Up in Flames (Carlisle Fire)

Chapter 9

“DID YOU find anything?” Chase asked Hayden the following afternoon.

“Maybe,” Hayden answered. “It’s hard to tell because the report isn’t written up the exact same way.” He angled the computer screen so Chase could see it. “Look at this report from six months ago. The fire was ruled accidental, but look at what was found near the starting point.” Hayden pointed to the words.

“Melted bits of plastic,” Chase said. “Though they don’t identify what they were, you think it could be the same sort of thing that we found.”

“Yeah.”

“Then why didn’t we find it earlier? The department isn’t that big.” Chase’s mind raced forward.

“This is a report from Mount Holly. The fire happened down there. I didn’t find anything in our files, so I made a few calls and got access to a few other departments’ online material, where I found this.”

“That’s cool, though I don’t know what it tells us, other than that Jerrod’s fire isn’t the first.” He drummed his fingers on the top of Hayden’s desk. “We need to tell Red. Maybe he’s come up with something.” It wasn’t as though they could track the various people they had as possible suspects.

“What I need you to do is talk to Jerrod and see if he has any link to this property or anyone who might have lived there. Maybe that can help us narrow things down. This could be just a coincidence.” Hayden went back to his work, and Chase wondered if they had just stumbled onto something bigger than what he or Hayden had thought possible.

“I will.” He wandered back down to the trucks to get back to work. A rural call first thing that morning had left the trucks covered in mud, which meant they needed to be washed from top to bottom, so they were being pulled out of the station one by one, and he needed to help.

“Not quite what you thought being a firefighter would be?” Larry, a firefighter who had been there for a year or so, asked.

“We have to keep the equipment clean and ready,” Chase told him, but Larry just rolled his eyes before dropping his sponge back in his bucket.

“If I wanted to work at a car wash, I could have worked for my father,” he sighed. Chase had heard that Larry’s father owned the old car wash on South Hanover, one of those that you could drive into and wash your car yourself for a couple bucks.

“Knock it off and finish up. There’s still another truck to do.” Chase didn’t get a chance to see who said it as he grabbed a sponge and got to work. There was plenty to do before the next call came in, which happened only five minutes later, and they all jumped into their gear and headed out, the truck still dripping water behind them.

THEIR CALL, which wasn’t a fire, involved them deploying their ladder to get a kid out of a tree on Louther. He’d climbed too high and couldn’t get down. Back at the station, Chase went inside to get something to drink before pitching in to finish the cleanup.

“Chase,” Hayden called just as he finished polishing the valves on the side of the pumper.

“Yeah.” He set his supplies aside and jogged to where Hayden stood near the overhead door. “What’s up?”

“I found two more,” he said, and Chase felt himself pale. “I think this is a lot bigger than we thought.”

“Okay.” Chase followed Hayden inside. “So do you think it’s a firebug?”

Hayden shook his head as he drew a chair to his desk for Chase. “No. It’s not that simple. These fires were purposeful. Firebugs don’t generally have a hidden agenda. They set fires because they like to watch things burn. There’s a magic in the flames for them. They get a thrill out of it and often meld into the crowd so they can watch their handiwork.” He typed for a while. “I don’t see that happening here.”

“Okay.” Chase wasn’t sure what Hayden was getting at, but he didn’t think he was going to like it.

“The fire in Mount Holly, the one I showed you earlier, was at a small restaurant. The place went up fast because of the supplies that were stored there. The fire was ruled an accident. I turned the info over to Red, and he called me back while you were out on a call. He said that the owner received harassing calls demanding money starting a few weeks before the fire. They apparently refused to pay….”

“Oh God.” Chase turned to Hayden. “Do we really have that sort of thing in this area?” It seemed unfathomable.

“Highway 81 runs right around town and then up into New York from the south. It’s a major artery for illicit activity, and unfortunately, it looks like someone has decided to set up shop here and didn’t like that the restaurant owners weren’t playing ball.”

