15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Samuel

I walked down the hallway of the fire academy, stopping to study the photos of former classes. It was rewarding to have been part of helping so many young men and women achieve their goal of becoming firefighters. I was thrilled to be invited to give a lecture on arson detection, especially considering what my station was currently dealing with.

As I stood before the eager faces of the new class, I could feel their anticipation weighing on me. They were fresh, optimistic, and ready to try to save the world.

I didn’t want to discourage them in any way, but I did want to prepare them for what they might face in the field.

I began by painting a picture of what it was like to deal with an arsonist. “Arson isn’t just about starting fires. Most often, it’s a complex web of motives and methods that must be carefully unraveled if we’re going to bring them to justice.

“Only about twenty-five percent of arsonists are ever caught, and that’s why I’m here today. I know that at a later point in your training, one of our local arson investigators will be here to go over the methods they use to identify and catch an arsonist, but we have to attack this problem from multiple angles.”

I paused and looked out at the crowd to see if they were paying attention, and they seemed to be.

“We need more arson investigators, better equipment, and most importantly, we need firefighters—those with boots on the ground from the start—to know what to look for. We need you to know what to look for.”

I paced across the stage as I talked, hoping that what I was saying would stick with them after they were out in the field.

“There are many reasons why someone might become an arsonist. Sometimes, it’s a one-time thing—driven by greed, revenge, or profit, often in the form of an insurance payout.”

I paused, letting that sink in before continuing.

“But then there’s another kind of arsonist. These individuals act without mercy, either because they enjoy it or because they’re seeking vengeance on an enemy, real or imagined.”

A hushed silence fell over the room, and all eyes were riveted on me. I’d always loved teaching, and this was just a reminder of how much. I wouldn’t trade my job as station chief for anything, but I was glad they’d let me come and do this today.

“And here’s where you come in. Studies show that arsonists often return to the scene of their crimes, so we need you to pay attention to who’s there. We all know every fire draws its fair share of onlookers, but be on the lookout for anyone who seems too interested in what’s happening.”

The students shifted uncomfortably in their seats, their expressions a mix of fascination and unease.

“But that’s not the only thing you need to watch for,” I continued.

I began recounting the details of the fire at the old Vesper Hotel that nearly cost Keith his life. The students leaned in, hanging on every word as I described the scene.

“We knew the fire would be bad. The hotel was abandoned and in poor repair. If you’re from the area, you probably know it as a spot where teens went to party. It was also a common place for Vesper’s homeless population to sleep, which meant we had to clear the building even though it should’ve been empty.”

I heard murmurs in the crowd, and someone muttered, “I read about this online. It was messed up.”

I ignored the comment and continued. “The fact that homeless people sometimes stayed there was why the firefighter who was injured didn’t immediately realize something was suspicious. He thought the puppy tied up in an otherwise empty room belonged to someone staying there.”

“A puppy?” one of the students gasped.

“Yeah, a puppy. Little did we know, the dog had been left there intentionally as bait. When the firefighter went to rescue it, he checked around the room’s perimeter, looking for its owner. But after he had the puppy untied, he realized time was short, and he crossed the room directly—and stepped into a trap the arsonist had set. He and the puppy fell through the floor.”

“Did he save the dog?” one student asked, while another blurted, “Is he okay?”

“The answer to both is yes, but it was a close call. He sustained a broken leg, but it could’ve been so much worse, and he and his partner have since adopted the puppy.”

I paused, letting the weight of the story sink in.

“The point is, he said he felt something was off about the situation. That’s the awareness I want you to develop. If something feels wrong, pay attention. I’m not saying don’t”—I made air quotes—“save the dog. I’m just saying if your gut tells you something’s not right, be extra cautious.”

I went on, describing the painstaking process of sifting through debris and piecing together the puzzle left behind by the arsonist, pointing out a few other things they should be watching for, like multiple sources of ignition and burn patterns and a sense of unease settled over the room. The knowledge that such darkness existed and that they might encounter it weighed heavily.

Finally, I reminded the budding firefighters before me never to underestimate the power of attention to detail and intuition. “Remember, fires consume buildings and sometimes takes lives. But it’s our responsibility to use every skill and resource at our disposal to stop those who cause harm. Our greatest resource is you—the firefighters who are the first to arrive on the scene.”

