Miss Fortune

Chapter Twenty-Three

Thorin sat at his desk, poring over the files on the DeMaio Foods fire and the fire inspector's summation of the Urlino house fire. The Urlino one was almost non-existent. Broiler caught fire. Nothing suspicious at all.

But the DeMaio file was a little more interesting. Still no mention of Estella Urlino, but her son, MJ was interviewed as a person of interest. He and Kevin DeMaio had gotten into an altercation at Darcy's two days prior to the fire that burned Demario's warehouse to the ground.

However, MJ Urlino had an alibi for the time the fire was believed to have been set. An airtight alibi. He and his wife were at Cranford Falls Medical Center, where she was in labor with and subsequently gave birth to their daughter at eight-forty that night. Half an hour before the fire was believed to have broken out and according to hospital personnel, he remained with his wife until the next morning.

Still no mention of Estella Urlino, however.

He sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with one hand, and closed the DeMaio file with the other. He and Kerry were supposed to sit down with Mrs. Urlino in a bit, after her bail hearing, but he wanted to run out and talk to Marco Urlino first.

That in mind, he scooped up the files and returned them to their rightful places, then left to climb into the Charger he normally drove on duty.

The Urlinos lived off Elm Street, about a half mile beyond his apartment building, in a small tract house that looked almost identical to the houses on either side of it. In fact, the entire neighborhood would have been identical, had owners not added additions or stories to their houses over the years.

The Urlino house, however, looked to be in its original state, with newer-looking yellow vinyl siding and a new roof. The jalousie windows were all open, despite the thickening humidity and rising temperature. A dark green Honda Civic sat in the driveway, looking freshly washed, and soapy water still ran down the sloped driveway into the gutter.

Thorin eased the Charger to a stop in front of the Urlino house, grimacing as he killed the engine and shoved open the door to step into the heat. He absolutely hated the summer and the older he got, the more he hated it. Heat. Humidity. And if he was in a suit, like then? He hated it even more, since he began sweating the moment he stepped out. He tried to ignore the itch creeping like a rash across his chest, but the more he tried to ignore it, the stronger it seemed to become. The perimeter of what had been shaved had already begun to grow back, which meant he wasn't sure if the itch was from the stitches or hair. Either way, it sucked and made his mood a bit more foul than it normally would have been. Plus, he winced each time he moved his arm and the stitches pulled, leaving him convinced he was going to split them at any moment.

Unlike the neighbors' yards, the Urlinos' grass was lush and green, most likely thanks to the sprinkler lying on its side in the azalea bushes to the right of the small front porch. A dog barked in the distance, a car slowed down as it passed by the yellow house, kids across the street screeched and when splashing followed, he assumed the neighbors had a pool.

It was a quiet neighborhood, mostly populated by younger families from the looks of it, and when Thorin pressed the doorbell, a dog barked. The Urlinos owned a golden retriever, who'd done his best to lick the crap out of him and Kerry the night before.

"Quiet, Cooper!" The door opened and Marco Urlino squinted up at him. He was short and squat, all broad shoulders and barrel chest, with a somewhat flat nose and the ruined ears of a former wrestler. His hair was mostly silver and slicked back away from his face. "Yes?"

"Mr. Urlino? It's Lieutenant Durin. I was here last evening?"

"Oh, Christ, how are you, son? I am so sorry for what Estella did!"