Chapter Eight (And Then You )

Previously, on "Heat":
Ch. 7 (Ava Adore)
-Nate and Jake brought two girls back to the apartment: Jessica and Jamie.
-Jake found out that Jamie is also a SciFi fan, and "Strangetown" is one of her favorite movies.
-Jamie punched him on the arm for making a blonde joke.  She even beat him in "Knockout".
-Nate and Jessica didn't waste any time getting down and dirty in his room.
-At one point, they were so loud that Jake had to drive Jamie home.
-During the drive, Jake also learned that Jamie works in advertising.
-When they pulled up to her house, she gave him her number. In case he wants to "hang out again sometime".



Location: Bridgeport Acres Park
Date: Monday, 10/31/11
Time: 2:48 p.m.


"So how was the trip?" Nate asks as he intently watches the football leave Luke's hands.  With legs slightly bent, he opens his palms just enough to form a half-circle, but less than a foot apart to close in on the ball when it reaches him.  His older brother can  throw a mean spiral.  Luke gets this rage in his eyes when he throws a football, like he wants to hurt someone.  It's almost as if he has a sharp-shooter's aim, narrowing down on his target until he captures the perfect spot, then fires.  If Luke had been a pitcher in high school instead of a quarterback, his throws could have easily averaged 90 miles per hour.  

"It was good." Luke proudly smiles as he watches the football take off like a torpedo, spinning perfectly, but heading towards Nate's chest.  Before his blue-eyed brother even has a chance to catch it, a loud pop can be heard as he staggers back a few feet.  

"OW!! Dude, what the hell??" Nate hisses between his teeth as he hunches over with one hand clutching his chest.     

"Sorry, bro! You alright?" Luke grimaces as he watches Nate try to brush off the pain.  He didn't mean to hit him in the chest.  It appears that the ball was much quicker than Nate's reflexes.    



"Yeah, I'm...damn, Luke! That shit hurts!" Nate picks up the ball, chases Luke, then throws it at him.  It hits Luke dead square in the crotch. "Ooops..."

"Mommy..." Luke's eyes widen in shock as he grabs his nuts with both hands and collapses on the ground.  The last time he felt this type of pain was when a girl kicked him in the berries his senior year.   She thought he grabbed her ass when she walked by, but it was actually Nate.  He's had nightmares about it since.  Sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming, thinking his boxers are soaked in blood.  

"Oh man, I'm so sorry.  I didn't mean to---" Nate rushes by his side.

"My boys...my...boys..." Luke mumbles as he curls up in a fetal position with his hands protectively cupping his crotch.  Not even the prickly sensation of grass poking his face or the red ants crawling up his leg can distract him from this trauma.

"Let me see---" 

"Don't touch it!" Luke frees one hand to swat Nate away.



"How my thoughts 
They spin me 'round
And how my thoughts 
They let me down
And how my thoughts
They spin me 'round
And how my thoughts 
They let me down"

Jake must have stared at the business card in his hand for five minutes, trying to figure out if he should call or not.  He just dropped Jamie off at her house this morning, but the thought of waiting a few more days to hear her voice again seems like such a long wait.  He wants to listen to his brothers.  After all, they're older than him and they have more experience with women.  Even with all of the commotion going on a few feet away, he can't look away from the seven digits staring him in the face.  Alright Jake, you can do this.  Piece of cake. 

Hearing the beep bop boop sound as he presses the number keys is like a punch to the gut, robbing his ability to breathe.  He wants to hang up, but his finger already pressed "call".  Ring....

Every cell in his body is on full alert after the first ring.  Will she answer?  Ring...What will he say? 

Ring... 

He wants to die, but his soul will probably continue to chase his mind after it has deserted his cold body.



"Hello?" She finally answers.  There's a softness in her voice.  It almost has a sweet quality to it, with a hint of shyness that he never detected in person.  

"Hi, Jamie?" He clears his throat, trying to make his voice sound even smoother.

"Speaking.  Who is this?"

"It's Jake."

"Who?"

"Um...Jake.  I dropped you off this morning."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember? You were at my place last night.  We hung out." 

"Umm...I don't know how you got my number, but I don't know you."

So she wants to play games, huh?

"Wow, you must have been really drunk.  Cuz I remember everything.  We went at it for hours, you were screaming my name, you were like...Jake! Oh, Jake!"

".................."

"Hello?" 

"You are such a liar!"

"Uh huh...now you remember me."

"Anyways, what are you up to?"

"I'm at the park with my brothers.  What about you?"

"I'm at work and I'm seriously about to collapse from lack of sleep.  It's all your fault."

"Yeah, I know.  You couldn't get enough of this."

"Shut up!"

"Haha."



"What do you guys want?" Jake asks as he savors the potent aroma of onions, garlic and spices emanating from the food truck, lingering in the air.  Even though he just had a ham and cheese sandwich a few hours ago, he can feel his stomach begging for a taste of whatever's sizzling on the hot grill.  A burger patty?  Steak? Chicken? The possibilities are endless.

