Lights and Sirens

Fire Vs Evil

He had spent a lifetime running, moving from family to family trying to find one that will fulfil his need. This was when he met Elizabeth's mother at a bar down in the city. She had been beautiful the first time that he saw her. She was a lawyer for a small firm based in the south side of Chicago but that's all he knew. Three months living with that bloody woman. She caused all this.

Sitting on the sofa of a motel, the TV was blaring and the house fires that he had set were covering the main headlines. 'House fires set by an unknown arsonist' was written under the anchors picture.

"News just in!" the anchor said as he pressed a finger to his ear. The screen changed a reporter that was standing in front of the second house fire.

"I am standing in front of the second house that has been set alight by our mystery arsonist. As you can see, the Chicago Fire Department is still here dampening down the debris. Chicago Firehouse 51 was the first to respond to the call and pulled out the body of a Michael Howard, a real estate agent from a large firm in the city. He was the cousin of Rachel Jacobs, the victim of the other house fire the night before, and mother of Elizabeth Jacobs who was the witness to the death. The police are not letting on any more information but we do now know that Detective Jessica Nolan and Detective Stephan Collins are the lead officers on the case. Back to you John in the studio..."

The screen switched back to the anchor in the studio. "Thank you Jack, now in other news..."

He reached forward and grabbed the control from the table in front of him. They will never find me - if I lay low, he thought. He looked down at his hands and they were shaking, he needed his fix. It wasn't drugs or alcohol, it was the rush of adrenalin that he got only from when he set dangerous fires and watch silly little firemen run into the inferno. That was what he needed. He looked over at the door and smiled. He got up, grabbed his coat and keys then made his way out the door and down to his car. If he was going to set a fire, he needed his supplies...

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Gabby was sitting at the table at home when Casey walked in.

"When is Jessica coming over with Elizabeth?" he asked as he took a seat opposite her.

"I have no idea, she said that she would text me but I haven't got anything. Maybe she is wrapped up with the case." She said not looking up from the files in front of her. Matt got up and walked round behind her and looked over her shoulder at the file she was staring at.

"Is that the ME's report of the woman that was beaten in the first fire?" he asked setting his coffee down and taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah, Nolan brought it over for me to have a look at. I wasn't the one who dealt with her when she came out of the fire I was with Elizabeth..." she took a breath. "... but Brett and Danny were with her. Apparently it was one of the worst things they had seen, and looking at this i'm not surprised."

Matt leaned over and pointed at the picture that was pinned to the file. "Is that what she looked like before and after the beating and fire?" Gabby could hear the shock in his voice.

"Yeah, I didn't believe it the first time I saw it either." She replied softly.

"Why did Jessica ask you to have a look at it?" he asked now looking at her, his green eyes glittering.

"I don't know. She wanted to talk to me about the case and then she brought this over." She answered closing both folders on the table and twisting round to face Casey. "Let's talk about something other than this." She placed her hands on his knees then began to push her hands slowly up his thighs.

"Ok, well i'm really exited to meet Elizabeth. I wonder if she already knows Jamie?..." Matt started just as his son walked through the doorway.

"Hey baby!" Gabby exclaimed as she saw him. She stood up and walked over to him. "What you up to?"