“So you think the same thing happened to Jerrod? I’m sure he would have told us.”

Hayden shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s one more thing to ask about.” He turned back to the computer screen. “The more I dig into what started as a house fire, the more dirt I uncover, and it’s frightening.”

Chase had to agree with him. “Maybe we need to turn all this over to the police. We did our fire investigation. Now they need to do theirs and get to the bottom of the criminal angle.” His phone vibrated in his pocket, and Chase tensed when he saw Jerrod’s name.

“Hey, what’s up?” Chase asked.

“I’m on a job, and the homeowner is here. She’s an elderly lady who has difficulty getting around, and I’m putting in the power so she can install a chair lift. She says there are people outside the house that shouldn’t be there, and it’s got her a little upset.” He lowered his voice, and Chase strained to hear him. “They keep pointing at the house and…. I know I’m a little spooked, but I don’t know what to do. Maybe I’m overreacting.” He grew quiet. “What? They’re what?” he asked. “Mrs. Gunderson says that it looks like they’re messing with my truck.”

“Call the police. Right now. If you have a fob, make the alarm go off. See if you can scare them. Make sure you get a good look at them in case anything is wrong. Call me as soon as you know anything.”

“Okay.” Jerrod hung up.

Chase told Hayden what Jerrod had told him. “I hope it’s not what it sounds like.”

“I know. Not that I blame him at all.” Hayden went back to his computer, and Chase stood and went back to cleaning the equipment and hoping that everything was okay.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” Chase asked as soon as Jerrod answered the phone. He’d been waiting an hour and had done his best to try to keep his mind focused on his work.

“The police just left. One of the tires on my truck had been slashed. Mrs. G gave the police a real good description of the guys, and they are looking for them now.” He sounded more in control than he had when he called the first time. “I was able to finish the work and got the spare on the truck. So now I just have to get a new spare and I’ll be okay.”

“Did you find out what they wanted in the first place?”

“Not really. I’m hoping that the police can find them and get to the bottom of this,” Jerrod said. “But they’re gone now, and Mrs. G is happy. She took my side and gave the police a lot of information. She may have trouble getting around, but that lady is as sharp as a tack.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re okay.” Chase wondered if he should tell Jerrod what they’d found and suspected, but he held off. There was still a lot of the picture that had yet to come into focus, and that wasn’t the kind of information that you told people over the phone. “I’ll talk to you when I’m through with my shift.” One of his team was calling him, so he hung up and joined them back at the truck to finish up the cleaning.

By the end of his shift, they’d had two more calls, and Chase was exhausted. Hayden didn’t know much more than he had before, but he said he’d contacted Red and sent him everything he’d found. “I wish I could say he was surprised, but Red seemed to take it in stride. He said he was going to get in contact with your friend Jerrod.” Hayden continued out of the station and out to his truck. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chase nodded and stood out front, looking across the street, his thoughts growing deeper. In some ways, it felt strange that Hayden had uncovered what he had and yet seemed unfazed by it. It was probably inexperience on Chase’s part and the fact that everything was new. Or maybe Hayden had simply learned to compartmentalize things enough that he was able to leave his job at work.

Except this wasn’t Chase’s job. Well, not only his job. He liked Jerrod, and he hoped his feelings were returned. The last thing he wanted was for him and Peter to get hurt again. He climbed into his car, figuring he’d head home, but his vehicle seemed to have a mind of its own, and he found himself outside Jerrod’s rental. He got out and was about to knock when the front door opened and Peter stuck his head out. “I seed you coming.”

“Yeah, you did? Is your dad home?” Of course he was if Peter was home.

Peter stepped back and held the door, then closed it hard behind him. “Daddy is upstairs in the shower.” He hurried over to the stairs. “Daddy, Mr. Chase is here.” He began climbing the stairs. “I told him you were in the bathroom.”

Chase snickered as he imagined Jerrod’s reaction to that.

