Free Firebreak: A Mystery by Tricia Fields Page B

find here. Come take a look.”
    Otto was intentionally standing behind the couch so that he could construct the diagram without having to view the body. As a police officer, he felt that his weak stomach was an embarrassment, but it was something he had little control over. Earlier, he had looked at the grotesque mask of death that was on the victim’s face and had to turn away until his stomach settled.
    Otto stepped carefully over the ash, still leery about walking on the burned floor. He was cautious by nature, and he was certain that his careful ways had maintained his safety through four decades of police work.
    Otto stood next to Cowan and peered down at the blackened arm that he had lifted a few inches off the couch.
    “Recognize this?” Cowan asked.
    “An arm?”
    Cowan turned his head to glance back at Otto and raised his eyebrows. “A bit more specific than that?”
    Otto clenched his jaws. Cowan had the annoying habit of asking questions of the police officers he worked with instead of simply explaining what he was working on. Otto found it insulting. It made him feel like a student walking through rounds with a physician, being quizzed on his investigatory acumen.
    “Why don’t you just tell me what you’ve found?” Otto said, barely concealing his irritation.
    “Come closer,” Cowan said. He leaned out of Otto’s way so that he could get a better look. “His wrist?”
    “Hmmm. I see the watch now. Let’s get pictures, and I’ll note it on the diagram. It’s located on his left wrist, the face of the watch on his outer wrist. Let’s get that off him and see about the time.”
    Cowan didn’t respond. Otto assumed Cowan was annoyed that he hadn’t praised his discovery.
    After Otto noted the location of the watch on the diagram of the body, Cowan handed Otto the watch, and he took it outside in the sun. The glass was black with soot and had been shattered from the heat of the fire, but Otto was hoping the face would still be intact. Cowan followed him outside and handed Otto a tiny screwdriver, which he used to pry the blackened pieces of glass away. The hands of the watch were melted into the white face at 7:38. Otto pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket.
    Josie answered immediately.
    “The victim was wearing a watch. The hands melted onto the face at seven thirty-eight.”
    “Any identification?”
    “Not yet. Haven’t gotten that far.”
    “I’ll call Doug and tell him we need to speak with the firefighters who worked closest to this area immediately. If we know when the fire spread through this general location, we’ll know whether the two fires are connected. I’d love to have this timeline pieced together when we speak to the Nixes.”
    “You sound optimistic it’s not Billy Nix lying on this couch.”
    “Hank confirmed that Billy at least left with Brenda. I suppose he could have picked up his guitar and returned home while she drove to Austin. That seems unlikely.”
    “Maybe that’s why the truck was parked at the house,” Otto said. “Maybe Billy went back home. Couldn’t bear to leave.”
    “Or, Brenda dropped him off and set the house on fire,” she said. “The timing works. They made a public appearance at about six and she says they’re headed to Austin so Brenda can establish an alibi. Then she drops him off, maybe knocks him out, sets the house on fire to make it look like it was all part of the wildfire burning through Artemis. She assumed the fire would burn through the area after she left.”
    “But, why? She managed his career. If he’s dead, she’s out of a job,” he said.
    “Maybe Angela can help us get a better handle on their relationship. I’m on my way.”
    “Good. I’ll keep you posted on the timeline.”
    Otto put his phone away and Cowan called for him again. The inside of Otto’s nose burned from the sharp smell. He’d been in the house for several hours and could feel his patience beginning to wane. He had no doubt that Cowan