Gunnar's Guardian

by Pandora Pine

  “Jesus Christ, kid, shut the door and buckle up!” He didn’t stop laughing.

  Once I was settled in, Duke handed me a headset. Ozzy was explaining what kind of call we were going out to. Duke Marks had been with the Gloucester Fire Department for three years.

  “Structure fire out on Langsford Road. Single family home, fully engulfed.

  The faces around me were grim. It seemed they knew something I didn’t. Since I was just along for the ride, I didn’t want to ask.

  “Sounds like The Scorcher is at it again,” Duke leaned over to whisper. Carl Waters and Jenks Perkins nodded along.

  Shit. I should have known that. I was going to need to keep better tabs on what was happening around my firehouse. I covered my grin with my left hand. It was funny how I considered the house and the people in it mine.

  The roar of the engine and the squeal of the siren made it hard to concentrate. What I could see was that everyone around me had their game faces on. I had no doubt Max and Hal wore the same expressions in the ambulance behind us.

  “Noob!” Ozzy shouted in my headset. “Remember the rules. Stay out of the way. Don’t touch anything. No Facebook Live or any of that other shit. Got it?”

  “10-4,” I called back.

  The entire crew broke up into laughter. Ozzy turned to look back at me. “Only the cops say that.” His eyes were glittering with excitement. “Stay in the truck.”

  With those words he was turning around and getting out of the engine.

  The dispatchers hadn’t been exaggerating. The entire house was on fire. From where I was sitting, I could see glass glittering on the front lawn. The smell of the smoke was cloying, even from here.

  “Help!” a woman’s voice screamed. She was hanging out the window of the second floor.

  Jesus Christ. There was a beehive of activity going on around me with members of the crew going for hoses and Ozzy barking out orders, but my attention was focused on the woman in the window. I couldn’t see her face clearly from the smoke and the dark of night, but I could hear the terror in her voice.

  While Ozzy and Chasten ran into the house, I got out of the truck. I slid down to the ground, with my eyes glued to the house.

  “My daughters! Help my daughters!” the woman screamed.

  Kids? There were kids trapped in the growing inferno. Sweet merciful Christ. I hadn’t prayed in God knew how long, but I was praying now.

  It felt like forever for Carl and Jenks to bring the hose around, even though I knew it had only been a minute or two at the most. They directed the hose and a gush of water flew toward the house. From where I was standing, I could hear Duke operating the ladder.

  The woman was still screaming when a dark figure appeared in the front door. He looked larger than life. It wasn’t until he stumbled outside that I could see there was another person across his shoulders. With all the gear and equipment, I couldn’t tell if it was Chasten or Ozzy. I started forward intent on helping the person that had just been pulled out of the fire and to see if the fireman was okay, when I remembered what Ozzy told me. Stay put.

  How the hell could I stay put when people needed help? My heart was pounding in my chest as Hal and Max raced forward to help the person pulled from the house. I hoped with all my strength that it was the mother, but she’d still been screaming in the window when this person was being carried out.

  Hal lifted the person to their feet and together, he and Max moved him off toward the ambulance. I could tell from the build and height that it was a man. Probably the father. The fireman got back to his feet and I could finally see Coyne on the back of his jacket. It was Chasten.

  My attention went back to the window where the woman had been screaming. She was no longer there. Was she all right? Maybe Ozzy had her and was on his way back outside.

  I was sweating like crazy. The night was still in the eighties and from where I was standing on the street, I could feel the heat of the blast washing against my face. If I was fifty yards from the blaze, how hot must it be inside. I made a mental note to ask Ozzy later.

  Suddenly, there was a rumble followed by a flash. I was thrown back against the engine and fell to the ground. When I lifted my head, it was spinning. Through blurry eyes, I could see the lawn was burning. I shut my eyes and sat back up. My stomach was tossing and turning like it had done when I had the stomach flu. When I was sure I wasn’t going to throw up, I opened my eyes. The garage was leveled. What I thought was the yard burning were pieces of the house the blast had scattered.