When I finished up, I felt pretty good about how things went. The class had seemed to pay attention, and when I’d taken questions at the end, they asked some very thoughtful questions.

Right before I left, a young Black man named Tariq stopped me and asked to speak with me. “I’ve heard your station is the most diverse station in town.”

“That’s true, we are.”

“Does that include religion?”

“Absolutely,” I said firmly.

“So what would I have to do to be assigned to your station? I’m considering moving to Austin, but I would prefer to stay in Vesper if I can. My family’s all here, and so is my Mosque.”

“After you finish your training, give me a call, and we’ll see what we can do. I can’t make any promises because there are only so many openings, but I’ll do all I can to help you.”

“Thanks, Chief,” he said and ran off to join the rest of his class.

I would have to be sure and call Michael, our old station chief, and make sure he knew I got that question. When he was the chief, he spent years recruiting the right crew members to make sure that Station 69 would be a safe place for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, or race. If you worked at the 69, you knew that we didn’t play around where that was concerned. If you were one of us, we’d have your back.

That was just one more reason why I thought it was important for me to keep coming here to the school every so often. For too long, we lost good firefighters to the bigger cities because there wasn’t a station that was a diverse, safe place for them to work.

Mars

I wasn’t looking forward to this, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to talk to Steven. I knew he meant well, but I wasn’t going to let him ruin what was happening between me and Samuel. I sent a text letting him know I’d be stopping by the apartment.

When I arrived, Roxy opened the door.

“Hey, Mars. What’s up? Steven mentioned you were coming by. I’ve got dinner almost ready. It’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Hey, man,” Steven called from the living room just as Thor hopped off the couch and came thundering toward me. I kneeled down and gave him some ear scratches before heading into the living room, where Steven was waiting.

“So, what are you doing over here? You get tired of my dad bossing you around and trying to make you eat healthy food?”

“Actually, not at all. And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

The serious tone in my voice got his attention, and he put down the controller for his video game.

“Okay, what’s up?”

“Listen, Steven, I know you’re just trying to look out for me. And I know you think you know what’s best, but you don’t. You don’t have any say in who I sleep with, and I’m not sure why you’d think you did.”

“Whoa, hold up. I don’t think I have any say in who you sleep with. I’m not sure where this is coming from.”

I raised an eyebrow and gave him my best you’ve gotta be kidding me look.

“Did you, or did you not, tell Samuel to stay away from me?”

“I didn’t tell him to stay away from you. I just told him I didn’t think he was what you needed.”

“And how exactly do you think you know what I need?”

“I’ve known you forever, man. Just like I’ve known my dad forever. He’s bossy, he likes to be in control, and he always thinks he knows what’s best. I just felt like you needed to be able to make your own choices—not have one more person in your life telling you who you should be.”

“Oh, you mean like what you’re doing right now?”

“That’s not what I’m doing,” he protested.

I crossed my arms. “It’s not?”

He glanced over my shoulder, looking sheepish.

I turned to see Roxy standing in the doorway. She looked at Steven, then at me, and nodded.

“I mean… it kind of is,” she said.

I turned back to Steven. “Listen, I know you mean well. But this thing with me and your dad? It’s happening. I love you like a brother—you know that—and I don’t want to cause problems between us. But just like you said, you’ve got to let me make my own decisions.”

“But he’s—” Steven started.

“Bossy and controlling. Yeah, I know,” I said, leaning closer with a grin. “And let me tell you a secret… I like it.”

“I don’t want to know. Please, just don’t.”

“I meant like the way he makes me eat breakfast every day. What were you talking about?”

He threw a throw pillow at me, and I caught it in the air, laughing. Then I sobered and looked him in the eye. “Are we okay, Steven?”

“What happens if things go south? I don’t want to be in the middle. I can’t lose you, Marsy, but I love my dad.”

“You know as well as I do that there are no guarantees. I like to think things will be perfect, but Steven, I would never ask you to choose. We’re always going to be family, you and me, no matter what happens with me and your dad.”

“You promise?” he asked, and for just a minute, instead of the confident commercial real estate agent I knew him to be, he looked like that scared fourteen-year-old whose parents just told him they were getting a divorce.

“I promise.” And I meant it. I didn’t know if Samuel and I would be together long-term, but Steven and I would always be solid, no matter what.