Up in Flames (Carlisle Fire)

Chapter 3

“CAN WE go back to the scene of that fire on Walnut?” Chase asked Hayden the following morning.

“Why? I already filed my report on that fire.” He sipped his coffee as though nothing was wrong, but the more Chase thought about it, the more certain he became that Hayden had missed something. He took a deep breath and held it because his instinct was to blurt out that he wanted to go because Hayden was wrong about the electrical cause. “It was electrical, pure and simple.” The stubbornness in his voice told Chase that he was going to get nowhere. “What’s wrong? You look like hell.”

“Gee, thanks,” Chase muttered. “I didn’t sleep very well. Everything is new, and I guess it’s going to take some getting used to.” That was bullshit. He kept seeing big brown eyes and full lips every time he closed his eyes, and he knew that once Hayden filed his report, there was going to be fallout. An electrician’s house burning down because of an electrical fire was as bad as a fire at a firefighter’s home. It did not instill confidence.

He poured a mug of coffee to try to wake himself up, but an incoming call to the scene of an accident on the freeway had a more immediate effect. Chase set down his mug and his training kicked in.

It took less than five minutes for them to arrive on the scene. They sprang into action, extricating people from cars and getting them to the arriving ambulances. Thankfully, there was no fire, and as soon as the victims were cared for, they packed up and returned to the station. Chase jumped down from the truck, then stowed his gear where it belonged for quick retrieval. He hoped he’d get a chance to return to his coffee, but the captain corralled him and Hayden as soon as they returned.

“I need to see you in my office,” he said as he passed, striding to the printer. “Now.” The snap in his voice left no doubt about the urgency.

Chase was the first to arrive, surprised that Jerrod was already inside.

“Is Peter okay?” Chase asked with a slight smile.

“You were part of the investigation?” Jerrod asked, his eyes stone cold and filled with anger.

“Chase took part for educational purposes,” the captain explained. “Hayden was the lead investigator,” he added once Hayden came in. The captain turned to him. “I want you to understand that I am not asking or requiring either of you to change your report for the fire on Walnut.”

Hayden crossed his arms over his chest. “Good.” He sounded a little like he was being a dick. “Because that wouldn’t be right.”

Jerrod stood tall, glaring at Hayden. “I know there was nothing wrong with that electrical work. I rewired the house myself, and I have the borough inspection report to prove it. There is no way that fire could have started there.”

“I know what I saw. The box was fried beyond belief,” Hayden said. “It had to start there.”

Chase cleared his throat, looking at Hayden and then at the captain. He didn’t dare glance at Jerrod. “I don’t agree with Hayden’s conclusions. I think the fire started in that vicinity in the basement, but I think there may be another cause.” Damn, he was destroying his relationship with one of the senior firefighters. He might as well start looking for another job. “I don’t know for sure, but something has been bothering me.” He figured it was time to back off.

“All right. We owe it to the department and to the people we’re here to protect and serve to make sure we’re right.” The captain looked at Jerrod. “I have experience in this area as well, so the three of us are going to return to that fire scene and have a second look. If we need to amend the report, we will do so.”

“I want to be there,” Jerrod said.

“Agreed. But you will not enter the building without our permission, and you’ll be there only if we have questions,” the captain said. “Now, get your gear together and we’ll leave in ten.” He lowered his gaze to the desk, and Chase followed Hayden out the door.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Jerrod asked Hayden once they reached the station common room.

“I’m just doing my job. I can’t let the fact that you’re a friend of Chase’s affect my judgment. I had to include what I thought in the report, regardless of that friendship.” The way Hayden looked at Chase told him there was very little “friendship” there.

“Okay, I’ll give you that, but you didn’t need to go out of your way to find something that will ruin me,” Jerrod said. “I know you think—”

“Get ready to go,” the captain said as he came out of his office.

Chase got his gear and hurried to the truck, then climbed in to ride with the captain, grateful that Hayden was taking another vehicle. He didn’t talk as he rode, a little intimidated about being in the cab with the captain and kicking himself for opening his big mouth. Sometimes being right came at a cost. Chase had no idea what the fallout was going to be, whether he was right or not.

“I expect all the people I work with to be professional, and that means accepting that others may have a different opinion,” the captain told him. “Speaking up was the right thing to do.”

“Thanks,” Chase said.

