There had been seven letters over the past month. Each one carrying a threat of some kind aimed at the women of the station. Each letter referred to a "Lady Phoenix" and each one had been followed by an arson fire in their area.
When Captain Williams saw the familiar orange envelope, she figured it was more of the same. She didn't mention it to her shift right away, the women were nervous enough as it was. She would tell them later so they'd know another fire was on it's way. She called the arson investigators, but didn't open the letter herself. The investigator had carefully opened the envelope, trying to preserve any evidence that might be inside or on the paper. It contained the usual threat, but this one had caught everyone by surprise. It actually named Lady Phoenix.
Suzy Parker and Karen Jacobs were out doing fire safety inspections. They were just about to finish the second restaurant when they were recalled to the station. As they pulled in to the truck bay, Captain Williams came out to meet them.
"Suzy, KJ, can I see you in my office please."
The two paramedics exchanged glances. They had known something was up when they were called back to the station. As they entered the office they saw arson investigator Dave Brown, then the orange envelope on Williams' desk. It was now sealed in an evidence bag but they knew what it meant.
"Close the door," Captain Williams said. She paused long enough for the door to close. "Inspector Brown, this is Firefighter/Paramedics Suzy Parker and Karen Jacobs."
"Ladies," He said.
"Captain, is there a problem?" Suzy asked.
"Yes, there is," Williams said slowly. "Lady Phoenix has been named."
A look of shock, then understanding registered on their faces.
"It's one of us?" Asked Karen, unbelieving.
"Yes," Captain Williams said. "To be exact, it's you, Jacobs."
The color drained from KJ's face as she slid into one of the office chairs. Suzy was by her partner's side in a heartbeat.
"You ok, KJ?"
KJ just nodded. Then she looked at the Captain. "Me?" she asked "Why me?"
"That's what we'd like to find out," answered Inspector Brown. Until that point he had been quietly watching the reaction of the woman in front of him. "Do you know of any reason this man would specifically name you?"
KJ just shook her head. "This is too much," she thought. "Can I see the letter, Captain?" she asked.
Captain Williams gave a questioning look to Insp. Brown and he nodded. Williams handed KJ an evidence bag with the letter in it. It was open so you could read it without removing it from the bag.
"You've put up a valiant fight so far Lady Phoenix. But, my dear KJ, how long will your strength last, or your luck for that matter?"
She put the letter on the captain's desk, her hands shaking as she did so.
There were several more questions from Brown but none of the answers gave him any leads. When he had finally left, the office was quiet.
"Are you going to be alright, KJ?" Cap asked.
"Yeah, Cap," She replied. "I'm just trying to figure out what I did to make this nut focus on me."
Captain Williams shrugged. "He could have seen you at one of the fires or on a rescue. Or it could be for no other reason than you're wearing that uniform," she said.
KJ nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Listen KJ, if you want to take some time off, I'll understand."
Karen jumped slightly. "No Captain," she said. "If I do that, then he's already won."
Captain Williams nodded, she understood how Jacobs was feeling.
"But I would like to ask one favor," Jacobs said.
"If I can," Cap replied.
Karen looked at her partner and then her Captain. "Don't tell the others."
"But don't you think they should know so they can help keep an eye out.?"
"No. I don't want them so concerned for my safety that they wind up getting hurt. It's going to be hard enough on Suzy."
"Okay," Williams said. "But I'll have to tell them about the letter. They need to be prepared for the fire."
"Thanks, Captain."
* * * * * * * * * *
She had to fight to concentrate on the mountain road in front of her. It had been a long, sleepless night. The arson fire had happened at about 2am and they had spent the rest of their shift fighting it. They were all beat. Suzy had offered to go home with her, but she had declined. Suzy had plans for her days off and KJ didn't want to be a burden. She knew Suzy was concerned about her, and she appreciated it, but right now she needed to get away from the city.....away from Lady Phoenix.
She knew she was taking a chance that he might not be home. She should have called first but she wanted to get away from the station, she hadn't even changed out of her uniform. She was relieved to see his landrover in the driveway as she pulled up. She got out and knocked on the door. "What if he's not alone," that thought hadn't crossed her mind until now. She prayed she wouldn't be interrupting anything. As he opened the door she could tell she woke him up. He was wearing only a pair of jeans.