"Let me have the steak burrito and a Coke." Luke is not a big fan of onions or cillantro, but he makes sure they load up on the beans.  Even though it makes him gassy.  And he lets his brothers know it.  

"Aw, man.  Not the burrito!" Jake shakes his head in fear.

"That's right.  Extra beans too!"

"Great." Nate rolls his eyes at Luke.  "Hey Jake, let me have two Chicago dogs and a lemonade."

"You know what? Just for that eyeroll, I'm sitting next to you." Luke wiggles his eyebrows, grinning at Nate.



"So how's Lyn doing?" Jake asks as he blows on a spoonful of chunky clam chowder before it reaches his mouth.

"She's doing good.  She bought a house in Appaloosa and she seems to like it there.  It's really  peaceful." Luke watches the steam emerge from the bowl like creepy little fingers.

"That's good." Jake briefly looks away, avoiding eye contact with Luke.  Nate continues to quietly munch on his hot dog.  He avoids Luke's gaze as well.  

The silence is overwhelming.  Seconds are taking forever to pass.  

"What's going on?" Luke looks at both of them suspiciously.  It's not normal for his brothers to be this quiet or evasive.  Either they did something or they know something.  Either way, he's going to find out.



"We know." Jake murmurs as he looks down at his half-eaten bowl of chowder.  Nate nearly chokes on his hot dog.  Usually they give each other a heads up when they're about to spill, but Jake didn't even have time to do that.  It just came out.

"Know what?" 

"We know what happened with Lyn and Brad.  Mom kind of made us---"

"Mom? She knows too??"

"Yeah.  And Dad." Nate adds, then quickly looks back down at his hot dog.

"Are you two for real?? I shouldn't have said anything.  I knew this was going to happen!"

"Well, it's not like Lyn and Brad are still together.  I think it's good that we know.  Now you can be with Lyn.  Isn't that what you always wanted?" Jake looks at Luke cautiously, trying not to fuel his anger even more.

"I'm not worried about that.  I just don't want Mom to think that Lyn's another one of Brad's skanks.  She's nothing like them.  She's..."

"I know, bro.  Look, we never met Lyn and we already know she's a great girl.  Just from the way you talk about her.  Mom will love her too.  Probably even more than---" Nate catches himself, but it's too late.  Her name lingers around them like an invisible wasp that they can't see, but they can hear, buzzing close by.



"Nate, shut up!" Jake throws him an evil look, wondering how his brother can make things even worse. Natalie's name is like a curse.  It must never be spoken around Luke or it will bring back all kinds of negative energy from the past. 

Luke simply stares off into the distance, mindlessly watching people pass by.  Natalie.  The woman he loved for two years.  The woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.  The woman who fell from heaven with her sparkling gray eyes and long, strawberry blonde hair.  The woman who happened to screw Brad just when he was thinking about proposing.  He hasn't seen her since they broke up four years ago.  He has fantasized about what he would do if he ran into her.  Would he scream profanities at her? Would he pretend she doesn't exist? Or would he find himself in a moment of weakness...and fall for her charms?

"Yeah, so Jake met a girl last night." Nate tries to break the awkward silence with this revelation.

"Oh yeah? Is she hot?" Luke snaps out of his trance and shifts his gaze towards Jake.

"Yeah.  Her name is Jaaaaamie." Nate adds, looking at Jake the whole time.

"Nate banged Jessica last night!" Jake retaliates, pursing his lips.

"Dude!!" Luke turns to Nate in awe with a sly grin.

"Yeah, that's right, bitches! I got some.  Did ya'll?" Nate opens his arms out and twists his neck, challenging his brothers.

"Mad props, bro.  Mad props." Luke and Jake give him the congratulatory fist bump.



Location: 2256 Edgewood Rd.
Date: Tuesday, 11/1/11
Time: 11:42 a.m.

Joseph noticed some peculiar similarities about the series of fires that have been going on in the past few months.  The last fire in particular (Nate's first dispatch) started in the lobby of an apartment complex.  Usually fires start in kitchens, bathrooms or any outdoor area with a grill, where people forget to turn off an appliance or they have too many plugs in one outlet.  In the case of faulty wiring, it can usually be traced to hot spots like outlets, improperly secured lines or damage (chewed by rodents, humidity).

For the most part, accidental causes of fire start inside the house or building due to human negligence or ignorance.  When this has been ruled out during an investigation, suspicions start to brew.  But the fire department must act quickly when they receive leads since arson is easy to accomplish but challenging to prove.  The evidence is usually destroyed by the time the property is safe enough to explore.  



This property used to be a warehouse based on existing records.  It's not clear what the contents were since everything has been destroyed.  During the fire, there were no vehicles in the parking lot.  It was not a weekend.  The department couldn't locate anybody on the premises as they entered the building, which probably meant that it was empty.  The question is, how long has the building been vacant? The likelihood of an empty building running into self-casualties is very slim.  Fires are usually caused by humans.  But what would motivate someone to burn down an empty building?  It's not exactly a run-down crackhouse since the structure was in good condition while it was intact.  The lot was still maintained as well, along with a "no trespassing" sign and efficient locks.