Peter came back downstairs and sat on the floor at the coffee table, returning to his coloring.

“What did he say?” Chase asked.

“That it’s not nice to say he was in the bathroom. But that’s where Daddy is. He said I was supposed to say he was insposed.” He shook his head as if to say grown-ups were weird. Chase watched him select his next color, trying not to chuckle. Sometimes kids truly did say the strangest—and most honest—things.

“Do you mean indisposed?”

“Yes. In the bathroom,” Peter said, and Chase figured he had gotten as much out of him as he was going to.

“Okay.” He leaned over. “What are you coloring?”

“Dinosaurs. Daddy got me the book,” he answered without looking up. “I like the red ones.” Peter’s tongue stuck out from between his teeth as he concentrated.

“Are you being good?” Jerrod asked as he came down the stairs, his hair still wet, a smile on his lips.

“Yes, Daddy. I’m working.”

“He did a good job of seeing that I wasn’t left all alone.” Chase stood, and Jerrod came right over.

“I’m glad you’re here. The police called, and Red is apparently stopping over this evening. He seems to have found something and has some questions. I was hoping he might have some answers.” Jerrod paused and looked into his eyes. “You know why he’s coming, don’t you?” Chase sighed and nodded. “And it isn’t good.”

“They aren’t accusing you of anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. But Hayden and I found out some things today that we turned over to Red.” Chase wanted to tell Jerrod all of it, but he was afraid to step into what was now a police investigation. “I think I have to let him fill you in.” It felt like he was keeping secrets from Jerrod, but this was official, and he needed to take a step back.

“I see. Does this have anything to do with what happened today?” Jerrod asked.

Chase shrugged. “I wish I knew. I’m hoping that Red will know more than I do.” A knock on the door startled them both, and Jerrod answered it. Chase expected Red, so he was surprised when Gizelle barreled inside.

“You really don’t get the message, do you?” Jerrod asked, standing between her and Peter, his hands on his hips. “I don’t know why you’re here, but you need to go.”

“I’m appealing the decision, and the court isn’t going to let you keep me away from him. So you better figure out what you’re going to do when they change their minds.” She drew closer to Jerrod, who shook his head. “And you’re going to have to argue why I should be kept away.”

“Fine, but keep away from us until that happens. Now please leave.” Jerrod opened the door. Red stood on the stoop in full uniform. Gizelle’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open. “I suggest you go now.” Chase stepped out of the way as Gizelle turned and left the house without another word.

Jerrod let Red in and closed the door.

“Why do I feel like I just stepped into some kind of drama?”

“Because you did. That is my ex-sister-in-law. She’s Peter’s bio mother, and she abandoned him before my brother died. Her parental rights were terminated before I got custody of him. Now she’s decided to return, and she doesn’t seem to understand that she can’t just walk in whenever she wants. Thank you for helping me get rid of her with a minimum of fuss. She’s still under the delusion that she has rights to him, and now she’s appealing the termination order, which is one more thing to add to all the drama.” Jerrod kept his voice light, probably because of Peter, but Chase heard the underlying tension, and he wondered how much more Jerrod could take. This had to be adding up to a huge burden.

“Are you a real policeman?” Peter asked, standing up and approaching Red with a look of complete awe. “Did you hurt your face chasing a bad guy?”

“Peter,” Jerrod chastised.

“It’s okay. No, I was in an accident, and I got hurt really bad. Though if I make a scowly face, it does scare the bad guys.” Red scowled and narrowed his eyes.

To Chase’s surprise, Peter giggled. “You’re not that scary, and policemans are good. My teacher at school last year told us so.” He looked at Jerrod. “Are you here to help Daddy and me?”

“I’m going to try,” Red said gently.

“Okay.” Peter returned to the coffee table.

Chase sat down with him. “I’ll stay in here so you and Jerrod can talk. Maybe Peter will let me color with him.” Peter tapped the page next to his. Chase settled in to color, wishing he could hear what was being said.