Cause to Burn

by Mairsile Leabhair

  “Around back, hurry!” I yelled, running to the wooden gate on the side of the house that led to the backyard. The gate had been left open, probably from the fire yesterday. Mom always kept it lock so the neighborhood kids wouldn’t get hurt playing in my old dilapidated treehouse. I guess she won’t have to worry about that now. “Over here!” I yelled, running to the opposite side of the patio. The shelter was built under the house, the door as close to the back door as possible.

  “Damn it! There’s a damn chain and lock on it!” I screamed in frustration. “I need a crowbar or sledgehammer. Something to break this lock.”

  “I’ve got a crowbar in the squad car,” one of the cops said and turned back around.

  “Hurry!” I wasn’t going to wait. I put one foot on the slanted concrete base and wrapped both hands through the door handle. I pulled as hard as I could, but it wouldn’t budge. “Hold on, Robbie!” I pulled again, but my hand slipped. “The vent! Help me get this vent off.” I wrapped my arms around the turbine vent and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge either. Of course, not. It was built to withstand a tornado. My eye caught something sticking up from the air hole.

  “What is that?” the other cop asked.

  “I think it’s a towel or washcloth. He closed off the mother fucking vents!”

  The cop returned with a crowbar and inserted it between the lock’s arms. We pushed together and the lock broke pretty easily. I braced my foot and tried again to open the door. “Robbie!” The door swung open and smoke billowed out, choking my breath and stinging my eyes. I could hear the ambulance siren as I waved one hand to clear the smoke and used the sleeve on the other to cover my nose and mouth.

  My eyes were burning, but it wasn’t from the smoke. In my haste to find Robbie, I had forgotten that he used chlorine. “Mask! Put on a mask,” I told the officer who was descending the stairs with me. He stopped and turned back to his partner. Then he followed me in. “Chlorine, don’t breathe it in.” I hadn’t walked very far in when I stumbled over something. Flashes of Scott lying dead on the floor flooded my brain and I started to panic.

  “Jordy!” a muffled, familiar voice called from behind me.

  “Uncle Joe?” A flashlight shone in my face as Uncle Joe came down the steps and handed me a mask.

  “Here, put this on,” he ordered from behind his own mask.

  I put the mask on quickly and inhaled. Air. Thank God, I can breathe.

  “You, get out until you have a mask on,” Uncle Joe ordered the officer.

  The cop hurried up the steps as I inhaled again. Movement caught my eye. It was Robbie! Now that I could breath and blinked away the tears, I could see Robbie just as she slumped over another body. I inhaled a third time and then took off my mask and put it on her, much to Uncle Joe’s wrath.

  “Damn it, Jordy!”

  I grabbed her by the shoulders and began dragging her to the steps. Uncle Joe pulled on the chains, dragging the concrete blocks with him. Kandyce and Larry ran in, wearing masks, and helped us lift the blocks and move Robbie outside. The EMTs were waiting for us. I tried to hold her, but they pushed me away, laying her flat on the ground so they could do CPR. One pumped her chest while another took off the mask I had put on her and put a clear plastic oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She wasn’t moving except for the compressions, her eyes, still closed, had red tears pooling in them, and she was so pale.

  “Oh, God. Oh, God, please,” I prayed, and begged, and screamed.

  “There’s another one in here!” Larry shouted and he, Uncle Joe, and Kandyce ran back in.

  “Officer,” I called to the cop who had followed me in. He knelt beside me and I said in a low voice, “The arsonist is here, filming this.”

  “Did you see him?” he asked, looking around.

  “No, but that’s his MO. He’s probably dressed as a firefighter but look for anyone using a cell phone camera. Hurry, before he disappears.”

  “Mike, follow me,” he said to his partner as he stood up.

  I turned my attention back to Robbie. She was just lying there, so lifeless that I feared I had been too late. When I heard her inhale sharply, the dam burst and tears spilled from my eyes, taking the tension and stress with it. She was breathing on her own but when she tried to open her eyes, she cried out.

  “Easy, baby. It’s okay, don’t move,” I said as I rubbed my finger across her cheek.