John was surprised to see her. "KJ," he said a little shocked. "What brings you out here?"
"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" She asked.
"What? Oh....No. Come on in," he said opening the door wide and she walked in.
"I'm sorry to just drop in on you like this, but I needed someone to talk to."
John could tell she was upset. He had met KJ when she had substituted for a vacationing Roy. They had almost lost their lives in a building collapse and KJ had save his. They were friends.
"Sure. Have a seat," he said. "Want some coffee?"
"If it's not too much trouble," she said.
"Nah, I've got to make some for myself anyway," he said as he headed for the kitchen.
Karen could hear him banging things around while he made the coffee. Soon the aroma of a fresh batch filtered into the livingroom. John reappeared with two cups and handed her one. Then he sat down across from her. After a few seconds of silence he asked.
"Rough night?"
"Does it show that bad?"
"Afraid so," he said and with a smile he handed her a wet wash cloth. She gave him a puzzled look. "You missed some."
She took the wash cloth and wiped her face hoping to get the rest of the soot and dirt. "Better?"
"A little," he said with a laugh. She made a face and threw the rag, hitting him in the chest.
"Well, now that I've seen a smile. What brings you out here?"
The smile left her face as quickly as it had appeared.
"I needed to talk to someone outside the station," she said.
John didn't say anything, he knew she'd continue when she was ready.
"You've heard about the Lady Phoenix Arsonist?" she asked.
John nodded. "Who hasn't."
KJ look down at the cup in her hands. "Well, yesterday there was another letter and another fire," she paused. "But this time the letter named Lady Phoenix."
"You're kidding!" he said, his face showing the same shock hers had the day before. "Who did it name?"
Without saying a word, KJ met John's gaze. Slowly the shock was replaced by understanding. "You?" he asked quietly.
She nodded and looked back down at her hands.
"Oh Man," he said as he rubbed his hand across his face. Karen didn't say anything. "Did he give a reason?"
"No. Nothing," She replied. "John......the one thing that really concerns me is that he didn't refer to me as Karen Jacobs, he called me KJ."
"Oh Man!" he said again as he got up and started to pace. "That means it's someone close enough to know your nickname."
She could only nod. That fact had been bothering her since she first read the letter. She had tried to put on a good face at the station but the others had picked up on the fact that something was bothering her.
"What did the arson investigator say?" he asked.
"Not much," she said. "He questioned me for about a half hour yesterday, but I couldn't help him."
She got up and looked out the livingroom window. John could see that she was really worried about this. John walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright," he said.
Karen nodded. "I'm not too concerned about me, I can pretty much take care of myself."
"Yeah, I know," he said.
"What bothers me is that this madman might hurt another firefighter or and innocent civilian while he's gunning for me."
John was getting a little worried. "You're not thinking about quitting are you?"
"I'll have to admit the thought crossed my mind," she said. "But, no, I'm not going to quit. That what he wants."
"If it's any consolation," John said. "I know what you're going through. Roy and I were the targets of an arsonist awhile back ourselves."
"I know. Cassie mentioned it when this whole thing started. I guess Chet told her about it," she said. "She also said the guy almost killed you."
"Yeah, well, that's the part I'd like to forget," he said. "Tell you what...why don't you give me a couple of minutes to finish getting dressed and we can talk outside while I feed Grey Eagle."
She nodded and he left her looking out the window. He came back into the livingroom about 10 minutes later to find Karen asleep on the couch. He just smiled and shook his head. She must have been exhausted. He picked up one of his indian blankets and gently covered her with it. Then he quietly went out back to feed his horse. Taking care of Grey Eagle was usually something he enjoyed doing, but today he was distracted. Karen was a good friend and had become kind of a big sister to him and now someone was out to hurt her.
* * * * * * * * * *
The next shift was more of the same. The Lady Phoenix had sent another letter.
"You survived again, Lady Phoenix. Too bad. But, one of these days, KJ, the fire will win."
