He did not say a word when he disconnected with his dad but immediately began typing into his computer while the others waited patiently. Or at least Beth, Terrence, and Todd waited patiently while Jonas paced behind his back.
“Dad’s right. I remember him talking about this one when we were kids.” Looking up at the others, he said, “It’s the constellation Phoenix.”
“Uh… okay,” Jonas stammered. “You have to fill me in, Sean. I don’t know anything about this.”
With a few taps on his computer, he pulled up some information and began reading aloud, “It was named after the Phoenix bird in classical mythology.”
“The only thing I know about the Phoenix was what I saw in the Harry Potter movies,” Beth said. “I know it’s supposed to rise from the ashes when it dies, I think.”
“The mythical bird is sacred across many mythologies, including Greek, Persian, Arabic, Egyptian, Roman, Turkish, Indian, and Chinese, just to name some. It is said when the bird reached the end of its life span, it would build a nest at the top of a tree, then ignite the nest and die in the fire. A new bird would be born from the ashes.” His heart pounded as he looked back at the white board, observing the memorized pictures of the rock piles. “Fuckin’ hell… a nest. He’s leaving a fucking nest at each site! The Phoenix’ nest is his calling card!”
“I’m still confused,” Terrence said, a furrow creasing his brow. “Is our arsonist trying to emulate a constellation or myth?”
Dropping his gaze, he continued reading aloud. “As far as the constellation goes, it’s usually visible in the southern hemisphere, but not really around here. It has four main stars, the brightest one is the Arabic word for the Phoenix. It contains fifteen stars in all, eight of them already on our board.”
“Shit,” Jonas said. “Do you think that means he’s got seven more hits already planned out?”
Trying to filter through the information, Sean shook his head slowly, dragging his gaze from his computer screen up to his coworkers. “I don’t know. I have no idea.”
“Call in Agent Gladden. See if she can come by, and with this new information, make any sense from it.”
Sean agreed, and just as he picked up the phone, Jonas looked up from his computer and said, “Medical examiner has got a report for us from the deceased man in the last fire.”
“Looks like a busy day.” Sean gained an eye roll and nod from his partner.
Two hours later, Sean escorted Valerie past security and up to their offices. “I’m really glad you were able to come today.”
Smiling, she replied, “I am too. It’s not often that I can accommodate an impromptu request, but today allowed it, and I have to confess I’m completely intrigued.”
“It may be nothing, but we’ve got to look at everything.”
They walked into their workroom, and he quickly made the introductions. He explained how he stumbled upon the similarity between the arson sites and the constellation Phoenix. She listened carefully, occasionally asking questions for clarification and nodding her understanding. Continuing his explanation, he opened up his laptop and began divulging more about the Phoenix.
“The Phoenix symbolizes renewal and resurrection in ancient mythology. When death was approaching, it was said to build a nest, set it on fire, and be consumed by the flames. Then from the ashes, a new Phoenix bird would arise. I read where some themes include the sun, time, an empire, resurrection, Christ, virginity… almost every theme of renewal. It seems as though the legends began in ancient Egyptian times, and the Greeks described the bird, and then the mythology moved throughout Asia. Because of the themes of death and resurrection, it was even a symbol in early Christianity.” He held her gaze when he added, “It’s also an alchemical symbol. Representing changes during chemical reactions.”
The room was as quiet as a tomb as Valerie took in the information, her gaze shifting from Sean to the board where the star pushpins were clearly displayed.
Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly before turning back to her audience. “You have to understand that I’m making a subjective analysis based on very broad, basic information.”
Nodding, he said, “We understand. We’re not looking for you to give us an exact profile based on this information, but any ideas you might have would be taken into consideration.”
He held a chair for her, and she settled, waiting until the others sat as well. “We know that the prevalence of suicide is significantly higher with serial arsonists. Why? That, we’re not sure of. In fact, views toward arsonists have changed. Sometimes they are seen more like criminals and other times as suffering from mental illness. Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which the person cannot stop the impulse to set a fire, usually to relieve tension or for instant gratification. That, of course, falls into the category of mental illness. For your arsonist to be acting so deliberately, I would not say that he was mentally ill, although that might be a possibility.”
Shaking her head slowly back and forth again, she said, “It’s as though he’s trying to give a deliberate message. He’s in control. He’s setting the fires in a particular pattern, assuming that no one will figure it out. He’s leaving a trail, but almost one that can’t be followed. He sees himself as intelligent, smarter than you. This could fall under the category of a firefighter arsonist… but they are usually younger, with a hero complex. The Phoenix makes me think as though they may be older.”
She looked up and lifted her hands to the side. “I find this completely fascinating, but I have to admit there’s nothing definitive that I feel I can give you.”
Standing, Sean shook her hand. “We just appreciate any thoughts you have on who we may be looking for.”
Glancing back at the map board, she said, “You might be able to discern more from where he has set fires and anticipating where he might set them in the future.”
“We thought about that. We’re hoping to use cameras that are already in the areas, plus maybe adding some to see if that will help us.”