  I looked around to count the members of the team. I found them all, with the exception of Ozzy. Where the hell was he? Not still trapped in that house? “Ozzy!” I shouted. My throat hurt from the strain.

  Chasten headed back toward the front door and disappeared inside.

  Oh my God. What did I do? Should I call Kennedy? What about Mandy and David? What the hell should I do?

  Sitting on the ground wasn’t helping anyone. I got unsteadily to my feet. When I was sure I wasn’t going to fall flat on my face, I moved toward the house. A large hand grabbed my arm and pulled me against his chest.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going, Gunnar?”

  Kennedy. I would know that voice anywhere. How the hell had he gotten here without me seeing him? When I turned around there were blue flashing lights all over the place. I wasn’t sure how I missed their arrival. It didn’t even matter at the moment. “Why are you just standing here. Your brother is in that building.” I was nearly hysterical.

  “Look at me, Gunnar.” Kennedy’s voice was soft. So soft that I needed to lean closer to hear him better.

  “I am looking at you and you’re standing still.” Raw panic gripped my entire body. I could barely breathe.

  “I’m not wearing any protective gear. I wouldn’t get more than three steps into that house before the smoke took me down. Is that what you want, boy?” His hand came up to tilt my chin toward him.

  “Fuck no!” I screamed in his face. “Ozzy! We have to save him. He’s…”

  Kennedy’s blue eyes darkened. “He’s what?”

  With as emotional as I was, I managed to catch that spark of jealousy in his eyes. “He’s like a brother to me. All he does is look out for me. If anything happened to him…” I couldn’t finish that sentence.

  “It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Kennedy looked like he meant those words.

  “How can you say that? He’s still trapped in that inferno.”

  Kennedy turned my entire body around. I could see something materializing out of the smoke and what used to be the front door. Two men stumbled out the door carrying what appeared to be laundry. Christ, was that the mother and her daughters?

  “Stay here. I fucking mean it, Gunnar. Do not fucking move from this spot.” Kennedy was gone, running toward Ozzy.

  The rest of the team converged on the scene. Max and Hal were followed by the second ambulance team. The scene was a mass of movement and I couldn’t tell what the hell I was seeing.

  “Suzi!” a hoarse voice shouted. “Katy! Bella!” the voice shouted again.

  Out of the corner of my eye I could see the man who’d been carried out of the house by Chasten moving toward the beehive of activity. I could see the team was trying to save the lives of the people he was shouting for. I started moving toward him, knowing this was the one thing I could do to help. As I moved, I could see Kennedy with Ozzy who was sitting up. Thank Christ.

  I intercepted the man as he started moving across the lawn. “Let them do their jobs.”

  “That’s my family!” the man wailed.

  My heart broke for him. It wasn’t a good sign if the paramedics weren’t loading his family for transport. The last thing they needed was to have their efforts impeded by this man. “What’s your name?”

  “Dillon. Dillon McMasters and that’s my wife, Suzi, and our daughters, Katy and Belle. They’re only four and two years old. Save them. You have to save them.” Dillon’s eyes plead with m
ine.

  “They’re in good hands. The best thing we can do is stay out of the way.”

  Dillon and I watched as the medics continued to work on the family. Kennedy was hauling Ozzy to his feet. He was cradling his left arm against his chest. It was obvious Ozzy was hurt. Knowing my boss, the man wouldn’t have his arm looked at until everyone else had been tended to.

  Kennedy’s eyes found my own across the yard. He gave his head a little shake. I knew then the absolute worst had happened. How the hell was I going to help Dillon through the worst day of his life?

  One by one, the paramedics fell back. Blankets were brought out to cover the bodies. I could see Hal and Chasten were crying. Max stood with her eyes slammed shut, her face turned up to the sky.

  “Why are they stopping?” Dillon shouted. “Why aren’t you helping my family?” He broke free of my grip heading toward the covered bodies of his family.

  Ozzy and Kennedy lumbered toward him.

  I stood in shock as they grabbed him and tried to talk to him. Dillon screamed. It sounded like a wild animal. He hit the ground beside his wife’s body, screaming her name and begging the medics to help her.