  “Shield her eyes, please, while I wash them out,” the paramedic instructed. “Miss, this will make your eyes feel much better.”

  “Robbie. Her name is Robbie,” I inserted, placing my hand over Robbie’s eyes.

  “Okay.” The paramedic nodded. “Robbie, this may hurt a little at first.”

  “No, wait,” Robbie said, her voice painfully hoarse. Her hand wavered for a moment and then removed the mask from her mouth. “Jordy?”

  “I’m right here, baby. You’re going to be all right.”

  “The station. He’s going to—” Suddenly she started coughing, gasping for air again.

  The paramedic pushed her hand away and put the mask back on. “Robbie, no talking for a while.”

  With one hand still stretched across her brow, I grasped her hand with the other. “It’s all right, Robbie. We know about the trap he set at the station. Uncle Joe and the guys put it out before it got too bad.” A relieved smile touched her lips before her hand went limp in mine. “Robbie? What’s wrong? Do something!”

  The paramedic felt her pulse and after a gut-wrenching few seconds, smiled. “It’s okay. She just fainted from exhaustion.” The tech leaned over Robbie’s face and proceeded to wash her red, swollen eyes out with water. Then she took out a pen light and lifted Robbie’s droopy eyelid. Robbie moaned and the tech assured me that was a good thing. “Her eyes are going to be fine. No swimming for a while, though. And she needs oxygen therapy to clean out the lungs.”

  Larry, Kandyce, and Uncle Joe emerged from the shelter, struggling to carry a large, unconscious man up the steps. The way he was chained, dragging him would have been just as difficult. Then I realized who I was looking at and my anger swelled. What was that bastard doing in there with her?

  “We need to get her to the hospital.” The paramedic brought my attention back to Robbie.

  The other med-tech had moved to Robbie’s feet. “Have you got a key or something to cut the chains?”

  “The chains? Oh, yeah.” I had forgotten that she was still chained to concrete blocks. I pulled out my car keys where I kept the key to my set of handcuffs and said a quick prayer that they would work on Robbie’s cuffs. Only one foot had her pink boot still on. The other foot was bare and swollen twice its size, with some cuts and bruises, as if she had clawed at her own foot. Sweat beaded my brow as an icy chill ran down my spine at the thought of Robbie being so terrified she would tear at her own flesh to escape.

  The cuff was cutting off circulation as the ankle swelled around it. “Oh, God,” I cried, as I inserted the key. The cuff opened but I had to pull it out of the skin. The paramedic immediately began cleaning and dressing the wounds. I turned to the other leg and the cuff fell away on its own. Now that Robbie was freed and out of danger, I gazed at Patrick, my thoughts turning dark and angry. How could he let that happen to his own daughter? The stress and tension became too much for me and when Uncle Joe asked for the key to unlock the handcuffs, my mind shut down.

  “He’s dead, Jordy,” Uncle Joe said, removing his mask. “Patrick can’t hurt her, anymore.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, relieved that the man who killed our fathers wasn’t alive to torment his daughter further.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen it before,” Uncle Joe explained. “He was a crackhead, remember? His lungs probably couldn’t take the chlorine smoke.”

  “He’s right,” the paramedic said, feeling for a pulse. “He’s gone.”

  “Patrick? Is that him?” Kandyce asked.

  I had forgotten about her. “Yeah, that’s him,” I replied, wondering how she woul
d react.

  “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. Saves me the trouble,” she stated, her face red with anger. “If I had known, I would have left him in there.”

  “Kandyce,” Larry chided.

  “He killed my mother, Larry,” she said, tears replacing the anger.

  “And my father and Robbie’s stepfather,” I added.

  “Damn, I didn’t know, guys. I’m so sorry,” Larry said, wrapping his arm around Kandyce. She leaned into him and released her anger and tears on his shoulder.

  “Jordy?” Robbie said weakly.

  “I’m here, baby.” I knelt beside her again and cradled her head.

  She batted her eyelids open and squinted up at me, a smile spreading across her lips when she saw me. Thank God!

  “How’s Patrick?” she asked, trying to sit up. “He tried to help me.”

