Hadn’t he said that himself just yesterday? Yesterday when they were still environmental avengers? God. How had things gone so wrong?

He couldn’t think about that. Now he needed information about the stranger whose warehouse would be ashes by midnight tonight. He needed to find a way to convince Albert and Mary that they were doing the right thing. He needed to buy some time.

Monday, September 20, 10:55 a.m.

Olivia was steady by the time she and Kane walked into the morgue, but David’s voice still filled her head. I need to talk to you. About what? Why he’d been hiding for seven months? Or would he go for the tried-and-true It’s not you, Olivia, it’s me?

She’d kept it together in that bucket. Having him that close was a dream and a nightmare, all rolled into one. But she hadn’t turned to goo, even when he’d put his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear. Even when he’d said her name, all husky and sexy. The man exuded sex. So considering, she’d done okay. Held her own.

“Liv?” Kane was regarding her with an amused, if pained, expression. “Either put him out of your mind or go home and take a cold shower. You’re making me think about going home for a very long lunch break with my wife.”

Her cheeks heated. “Sorry.”

He patted her shoulder. “Have Ian take you into the freezer. That’ll cool your jets.”

“Who needs to go in the freezer?” ME Ian Gilles came out of his office.

“Nobody,” Olivia said firmly. “So, what do you have?”

“Gold,” Ian said. “Come on, have a look.” He led them to the light board, where an X-ray was mounted. “The girl’s skull.”

Olivia’s heart started to beat faster as a puzzle piece fell into place. There was a distinctive dark, tombstone-shaped patch about the size of a half-dollar, just behind the girl’s ear. “Is that what I think it is?”

Ian looked a little disappointed. “Depends on what you think it is.”

She looked up at Kane. “David Hunter and his partner didn’t find a hearing aid. Not exactly anyway. Our girl had a cochlear implant. What he saw was the processor.”

“What’s a processor?” Kane asked.

“It’s a… device…” Olivia groped for the words. “It converts sounds… Explain, Ian.”

Ian perked up, his disappointment dissipating. “The processor is worn behind the ear and converts sound into electrical signals. The signals are passed to the implant, here.” He tapped the bone behind his ear. “The implant bypasses the normal auditory systems, stimulating the aural nerves. It’s pretty cool. How do you know about it, Liv?”

“My friend has one. You know her, Kane. Brie Franconi. We just talked about her.”

“The lady who runs the doggy day care?” Kane asked.

“She used to be a cop, but lost her hearing. Ended up having to quit the force, start another career. She got the implant about two years ago.” She turned to Ian. “So there will be a serial number on the implant part, right? Because the processor was so melted, it was almost unidentifiable.”

“Here it is.” Ian handed her a sticky note with the name of a manufacturer and the serial number written on it. “I had this big buildup planned. Gee, thanks.”

Olivia patted his arm. “I’m sorry. But this is really great. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t run off,” he said when they started to. “There’s more.”

They followed him into the autopsy suite. The bodies here didn’t bother her like they did in the field. By the time they got here, she’d gone through the panic.

The girl lay on the table, a sheet covering her from neck to knees. The soot had been washed from her hair and her face was ghastly white under the glaring lights.

“So young,” Kane murmured.

“Probably sixteen,” Ian said. “Cause of death was smoke inhalation. Londo said he pointed out what appeared to be recent abuse trauma. Her X-rays showed fractures to her right arm and some damage to her left hand. She’d also been drinking last night. Her blood alcohol was point-oh-nine. She’d eaten tacos very shortly before the fire.”

“If she got food locally,” Olivia said, “we might track her last hours.”

“Or her partner’s,” Ian said. “She’d had sex very shortly before death. Within an hour, quite probably less.”

Olivia frowned. “Somebody was in there with her?” she said. “Having sex?”

“I take it you haven’t found another body,” Ian said.

“Not yet, but the first two floors are still a mess,” Kane said. Then he winced. “What about the guard?”

Ian shook his head and both Olivia and Kane breathed fast sighs of relief. “Wrong blood type. Plus, Henry Weems had a vasectomy ten years ago. Came through on his chart. The girl didn’t use a condom, and her partner had a very high sperm count.”

“Oh, good,” Olivia said. “I’d hate to have to break that to Mrs. Weems.”

“On the other hand,” Kane said, “we’re either looking for another body or…”

“Or her partner got away.” Olivia’s pulse kicked up. “If he got out, we could have an eyewitness out there.”

“When she fell, she hit her knees.” Ian pulled the sheet back, revealing bruises on the girl’s knees. “She also has a slightly sprained ankle. She could have fallen and gotten separated from this other person.”

“David said the smoke would have been so thick she couldn’t see, and she couldn’t hear her partner, as she didn’t have her processor on. Getting separated makes sense.”

“Is it possible the guy she had sex with is the arsonist?” Kane asked. “That maybe he held her there against her will and set the fire with her there on purpose?”

Ian shrugged. “Anything is possible, but the victim had no vaginal bruising or tearing, so it doesn’t appear the sex was forced. The initial urine screen didn’t show any of the typical drugs, and her BA wasn’t high enough to incapacitate her. Of course, the blood tox may come back with something. I’ll have that tomorrow morning.”

“What about the guy she had sex with?” Kane asked.

“Caucasian, dark hair. He left behind some pubic hair. Also, if they were together when the fire started, he may have some lung impairment from the smoke. It may be mild or severe, depending on how long he was exposed. You should check anyone admitted to hospitals for fluid in the lungs. It can sneak up after smoke exposure.”

“At a minimum, he could be very shaken up,” Olivia said.

“If he’s still alive,” Kane countered. “If he got caught in those flames, the firefighters could have walked right through his remains and not known.”

“What about the guard?” Olivia asked. “Please tell me he was sober.”

“As a judge. Blood alcohol was zero, urine was clean. I’ll do his exam after lunch.”

“Is that him?” Olivia asked, pointing at another sheet-covered body on a gurney parked off to the side of the room.

“No, that’s a car accident victim, brought in this morning. Kid wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Not much left of his face after going through the windshield. Don’t worry. Your guy comes first,” Ian said when Olivia started to ask. “I’ll call you when I know anything.”

Olivia held up the sticky note with the implant’s serial number. “Thank you. Really. Now we can get an ID.”

Monday, September 20, 11:30 a.m.

David knew he should be tired, but he was not. A fine energy sizzled over his skin, one that had nothing to do with the rush of walking into a fire and coming out unscathed. No, this was an awareness that he stood on the verge of something important.

Something vital. If he played his cards right, he might end up with something he’d never found, but always craved. Something he probably still didn’t deserve.

My own home. My own family. A wife, kids… all the things his family and friends had found, one at a time. As the years rolled by, he’d become the odd man out. The only one still single. The only one still alone.