  With tears tracking down my cheeks, I turned from the grieving father and the members of my team. I didn’t want them to see my weakness.

  19

  Kennedy

  I couldn’t bear to put Gunnar in the back of my cruiser. He was crushed enough over what he’d seen at the McMasters fire scene. While we waited for the Essex County Medical Examiner to come for the bodies, I’d done some research on the house and its owners.

  Dillon and Suzi McMasters had been married for ten years. Katy was four years old and Bella was two. Katy’s favorite movie was Beauty and the Beast. She’d wanted to name her little sister after her favorite princess. My heart broke when Dillon told me that story. What broke worse was Gunnar.

  I could see the absolutely devastated look on his face. He would never be the same after this night. What was worse was that I had no idea what to say to help him heal again.

  Ozzy had a pretty gnarly looking burn on his left arm. Hal and Max had been the ones to transport him to Gloucester Mercy Hospital. No matter how severe the burn was, my mule-stubborn brother would be back at the station tomorrow. Ozzy had been sure this was another arson.

  There was too much going on for me to wrap my head around. Chief among them was how in the name of hell Gunnar had ended up at the fire scene. Had he snuck onto the engine. Had he come with one of the ambulances. Had he asked to come? If so, why? He was far from being a little boy who was in love with fire trucks.

  My stomach tightened at the fact I didn’t know the answer. I hadn’t seen much of Gunnar since he’d started to feel better. My mother had been spending a little time with him, but to be honest, I felt like I was getting a little too close for comfort.

  In actuality, I hadn’t been close enough to him. Physically, anyway. I could handle a relationship that was pure sex. Good hard fucking followed by each of us sleeping in our own bed was right up my alley. This getting to know you bullshit, and him getting to know me, was as foreign as sprouting wings and being able to fly.

  I pulled into the parking lot for the Emergency Room and saw both Firehouse Three ambulances in the bay. They must not have gotten here that much sooner than we did. I turned to Gunnar, who hadn’t said a word since we’d gotten in the car. “How are you holding up?”

  Gunnar startled, yelping as he pulled back from me. It took a few seconds for a look of recognition to dawn in his eyes. “I’m fine. Just worried about Ozzy and Dillon.”

  The grieving husband and father had been so distraught, he’d been threatening to kill himself. The second ambulance had sedated him and was bringing him to Gloucester Mercy as well. “I think they’ll both be okay. Ozzy will be back on his feet tomorrow morning and Dillon will survive this. It will take a long time, but he’ll get through it.

  Gunnar nodded and went to unbuckle his seatbelt. It wouldn’t unhook. No matter how hard he yanked and pulled, the buckle wouldn’t release.

  Not wanting to startle him again, I set a hand on his shoulder. “Let me help you.” My eyes stayed locked on his as I moved both hands to the seatbelt. Some awful instinct in me told me to lean in for a kiss. I fought it tooth and nail. Gunnar was fucked in the head after what he’d seen tonight. I’d be King Douchebag if I took advantage of him in this state. My finger found the release button for the belt. I pushed it and the buckle popped free.

  “Thanks.” Gunnar was panting. Possibly because I’d been about to kiss him, but more likely because he’d started to panic over being trapped in his seat.

  The humidity hit me like a hammer. I couldn’t believe it was still this warm at half past midnight. The cop in me couldn’t help thinking this heatwave was only urging the arsonist to accelerate his original game plan. He’d started out only setting fires in abandoned buildings and now he was targeting residential neighborhoods and families.

  I set a hand on Gunnar’s shoulder. Thankfully, he didn’t startle this time. “Tell me what you’re thinking. Maybe I can help.”

  Gunnar turned to me. His green eyes were glittering under the fluorescent lights of the parking lot. “Those little girls.” A lone tear slid down his cheek. “They never had a chance. Why couldn’t the mother get them out of the house?”

  I’d been wondering the same thing. “I don’t think we’ll be able to answer that until we talk to Ozzy, Chasten, and Dillon. The father will know where everyone was in the house and Ozzy might know why the mother stayed put upstairs instead of trying to escape.”

