Page 39 of Ink and Ashes

Colson

T he next arsonist-caused fire is set to happen today. After what happened with Holland’s car, we finally filled the team in on the timeline, so we’ve all been walking on eggshells this morning, waiting for the call to come in.

The rain let up a few days ago, and when it did, we had another spike in holdover fires, just as we expected. There are three currently burning that BCWS is taking care of, allowing us to focus our full attention on the arsonist.

Holland is here again too. Her car is still out of commission, and I don’t like the idea of her not having a vehicle, so she’s been using my truck for the past couple days.

As far as everyone knows, she’s just been coming here to work.

But we both know she’s also been keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

I’m too close to all the guys to see any of them clearly. Holland, on the other hand, provides an objective perspective. She doesn’t know the crew the way I do, and she studies people for a living, which means she’s more likely to notice something I won’t.

I haven’t told anyone about her firefighter theory. Part of me is still hoping she’s wrong, and I don’t want to raise concerns until we’re certain.

We spend the morning doing our usual tasks around the station—inventory, checking equipment, running drills.

I check in with Holland every once in a while, and each time she tells me she has nothing new to share.

It feels like any other day here, except it won’t be.

We don’t know what to expect—just that something is coming.

And knowing that the person responsible for that something is very likely someone here has my stomach rolling.

“Hey, Lieutenant,” Ace says, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Yeah?” I say, not looking away from the ladder drill I’m currently running.

“I was just putting everything back from our drills earlier, and I noticed one of the practice dummies is missing.”

That pulls my attention. “You sure?”

“Yeah. I only counted nine.”

My brows pull together. A missing practice dummy shouldn’t be cause for alarm, but with all the weird shit happening around here lately, everything has me on edge. And it’s not like a dummy could just get up and walk away.

Practice dummies don’t just go missing .

“Okay, thanks for letting me know.”

Ace nods, then heads back inside.

“Hart!” I call out, and he rushes over. “Take over for me for a sec.”

He does, then I make my way inside to find Beau. He’s in his quarters with Dom, and the two of them look my way as I approach.

“What’s up, Col?” Beau asks.

“Hey, Ace just told me a practice dummy is missing. Did you guys use them all earlier?”

Beau shakes his head. “Nah, I only had four out. You sure he counted right?”

I shrug. “Yeah, he said he only counted nine.”

“I’m sure it’ll turn up,” he says .

My shoulders fall. Something about this still feels off to me, but he’s probably right, so I jerk my head.

“You and Holland find anything new?” Dom asks next.

Now would be a perfect time to tell them about her firefighter theory.

I may not want to believe it’s true, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t know.

These guys are my best friends, and lying to them feels wrong—especially about something like this.

Besides, if anyone can help us figure out who it could be, it’s them.

“Yeah, actually—” I start, but I’m cut off by the sound of the klaxons.

Convenient fucking timing.

An automated voice cuts through the loudspeaker a moment later. “Structure fire at thirty-six Elmwood Road. All units responding.”

Beau, Dom, and I share a glance.

“Another structure fire?” Beau asks.

“One in the red zone, no less,” Dom says through clenched teeth.

I blow out a breath. “Let’s go.”

We pile into the trucks, and before Dom pulls out of the station, I glance up at the conference room where Holland is watching through the window. I wave up to her, and she waves back, mouthing the words, “Be safe,” as we pull away.

Ten minutes later, we pull up outside thirty-six Elmwood, an old church on the outskirts of town.

After the town built a new one a decade ago, this one was abandoned.

We consider it part of the red zone, which consists of buildings in the area that are more prone to fires, but because of their age and conditions, will be harder to fight.

The only people who ever come out here are kids trying to find a place to party. They all know better, but teenagers aren’t the smartest. We’ve responded to calls here before, but never one like this.

The church is entirely engulfed in flames by the time we arrive. I already know the team is going to assume this was just a bunch of kids looking for a thrill, but with it being the day it is, I refuse to believe this isn’t the work of the arsonist.

It can’t be a coincidence that this was the location he picked.

We hop off the trucks, and Chief Whitlock immediately begins calling out orders.

“Madison, Ace, Hart—sweep the top floor, make sure there isn’t anyone hanging out up there. Caldwell, Finnegan, Sharpe—you do the same on the bottom floor, and vent the windows while you’re at it. I want you in and out in ninety seconds. Any longer and this thing is going to blow. Got it?”

“Got it, Chief,” Beau says, and the six of us get into our full gear to head inside.

