Firebreak (Josie Gray Mysteries #4)(16)
It took him several minutes to gather his medical bag and assorted other cases out of the back of the hearse. Josie and Otto stood behind him, filling him in on the basic information.
“We still haven’t ID’d the body. Based on the patches of clothing I could still see and the cowboy boots, I assume this is a male, most likely the homeowner, Billy Nix. We’ve not touched the body, but I’m anxious to roll him over and see if he has identification in his pants pocket.” Josie shuddered involuntarily at the thought. “I don’t know if the fire burnt all the way through.”
Cowan pulled two bags over his shoulder and handed a plastic briefcase to Josie. “Let’s have a look then.”
“Nobody’s examined the house to make sure it’s structurally safe,” she said. “The fire burned through the roof. The fire chief should be here in the next fifteen minutes or so and he can check it out if you want to wait.”
“Sounds prudent,” Cowan said.
When they reached the opening in the house they stopped and scanned the inside of the living room as Josie described how she found the body. From where they stood, the body was hidden behind the back of the couch. “Since the body was on the couch, and not making an attempt to escape, time of death will be critical.”
Cowan nodded. “Agreed.”
“Can you tell if fire or asphyxiation was cause of death? Or, if he died before the fire?”
“That’s a fairly simple matter. If the person was dead before the fire he was no longer breathing. He won’t have drawn soot down into his lungs. I’ll also do a simple blood test. If carbon monoxide was in his lungs we’ll know he was breathing during the fire.”
“Excellent,” Josie said. “Can you get that to us today?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.”
They heard a vehicle pull into the driveway and turned to find Doug Free driving his red pickup truck, which had the Artemis Fire Department logo painted on the door. Doug parked and got out of the truck, then surveyed the yard and the surrounding land for several minutes before joining them in front of the house.
He said hello to the group and asked if they had identified the body. Josie explained that they hadn’t gotten that far in the investigation. “We’re trying to locate the Nixes, but haven’t had any luck yet.”
Doug sighed. “The guys will be heartbroken. We were feeling good about only a few minor injuries. I sure didn’t expect to find a fatality.”
Doug gave an update on the status of the Harrison Ridge fire. “We’re eighty-five percent contained. It’s reached the Rio and doesn’t have enough energy to cross. Fortunately, the forecast is clear for the next two days and we’ve got minimal wind today. I think we’re out of the woods.”
“You fellas did a heck of a job,” said Otto.
Doug frowned and nodded. “I got a great crew. I just need more of them. Fortunately this didn’t last for days on end. Those weeklong fires, or two-week fires? People forget these guys are volunteers. They have jobs to get to, paychecks to earn.” He shrugged like he needed to get off his soapbox. “Anyway. Tell me what you have so far.”
“We need to get Cowan inside to the body,” Josie said. “Then we need to get the body transported for autopsy. We haven’t gotten too far with the preliminary investigation because we’re worried about the roof. Can you check it out?”
Doug retrieved a fifteen-foot stepladder from his truck and climbed up into the rafters in the living room to check for structural damage. While Doug worked, Josie called and spoke with Lou about tracking down the Nixes. Lou said she hadn’t gotten anywhere because her phone was ringing off the hook with residents wanting to know about fire damage and road closures and when they would be allowed home. Josie thanked her and told her to refer people to the sheriff’s department and to keep trying on the Nixes.
After Doug declared the structure safe, he gathered Cowan, Josie, and Otto on the concrete patio just outside the hole in the living room wall to talk about how they should approach the scene.
“Let’s talk about how this investigation might differ from what you’re accustomed to. With a death involved in what could possibly be arson?” Doug frowned.
“This’ll end up at trial,” Josie said.
Doug nodded several times and put a thumb in the air as if agreeing. “And, the insurance company, or companies”—he paused and looked at both officers as if stressing the point—“will be crawling all over us. As you know, a trial could be a year or two away. We need photographs, video, and detailed notes. The fire marshal really stressed that.” He looked at Cowan. “You play the most crucial role right now. The body will tell us all kinds of things about the fire. When it happened, maybe even if something was used to start or accelerate it.”
“Understood.”
“The scene is well preserved,” Josie said. “There’s been no water damage, nothing to disturb the house, as far as we can tell. The only tracks we found were a set of tire tracks, on the other side of the road. With the road closures, no one should have been coming through here, though.”
“Don’t put too much weight on the tracks. There’s always a few Peeping Toms after a fire passes. We’re trying to do our job, and they want a first look at the disaster.”