applied for similar positions in other counties."
Lena put the car in reverse, carefully backing out of the gravel driveway.
As they pulled back onto the main road, Erin found herself thinking about how well they'd worked together today.
The evidence analysis back at the office, the way they'd divided up the neighbor interviews—it had felt natural, professional.
"Thanks for bringing me along on this," Erin said as they headed back toward Phoenix Ridge. "I know field work isn't usually part of fire marshal duties."
"You held your own out there," Lena replied. "Besides, two sets of eyes are better than one."
The diner appeared around a bend in the road, a small roadside place with faded paint and a hand-lettered sign promising "Good Eats." Erin's stomach chose that moment to remind her they'd worked through lunch, and from Lena's glance at the building, she was thinking the same thing.
"Want to grab something before we head back?" Lena asked, already pulling into the gravel parking lot.
"That sounds perfect," Erin admitted.
Inside, the diner was exactly what she'd expected: vinyl booths with cracked red seats, checkered tablecloths that had seen better years, and the kind of sticky laminated menus that spoke of decades of coffee spills.
A few locals occupied the counter, their curious glances following the two women as they slid into a corner booth.
"Two strangers in town," Lena observed quietly, picking up the menu.
"Better than two failed investigators," Erin replied, then caught herself smiling at Lena's surprised laugh.
The waitress—a woman in her sixties with kind eyes and sensible shoes—approached with a coffee pot in hand. "What can I get you ladies?"
They ordered quickly: burgers and coffee, the kind of simple comfort food that felt right after a frustrating afternoon.
While they waited, Lena pulled out her phone and began making calls, trying to track Marcus Webb through other channels.
Erin opened her tablet, reviewing the building inspection records they'd collected.
"Nothing from his last known employer," Lena said, ending another call. "Webb left construction work six months before the fires started. No forwarding information."
Erin looked up from her tablet, something nagging at her. "Look at this." She turned the screen toward Lena. "Webb's inspection pattern shows he documented vulnerabilities systematically, but the timeline's all wrong. The fires started months after he left Phoenix Ridge Building Safety Services."
"So either he came back to set them..." Lena leaned closer to study the timeline.
"Or he trained someone else and passed the knowledge along." Erin felt her excitement building again. "Who worked with Webb? Who had access to his reports after he left?"
Their food arrived, but neither paid much attention to it. Lena was pulling up employment records on her phone while Erin cross-referenced inspection dates with company personnel files.
"Here," Lena said, pointing to her screen. "Webb worked alongside three other inspectors during his time there." She showed Erin a department organizational chart. "There was a supervisor who would’ve had access to all inspection reports."
"Someone who could have learned Webb's methods and used them later." Erin took a bite of her burger, hardly tasting it. "We need to track down everyone who worked with him."
"I’m already on it." Lena's fingers flew across her phone. "I can run background checks on all of them, see who's still in the area, and who might have had access to the reports after Webb left."
For the first time all day, Erin felt like they were making real progress.
Not just following leads, but building a new theory that might actually lead somewhere.
And more than that, she was having fun. Despite the frustration of the dead end and their complicated professional history, she was enjoying working with Lena.
"You're smiling," Lena observed, looking up from her phone.
"We're good at this," Erin said, then felt heat rise in her cheeks at how that sounded. "The investigation, I mean. Working together."
"We are." Lena's smile was rare and genuine, transforming her entire face. "Even when we're arguing."
"Especially when we're arguing," Erin replied with a grin. "The competitive drive keeps us on our toes."
Around them, the diner hummed with late afternoon conversation—locals discussing weather and gossip, the jukebox playing something country and low. But in their corner booth, the investigation had taken on new momentum.
After they finished their burgers, they paid the check and headed back to Lena's car, both energized by the breakthrough they'd made on the case.
"This changes our approach," Lena said as they reached the outskirts of town. "If Webb trained someone, we're looking for a completely different type of suspect."
"Someone with inside knowledge but outside access." Erin watched familiar landmarks appear outside her window. "It's actually more dangerous. They'd know exactly how to exploit vulnerabilities without getting caught."
"Until now." Lena pulled into the fire station parking lot, choosing a spot near the entrance where other department vehicles were parked.
Neither of them moved to get out immediately. Erin found herself reluctant to end what had been a surprisingly productive afternoon.
"We should probably compile everything we found today," Erin said, gathering her tablet and case files. "Cross-reference Webb's colleagues with anyone who might have had access to his reports."
"I can run those background checks on the other inspectors, see if any red flags come up." Lena checked her phone for messages. "And follow up on Webb's current whereabouts."
Erin's radio crackled to life, Captain Hunter's voice cutting through their planning session. "Marshal Vance, are you back from the field? We need to review tomorrow's inspection schedule."
"Copy that, Captain Hunter. I'll be right up." Erin clipped the radio back to her belt and opened the car door. "I should go handle the scheduling, then write up our findings from today."
"Good idea. I'll do the same back at the station." Lena started gathering her own materials. "We can compare notes tomorrow morning."
Erin paused as she stepped out of the car. "Today was productive. I think we're finally getting somewhere with this case."
"Agreed. You brought a good perspective to the investigation." Lena's voice carried genuine professional respect. "The technical analysis made all the difference in understanding what we were looking at."
"Your investigative instincts led us to the right connections. I wouldn't have thought to look at the inspection company angle."
Erin stood there for a moment, struck by how different this felt from their previous interactions.
Instead of arguing about methods, they'd actually solved problems together.
The breakthrough at the diner had shown her they could be effective partners when they focused on the case rather than defending their approaches.
"See you tomorrow?" Lena asked, closing her car door.
"I'll be here. We've got suspects to track down."
Erin walked toward the fire station entrance, already thinking about how to organize their findings and what leads to pursue next. Today had proven something she hadn't expected: she and Detective Soto actually made a good team.
Standing in the fire station lobby, Erin felt revitalized by the progress they'd made.
For the first time since the fires started, she felt like they had a real chance of solving this case.
And despite their rocky beginning, working with Detective Soto was turning out to be exactly what the investigation needed.