It didn’t seem possible. Steele’s mind spun. She took deep breaths as she drove, trying to sort through all it meant. She had to compartmentalize and deal with the practical issues first. Her personal feelings would have to wait.

She would have to tell her superiors. Maybe not all of it, but most of it. Enough to cover the people who could be most harmed. Enough to make sure that everything that had been put in place could be maintained.

She parked illegally in front of the hospital. The police license plate on the car would ensure that it was not towed, and she couldn’t be bothered to find a spot in the garage.

The emergency room was a madhouse. Several firefighters had been injured battling the blaze, and there were two Latinos being treated for gunshot wounds. Cops crawled all over the area.

Steele caught the attention of a young detective and flashed her badge. “Where did they take O’Connell’s body?” she asked, working to keep her voice even.

The detective motioned over his shoulder with his thumb. “Two doors down.”

She went out into the hall and headed down the corridor. A small group of cops stood outside the door, talking quietly. They looked at her quizzically as she approached, but nodded when she showed her credentials.

“He’s in there?” she asked.

One of them nodded but said nothing.

She pushed the door open and stepped in.

His body was on a cot, flat on its back, eyes closed. His skin was pale, his lips were pulled tight. There were cuts and abrasions on his face, and it looked as though he’d been through an ordeal before he’d died.

She walked over and looked down at him, trying to remember his face the last time she’d seen him. It was only two nights before, and yet now it seemed an eternity. The last time she’d felt something like this was years ago. Confronted once again with the reality of death, she felt wholly inadequate to the task.

Steele reached down and took his hand. It was cold.

She held it for a moment, trying to think of something to say. “I’m sorry,” she said at last. She could feel a single tear run down her cheek. “I’ll miss you.”

It wasn’t enough, she knew, but it was all she could manage. Her emotions had been closed off for more than half a decade. She shut her eyes for a moment, taking a final deep breath to clear her head.

When she opened them again, something had changed. It took a moment for her to realize what it was, but then she noticed that his eyes were open. Not fully, but enough that it appeared as though he was looking at her. She knew it was impossible, but it still made her gasp.

Then he spoke.