As she turned to walk out, she passed his desk and glanced at the lists they were comparing. He explained, “We’re looking at people who did not make it to the firefighting training and trying to compare that list with those who have bought phosphorus and carbon disulfide.”
“I hate to add more to your work, but I’d add current firefighters and retired firefighters to your list as well. Whoever is doing this,” she nodded toward the map board, “is intelligent.”
31
“Dad, glad you could make it.”
Sean shook hands with his father, and they walked to the Arson Division’s workroom. Todd came out of his office, his hand extended toward Colm.
“Colm, good to see you again.”
“Todd, nice to see you too.”
Glancing over his shoulder toward Sean’s desk, he said, “This serial arsonist case is getting stranger by the minute. They’re usually caught when someone becomes suspicious and turns them in. Who knows? We just might be able to zero in on where they’ll strike next based on whatever you can tell us.”
Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, Colm said, “There’s no telling what this person is thinking, but if they’re using the pattern of a constellation, then we might have a chance of figuring where they’ll strike next.”
With that, Todd walked back into his office, and Colm followed Sean over to their map board. For several long minutes, Colm stood in silence, arms crossed over his chest, and stared at the board. He moved closer, shifting his glasses slightly on his face for better vision, then slowly walked back and forth, taking note of each pushpin.
Rubbing his chin, he nodded. “Well, let’s see if we can make any sense out of this.”
Sean shot Jonas a quick grin, and the three of them sat down at a table that had been placed in front of the map board. Sean had printed out copies of the constellation in various forms and passed them out among the three of them.
“In its simplest form, like this image here, t
he Phoenix constellation has fifteen star points. Some images will have less and some more, because it depends on the particular image you’re looking at. It has four main stars, and ten of its stars have planets. But if we look at the places on this map and compare it to the basic thirteen- to fifteen-star constellation that most people agree on, we can see he’s hit two on the southern part of the Inner Harbor, both in areas that are not so good. Over here is where he hit the warehouse. The shed was in the Old Town area. And he has two of the three in the western part of downtown.”
“Fuck, that still leaves several locations that he can target,” Jonas said.
“And even if we know the area, we can’t pinpoint the exact location or building.” Sean rubbed his chin. “Although, so far, he’s been hitting empty buildings.”
Colm held his son’s gaze. “My concern is that he hasn’t started a fire in the location that would be where the brightest star, Ankaa, is located.”
Sean sucked in a quick breath. “What do you think that means, dad?”
“I don’t know, Sean. But it gives me a bad feeling. When he strikes this location, it could be bigger than the others.”
Looking at the map where his father was tapping his finger, Sean’s heart clenched. Colm’s finger was pointing to the area of town that Harper lived in. At least for now. Another reason to get her into my house. Soon.
A voice boomed from the doorway, and Sean turned to see Chauncey walking into the room. Grinning, he knew the Police Commissioner never just dropped into the Arson Division but that his visit was for Colm.
“I heard you were over here this morning,” Chauncey shook hands with Todd before greeting Colm. He turned and greeted Sean and Jonas. “What’s up?”
Colm inclined his head toward Sean. With a wave toward the map board, Sean said, “We’ve made a connection between the sites of the serial arsonist and, strangely enough, the constellation Phoenix.”
“No kidding?” Chauncey’s eyes widened and his voice dropped in surprise as his gaze moved to the map board and his eyes searched over the pins.
“We realize we may be chasing after nothing, but we were hoping to see if we could discern where he might strike next.”
With his hands on his hips, shaking his head slowly, Chauncey said, “Well, this is one for the books. I would’ve never thought of something like this.”
Sean emitted a rueful chuckle. “It was pure dumb luck that I stumbled upon this.”
Chauncey turned his attention back to Sean. “You’re smart enough to know that for most detectives, we never ignore luck when it falls into our lap. A lot of cases have been solved with pure, dumb luck.” Turning toward Colm, he offered, “How about I take you to lunch if you’re almost finished here?”
“Dad, you’ve already given us the direction to pursue. Go have lunch with Commissioner King.” With his hand out, he shook his dad’s hand and then stepped back so that Jonas could do the same. He watched as the two old friends walked out the door before turning to Jonas and saying, “Besides this location, we need to keep looking at the lists, looking for retired or fired firefighters who also are on the list from the chemical company’s sales.”
Having downloaded their lists into spreadsheets, he sat back and let the computer begin looking for matches.
The day after Sean asked her to move in with him, Harper had sent a formal one-month notice to the apartment rental agency. She also left a note on Daniel’s door for him to come by. They had become so close, she wondered how he would take the news.
“As much as I’m going to miss you, I’m excited for you.” He pulled her in for a hug as soon as she welcomed him into her apartment.
“I promise that I’ll still see you. I’ll come back to visit, and Sean and I will have you over.”
He patted her arm. “Now, don’t go worrying about me. You know I’ll be well looked after in this building.”
