Karen Rose - Count to Ten

"The one in the master bedroom was the same accelerant- another egg."

"What about the living room?" Unger asked.

Ben had done most of the living room analysis. "Go ahead, Ben," Reed said.

Ben cleared his throat. "That fire was started in a trash can with newspaper and a cigarette, probably filterless. It would have smoldered for a few minutes before escaping the can. It caught the drapes on fire, but the truck put that one out pretty fast."

"Can we see the master bedroom?"

"Carefully." Reed led them up the stairs, then stopped in the doorway. "Don't go in. The floor isn't stable."

"The hole in the floor was caused by the fire?" Mitchell asked.

"Yes, it was. The hole in the ceiling was cut by the firefighters to vent the heat."

Mitchell drew a breath and grimaced. "I need to get some air."

"You okay, Mia?" Unger asked, concern in his voice.

"I took some Advil on an empty stomach," she said. "My stomach is now protesting."

Reed frowned. "You should have asked me to stop. I could have gotten you lunch."

"That would mean she was actually taking care of herself." Unger took her elbow. "Go get lunch. We'll be here a while. I'll call you if I find anything earth shattering."

She glanced over at Reed. "Lunch, then the sorority?"

"That sounds like a plan."

Monday, November 27, 12:05p.m.

Brooke Adler rapped on the door to the school counselor's office and felt it give. She poked her head in to find

Dr. Julian Thompson sitting behind his desk and one of the other teachers sitting in one of the guest chairs. "I'm sorry. I'll come back later."

Julian waved her in. "It's okay, Brooke. We're not talking about anything important."

Devin White shook his head with a smile that made her heart flutter. She'd noticed him many times since she'd come to Hope Center. But this was the first time they'd actually exchanged words. "I have to disagree, Julian. It was of universal importance." He lifted a brow. "Bears or Lions on Sunday?"

Brooke knew little about sports, but Chicago was home. "Bears?"

Devin scowled playfully. "I guess we can't argue with hometown loyalty."

Julian gestured toward the chair next to Devin. "Devin's betting on the Lions."

"It's a personal weakness." he said. "Do I need to leave? Is this a private matter?"

Brooke shook her head. "No. I could actually use another teacher's perspective. I have some concerns about some of my students. One in particular."

Julian leaned back in his chair. "Let me guess. Jeffrey DeMartino."

"No, not Jeff. Although he as much as admitted sending Thad Lewin to the clinic."

Julian just sighed. "Thad's not talking. He's too scared to give Jeff up and we don't have any proof. So if not Jeff, who?"

"Manny Rodriguez."

Both men were surprised. "Manny?" Devin asked. "He's never given me a problem."

"Me, either. But this morning he was unusually interested in the lesson. We're reading Lord of the Flies.'"

Julian's brows shot up. "Are stories about teen anarchy wise around here?"

Brooke shrugged. "Dr. Bixby thought it would make a good study." The school's director had recommended it, in fact. "Anyway, today we talked about the signal fire."

Julian tilted his head. "Manny's eyes glazed over, didn't they?"

"He was practically salivating."

"And you want to know if Manny started fires before he came here."

"Yeah, I do. I mean, I'm happy he's interested, but… It was creepy."

Julian rested his chin on steepled fingers. "He set fires, yes. Lots of littlefires, from the time he was five years old. Then he set a very bad one that destroyed his foster home. It was then he was brought here. We've been working on impulse control."

Brooke sat back in her chair. "I wish I'd known. Should I do a different book?"

Devin scratched his chin. "What would you read instead? Anything that's worth discussing will have some controversial theme affecting at least one kid in your class."

"I thought that," she confessed.

"This may not be a bad thing," Julian said. "Now that I know what Manny has been reading, we can use it in our therapy. This is a place he can't start a fire, so presenting him with tempting images here is about as safe as you can make it. We can work on constructive ways to manage his impulses while they're fresh in his mind."

Brooke stood up and both men followed suit. "Thanks, Julian. I'llsend you a report every few days. Let me know if it gets to the point that changing books is the right thing to do."

Devin held the door open. "I hear it's mac and cheese and Tater Tots day in the cafeteria."

Her lips curved. "Then we'd better get in line. Tater Tots always go fast."

Devin grinned. "And they don't hurt when they throw them at you. Bye, Julian."

"I haven't been in a food fight yet," she said as they walked down the hall together.

"I was last summer. Unfortunately it was apples day. That really hurt. I wouldn't worry too much about Lord of the Flies , Brooke. So many of these kids have seen far, far worse." His smile faded. "It's enough to break your heart."

"You care about them," she said quietly.

"It's hard not to. They tend to grow on you."

"Mr. White!" A trio of boys caught up to them, looking panicked.

Devin gave the boys a smile. "What's up, guys?"

"We need help before the quiz today," one said and Brooke's heart deflated a little.

So much for Tater Tots , she thought. I'll be earing at my desk again .

Devin gave Brooke an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'll get with you later."

With a silent sigh she watched him go. Tater Tots with Devin White was about as close as she'd come to a real date in a long time, which was pathetic. She turned toward her classroom. Then stopped short just as she rounded the corner.

Manny Rodriguez was looking both ways as he shoved something in the trash can just outside the lunchroom. A newspaper? That Manny had a newspaper for any constructive reason was unbelievable. She waited until he was gone then lifted the lid of the trash can and, wrinkling her nose, fished the newspaper out.

She'd expected to feel something heavy wrapped inside, but as she gingerly shook it, there was nothing.

It was today's Trib . Frowning, she pulled the paper apart until she found a hole with jagged edges. He'd ripped something out of the paper. An article? A picture? Whatever it was, it had been on page A-12. Briefly she considered keeping the paper, but ended up tossing it back in the trash can. Half of it was covered in cheese sauce. If it was something wrong, it would be information Julian could use in therapy.

She'd go to the school library, check the Trib . Perhaps it was nothing more than an ad for a video game. But remembering the look in Manny's eyes, she doubted it.

Monday, November 27, 1:15 P.M.

"So how old is your daughter?"

Reed looked up in surprise. They were the first words Mitchell had spoken since they'd sat down with their trays in the burger joint she'd chosen. He'd thought she was still angry about this morning. Nobody liked hearing the truth when it hurt and Reed had simply told the truth. If she wasn't capable, he'd ask for somebody else.

If she wasn't capable, it was understandable. A few quick questions to the ME had cleared the puzzle and Mitchell herself had added the final piece. A hurt partner and a dead father. Add the shoulder and she'd hit the trifecta. No wonder she'd been zoned out this morning. But he hadn't seen a single lapse in focus since. She'd been strong and sure with the girl's parents, saying the right things to ease the father's pain as best she could. And at the Doughertys' she'd pulled together the same scenario he had.