Like the apartment lobby, Marley can't find any evidence of faulty wiring, burnt outlets, gas leaks or machine negligence.  But somehow, the floor and interior/exterior walls have been charred at least half an inch.  For an empty building, the chance of this type of damage and the uniformity of it (accidental fires usually spread in whatever direction is driest or contains the most flammable materials, so the char pattern looks random) is unlikely.  The middle of a room can be charred but the corners are intact or the only half of the room has been damaged.  



"Marley, did you double check the reports? Are you sure there weren't any internal causes?" Joseph asks as he checks the sides of the foundation for anything unusual.

"Sure did.  I even checked the whole floor for faulty wiring or machine malfunction.  Everything checked out okay, even the outlets." Marley shrugs as he looks over at Joseph.

"I don't know.  Something's not right.  Fires don't start themselves unless it's a freak of nature or somebody caused it.  The question is, was it an accident?"

"Joe, I think the question is...why would someone do it on purpose?"



After another hour of examining the exterior, Joe stumbles into an object that makes him stop dead in his tracks.

"Marley, come here!" He digs through a charred pile of debris.

"What is it?" Marley kneels down to see what the fuss is about.

"See this?" Joe pulls out an  object that resembles a burnt rock.  But it's very light.  "What does it look like to you?" 

"A rock." 

"Look again." Joe presses both thumbs into the object while the rest of his fingers pull it apart until it breaks.  The center of the object has retained its white color and  semi-crumbly texture.

"It's a foam." Marley whispers in surprise, holding it in his hand.

"Arsonists use foam to soak up accelerants like kerosine, gas, paint thinners.  Anything that has hydrocarbon to speed up combustion.  A foam the size of a shoebox with a gallon of accelerant can spread to the whole room in minutes.  And if done at night like most arsons are, the whole building is too dangerous to enter by the time we get there.  So if you put one in each room and a couple outside, you got the perfect fire." 

"So why didn't this one burn completely?" 

"Maybe it was the last one that was placed.  Or they had to get out.  The thing is, most people look for matches or a plastic gasoline container when they think  arson.  People don't think foam."



The new discovery left Joseph and Marley stewing in their own thoughts during the drive back to the firestation.  This is the first real evidence of arson that they have since the preliminary investigation began three months ago.  Still, finding evidence is not the hard part.  With enough time and resources, they will be able to gather enough supporting materials to open an official arson case.  The hard part is finding the lead to the actual perpetrators.  With crucial factors like hair samples, fingerprints, identification, witnesses and catching someone in the act, things become even more tricky and dangerous.  

When arsonists suspect that their cover is being blown, they tend to go after the person they perceive as a threat.  In a lot of cases, the investigators themselves become the next arson victims, losing not just their homes but their loved ones as well.



Location: 1557 Memorial Parkway
Time: 9:13 p.m.

Not too long after Luke gets out of the shower, his cellphone rings.  Lyn.  His heart races at the thought that it could be her.  When he sees her name on the caller I.D., a massive grin takes over his face, like a schoolboy that just got a call from his high school crush.  He tries to control the butterflies flapping around his stomach by taking a deep breath.  Why am I nervous?  I just talked to her the other night!

"Hey, you." He whispers, trying to hide his Kool-Aid smile.

"Hi, Luke." Her voice is soft and silky with just the right amount of husky that could easily be mistaken for one of those 1-800-HOT-LOVE numbers.  

"How was your day?"

"Good.  I haven't heard from the school yet.  Do you think they'll call?" 

"They will.  It usually takes a week or so especially for an important job.  Just be patient."

"Thanks.  It's just so nervewracking, you know? The wait."

"I know."

"And then there's you
Then there's you
And then there's you
Then there's you"

"What about you?"  She asks.

"It was pretty good.  Oh man, I forgot to tell you!  I got hit in the balls."

"What?? Who hit you in the balls?"

"Nate.  I was throwing a football and it hit him in the chest."

"Awww, poor baby.  So he hit you in the balls?"

"No.  He chased me around and threw the football right in my---"

"Ouch!!  Are umm...they okay?"

"Yeah.  They're still kind of sore though."

"Umm...how did we end up talking about your balls again?" Her voice becomes even more velvety.  He swears he can feel her  grin and crimson cheeks penetrating through the phone.

"Haha.  Sorry." 



"So what are you doing right now?" Her  lips seem like they are only inches away from his.  He can almost reach out and touch her.

"I'm lying in bed...talking to you.  What about you?"

"Same."

"Don't get mad, okay?"

"What? What happened?"

"It's nothing like that...it's just...you sound really sexy on the phone."

"Oh. I...umm...thank you.  You too."

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

"So...what are you wearing?"

"Luke!" 

"Sorry."

"Well...if you must know...I'm in my underwear."

"Oh yeah?  What color?"

"Red."

"Nice."

"What about you?"

"Oh, just my boxer briefs."

"What color?"

"Black."

"Ooooh..."

"Make that sound again."

"Lucas!"

"Sorry..."

*Copyright 2012 Lyn C.S.*
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"And Then You" by Greg Laswell
Video by: heartfantasynhorror