This time Captain Williams decided to tell the rest of the crew who Lady Phoenix was. Her argument was a good one. "This guy is going after you. For what reason we don't know. But, I want every pair of eyes we've got watching for him."
The others had reacted the same as Suzy and KJ had. There was stunned silence as they looked from the Captain, to KJ and back to the Captain. The couldn't believe what they had just heard. Their KJ was the arsonist's target. Then Captain Williams nodded at KJ and she stood up.
"I didn't want the Captain to tell you that this nut had named me in his letters." she put up her hands to stop a chorus of "why not's". "Because," she continued. "I didn't want you so concerned with my safety that you forgot your own. I don't think I could handle it if one of you got hurt because of me."
"I agree with Jacobs," Captain Williams said. "We need to keep an eye out, but let's not focus on this to the point that it interferes with our jobs."
* * * * * * * * * *
The next shift KJ worked with the Stations "A" Shift. She was sub'ing for a vacationing Liz Pidgeon. Captain Tacy and the rest of the crew had been briefed so they knew the situation. Karen and Cassie were having an idle conversation while they checked the squad when Captain Tacy called Karen into her office. As Karen walked in she stopped short, there on the desk was a familiar orange envelope. Tacy watched her as she slowly sank into a chair. She was white as a sheet. "No!" she said quietly. "How did he know I'd changed shifts?"
"That's what we'd like to know," said a man's voice.
Karen looked up to see Inspector Brown. He, and another man were standing to the side of the Captain's desk. Karen looked at the Captain with a puzzled look on her face.
"Jacobs, you know Inspector Brown. This," she said indicating the other man. "is Detective Mark Thompson, Los Angeles County Sheriffs' Office."
He nodded in her direction as she acknowledged him.
"Jacobs, did you tell anyone you'd be here today?" Brown asked.
"No," she said as she shook her head. "No one outside the department."
"So, you didn't tell anyone outside you were changing shifts?"
"No, I don't think so," she replied.
"You don't think so? Either you did or you didn't," Brown said in a sharp tone.
Karen looked up at him. He was looking at her with a cold, hard stare.
"Just what are you suggesting?" she asked slowly.
"Well," he said. "It seems a little coincidental that you change shifts and the arsonist moved with you."
"Are you saying that you think I have something to do with this madman?" she asked unbelieving.
The two men just looked back at her, not saying anything. KJ looked at each of the them and then back to her Captain.
"I don't believe this. Why would I risk the lives of my fellow firefighters.....or myself for that matter."
Brown shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows what drives an arsonist?" he said.
KJ jumped out of her chair and took a step toward Brown, her fists clenched.
"Jacobs!" Captain Tacy warned.
Karen looked at the Captain, her eyes filled with anger and frustration. As their eyes met Tacy quietly said, "He's not worth it."
It was a simple statement, but it kept Brown out of the hospital and Jacobs out of jail. Just then the tones sounded. The squad was dispatched to a possible heart attack. Karen headed for the door, but Brown grabbed her arm and said, "We're not done with you yet."
"Yes you are," Tacy ordered, standing up behind her desk. Brown released his grip on Jacobs arm and she ran for the squad.
After she left, Captain Tacy turned to Inspector Brown. "That woman is a damn good firefighter and paramedic. What proof do you have that she's involved with this?" she demanded.
"Captain, you can't tell me that it's not just a little suspicious," Brown said. "I mean, this guy seems to have a pretty intimate knowledge of Jacobs movements."
Tacy eye'd him coldly. "You seem to have already decided that Jacobs "IS" involved in this," Tacy said dryly. "I don't suppose you even considered the fact that someone just might be following her."
Neither of the men said anything.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that we have a pretty set schedule. And since this is the only station continuously staffed by women," she continued. "All someone would have to do is drive by the station to see if her car was here."
"All I said was that it was suspicious," Brown defended.
"And insinuated that Jacobs is an accomplice," she snapped "Next time you come into this office and start throwing accusations around, you better have some proof to back them up."
With that statement, Captain Tacy indicated the meeting was over. Brown turned and walked out the door, with the other man falling in behind.
