Burned by J. Robbins
"This case stinks to high heaven, boss," the patrol officer remarked to Detective Tess Trueheart as she entered the cordoned area.
"Don't they all, Tony?she asked with a smile. "Did you bring those pictures of your new baby like you promised?" The patrol officer's eyes lit up.
"No, ma'am," Tony told her. "I will next time, I promise." Tess headed toward the crime scene, and her nose wrinkled as she caught a whiff of the acrid smell in
the air. She tried breathing through her mouth as she walked over to the burnt car.
"What can you tell me, Meeks?" Tess asked the forensic technician. "Did Dr. Dillinger manage to escape another vigilante's twisted idea of justice?
"It looks like a Level 3 explosion triggered when the engine was started, Detective." Meeks replied. "There are some serious anomalies, though." He waited for
her to examine the car, but Tess motioned for him to continue. There was no point in maintaining formalities after all these years.
"Well, there are three problems that I can see right away, boss," said Meeks. "I will know more when I get back to the laboratory. First, the explosion seems to
have come from the inside rather than the outside. That is unusual if someone was trying to hurt the passenger inside the car in this case, Dr. Dillinger." Tess
nodded thoughtfully.
"Secondly, the driver's side window seems to have been open at the time of the blast," Meeks continued. "Since the windows on the car were bulletproof, it
seems illogical for someone to roll them down on purpose.
"And the last point?" Tess asked, staring intently at her friend. Meeks grinned at her.
"Well, lastly," said Meeks. "About the device itself... There is only one person with the technical knowledge to construct it. I'm sure you remember that this entire
scene is identical to the one that caused the scars on Dr. Dillinger's face. It is highly unlikely that anyone would have the technical knowledge to recreate this kind of
explosive device-unless he had seen it before." Tess looked reluctantly into the charred shell of the car. Unfortunately, Meeks' words meant that her work was only
beginning
Which sentence from the story supports the inference that Detective Trueheart and Meeks have worked together before?
"She tried breathing through her mouth as she walked over to the burnt car."
"There was no point in maintaining formalities after all these years."
"Did you bring those pictures of your new baby like you promised?
"There is only one person with the technical knowledge to construct it."
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