They pulled to a stop in front of the shell of what had once been Jerrod’s home. He climbed out, and Hayden pulled up behind them.

“The stairs down are around the back.”

Jerrod pulled up and got out of his car. Chase waved briefly before leading their group around the side of the building to the back door. The firefighters went inside and down the stairs, careful of their steps, leaving Jerrod waiting outside.

“Where is the box?”

“There.” Hayden pointed. “Right near the hole in the floor.” He went on to explain his logic and how he thought the fire had behaved. The captain nodded, and Chase began to doubt himself.

“What makes you question Hayden’s conclusion?” the captain asked.

“The hole in the floor isn’t in the right place. Why burn through there rather than right above the electrical box? I understand that could have been the weakest spot, but look at this.” He knelt down.

“That’s just debris,” Hayden said. “I told you that before.”

The captain joined him. “These look like electrical caps that have melted.” He pulled out an extendable poker and worked through the pile of charred remains. “Here’s another one and a few bits of wire.” He looked closer and then at Hayden before continuing to work through the debris. Then he stood to get closer to the charred beams without touching them. “There are no wires running through this section of the floor. They run toward the front and back of the house, but not directly across here.” He checked around more closely and then stood. “This fire may have started electrically, but it wasn’t at the electrical panel—though it’s my belief it was made to seem that way.”

“Captain?” Chase asked as what he was saying sank into his head.

“Yeah. This fire wasn’t an accident. It was arson. Someone set this fire and tried to make it seem like an electrical issue, probably to destroy Mr. Whipkey’s house and ruin his reputation at the same time.” He collapsed his poker and slipped it into his pocket, looking at Hayden. Chase pulled out his phone and began taking pictures for evidence, being sure to highlight everything they had found. The police would need to send someone out to gather evidence, and Chase hoped that pictures would help.

“I see,” Hayden said, growing surly.

“Stop,” the captain said. “None of us get it right all the time. Fire is sometimes an unpredictable beast, and even the best of us make mistakes.” He sighed. “What I need you to do is rewrite your report to reflect our new findings and then get it to me by the end of the day so I can forward a copy to the police. If this was arson, then someone burned down this home deliberately, and we’re going to need their help to find who it was.”

Hayden paled slightly as he nodded. “I’ll make sure it gets done,” he said softly, and they all headed for the stairs.

Chase was relieved and keyed up at the same time as the captain strode to where Jerrod paced along the sidewalk. “What did you find?”

“We no longer believe the fire was started by the electrical work in the house. It seems that someone started the fire, trying to make it appear that way. We found bits of electrical wire and caps on the floor, away from the box.”

Jerrod sighed. “Okay. That’s good news. At least no one can think it’s my fault. Wait… are you saying what I think you are?” He paled.

“I’m afraid so. Rather than being an accident, it seems that the fire in your home was set deliberately. We will be forwarding our findings to the police, and I’m sure they will be in touch with you.”

Jerrod blinked and began to sway on his feet. Chase caught him before he could go down and helped him to the truck, where he sat him on the seat. “Someone tried to kill me and Peter?” He blinked. “Who would want to hurt my son?” He began to shake.

“We don’t know. But we’ll be here to try to help figure it out,” Hayden said. All traces of the dick he’d been earlier had vanished.

“Yeah… okay.” Jerrod took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m okay now. What the hell am I going to do? How do I keep Peter safe? There’s someone out there willing to burn down my house, and I have no idea who they are.”

“That’s why the police are going to get involved. They have to help figure out who did this. They also have access to the crime labs to have the things we found in the basement tested. But I’m afraid this is going to send your insurance company into a tailspin, because they aren’t going to pay out until they know you aren’t involved.”

Jerrod groaned. “Of course. They’re going to put off paying the claim for as long as possible. But at least there aren’t going to be rumors running through town that I burned down my own house because of bad wiring. I’d never be able to get another job.” He seemed to be calming down, but Chase couldn’t blame him for being upset. If he thought someone was after him, he had no idea how he’d react.

“Where is Peter now?” Chase asked.

“At day care.”

“Then I suggest you contact them and let them know that there is a possible threat to your son so they can help keep him safe,” the captain said.