"Just like the Damn Pied Piper," she thought sarcastically. Then she sat down and rubbed her temples.
* * * * * * * * * *
They had dropped their patient off at Rampart and finished the followup. Ever since they had left the station Cassie could see that her partner was really upset. She didn't know what had happened in that office, but she knew that this was not the time for her normal wise cracks. They were back in the squad, getting ready to return to service. The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Cassie couldn't take it anymore. As Karen went to start the squad she reached out and stopped her. Karen didn't even respond, she just sat there looking straight ahead.
"KJ," Cassie said. "What the hell happened in the Cap's office? I've never seen you like this."
Karen didn't say anything for several minutes. Then she took a deep breath and looked at her partner. "Another letter arrived today for Lady Phoenix,." she said slowly. "And because it was delivered to this shift, the arson investigator thinks I might have something to do with it."
Cassie sat back and gave a little whistle. "He can't be serious. Can he?!"
"Very serious," was Karen's reply.
"Oh man!" was all Cassie could say.
KJ smiled. "You sound like John Gage."
Cassie gave her a sideways look.
"Nevermind," Karen said with a little laugh. She started the squad and headed back to the station.
* * * * * * * * * *
On the way back, Cassie had managed to lighten the mood a little. Unfortunately the tension returned as soon as they backed into the truck bay. Karen turned off the ignition and sat quietly, not wanting to get out and face the investigators again, or Captain Tacy for that matter. She didn't know how the Captain had reacted to the news that she was now a suspect.
Cassie reached over and put her hand on KJ's arm. "Karen, none of us are ever going to believe you'd have anything to do with this," she said. "You care too much about this job and the people in it."
Karen looked at her, she was a lot more mature than her brother Chet gave her credit for. She tried to smile, but it wasn't very convincing. "Thanks."
As she expected, Captain Tacy called her into her office as soon as they got out of the squad. Cassie followed.
"Kelly, why don't you take care of the reports," Tacy said.
"Cap," Cassie said. "She's my partner."
Tacy looked from Kelly to Jacobs.
"She knows," was all Jacobs said.
Tacy nodded and the two paramedics followed her into the office. As Cassie closed the door, Karen leaned against the wall across from Tacy's desk. She didn't say anything....she didn't have to. Cassie stood quietly by the door.
Captain Tacy looked at Karen, she could see the tension in every fiber in her body. She glanced at Cassie, then turned back to Karen.
"I want you to know that I don't buy Brown's argument," she said. She saw Jacobs visibly relax. "I don't believe you could have anything to do with the arsonist."
Karen took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling, blinking back the tears. "Thank you, Captain. That means a lot to me," she said. "If you want, you can arrange for someone else to take this shift. I don't want to endanger this crew as well."
Tacy shook her head. "No. I don't think so," she said. "We're all in this together."
Karen nodded. "Cap? What did the letter say this time?"
Tacy handed her a copy of the letter.
"You can't hide from me Lady Phoenix, I'll always find you. And your fellow dykes can't protect you forever."
Karen laid the copy on the desk then leaned back in her chair. Something had been nagging at her.
"Cap, can I bounce something off you?" she asked.
"Shoot," Tacy said.
"The letter that named me used my nickname, KJ. Now this letter refers to the other women as dykes," she said thoughtfully. "The use of my nickname, means it was somebody fairly close to me or close enough to know what my nickname is."
Capt. Tacy leaned forward in her chair. She had an idea where Jacobs was going with this. Karen continued. "Now this letter calls us dykes. I don't think anyone outside the department know that that is a running "joke", if you will, among some of the male firefighters."
She looked a Tacy, trying to read her reaction. The Captain sat quietly for several seconds.
"I've been thinking the same thing," she said. "and so has someone else. Detective Thompson came back after Brown left.......He doesn't think you're involved, other than as a victim. He wouldn't go into details, but they do believe it's someone in the department."
"That would explain how he knew about my shift changes," KJ said as she leaned back in her chair. "Man, this is so hard to believe. That someone inside the department hates me so bad that they'd endanger the lives of so many."
