CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 

 

Mike spoke up first. "Hey, buddy, I am going to need you to look around your office." Shrugging, he added, "Or what's left of it."

"I saw the fire before I came up here to the welcome home party." Henry set the bottle by the sink and said, "Yes, I suppose we should; let's get to it."

They took Mike's squad car and pulled up behind the fire chief's vehicle. There were still a few gawkers outside. The third floor windows of Henry's office were broken out, and the bricks were charred halfway up the 4th floor. It looks like the firefighters were able to stop the blaze from engulfing the entire building.

The chief gave a nod to Mike, "What brings you around, Mike?"

"Hey, Sparky, this is my pal Henry Wood," Mike said, and Henry stuck out his hand.

The fire chief and Big Mike had been friends for a long time. Mike had given him the nickname 'Sparky' when he emerged from his first fire, and sparks and flames gushed out behind him. The building was lost; the nickname stuck. "Good to meet you, Henry. What can I do for you?"

Mike looked up at the building, "That third floor office was Henry's; we want to take a look."

"It looks like the fire started in a trash can. The French guy called it in," Sparky said, motioning for Henry and Mike to follow him. Henry saw Francis who was standing across the street with the onlookers and talking to a short, round man with a small notebook. They walked up to the third floor. The chief explained that the fire had been contained to the one office, but the smoke had made quite a mess of neighboring offices, including Francis'.

They trudged down the hallway, and the rancid smell of smoke and wet filled the air. The chief said, "Now, be careful, and don't touch anything; we are still investigating."

Henry looked down at the floor. The glass from his door was in several pieces with a couple of letters missing: "Henry Wood Detec e Ag n y." He stepped over the glass, careful not disturb anything, and into the office. The filing cabinets were open and badly burned. The desk was mostly gone as was his trash can. It did look like the fire must have started in the trash can, and it also looked as if the office had been given the once over, though it wasn't turned upside down like his apartment. Henry looked around for another minute and walked out.

Henry and Mike left the chief in the hallway since he was talking to one of his men and headed down to the street. Henry suggested they talk to Francis and see what he knew. He was still talking to the odd little man. When he saw Henry, he said, "Henry, it looks like we are going to have to move. My place is a mess, too."

"You ok, Francis?" Henry asked.

"Oui, I smelled the smoke, called the fired department and got my butt outta there."

The little round man handed Henry a business card while saying, "I am Bobby Ward, and I am in the commercial real estate game. I have a place two blocks away if you are interested. It is a great place, and you could move in right away. I know you would love it."

Henry took the card and said, "Thanks," hoping it would shut the little man up. It did not.

"We could go now. I have the keys; we could go now, and you could check it out. Let's go, come on, Mr. Wood, I know you will love it."

Henry put the card in his pocket, "Now listen, Bobby, we are a little busy right now. I have your card; now scram."

With that, Bobby tipped his hat and said as he scurried away, "I wrote the address of the building on the card. It is office 309 on the third floor. Call me, and we can see it any time you like."

Henry, Mike, and Francis talked for a while longer, then parted company. Mike took Henry back to his car. He offered his couch to Henry if he needed a place to stay. Henry declined and said he would just get a room. He wanted to be alone. Henry assured Mike that the journal was safe and that they could get it tomorrow. Mike promised Henry he wouldn't mention the journal to anyone, though he was a bit offended when Henry suggested there might be a mole in the police department.

Henry drove back to the house, taking a long and circuitous route. When he got home, the smell of chocolate chip cookies filled his nose. It was the first good thing that had happened all day. Luna yelled from the kitchen, "Henry, the cookies are ready. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. It smells wonderful. I will try one in a minute," he said, heading down to the basement. He went straight to the closet in hopes of finding something new. He opened the door, and there was a little grey box with the words Shop Fox on it. He opened it and there were 10 small brass bits of different sizes; two of them were marked 'locknut' while the others had different dimensions on them. He wasn't sure exactly what they were for, but he guessed they had something to do with his router. He put the little box with his router and went upstairs.