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “Stay still, okay?”

  She didn’t listen to me and sat up, shading her eyes with her hands.

  “I see your stubbornness is still intact,” I teased.

  “And I see you’re still being a jerk,” Robbie retorted with a smirk and my heart leaped for joy.

  “Patrick didn’t make it, Robbie. I’m, uh, sorry,” Uncle Joe said.

  “Well, I’m not,” Kandyce declared.

  I glared at her. “Not now, Kandyce.”

  “What?” Robbie asked.

  I shook my head. “It’s a long story, Robbie. I’ll tell you all about it, after we get you checked out at the hospital.”

  She frowned. That adorable frown that I’d come to love. Suddenly, she screamed and began shaking violently.

  “What is it? What’s wrong, Robbie?” I followed her gaze and saw the cops struggling to keep Paul from breaking their hold on him, as they walked him over. His hands were handcuffed behind him but he was using his head to butt them away. He was wearing the full turnout gear and one of the cops was holding a SCBA mask and helmet.

  “Shh, it’s okay, Robbie. I won’t let him hurt you,” I said quietly, hoping to calm her. I squeezed her hand and felt her relax, although she was still on guard. “I’ll be right back, baby. Don’t go anywhere.” I squeezed her hand one more time and then walked over to Paul and the two officers. “Has he been read his rights yet?”

  “No, we thought you’d want to do that,” the lady cop replied.

  Nodding, I said, “Thanks, I appreciate that.” Then I balled my hand into a fist and reared back, holding it in the air. He looked at it and squirmed. “But first, this is for burning my mother’s house down and terrorizing Robbie.” I brought my hand down quickly and he recoiled like the coward he was. I stopped just before touching his quivering lips and leaned close to his face, whispering, so only he would hear. “Just so you know, I can hurt you whenever I want and you can’t do a damn thing about it, in prison. You think you made our lives a living hell? Wait until you meet Tommy the Torch. When he finds out you’re a personal friend of mine, you’ll wish you were dead.”

  I laughed when the realization shone in his eyes. I didn’t know anyone named Tommy, but Paul didn’t know that. He’d spend the rest of his miserable day’s looking over his shoulder. Much more satisfying than breaking my hand on his jaw.

  I felt a tug on my arm and turned to find Robbie standing beside me, wobbly but determined. She nodded at me and I knew she wanted her turn at Paul. Can’t say that blame her for that.

  “I would just like to say that you will be in my new book,” Robbie informed him, inhaling on the portable oxygen before continuing, “And you will be the despicable bastard villain who dies a slow and painful death in the end.”

  “Oh, please,” Paul snarked.

  She inhaled again, then reared back and slapped him hard across the cheek. “Oh, that felt so good,” she said, then broke into a coughing fit. She staggered, almost falling, and I scooped her up in my arms.

  “Officer, I’ll let you read him his rights,” I said. “I need to tend to my lady.”

  Robbie cupped my cheek and gazed into my eyes. “You look so incredibly sexy in that uniform.”

  I squared my shoulders and grinned. “Thanks.”

  She laid her head on my shoulder, her hands folded in her lap. “Remind me after I’m feeling better that I want to rip it off your body.”

  Laughing, I kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll look forward to that.”

  ***

  “Honey, are you warm enough?” Gloria asked. “Do you need anything?”

  “Yes, I’m warm enough, Mom. Really, I’m fine,” Robbie replied, without looking up. “Stop hovering.”

  “Does she need anything?” my mom holler from the kitchen.

  “She says no, Lillian,” Gloria hollered back.

  Robbie looked at me and rolled her eyes. She wasn’t fooling me; she loved the pampering.

  I had called Mom from the emergency room, as they drew blood and ran oxygen level tests on Robbie. She and Gloria drove right up. Robbie refused to stay overnight, so I drove her to my house, and our mothers followed in Gloria’s car. Quite frankly, I was relieved to have them there because as stubborn as Robbie was, I knew she’d listen to them.

  I was sitting at the dining room table, writing up my report on the laptop, Robbie was stretched out on the couch, and Mom and Gloria were hovering, just as Robbie said.

