He'd seen the smoke at dawn, when he got close enough, and gritted his teeth. Percy was probably - no, absolutely right. This place was dangerous whether the kid has powers or not, and he would bet everything he had that the smoke came from a criminal fire. One of those fires that would be legally ruled as accidental even if it was a lie.
Thirty minutes after seeing the smoke, he pulled up in front of a burnt house. Even before he got out of the van, the smell was atrocious. Burnt flesh. He lowered his head slowly, until his forehead hit the steering wheel. He had to get out. He had to go check if anyone had survived, and get them away from this place, but he couldn't do it if he was going to cry because he failed to show up on time. He could do that when he got home, and not a second before. He took several deep breaths. Straightened his head, his back. Faked a smile.
Opened the car's door.