She laughed. “I know you’ll be well fed!” Sobering, she said, “Please, believe me, Daniel. I’m not just saying it when I tell you that I appreciate our friendship. Just because I won’t be living across the hall, I don’t want it to end.”
They had hugged again, and she had gone across to her apartment to grab some things to take to Sean’s. The first day, she had taken Smokey in his carrier, along with his litter box, dishes, and food.
Once she had arrived at his house, she had placed the litter box and other items in the laundry room, setting the carrier in there as well. Closing the door, she had let Smokey out and he immediately scrunched into the back of his carrier. Sitting on the floor of the laundry room next to his food dish, she had waited patiently. Curiosity began to creep over the cat, and he finally stuck his head out of the carrier, eyes wide, looking around. Several minutes later, he crouched low and began slinking around the room, sniffing in each corner and behind the washer and dryer. After ascertaining that Sean’s laundry room did not contain any creepy cat dangers, he moved to his food dish and nibbled while she stroked his fur.
Leaving him closed in the laundry room for a little while to get used to where his litter box would be, she had carried her suitcase upstairs and unloaded her toiletries and a few items of clothing. It’s going to take several trips just to bring my essentials. And what about furniture? Forgoing the decision about furniture, she decided to focus on the things she needed immediately.
Now, Harper could not wait for the weekend. For the past three afternoons after work, she had stopped by her apartment with her rolling suitcase, filled it with as much as she could pack into it and still get it zipped, and then drove to Sean’s house to unpack and spend the night. She had transferred her in-season clothes, leaving behind her spring and summer items for later. Toiletries and personal items had also made the trip, and today she managed to pack up her essential kitchen items.
By now, Smokey had spent the last several days exploring every nook and cranny in Sean’s house, and while he would eventually find a sunspot to sleep in, he still spent much of his awake time skulking low to the floor, looking around for whatever might jump out.
Moving into the kitchen, she started dinner, thrilled to have a large, well-appointed kitchen at her disposal. Sean kept telling her that she did not need to cook every night, but she slowly convinced him that she loved cooking, especially in a kitchen with plenty of counter space.
An hour later, she looked through the window over the kitchen sink and watched as Sean made his way from his SUV in the driveway toward the back door. An emotion hit her like a physical punch in the stomach at how right the scene felt. Cooking in his kitchen with Smokey slithering figure eights between her legs. Sean walking into the house at the end of his workday.
She startled at the sound of his voice, aware that he had stepped inside and was staring at her. “I’m sorry?”
He moved forward, his brow lowered. “Are you okay? I walked in, and you were just staring.”
By this time, he had made it around the counter and was standing directly in front of her, one arm moving to band around her waist, pulling her closer. She reached up and smoothed the worry line from between his brows and smiled. “I’m fine.” Seeing the doubt remain on his face, she assured, “No, honestly, Sean. I’m fine.” She allowed him to band his other arm around her shoulders and she leaned her cheek against his chest as he held her tight. “I was just thinking that it’s only been a few days, and yet, this feels so right.”
She felt his sigh of relief as his chest heaved, and she held on tighter.
“I was driving home today, Harper, and all I could think about was getting here, knowing that I would see you. I know exactly what you’re talking about. But this not only just feels right… it is right.”
Dinner was soon on the table, and like everything else in the smooth transition, they chatted about work and her move. While Sean never burdened her with details about his cases, she felt as though there was something on his mind that he was not divulging.
“Is there anything you want to talk to me abou
t?” she asked.
Holding her gaze, he smiled. “Truthfully? Yes. But just as truthfully, I really hate to ask.”
Cocking her head to the side, she waited to see what he was referring to. He appeared to be struggling, so she remained quiet, giving him a chance to pull his thoughts together.
“I don’t want you to read anything more into this than just the question, but do you know of any empty buildings or structures in the neighborhood around your apartment building?” Seeing her blink in surprise, he continued, “I’ve already been checking into it, but since you lived there, I thought you might be more aware.”
“Is this about the arsonist?”
“Yes, but like I said, I don’t want you to read anything more into this. We’re just trying to identify potential sites.”
She had no doubt that there was more to his request than what he was saying but respected the constraints of his profession. Nibbling on her lip, she pondered his question. “There are quite a few empty storefronts that are dotted around the neighborhood, but all of the ones that I can think of have apartment buildings on the upper floors. If you’re asking about garages, sheds, things like that? I suppose there are some, but I’m just not sure.”
Watching the rather blank expression not change on Sean’s face, she asked, “Can I ask why?”
“As crazy as this sounds, we’ve figured out a pattern to the places the arsonist is hitting. When plotted on a map of the city, they match the constellation of Phoenix.”
She blinked, her mouth dropping open before snapping shut without saying anything. She repeated the action two other times before finally stammering, “Constellation? Phoenix? I... I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Believe me, I know. It was chance that I stumbled over the connection and even had Dad and Chauncey take a look.”
Swallowing deeply, she held his gaze. “And you think my part of town could be next.”
A Hope City Duet Page 46
