Page 77 of Ink and Ashes
I know this can’t be easy for him. He’s worked with these guys for years—they’re family to him. The idea that anyof them could be responsible for what they’ve gone through over the past few months is hard enough for me to process. I can only imagine what must be going through his mind right now.
“Colson?”
He jerks his head roughly. His voice is firm as he says, “I’ll talk to him.” Then he glances down at the last folder sitting in front of me. “Ollie?”
“Yeah. Ollie.”
Colson looks up at me, as if trying to read my mind. I’ve suspected Ollie for a little bit now, and I think Colson’s finally figuring that out. He doesn’t quite meet the age parameters, but everything else about him fits—the extreme intelligence, the awkwardness in social situations, single and living at home.
He’s also the newest to the team, and therefore the one the guys know the least about.
“He doesn’t fit all of the profile, though,” Colson says, his voice raspy.
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t him.”
“You’re the one who made the profile. Now you’re telling me that your top suspect doesn’t even fit the criteria?”
Colson’s voice grows angry, but I stay calm. I know he’s just frustrated. If it turns out to be Ollie, Colson will beat himself up for it. He’s the one who hired him, after all.
“A profile is just a guideline. A rough estimation. And the age aspect is always the hardest part to predict. He meets every other part of it.”
Colson shakes his head, unable to tear his eyes from the picture of the probie.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but you need to,” I continue. “Ollie is new… You don’t know him very well yet. He also had a rough childhood and has a history with the police. He’s secretive and keeps to himself, and he isn’t great at making friends. Something about him has rubbed me the wrong way since I met him.”
His brows pull together. “So that makes him an arsonist?”
“No, but it doesn’t not make him one either. There have beensigns. I don’t know anything for sure, but my gut is telling me to at least…consider him a suspect until proven otherwise.”
“Isn’t the line ‘innocent until proven guilty?’”
I let out a breath. “In typical circumstances, yes. But I’m not saying he’s guilty. I’m saying we should look into him more. Watch him.”
“Just…” He holds out his hand, trying to gather my thoughts. “What would his motivation be?”
“If it is him, he’s an excitement-motivated arsonist with a God complex of sorts. He’s setting these fires so he can fight them, prove his worth, impress you guys. He looks up to you all, and I think all he wants is to stop being the probie and show you guys what he can do. He wants validation that he’s doing a good job. He’s been careful not to hurt anyone yet, but you guys know fire is unpredictable. He hasn’t learned that yet. I think he needs to.”
“Isn’t Ollie a bit too young to be behind this?”
“Arsonists usually start as teenagers and grow from there. If I’m right, Ollie has had years to perfect his craft.”
“But there’s no way he would’ve gotten away with it as a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old.”
“Ollie only moved here a few years ago, though. He could’ve been getting away with it wherever he lived prior and was good enough to hide it by the time he came here.” I swallow roughly. “Besides, I think there’s something about this year specifically that has caused their behaviour to escalate. It’s likely that until now, the arsonist was only setting one or two fires a year. Enough to fuel their urge, but not enough to raise concern.”
Colson grits his teeth together, blowing out a breath. “This is a lot to process.”
“I know.” I tilt my head down, closing the file and setting it on top of Travis’s. His eyes track every movement, and when I turn back to him, they’re trained on me.
I roll my lips together, braving myself to ask my next question. I don’t believe any of the full-time firefighters could be responsible for this, and I know Colson’s going to deny it whether I ask or not. But in favour of covering all my bases, I do it anyway.
“I hate to ask this…but are you absolutely positive it’s not Beau or Pierce?”
Fire lights in Colson’s eyes. “Don’t ever fucking ask me that again. I told you it’s none of the careers, and I don’t wanna hear another word about any of them.”
With that, he pushes his chair back and storms out of the dining room. I watch him leave, then flinch at the sound of the door to his room slamming shut.
Guilt eats away at me as I glance back at the stacks of folders on the table, and I let out a sigh. I’ve always loved my job, and I’ve always been good at not getting too invested in the people I’ve worked with. But this case is turning out to be the hardest I’ve ever worked on, and not just because arson isn’t my area of expertise, though that is a big part of it.
