The Children's Corner
Chapter 37
Alexis tugs at her gloves with a deep breath. "I don't smell anything but citrus."
"A definite improvement," Dana agrees. "Looks like we just made it. I have to get ready for my new job, you have to prepare for graduation, and we both have to pack. And you'll be starting with Osnitz soon. Have you heard from him?"
"I saw an email come in a little while ago, but I didn't take the time to open it. I will now."
"So?" Dana prompts as Alexis studies her phone's screen.
"He wants me to start in the lab the minute my graduation is confirmed. They're still analyzing the residue and air samples from the Queens fire."
"Does the fire department suspect arson?"
"Osnitz didn't say, and I wouldn't be cleared to know that yet anyway. Still, it's possible. But I think the city is more concerned with telling the public about potential hazards right now. People want to return to their homes, and businesses want to reopen if they haven't already. And there's too much history with what happened with toxic clouds after accidents in Italy, India, and Lebanon to just let it go. At least, I hope so."
"You're still afraid someone might want to cover something up?"
"Until I see a comprehensive open report that matches what we see in the lab, yes," Alexis insists. "This city's never been short on corruption."
"I guess that as close as you are to Kate and the other cops, you'd know more about that than I would," Dana admits. "But let's hope that it isn't involved this time. Anyway, we have to get back to campus."
"We do. This close to graduation, some of the kids in the dorm could be getting in their last wild hours as students. We'll have to make sure they don't break anything." Alexis shrugs. "Or at least nothing that belongs to the university."
"Getting ready for the changing of the guard with Julia?" Rick queries Cindy.
"Getting ready for the changing of everything: graduating, marrying Baylor, and having the baby. He just got his transfer up here. And the company is providing some temporary housing until he gets settled in. But we have to be married for me to join him. So we'll go to the City Clerk's office."
"I thought you two wanted to celebrate with Baylor's family," Kate remarks, loading the twins into their swing.
"We do. And once the baby is born, we'll take him down to see his grandparents. Of course, they'll probably want to throw a party. And Baylor's father made a cradle we can bring back to the city with us."
Kate smiles appreciatively. "I'm sure it will be beautiful."
"So, are you done with classes now?" Rick inquires.
"Yes. I just got my advisor to sign off on my student teaching. And I turned in my last paper. So all I have left is attending graduation."
"Kate and I will be there to watch you and Alexis receive your due. So will my mother and Craig Daniels. Lanie Parish and Lorne Faulkner are coming too," Rick announces. "Miss Bambi lined up one of the teachers she trusts to come to sit for Lily and the twins."
Cindy breathes out a sigh. "I'm glad you have someone. Everyone I know who could do it will be at graduation too."
"It will be a momentous event," Rick declares. "Who would want to miss it?"
Since Hudson University substitutes various honors for choosing a valedictorian. Alexis can't experience the thrill of being the top dog as she did in high school. On the upside, she doesn't have to suffer the terror of making a speech either. Being summa cum laude with departmental honors is more than enough. And knowing she has a great job waiting is even better. She could do without the pomp and circumstance, but she knows how much her father loves it. And so does Gram. And between the two of them, they will proudly capture video of every moment of the graduate's departure from academia.
Dana may do an even better job. He borrowed some of his father's long-range surveillance equipment to make sure no pixel is lost. All Alexis has to do is smile graciously and shake a hand or two. That shouldn't be stressful at all. She just wishes someone would tell her stomach that.
The event is set up on a vast lawn on the university's grounds. An auditorium is a backup in case of rain, but the sky is clear. The temperature is unseasonably warm but not oppressive, as long as students dress lightly beneath their robes.
In an airy spring shift, Alexis feels sorry for the boys sporting suits and ties under there, particularly the business majors. But one of them told her that he might as well get used to it. The company he'll be working for frowns on casual attire. She says a silent prayer of thanks for what she can cover with a lab coat. She'll only have to dress formally for court.
With the thousands of students in the graduating class, a processional would take hours. So the students will all be seated in folding chairs, with the ones receiving honors in the front rows. Alexis is assigned to row one. Guests are allotted seating in sections on either side of the students.
As obsessive as usual, Rick insisted on arriving an hour early to get a good spot for family and friends. Alexis's blood warms on seeing his wave as she takes her place. Whatever's happened, her father's always been there for her transformative moments. That hasn't changed. Despite the independence she demands, she hopes he'll still be there for a long time. Alexis crosses her fingers that Kate makes sergeant. It will mean less time in the line of fire for both of them.
The assembly quiets as the band strikes up "Hudson U Our Historic Home." "Here we go!" Alexis murmurs to herself as the university president takes the podium.
The way Chief Osnitz is grinning, Alexis thinks for a moment that he's about to hug her. But she's never seen him hug anyone, and he doesn't start now. Instead, he hands her a binder with updated lab protocols, a summary of the test results of samples from the Queens fire, and a list of pending analyses. "As soon as you've familiarized yourself with these, I want you to start digestions. The fire involved so many materials and damaged so many buildings that we've yet to produce consistent results. The wind shifting several times muddled the air concentrations. And the fire suppression foam will cause additional contamination if it gets into the water table. Unfortunately, that area is close enough to the ocean that the water is quite near the surface. And those fluorocarbons won't break down. We need to catch them before they get too far."
"I understand. But does that mean you're putting a priority on groundwater samples or the ones from air or soil?" Alexis queries.
"They're all priorities. But air first, because it has the most immediate effect on the surrounding area. The filters have continued to come in. It's an ongoing process. So get some of those going, and pick up on water and soil samples whenever you can fit them in. I hope you weren't counting on any long lunches, Alexis," the chief adds in the closest he ever gets to teasing.
"No, Sir. I expected to be busy. There's still so much to find out about that inferno, that I welcome it."
"And I welcome your dedication."