Page 25 of Arsonist’s Match (Blaze and Badge #1)

I t had been two days since the wonderful, terrible date night, and Athena hadn’t fully recovered from the heated discourse that had taken her completely by surprise.

Flash was back on shift today, and, while they’d talked some more, she hadn’t seen or touched her since.

Athena yearned to know if they were OK, if Flash could feel safe to lower her ramparts and be comfortable being honest with her.

If this ill-conceived romance failed, Athena was ready to hoist up the drawbridge to her ice castle and return to her pre-Flash existence, living solely for the pleasure of taking down criminals and their organizations.

Doing that job was what she must focus on now.

“He’s on his way up,” Shoops called as she peered around the monitor on her desk.

“Do you want us?” asked Agent Ice. Athena deduced he referred to himself and Hernandez. Both eyed her expectantly.

“I want all of you,” she directed, angling toward the conference room.

“Paulson, record everything in case our notes or memories fail us. We’ve searched the tri-state area for suspected arsonists without arrests, and those recently released from prison without luck.

I hope this profile will give us more to go on. ”

“I’ll bring a water pitcher and glasses,” Campbell offered as he navigated to a beverage station boasting coffee, tea, water, and juice.

While her team filed into the conference room, Athena breezed toward the elevators to greet Special Agent Hunter McFadden from the Behavioral Analysis Unit, flown in from Virginia for a face-to-face.

She’d already run a brief background o n the forensic psychologist. With five years in the BAU, although not a senior-most profiler, he boasted a solid record—and a specialty in pyromania.

A man in his late forties, lean like someone who used to run marathons yet now only paces meeting rooms, stepped off the elevator.

Standing about her height in her heels, his polished jet-black shoes echoed across the tile floor as he approached.

The profiler dressed slightly too formally for the Texas heat in crisp charcoal slacks and an unnecessary matching vest, a pale-blue shirt buttoned to the collar even without a tie, and a sleek black dress jacket.

With features hinting at a mixed Asian-Caucasian heritage, the lined solemnity of his face lent him a kind of sage-like timelessness.

In one hand, he clutched a battered leather notebook; in the other, a briefcase.

“Special Agent McFadden, welcome,” Athena greeted him formally, extending a hand. “We’re grateful you could come.”

He tucked the notebook under one arm, shook her hand with a single brisk motion, then retrieved it as quickly as he’d offered it. His gaze, sharp and dark, seemed to study her like a specimen under glass—cool, clinical, not unkind, just measuring.

“I’m Special Agent in Charge Bouvier. My team’s waiting in the conference room. We’re eager for your insights on the case.”

“Indeed,” he replied, inclining his head with a precise nod.

“Right this way.” Athena led her visitor through the expansive situation room, lights blinking and machines humming, into a cozy, quiet, rectangular space equipped with a long, oval mahogany table and ten matching chairs.

The blinds were angled three-quarters closed, open enough to permit some light without the heat.

Campbell had already distributed the water glasses on coasters, and Shoops had her notebook and pen at the ready.

Agent Howard, adopting a relaxed stance as he sipped from his glass, rounded out the team, making eight present for the meeting.

Athena closed the door and motioned to an empty seat beside hers at the head of the table. Her lightweight tailored pewter jacket and raven slacks blended in with the inky attire favored by the bureau, though she’d softened the look with a pastel violet blouse.

“This i s BAU consultant Hunter McFadden,” she presented in a formal tone.

Rounding the table, she introduced her associates.

“Senior Special Agent John Paulson, Field Agents Travis Ice, Samuel Hernandez, Cedric Howard, Sean Campbell, and Special Agent Karen Shoops. Agent McFadden, I presume you’ve read the report I sent you? ”

All present focused their attention on the profiler, who met each eye before opening his notebook. He slid a mechanical pencil from his vest pocket, clicked the end a few times, and assumed a posture to take notes.

“I have read your report,” he confirmed in a voice void of any regional accent.

“Let me begin by clarifying a few points that people often confuse. Firesetting is a behavior, arson is a crime, and pyromania is a psychiatric diagnosis. Not all firesetters are arsonists, and not all arsonists are pyromaniacs. As you are probably familiar, we define several primary reasons why arsonists set fires,” he explained, as though conducting a lecture in a college hall.

“First is financial gain,” McFadden enumerated, “either as insurance fraud or because they were paid to set the fire. A pyromaniac would be an excellent choice for an arson for hire. The personal satisfaction gained by this individual would offset the need for the employer to pay him or her a large sum. In this case, you are dealing with two perpetrators—the one who lights the match and the one who has the motive and paid him to do it.”

“Considering all four fires we’ve identified thus far have been businesses, we can’t rule out that possibility,” Paulson noted.

McFadden double-clicked his pencil and exchanged a sober glance with John.

“Indeed. However, some of the next motives could also fit the scenario. Second, we have revenge or vandalism, the intentional destruction of property to get back at someone whom they feel has wronged them. As these total losses exceed the definition of vandalism and occurred in diverse locations, I’ve ruled it out. However, revenge? Still viable.”

“I’ve researched the four targeted companies at length,” Agent Campbell said, “and can’t find any connection. They are in separate industries, owned by different people, financed by unrelated banks, with no employee history overlaps.”

“Yeah, ” Howard interjected, his dusky brow furrowing. “What do a peanut butter cannery, a cooperative warehouse, a steel pipe factory, and a privately owned and operated construction company have in common?”

“I believe that is the puzzle we must solve, Agent Howard,” Athena replied. “There is a connection, even if it only lies in the mind of the arsonist. That’s why we need Agent McFadden’s expertise. Number three?” She angled her chin toward McFadden.

“Crime concealment. Sometimes, a thief or murderer will set a fire to cover up another crime, believing it will destroy all evidence that might lead back to him,” the behaviorist explained.

