Chapter 20

They had just settled around the big table with cups of coffee, discussing the menu for dinner, when the speaker blared again. This one called for every piece of equipment they had and on the double.

"I have a sick feeling about this," Stan said as he pulled on his turnout gear.

"Me, too." Kristi took one moment to make sure Jared had stocked the ambo with extra supplies before they rolled out right behind the ladder truck.

Three blocks away, they could see it was indeed a bad one. It was another abandoned apartment building, scheduled for demolition, and the black clouds spread for several blocks. Two blocks away, they could see the flames shooting up in the air. That was a good indication the building was fully involved, and at its most dangerous for the men who had to clear it. Because, abandoned or not, there would still be squatters, just like at the others.

The scene was utter chaos. The battalion chief, the incident commander, was already there, making sure all protocols were followed so no one got hurt. A second pumper and a second ladder truck had also been called, since the fire had spread to the buildings on either side of the original blaze. Both pumpers had their hoses hooked up, and both ladders had been extended, the trucks taking up the major portion of the street.

The crowd this time was bigger than ever. Kristi saw Patrick and Keith, along with three more officers from their precinct, doing their best to keep the crowd behind the barriers they had set up. Three radio patrol cars, their light bars flashing red and blue, were blocking off vehicle traffic and trying to keep it out of the way. They had managed to clear the area where the fire trucks would set up, but keeping it clear wasn't easy. People kept surging forward, and Patrick, Keith, and two other cops kept forcing them back. Kristi never could figure out why sightseers to fires wanted to get right in the middle of things. It put them in danger and made the work of the firefighters that much harder and more hazardous.

Jared was driving their ambulance today and followed the hand signals of one of the cops on site to a place they could park and set up. When she leaped out of the vehicle, Kristi got her first up-close look at the fire. Not only was the abandoned apartment house a blazing inferno, but the smaller buildings on either side were being rapidly engulfed by the flames. If there had been people in the building, Kristi knew they'd be swamped with emergencies.

Captain Stewart strode over to them, waving a hand at the people gathered on the sidewalk in front of one of the smaller buildings. They were soot-stained and bedraggled. Several were coughing, while many others sat on the curb. "Get yourselves set up. They need help right now, and I have a feeling there are more inside those buildings." He shook his head. "I'll never know why the fuck people put themselves in that kind of danger. Okay. Get to it."

Kristi and Jared were set up in less than a minute and went to work. Some of the people required oxygen. Others had second-degree burns that required emergency treatment. They and the ones hurt worse would be transported to the hospital. She had put in the call the moment she'd pulled into the disaster area. She blocked everything else out as she focused on their patients.

He watched from the crowd, emotionally conflicted. The fire was beautiful. Three buildings this time. His personal best. And Kristi was at her peak, handling the injured. He loved to watch her, her movements almost poetic. If only that fucking cop would leave her alone. He was tired of sitting outside her house, knowing what they were doing inside. He'd thought about sending her more flowers but decided that was a waste as long as that cop was around.

No, the thing he had to do was get rid of the fucker. As he watched him work the scene, directing traffic that tried to drive through the safety lines, an idea came to him. The more he thought about it, the more he smiled. Slowly, he edged from his place in the crowd and around the corner to where his car was parked. Yes, this would be perfect. Kristi might even feel sorry for him and treat him.

As soon as he cleared the corner, he picked up the pace.

Kristi and Jared had been at it for the better part of an hour, and things seemed to be slowing down, when Hank O'Korn walked over to her, soot smudging his face, water from the hoses dripping from his turnout coat.

"Hey."

Kristi looked up at him from where she was wiping down the oxygen mask they'd just used.

"What's up? You look like you could use a cold beer and a soft bed."

He grinned, but it was strained. "Captain Stewart just told us they think they know who the arsonist is."

Kristi stopped what she was doing in mid-motion and stared at him. "They do? Who on earth could it be?"

"Remember that kid who's been taking pictures at the fires? The one who lives in the area?"

She nodded, but her heart pinched. "Oh, Hank, don't tell me it's him. A fourteen-year-old kid."

It had happened before, but it never got any easier to face. How could kids ruin their lives like that?

"No, no, it's not him." Hank blew out a breath. "Jesus. Thank god for that."

Jared frowned. "So who is? Someone we know?"

"It's that damn computer geek, Toby McMillan."

Kristi looked at him in shock, her jaw dropping. "Are you kidding me? Toby?"

"What the hell?" Jared stared from one to the other. "He's our firebug? Do you know for sure?"

Hank nodded. "Captain's going to tell everyone as we wrap it up. He wants eyes on the crowd." He blew out a breath. "Dan Varney was able to get a warrant to search his apartment. They found the makings for more timers like the ones already used plus piles of rags and cans of accelerant."

"I hardly know what to say." Kristi wiped a hand across her forehead. "Do the cops working the site today know that? Do they have his picture?"

"Dan found out just before the callout. He had told the battalion commander, but he didn't have time to tell everyone before we rolled."

"They can help look for him, too. I think-"

Whatever she thought was lost as a horn sounded and a car began barreling through the crowd, seemingly out of control.

Hank's eyes widened. "What the hell?"