“Keep an eye on Sharpe,” I mutter to Finn as we make our way inside behind Beau’s team. He shoots me a confused glance through his oxygen mask, but jerks his head.

The flames roar as we enter, the smoke so thick I can’t see a thing. With Finn’s hand on my shoulder and Ollie’s hand on Finn’s, I lead them toward the first window. Finn vents it with his Pulaski while Ollie and I search the pews for any bodies. We come up empty, then continue on to the next.

“Fire department, call out!” we repeat over and over, hoping it’ll get the attention of anyone inside. No one responds, which gives me hope there’s no one injured here.

“Upstairs is clear, Chief,” Beau’s voice says through our walkies. “We’re heading out.”

“Great. Caldwell, how’s it looking downstairs?”

I pause in front of another window, nodding at Finn to vent that one too. “Clear so far. Got three more windows.”

“Make it quick,” Chief says, and we continue, the flames getting hotter the deeper we get.

We vent another window, and I catch sight of something in the pews.

“You two keep venting. I’m gonna check that out,” I tell the men behind me.

They do as I say. As I approach the silhouette hidden under the pew, I notice it’s a body.

I rush over, pulling them out from under it. Except when I flip it over, it isn’t a human looking up at me—it’s a practice dummy.

The missing practice dummy that Ace mentioned before we left.

Fuck . If this doesn’t confirm Holland’s firefighter theory, nothing will.

The building groans, a warning that it’s coming down any minute.

“Ollie, Finn, where are you?” I call into my walkie as another croak sounds over the flames.

“Finishing up the last window,” Ollie replies.

“Leave it. We gotta go.”

I start to make my way out of the church, knowing they’ll be right behind me. Except before I make it, the flames spark, and there’s a flashover.

“Ollie, look out!” I faintly hear Finn call. The next minute, there’s a crash, and I’m thrown across the room from the force of the explosion.

I land with a thud at the end of the aisle, and it takes me a minute to find my surroundings. When I come to, I pull myself to my feet as the flames get hotter, calling out for Ollie and Finn.

But neither of them respond.

No .

“Caldwell, what was that?” Chief’s voice cuts through my walkie, but I don’t respond.

“Ollie! Finn!” I shout, making my way deeper into the fire again. “Call out!”

That’s when I hear a PASS device start to blare. I follow the sound, still calling out for them when a second one starts up, and heart drops into my stomach.

After a few more steps, I catch sight of Ollie lying in the middle of the aisle, unconscious. A few feet away from him is a beam that fell, with Finn’s body stuck underneath it.

“Caldwell?!” Chief shouts again, but I tune him out.

I rush over, grabbing Ollie under his arms. I drag him up the aisle, forcing myself to keep my shit together. As I shove open the front doors, I’m immediately swarmed by the team .

“What the hell happened?!” Beau asks as Hart and Mickey lift Ollie onto a stretcher. “Where’s Finnegan?”

I cough, pushing my way past him to head back in for Finn. “Beam fell. Finn’s stuck under it.”

“Caldwell, get away from there!” Chief roars, but I don’t stop. I need to get Finn out.

Beau follows me up to the doors, rushing ahead of me. “Colson, stop!” he says, putting his hands on my chest before I can enter.

“Move,” I say through clenched teeth at the same time another beam falls, blocking the entrance. “Move!” I shout, still trying to force my way past him, even though there’s no way to get to Finn.

“We can’t save him, Colson.” Beau’s voice cracks as he speaks.

“Fuck!” I tear off my mask, then storm down the driveway and drop to my knees. Chief signals for the hoses, then Dom and Turner douse the flames in water. Which means if Finn wasn’t dead before, he’s about to be. The water will boil him.

My throat tightens, tears welling in my eyes. But I don’t let them fall. Not yet.

“Col!” I hear Cass yell before she kneels beside me. “Oh, thank God. You’re okay.”

I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Ollie and Finn aren’t,” I tell her.

“I know,” Cass says, wrapping her arms around me. I watch as Abbott and Sullivan load Ollie into the ambulance, and Sam approaches me with an oxygen mask.

“Breathe,” she says.

I take the mask, placing it over my nose and mouth. Air rushes my lungs as I take a deep breath, but I still feel like I’m suffocating. As the ambulance drives off with Ollie, I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood.

Oliver Sharpe is injured, and Brian Finnegan is dead.

Which means whoever is behind these fires is officially a murderer now too.