The Fireman: Chapter 2 (EXCLUSIVE to Steemit)

‘Sure. But don’t get too worked up about it. This could mean it’s a copycat killer, right?’

‘I don’t know if that makes things better.’

‘Maybe this one was sloppier, left something behind.’

‘I guess we’ll see.’

For Illustration Purposes Only

The entire room had been scorched, top to bottom, and on the bed laid a charred corpse, hands still in position above the bed’s headboard. Someone from forensics was there, snapping pictures.

‘You can’t pass this line.’ A woman, another from forensics, said stopping him at the doorway. ‘We haven’t examined the whole room yet.’

‘I’ll be careful, don’t worry. I just want to look around.’

He showed her his badge, name and all, and she immediately understood.

‘Sorry, I, uh. I didn’t know it was you.’ She stumbled over her words, scratching the back of her head, looking away...

‘It’s alright, don’t worry about it. And I think I have enough experience to know how to move around without trampling over too much evidence.’

‘I would think you do. Please, stay as long as you want.’

As he moved past the doorway he remembered how his name had become synonymous with this killer, this crime. There had been ten murders in the last five years, all with the same MO. And once the killer had disappeared, gone without a trace, Detective Parker’s name had become synonymous with that too. The Detective that let The Fireman get away, his picture right next to the headline. But now maybe he could catch him. Maybe he slipped up somewhere.

Detective Parker looked at the walls first, the scorched wallpaper which was blackened with soot and he could only guess the place would have to be torn down, rebuilt. Why did he burn it all down? The question was pumping along in his mind. Was he angry? Was this personal? The other murders had been clean, efficient. Sometimes a table or a stray lamp would catch fire but most of the time it was just the victim and her bed who would be put to flame. But now...now his MO had changed. His signature. Maybe Karla was right. Maybe this was a copycat.

He inspected the bed next; the burnt sheets, the smell of gasoline, the blackened bones of the woman stuck in a fixed position. Detective Parker turned to the forensic taking pictures.

‘We have a name yet?’

‘The lady who owned this flat was Julian Mary. We haven’t got a DNA sample back, so we don’t know if this is her.’

‘Anyone call her cell? Has her family been called?’

‘No, not yet. Did you want me to forward down the information to your office once it’s done?’

‘Let me call her parents, get me their number. And if this isn’t Julian I would like to know ASAP.’

‘I’ll get on with it, Detective Parker.’ The forensic said, continuing to snap pictures. He was surprised the man knew his name, and he wondered if this team was the same one he had on the other murders. The only face he could remember was Karla’s, everyone else’s had blurred together in those days. Besides the victims, of course. They stayed in his mind for months.

Why hadn’t the rest of the apartment caught on fire? The thought broke him away. He remembered back to the first report, the fire had been out when the firefighters arrived, nothing left but smoke seeping out into the hallways. So either the fire ran out by itself, which was unlikely, or someone was there, calming down the flames before anyone else arrived. It could have been the killer, he thought. Or it could have been a witness, too scared to answer questions.

He brought his suspicions to Karla.

‘I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before. So you think someone else was here?’

‘Could be. I don’t think the killer would have tried to extinguish the fire. He wanted to burn this whole place down.’

‘Well, I’ll tell the others. See if they can find residue from a fire extinguisher. Or find out if the fire extinguisher on this floor has been used.’

‘Thanks Karla. Were you able to find anything?’

-- To Be Continued --

By the way, would you like to read part 3? Please upvote and let me know in the comments.

About Me

I am a young and passionate ghostwriter who is looking to gain more exposure on the Steemit. It is my dream to keep creating exciting stories that people want to read. In terms of genres, I usually like to write about Detective, Mystery, and Thriller. My goal is to collect enough funds from Steemit to buy a new mouse. My current mouse is worn out due to hyperhidrosis. If you like what you have just read, kindly upvote and follow me. I really appreciate your support. Thanks in advance and have a great day!