  Uncle Joe had stopped by after the funeral to see how we were doing. He told us that Scott had a very good turnout and that his wife and kids were so proud of the fact that he was buried as a hero. It was really important that his kids thought of him that way, and not as I knew him, a drunk.

  “Oh, the dust bunnies!” Mom shouted from my bedroom.

  “Mom, get out of my room,” I hollered back, although technically, it was her room until her house was repaired. That would take at least eight months. If I were Jewish, I would use the vernacular, oy-vey. I heard Robbie snickering, obviously enjoying my angst.

  Tomorrow, she and her mother would head to back to Germantown, where Robbie would convalesce and start working on her book. I wanted more time with her. I wanted to finish what I started when I kissed her. To take my time touching, exploring, and exciting her. Although I would admit, it had been great getting to know her better, along with her mother, who delighted in telling stories of when Robbie was a child. Unfortunately, my mother had to join in with stories about me. Oy-vey.

  Looking over my notes, I picked up the DNA list on Patrick. A name caught my attention almost immediately. Ethel Farmer. That was Kandyce’s aunt; what’s she doing on Patrick’s list? I picked up my cell phone and walked over to Robbie.

  “I need to call Uncle Joe, so I’m going to step outside so I can hear,” I said, nodding toward my chattering mother.

  Robbie chuckled, her still red-tinged eyes twinkling. “Take me with you,” she joked.

  I walked outside and clicked on Uncle Joe’s number. “Hey, it’s Jordy. Is Kandyce working today?”

  “No, she up and quit this morning. Said she needed to be with her family.”

  “Damn. I had more questions for her.”

  “Really? I thought the case was closed?”

  “It is, but I still have questions.” My phone vibrated and I held it out to see who was calling. I didn’t recognize the number, but decided to take it anyway. “Got an incoming call, I’ll talk to you later.” I ended the call and accepted the other call. “Stringfellow.”

  “Is this Arson Investigator Jordyn Stringfellow?”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Who wants to know?”

  “I’m Special Agent Bobbie Vandyke with the FBI, Houston division. We need to talk.”

  “I’m listening,” I said, wondering if this was connected to my case.

  “Not on the phone. I need you to fly out to Boulder, Colorado, for a confab. I’ve already spoken with Commissioner Anderson and she has approved your joining my task force.”

  “Seriously. What kind of task force is it?”

  “Serial killers. Interested?”


  “Very interested,” I said, trying not to sound too excited. Damn, this could make my career. “I’m finishing up a case now—”

  “Yes, it was that case that got my attention. Your CODIS request was flagged and sent to me. Your case may be tied to my case in Boulder.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. “Ethel Farmer?”

  “That’s the one. I read the file. Damn fine detective work.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, at a loss for words. I hadn’t even filed my official report yet.

  “I’ve got your ticket waiting at the Memphis airport. You leave tomorrow.”

  “Whoa, I don’t know if I can leave that soon. I’ve got… obligations.”

  “I understand,” Vandyke said. “Let me know first thing in the morning, we need to move on this right away.”

  “Copy that,” I said, ending the call. What in the hell was I going to tell Robbie? I knew our mothers would take good care of her, but damn. I couldn’t leave her now. I wouldn’t.

  ***

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” I asked, pulling a blanket from the overhead compartment as a large woman carrying a carry-on bag tried to squeeze past me in the aisle. I should have taken Robbie up on the offer to fly first class.

  “I’m fine,” Robbie said, as she fastened her seatbelt. “I told you, the doctor said I could fly, as long I take my medicine with me and stay out of smoke-filled rooms.”

  “I still think we should have stayed home so you could take it easy.”

  “And have you miss this important opportunity? Nothing doing.”

  Inwardly my heart swelled with pride and love. Outwardly, I only smiled at her. “All right, then. On to our next big adventure.”

  The End

  Thank you for reading this book. It is the second in the serial killer series and although you didn’t need to read the first book, Better the Devil You Don't Know, the characters from this book will join the characters from the first book to solve a new case before the killer strikes again. Sparks will fly! The third book will be out in June.