  “Why couldn’t the ladder get there in time?” Tears were streaking down Gunnar’s face. “If it had moved faster, the guys would have been able to swing it over to the house and save everyone.”

  I didn’t want to say it out loud, but I’d been wondering the same thing. “I think the 911 call is going to unlock a big part of this mystery.”

  “What do you mean?” Gunnar swiped the back of his hand over his eyes. He was regaining control of himself.

  “You saw where that house was.” I knew Gunnar was in no state to play detective, but I needed him to understand what had happened.

  “Yeah, out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “Dillon was on the first floor and the mother and kids were upstairs. What does that say to you?” I kept a close eye on Gunnar’s reaction.

  Gunnar’s face went from confused to eureka in half a second. “That house was in the boondocks. The mom and the kids were upstairs sleeping, and Dillon was downstairs. Maybe he’d fallen asleep watching television.”

  “Exactly. The fire didn’t wake any of them up.” I’d been going over that in my head since Ozzy and Chasten came out of that house carrying the bodies of the McMasters family.

  “I didn’t hear a smoke detector when we arrived.”

  That was a piece of the puzzle I didn’t have. I’d make sure to mention it to Ozzy. “Okay, so you’ve got a family sleeping unaware as their house burned. So, I ask again, who called 911?”

  “The arsonist.” Gunnar’s mouth dropped open. “Ozzy said they like to watch the fires they set. If his main goal is to burn the house to the ground, why did he call 911? He’d have to know that would send a flurry of activity out there.”

  Gunnar made a good point. “There are different types of people who set fires. You’ve got your firebugs who just want to see the world burn. Then you have people who set fires to collect insurance money. Last, are the people looking for revenge.”

  “Is that what you think is going on? You think someone targeted this family?” Gunnar wore a shocked expression on his face.

  “I’m not sure what we’re dealing with. Let’s get inside and see what’s happening with Ozzy.” In my years with the Gloucester Police Department, I’d come across all kinds of motives for committing crimes. Money and revenge were the ones I saw most often. If the McMasters fire was set out of revenge, what on earth could members of that family
have done that was so severe it warranted being burned to death in their own home, the one place they should have been safe?

  Gunnar lapsed back into silence as we headed into the hospital. I asked for Ozzy at the front desk and the nurse on duty led us back to an exam room where Ozzy was sitting on a gurney wearing a blue hospital gown over his uniform pants. I could smell the acrid odor of smoke clinging to him.

  “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Late to the party as usual.” Ozzy’s usual grin was in place.

  “Here I am.” I rolled my eyes at Gunnar, hoping my playful banter with Ozzy would ease his mind. “Had some loose ends to handle at the scene.”

  “I see you brought one of them with you.” Ozzy seemed to be studying Gunnar. “How are you feeling, Noob? Don’t think I didn’t see you rush out to grab McMasters before he could get to the bodies of his family.”

  Gunnar deflated before my eyes. I couldn’t pinpoint what the hell Ozzy had said to cause that kind of visceral reaction in him. I took a step closer to Gunnar just in case. I wasn’t about to let Ozzy’s big fucking mouth hurt this kid any more than he’d already been hurt tonight.

  “I’ll pack my locker and be out of the firehouse in the morning.” Gunnar’s head was bent. He seemed to be studying his shoes.

  Of all the things Gunnar could have said in that moment, this was the last thing I expected to hear him say. What the fuck had he done at the fire scene that would warrant him losing his job? Unless one of my original suppositions was correct and he had snuck on board the fire truck.

  “Pack your things? Gunnar, you saved part of our crime scene. You’re a hero.”

  “A hero?” Gunnar looked up at Ozzy. His face was twisted in a mask of confusion. “Three people died while I watched. All I did was stop a grieving father from getting to his family.”

  The look on Ozzy’s face softened. “I don’t know what Kennedy told you on the way over here, but I saw signs in that house that this was another arson, which means that house and the victims of the crime are potential evidence. If McMasters had touched them, he could have contaminated the scene. It’s an easy way to throw an arson investigation in a different direction if you’re the one who set the fire.”