“Unfortunately, they often succeed. I don’t believe that’s the primary motive of your arsonist, however.

Only one of the four fires involved a victim, and a fireproof safe at another site still contained all its money and valuables.

Neither do these crimes point to social protest or terrorism, two other motives for arson. ”

“What else does that leave?” asked Shoops. A worry crease wrinkled her youthful brow as she peered at McFadden.

He inhaled a deep breath, clicking his pencil top, and regarded her with an unreadable expression.

“Excitement. A pyromaniac might burn down a building simply to watch it burn. These are the most difficult to apprehend unless they are caught in the act. For this perpetrator, you will find no connections, no logic, no agenda, or vendetta, only the obsession of a damaged psyche.”

“What was that you said about the overlap of pyromaniacs and arsonists?” asked Hernandez.

“Pyromania is a psychiatric diagnosis, you see, not a legal term.” McFadden resumed his professor-like demeanor as he expounded.

“Individuals who suffer from this psychological condition might engage in pathological firesetting for a period of time or their whole lives without ever committing the crime of arson. In milder cases, they are merely fascinated with fire, content to make do with candles or firepits in their backyards. With counseling and treatment, a patient can even be cured of pyromania or simply outgrow their urges. These tendencies primarily occur in adolescence or early adulthood.”

“I don ’t understand,” Ice declared, shaking his head. “Why? What makes them so drawn to fires and setting fires in the first place?”

Athena continued to listen, her mind ticking and calculating as information was presented. Much of it she already knew, but she paid rapt attention to each word to glean a broader understanding of the subject and the criminal they were after.

“Many factors contribute to creating the mind of a pyromaniac, yet several seem to be consistent across various studies,” the profiler replied.

“Genetic abnormalities, emotional problems, and harmful environmental influences occurring from infancy through adolescence contribute to the formation of the juvenile arsonist. We’ve found that most affected individuals suffered abuse or trauma in their childhoods, and/or possess low intelligence and a lack of achievement.

They might set fires to seek attention, to come to the rescue, to pursue revenge, or even purely for the enjoyment of watching a building burn.

But, as I said earlier, not all arsonists are pyromaniacs, and vice versa. ”

Taking a moment to summarize, Athena recapped, “So we’re looking at three primary possibilities: an arson for hire, and the employer is the one with the motive, an unsub on the rampage, targeting establishments he thinks wronged him, or a pyromaniac who lights up random structures because it excites him. ”

“That’s an accurate summation.” McFadden twirled the pencil through his fingers before setting it down and opening his briefcase. “Therefore, I have two profiles to present.”

He withdrew a folder of papers and passed them around the table.

“First scenario—a paid arsonist. This unsub is most likely to be a male, thirty to fifty years old, who might have once been a firefighter or is familiar with how to set fires. He probably has criminal connections and might have been doing this job without notice for years. He could have a family, friends, a normal job, and behave like a regular person because that’s exactly what he is, even if his shady sense of morality allows him to engage in criminal activity on the side. ”

As Athena studied the profile, the corners of her mouth drew in and down. A professional like this would be extremely hard to catch. They’d do better to continue to focus on finding his employer, the person with the motive—whatever it was.

“Profile number two describes a younger man or woman, aged eighteen to twenty-nine, who comes from a broken home or experienced childhood abuse. They probably have never seen a counselor or visited a mental health professional. While a quarter of pyromaniacs report never having a trigger to spark a burning episode, most do. Therefore, look for someone who has undergone severe emotional stress, such as a divorce, a death in the family, or losing their job—something that could trigger feelings of failure or inadequacy. Your perpetrator is most likely single, with poor social skills, working in a blue-collar job or the service industry, such as a waitress, custodian, or busboy. This person likely lives at or below the poverty level. Although pyromania isn’t linked to any particular social or economic class, families with money are more likely to have sought help for their child rather than risk unleashing them on the world, out of fear of the consequences of the firestarter getting caught, if nothing else.

Potentially, he or she also exhibits an addictive personality, with a dependence on nicotine, alcohol, or drugs. ”

Paulson rubbed his chin, appearing deep in thought.

Shoops took dictation, rapidly scrawling in her notebook as McFadden spoke.

Howard stared ahead with a hopeless, lost expression while Ice’s fair face hardened into full-on cop mode.

Hernandez and Campbell shrugged at each other. Athena calmly sipped her water.

“This is helpful,” she responded in a businesslike manner. “Will you be staying to assist—”

“I’m afraid not,” McFadden answered before she had even finished her question. “I’m on my way to San Francisco to assist in a serial killer case. I understand one victim died as a result of your arsonist’s activities, but the bureau says the other case takes priority. Do you have questions for me?”

Athena and her agents followed up with a few more questions, clarifying minor details, and trying to build more rounded pictures of the two possible unsubs.

There must be something or someone that links the four arson cases , she pondered. Whether the match guy was hired or working on his own, he traveled to Arkansas and Louisiana to start fires.

“But what about the sparkler?”

The curiosity in Karen’s voice drew Athena’s attention back to the discussion.

“If this guy was just hired to burn down a building,” reasoned the junior agent, “why the theatrics? It seems to me like that piece of the signature is purposeful, meaningful somehow, like it made him or her happy, like celebrating something. I mean, who burns down a building with a sparkler?”

Athena had wondered the same thing, but her thoughts turned in a different direction, and she’d forgotten to bring it up.

“See where your investigation leads,” McFadden said. “It could indeed point to a thrill-seeking firestarter yet could just as well be a red herring thrown in by a professional arsonist for kicks.”

Either way, Athena was anxious to bring these profiles to her joint task force. She was interested in discovering what Fire Investigator Ballard, Fire Marshal Zapata, and Captain O’Riley had to contribute.