Judging by the way Jerrod bit his lower lip, that did nothing to reassure him. “They can help when he’s at school, but what about the hotel? Anyone can come and go there. Security is nonexistent. Hell, the elevators are in the lobby, and that’s open to the public because of the restaurant. They don’t even require a key to access the upper floors.” He sounded even more nervous now.

Chase wanted to help but wasn’t sure how. “Thanks, Captain,” he ended up saying. “Why don’t you follow us back to the station and we’ll try to figure out something,” Chase offered.

Jerrod nodded and stood up again, his legs steadier. Chase watched Jerrod until he got into his truck and then joined the captain, pulling the passenger door closed while Hayden got in his truck. That seemed to be the signal for the start of the inquisition.

“What do you think we can do?” the captain asked. “We aren’t a social agency, and while we found evidence of arson, for all we know, he could have set the fire himself.”

Chase tried to stop his mouth from gaping open like a fish. “Do you really think that? You saw him. He’s panicked, and he has a kid—the one I rescued from that fire. I saw his relief and fear—they were real. And if he set the fire, then why complain about Hayden’s findings in the first place?”

Captain Greg sighed. “Then what do you have in mind? I don’t have the resources to give them security, and the borough police don’t either.”

Chase shrugged as he tried to think of options and came up empty. “I don’t know. But Peter could have died in that fire.” He refused to let the captain see him shiver like some little kid at a Dracula marathon, but that was how he felt at the moment. “I have a one-bedroom apartment….”

“No way. You can’t let yourself get dragged into the dealings of every person we help. That isn’t going to end well. It’s unprofessional and a recipe for disaster.” He pulled to a stop at a light. “You don’t know this man at all, and while I understand wanting to help….” He gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“So we just leave them in trouble. Is that who we are?”

The captain continued forward. “Look, I know a few people in town that might be able to help. They have a few buildings with apartments. I don’t know if there are vacancies, but I can see. But if someone tried to burn them out again, we’d be in a heap of hurt, and it’s going to be my ass.” He shook his head. “I swore I’d never ask my fucking brother-in-law for anything,” he muttered under his breath.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet. It’s going to be your responsibility to make sure my brother-in-law’s building isn’t next, or so help me, I’ll make you explain it to my wife. And let me tell you, I love her to death, but you do not want to see her angry.” He pulled into the station. “At least we’ll have done our good deed for the week—maybe the month—with this one.” He parked in the lot, and they got out. The captain strode into the station while Chase held back, waiting for Hayden.

“Hay, I didn’t mean to show you up,” Chase said when Hayden got out of his truck.

“No, I should have listened to you the first time.” He clapped Chase on the shoulder. “My partner, Kyle, is always telling me that I need to listen more and talk less. I went for the easiest answer, but I should have ruled out anything else before drawing a conclusion.”

They went inside together, and then Chase headed to the trucks to see what needed to be done while Hayden most likely went to revise his report. Paperwork was the bane of everyone’s existence, and a firefighter was no exception.

The crew had everything in hand, so Chase found Jerrod outside the captain’s office. He sat in the plastic molded chair next to him. “He’s going to see if he can pull a few strings, maybe find you and Peter a more permanent place to stay.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Well, don’t yet. He hasn’t done anything other than agree to make a few phone calls.” He leaned forward. “Look, the police are going to ask you who might want to do this to you.”

“You met one of them last night. Peter’s mother isn’t the most stable person. But I don’t see her as able to keep a secret. If she had known about the fire in any way, she would have tried to use it as leverage. She didn’t. Gizelle is manipulative and self-serving above all else.”

Chase nodded. “I got that from her, but we still can’t rule her out. Manipulative people often have traits we aren’t aware of until they decide to show them. Who else? Since there were electrical supplies used, could one of the guys you had to let go decide to try to get even?”

Jerrod shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. But who burns down someone’s home for pulling someone off a job? Neither of them were good electricians, and I can’t have been the only one to let them go. What are they going to do, set fire to everyone who decides not to work with them? I just don’t have any idea who would want to do this to me.”

“I get that. No one wants to think that someone would hate them that much.” The most important thing at the moment was to find a place where Jerrod and Peter could be safe. Once that was done, Chase could get his mind around this mystery.

He shook his head. What the hell was he doing? He was a rookie firefighter, not a trained investigator. The police needed to take it from here… and yet the thought of Jerrod leaving the station and Chase never seeing him again left him cold and wondering what he’d be missing out on.