Tales from the Firehouse

Mill About Smartly

So-hee's smile seemed to waver slightly, but it came back in full dazzling force a heartbeat later. "Of course," she said, regaining her composure. She straightened her jacket and ushered them into the office. "Please, come in." She looked past them at the secretary. "Thank you, Sandra, that will be all... u-unless our guests would like something to drink. Coffee? Tea or lemonade...?"

"No, we're fine."

"Okay, thank you, Sandra."

The elderly secretary nodded and stepped out of the room. Han closed the door behind her and indicated the seats in front of her desk. "Lisa, Chief Martin... or should I call you Mr. Martin, which..."

"Chief is fine," Martin muttered, sinking into the leather seat the developer had indicated.

Lisa remained standing, indicating her soiled bunker pants as an excuse. She was wearing the same thing she'd worn to the hospital, per Jackson's instructions, and had felt incredibly conspicuous waiting for an elevator in the pristine lobby of Han Designs, Inc. "I would prefer Ms. Manoban, while we're on the subject of names."

So-hee looked at her for a moment, before blinking and holding her hands out. "Very well, suppose I can't argue with that." She walked around her desk and carefully lowered herself into her own seat. "Now, Ms. Manoban, Chief Martin, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Martin spoke. "I was assigned to look over a few recent fires. During the course of our investigation, we discovered some disturbing evidence that indicates fires are the product of an arsonist. We think the same firebug is responsible for all of the fires."

"Oh, dear," Han said, her face paling. "Someone like that, running around in a town like this? Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"No," Martin admitted. "At the moment, we're not even sure who the true target is. Every fire seems to be aimed at eliminating the firefighters that respond, but we also have to deal with the fact that all the buildings are projects of your company."

"Is that true?" she asked, leaning forward. "I... thought I was just being paranoid. Oh, my goodness, if somehow my buildings a-are more susceptible to arson, I must offer my most sincere apologies..."

Lisa shook her head. "No, it's not your buildings. I seem to have inspected a hell of a lot of them myself and they seem sound. We also have to consider that it's just a coincidence. Your company does very well in the area and the fact that the arsonist keeps picking your buildings might just be luck of the draw."

"Hmm." She smiled weakly and sat back in her chair. "The one time I win the luck of the draw..."

Martin smirked. "Look, Ms. Han, basically we just wanted to know if you had any enemies... rivals that might want to tarnish your company's reputation or cause you financial troubles."

"Financial troubles aren't an issue... all these buildings are insured." She glanced at Lisa and said, "Which I hope you won't take as a motive. It's a smart business practice to..."

"We understand, Ms. Han," Lisa said. "But try to think... Is there anyone you know that would want to hurt you in this way?"

She ran a finger along her top lip and stared at the window for a moment. "I'm afraid I can't think of anyone specific off the top of my head," she sighed and shrugged apologetically. "My enemies, what few there are, tend to aim for my purse. And we're not talking subtlety here. I've had court dates five out of the past eight weeks. If anyone was going to try and hurt me, they'd do it there. In the courtroom, with the legal system behind them."

"I had no idea you were in such dire legal straits, Ms. Han"

"It's worse than it sounds, really," she said. "Land rights, property lines in dispute, people suing because my new development blocks their view of the Mersey or some such nonsense. It's usually settled out of court."

"Anyone hacked off at their settlement? Maybe think they weren't getting what they deserved, decided to take a pound of flesh along with their money?"

Han grinned. "As Ms. Manoban could probably attest, Chief, I can be very charming. Usually, when the case is over, the plaintiffs thank me and apologize for taking my time."

Lisa rolled her eyes at the comment and noticed Han was pushing her chair back and forth with one foot. She seemed relaxed, almost at ease with the world around her, like any arrogant, pig ignorant rich bitch. She frowned; she'd been antsy when they'd arrived, but now that she was hearing their questions it was almost as if she didn't have a care in the world. "May I ask you a question, Ms. Han?"

Those  eyes turned Lisa's way. "Of course, Ms. Manoban."

"How do you feel about firefighters?"

The brunette blinked and tilted her head. "Well, I don't know. How do you mean?"

"Just... in general. If you see a fire engine on the street, what's your first thought?"

So-hee glanced at Chief Martin before returning her gaze to the blonde and shrugged. "I... don't know. I hope no one is hurt. I hope it's not my building they're heading for..." She smiled and held her hands out. "I must confess, I don't spend a lot of my time thinking about them. It's a shame, too, considering the invaluable duty you all serve."

'Hard to believe,' she thought, 'considering the number of times you've called the firehouse, all the times you've dropped off snacks, all the pestering you've done...' She bit back the cutting remarks lined up on her tongue and said, "Do you know what a flashover is, Ms.Han?"

"Yes," she sighed, scratching her temple. "That's a kind of food, isn't it? No, wait, I'm thinking of apple turnovers." She looked at Martin, as if expecting a laugh, and then shook her head when she received no response. "I'm afraid the answer is no, Ms. Manoban, I don't know what a flashover is."

"It's not important," Lisa said.

"Any other questions?" Han asked. Lisa shook her head and Chief Martin stood, smoothing his shirt over his belly. "All right, then. Thank you for your time, Ms. Han. We just wanted to let you know that this guy seemed to be focusing on your buildings and see if you might be able to point us in the right direction."