I wince as the EMT rubs ointment on my hands. The burns aren't anything to be too concerned about. At least, nothing permanent to worry about, but they hurt like hell right now. I was lucky not to be much closer to Joe before he went full out-of-control barbeque or it could have been much worse.

I'm too focused on the horrible pain of the EMT wrapping my hands to notice a Delcor lackey sneaking up on me.

"Detective Rose?" Gabby asks, holding her hand out to shake, but quickly realizing I don't have a free hand to offer. "I hope you're doing okay."

"Gabby, a little strange to see you here."

"I could say the same to you. What brings you to our labs, Detective?"

I yelp as the EMT pulls on the last bit of bandage in order to tie it off. She gives me a nod that I'm all fixed up without wanting to interrupt the conversation.

"I was in the area."

Gabby isn't buying it, but I don't have anything to sell her on.

"Nonetheless, I'm glad I ran into you. One of our lead scientists, Dr. Peter Groth, would like to talk to you."

"Tell him to call the precinct and book a time. You still have my card?"

"Well, no," She says, with a little too much force in her tone. "He wants you to come now."

I almost want to say no out of spite, but I can't pass up an opportunity like this. What was I sitting in the car for if not to talk to someone who might know something? Even if they're going to try and give me their homespun version of what's going on here, I'll have an easier time reading between the lines in person, in the damn building, than from my car across the street.

"Sure, but why the urgency?"

"I was just told to come find you. You can ask Dr. Groth yourself shortly."

Gabby doesn't give me a chance to follow up that question. Instead, she's already on her way towards the building. Not looking back to see if I'm following. It's a pure power move, but I don't have time to argue. I want to get in that building and they're rolling out the red carpet for me. I can't pass it up. I jog behind to catch up.

"You really don't know why he wants to talk to me in particular?"

"Dr. Groth is one of our most senior scientists. There's little he has to hide and even less he wants to. I'm sure you'll have all your questions answered soon enough."

The front door has one of many keycard taps, finger-print and retina scans to get through the various levels. By the time we get to the elevator, I've lost count of the security measures they've taken to keep people out.

"I see you take security pretty seriously here. I don't think Fort Knox has a security system like this."

"We take our intellectual property very seriously. You can never be too careful when it comes to corporate espionage."

Corporate espionage or government regulation. Delcor Labs has been one of the primary targets for and largest opponents to any government oversight. They claim it's because they require the ability to work on their projects at speed, without having to jump through government hurdles.

I, along with a lot of other serfs who have no real say in the matter, think there are a few shady things behind these doors that they don't want anyone to know about. None of us can prove that, of course, which just makes it even more suspect.

"We're here," Gabby says, exiting the elevator without giving me even a glance. Expecting me to follow like an obedient puppy. Which I do.

She leads me down a hall of closed doors. Nothing to glean from what I see here. I imagine that's by design. To get behind any of these doors, I'm sure there's a number of NDAs I'd need to sign, plus a promise to hand over my first born if I cross them. I've done no such thing, so I see nothing more than they're willing to show me. Which, right now, is nothing at all.

At the end of the hall, the theme changes from the sterile white hallways to what I could best describe as old money. Lots of wood. You can almost smell the varnish from the hardwood. Behind a big wooden desk is an older looking gentleman with a goatee and a shiny bald head. His big blue eyes are commanding as he gets up with a smile.

"Detective Rose, I presume?"

I put my hand out to shake his and he grabs it with a hearty handshake. This guy is all charisma. He probably talked his way out of whatever PR course that I imagined Gabby went through. Maybe he wrote the thing.

"Thanks for having me here. It's unexpected."

"I imagine you're used to the unexpected."

"Less and less everyday."

He laughs at that as though it was a gutbuster.

"I understand you visited my colleague's penthouse recently due to an automated fire call. Strange that they would call a detective for a simple fire, no?"

He's smart. Not a surprise, but a good reminder that I need to stay sharp.

"Not that I have to divulge what brought me there, Dr. Groth, but I was called to the scene as the fire was suspicious."

"In what way? Was it not a simple electrical fire?"

"It doesn't take an intellect such as yours to understand that there needs to be some kind of electrical element in order to have an electrical fire. This happened near a window. No outlet. No wiring."

"You are good."

"Yeah, thanks. I like to think so. So, why did you have me come up here? Are you looking to cover your tracks?"

Dr. Groth gets up from his seat. I almost expect him to lunge at me, but instead he goes to the window.

"It's quite the opposite. I want to share the truth with you."

"That would be refreshing."

He laughs again and I'm partially regretting not going into stand-up comedy. I'm killing in this room.

"I have a very good view from my office window, Detective. It doesn't take someone with your skill of deductive reasoning to know that when one of your volunteers bursts into flames on the sidewalk and a detective is there to see it, they are going to have some questions."