Rick and Occam were standing together near the window, which was cracked open to allow in fresh icy air. The smell was rank and offensive. It would be overpowering to the cats’ noses. As if to make up for the stench, T. Laine set a package of cinnamon sticks on the table, and turned on the Christmas tree lights. Neither helped much except to remind me that I hadn’t bought or made a single Christmas gift. Usually by this time I had the Nicholson family gifts all made: jams and preserves and plants and floral fabric for dresses, plaid fabric for the men’s shirts. Small store-bought items. Candy for the young’uns. I’d done nothing. And would start feeling guilty and get on the job of Christmas gifting as soon as this case was over.
As I slid into my seat, Soul glanced down the hall toward the break room and said quietly, “I thank everyone for being here. I know this case is exacting a toll on everyone. I’ll try to keep this brief: the fire and the rescue and my impressions. Then, Nell, I’d like you to update us on the two interviews.I know it will be in your report, but I’m interested in intuitions. I have a feeling we’re missing something important.”
I dipped my head in agreement.
“I was behind the senator’s limo convoy,” she said, “three cars back, when they came to a red light and stopped. I saw the fire explode inside.”
“Inside?” Rick asked. “Not underneath and then up into the body of the vehicle?”
Soul shook her head and said to the group at large, “No. The fire originated inside. Then it burst out the windows. First fire. Then the explosion. I can only postulate that an instant of opportunity gave the aunt time to unlock the door and shove the boy out onto the pavement. The explosion caught him, burned his clothes and hair, but he escaped the worst of the blast and fire. His aunt, the driver, and the security detail were all killed.”
But Soul was unscathed. Not a hint of scorching. I wondered how the feds and the Secret Service would take all this. I wondered if rainbow dragons breathed fire and smoke. As if she heard my thoughts she sent a smile to me, but spoke to the cats. “Do you have a sense of smell about the child?”
Both were standing in the window’s draft and shook their heads, noses crinkled and brows furrowed. “Everything stinks,” Rick said. “Just like the Tollivers’ house fire but with diesel fuel.”
Even more softly, Soul said, “And Justin and the senator? We know Justin’s wife’s linens had a peculiar odor. But when you were with them, did they smell of that same oddness?”
Occam shrugged. “Fire and smoke stink interfere with and overwhelm other scents, and we’ve had fire everywhere they’ve been. Fire was the clue. We just didn’t put it all together until Nell did. Couldn’t see the forest for the trees.”
The last bit made me smile.
Soul murmured, “To me, this child does not smell human. I never got close to his family, or to the other Tollivers. However, you are agreed that at least Justin is human?”
“Justin Tolliver smells wrong,” Rick said, “but not enough to trip my predator sense. I can’t explain it but predators,meat eaters, smell of meat. This man smells of human, but also of fish and water and something musky. It could be scent transfer. His wife smelled worse but she wore perfume. Like body lotion and shampoo and perfume all in the same scent. Expensive matching products.”
“Lots of perfume,” Occam agreed. “So maybe Justin smells normal and the odd scent was from his wife?”
“The senator’s wife wears too much scent, too,” Rick said, comparing the two women. “Clarisse Tolliver may wear even more perfume.”
“Or maybe the cats smell things when nothing is really there. We humans should get close to her,” JoJo said. “After a shower or something.”
“You women figure out how to do that,” Occam said. “I got no desire to be arrested for busting into the senator’s wife’s shower and sniffing her. Rick stole a pillowcase. I’m not sticking my nose on a person.”
“We’ll know more about the fire after Arson finishes their investigation,” Soul said to the unit. “But there was something odd about the initial flash of fire. There was a purple and orange blast of flame, just for an instant. I’ve seen many fires and explosions and this one was odd.
“Change of subject.” She swiveled in her seat and said to me, “I can read your report later. I want your impressions of the two women you met today.”
I frowned. “I grew up in a hotbed of conspiracy theorists. I can pretty much recognize the type whether they’re right or left wing, religious or atheist. They all have a certain feel.” I stopped, looked at T. Laine, and grinned. “A certainvibe.”
“Listen to Ingram, going all new age, millennialist teenager,” she said.
“And both of these girls had that vibe. But the first one started out fine and then at the end changed, got worried, fidgety. I got the feeling she was conflicted and feeling guilty about something.” I shook my head. “That wasn’t quite it. It’s a lot easier to just be yourself, except some people don’t know who they are and so for them it’s easier to pretend to be someone else.” T. Laine and Jo exchanged a glance Icouldn’t decipher. “But the girl posing as Candace McCrory was fully aware of who she was, but was pretending to be someone else and wasn’t altogether happy about that. She was playing... I guess was playing several parts. Trying to be a lot of different things at one time.”
Rick nodded, as if agreeing, watching me, listening. Evaluating. That was it. He was evaluating my performance. And he seemed pleased. I went on.
“The girl calling herself Mary Smith was earnest. She was a believer and full of anger and frustration. She was real. Why Candace sent us to Mary I don’t know. But I will say that I have a feeling something is going on inside DNAKeys. Where there’s smoke there’s...” I stopped. “Well, you know.”
Soul said, “I’ve listened to most of both interviews. It sounds as if some of the women’s reports might have a basis in truth, but to what degree I can’t speculate.”
“Got something,” JoJo said. “I just cracked DNAKeys’ HR records.”
“What did you just say?” Soul asked.
JoJo’s head came up from her laptop; her spine went vertical as a two-by-four. Jo wasn’t supposed to be hacking without a warrant. “Uhhh.”
“CLMT2207,” Soul said. “Strike the words beginning at ‘Got something.’ JoJo meant to say—” She gestured to Jo.
JoJo pulled on her earrings, a sure sign of nerves. “I just discovered information in an unsecured database. Right. That.”
