Red and Blue hearts (Ari Levinson)

Part 3: Suspects

Hailey's POV

I arrive at the precinct and go to my office. The first thing I do is catch up on the investigations my detectives are doing and on some paperwork. Then I ask an officer to take the samples from the crime scene to the lab. And finally I get started on the actual investigation of the arson case.

I take out the files from the firefighters and read through them once more, as well as the reports from the intervention and compare them with my notes and now the pictures. I digitalize the photographs and send them to the scientific department so they can recreate the scene in the lab. And then I organize the next interrogations.

First Jacob Wolf, he was supposedly with Ari at the firehouse the whole time so I need to confirm the movements of the rest of the crew with him and ask him about Ari and Captain Levin. Then I'll talk to either Rachel Reicher or Kabede Bimro, see if they confirm the time they left and the time Max Rose and Sammy Navon left and came back. I'll do the same with Max and Sammy later.

I write down the list, and call everyone to make appointments in the right order. The last person I call is Captain Levin. He's the last one because I can easily confirm his meetings by calling the fire department and since he wasn't at the firehouse until lunch he can't confirm or deny the rest of the team's whereabouts.

Once that list is done, waiting for the first one of the firefighters to show up I start analyzing the pictures I took earlier and making a list of everything I need to check. A while after, I hear a knock on the door.

"Come in !"

"Hi, I'm Jake Wolf, from-"

"Mr. Wolf, please come in. Take a seat."

"I'm a little confused as to why I'm here." He says.

"Well, as I told your lieutenant, it's protocol. I just need to ask you a few questions about yesterday's shift."

"Okay."

"Did you go out of the firehouse apart from responding to calls during the shift ?"

"No, I didn't."

"Did anyone else leave the firehouse ?"

"Max, Sammy, Rachel and the probie."

"Why ?"

"Max a Sammy went to fill the trucks with gas. Rachel and the probie went grocery shopping."

"Can you tell me the time ?"

"Around 11 for the gas, an hour later or so for the groceries."

"What about Lieutenant Levinson ?"

"No, he was on toilet duty."

"And Captain Levin ?"

"He arrived at lunch around 1 pm."

"How long were Max and Sammy out ?"

"I'd say 30 minutes ?"

"What about Rachel and Kabede, how long ?"

"15 minutes ? I'm not sure."

"Who was the firefighter that called in saying it could be arson ?"

"It was Ari."

"Was he alone at that moment ?"

"No, we went in as two teams. Max and I went to the east side and Rachel and Ari went to the west side."

"Does anyone in the team have military training ?"

"Max is an ex-Navy seal I think, never talks much about that."

"What about Sammy and Kabede where were they during the fire ?"

"Outside by the ambulance, they were on triage."

"That's gonna be enough for me, you're free to go. Unless you have any questions ?"

"Why are you asking us all of this ?"

"It's protocol, I have to."

"Have a good day Captain."

"You too."

Sammy confirmed the same thing, as well as Kabede. Rachel did too but she had a bit more questions at the end.

"Why are you asking us so many questions ?" Rachel asked.

"It's protocol."

"Are we suspects ?" She insisted.

"No, if you were you'd be under custody in an interrogation room, not in my office having coffee while we talk."

"But you think one of us did it, that's why you ask so many questions."

"No, actually I think none of you did it. What I'm doing is an exculpatory protocol."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means I know you didn't do it, that's enough for me but it won't be for a jury so I'm asking questions to find exculpatory evidence, meaning evidence that proves to a jury that you couldn't have done it." I explain.

"Oh, ... Okay."

"Do you have any more questions ?"

"Yeah, does Ari know this ?" She asks.

"That I'm interrogating his team, yes."

"One last question, unrelated though, is Lizzie, ... Elizabeth Williams under your command ?"

"Yes, why ?" I ask.

"She's my cousin, I wasn't sure but I thought she told me she was working here in the 56th precinct. Can I go now ?"

"Yes, have a nice day."

"You too Captain."

With Max the questions were answered quickly and no questions were asked. But I did have to add a few extra questions that I hadn't asked the others.

"You're an ex-Navy seal, right ?" I ask.

"Yes captain."

"Do you know what this is ?" I ask while showing him pictures of the timer device from the crime scene.

"I'd say it's a timer ?"

"It is, have you ever seen one like this ?"

"I don't know, it doesn't look military though, why ?"

"No reason, just wondering if you would know how it works, my guys are having a bit of trouble with it." I lie.

"Well I don't know, if it was a military device I would be able to pull it apart but since it isn't I would need to take a look at it to see if I'll be able to. I'm sorry I'm not much help." He answers.

"It's okay. They'll manage eventually or we'll call an expert. Thank you for your time."

"No problem. Goodbye Captain."

"Bye."

Once I had talked to everyone, I set the case aside for the few last hours of my shift. In order to supervise the rest of the open cases we have and read through the paperwork everyone leaves on my desk. I call the district attorneys to ask for the warrants the detectives need and try to get updates from the scientific department.

At the end of my shift I swing by the locker room to get changed before heading home.

"Hey Lizzie."

"Hi Captain."

"I met your cousin Rachel today."

"Aw, did I just miss her ?"

"No, she came by a few hours ago. I just wanted to tell you if you happen to hear anything about the arson case I'm working on, you can't tell your cousin anything about it. Her firehouse responded to that call, you know the protocol."

"I won't mention a thing Captain."

"Have a good night."

"You too."