Chapter 7

James bent down and picked up the ring. As Derek eyed him strangely, he stiffly explained, "I'll hold onto this. Let the victim's next of kin come to me to get it back."

Seemingly realizing something, James rushed into the house, which was basically a pile of ruins. Surveying the house he'd lived in for seven years, he pursed his lips. There was a slightly dazed look in his eyes.

Looking at one of his colleagues, who was cleaning up the scene after the fire, he asked somewhat stiffly, "Can the house turn out exactly the same if it's rebuilt?"

I couldn't quite understand the emotions in his eyes.

Before his colleague could respond, Monica approached him and asked, "What are you doing, Captain Ellis? Since everything has been settled, can we go get dinner now?"

Her cheery question felt starkly at odds with the quiet somberness of the place in the aftermath of the fire.

"Someone just passed away in the fire. Can't you show a little more respect for the deceased?" Derek reprimanded M