"Your stint over at Station 51 will lead to what a lot of men didn't want or believe would ever happen....the full integration of women in the department," Tacy said. "That's a major threat to some of them."
"So, to someone out there....she's public enemy number one," Cassie said. They both looked at her. She'd been so quiet they had almost forgot she was there.
"Apparently so," was Cap's reply. "Now understand that what I've just told you is in the strictest confidence. You are not to say a word to anyone about this... is that understood."
The other two women agreed.
"Okay, lets get back to work. We still have one guarantee....we have a fire to look forward to tonight."
* * * * * * * * * *
When the call finally came it was a bad one, an empty, four story apartment building. It was a large enough building that several other stations had also been dispatched. The building was well involved when they arrived. Karen and Cassie quickly got ready to search the building. Even though it was abandoned there was a strong possibility that members of the homeless community could have set up housekeeping. They were soon joined by John and Roy.
The top two floors were too well involved for them to search so they concentrated their efforts on the first and second floors. When they were certain they were clear they headed out. They could only hope no one was on the top floors.
They exited the building to get new air tanks and then help fight the fire. Karen had stopped to give Captain Tacy a quick brief when she heard a cracking noise. She looked up to see part of the brick face start to fall. To her horror, Engine 51 was right in it's path. Mike Stoker, who was concentrating on maintaining water pressure for the firefighters inside, was unaware of the danger. Before Tacy could say anything, Karen took off for the engine. She grabbed a surprised Stoker, threw him to the ground and rolled him under the engine. She tried to follow but her air tank caught on the engines running board. She managed to twist most of her body under the engine before the wall hit. Karen heard a deafening crash and felt herself being rolled onto her back.
Then she heard a lot of shouting and commotion. She had instinctively covered her head with her arms. As she moved her arms, she slowly opened one eye and then the other. The first thing she saw was the concerned face of Mike Stoker. She tried to move but something had trapped her air tank. She glanced up at the engines undercarriage and tried to make light of the situation. "So this is what the bottom of an engine looks like," she said with a slight smile.
Mike laughed, relieved she was okay. "Yeah, but, next time just ask and I'll give you a personal tour."
"You got it," she said with a smile
"Stoker!" they heard Captain Stanley yell. "Are you alright!"
"Yeah, Cap!" he yelled back. "But Karen's trapped. I don't think she's hurt, she's just can't move."
"Well come on out and let the paramedics in there," Stanley yelled.
Mike started to crawl out then turned back. "Thanks, Karen. I owe ya."
"You don't owe me anything, Mike. That's what friends are for."
He smiled and crawled out. Much to Stanley's dismay, Mike immediately ran to the other side of the engine to see what the damage was. There were still firefighters inside that needed that water. By some miracle, the pumps were still working and other firefighters were moving the rubble off the hoses so it wouldn't restrict the flow of water. Once that was done and another engineer took over, Mike let himself be checked out.
* * * * * * * *
The next thing Karen saw was Cassie crawling under the engine followed by Johnny. "Hey partner," Cassie said as she reached her. "Looks like you've got yourself into a little predicament. Do you hurt anywhere?"
"No. I just can't move. I think my air tank is caught on something and I can't get the belt to release," she said.
"Here let me help you out of that harness," Cassie said. She reached up with her pocket knife and cut the straps. With that done Karen was able to roll onto her stomach. She rested her forehead on her arms.
"How's she doing?" John asked from behind Cassie.
"She seems to be alright, but I can't check too much under here."
"I'll go set up, you help her out," and with that John was gone.
"You sure you're alright?" Cassie asked.
Karen nodded her head without picking it up off her arms. She looked over at her air tank under the pile of bricks and gave an involuntary shudder. "That was a little too close," was all she could say.
Cassie didn't have anything to say to that, so she just nodded. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
Cassie wanted to make sure that KJ really wasn't hurt so she made sure the trip was slow and easy. As Karen cleared the engine she started to get up, Captain Tacy put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a questioning look.
"I'm okay, Cap," she said. "A few bruises but nothing serious."
Tacy nodded and let out the breath she had been holding. Cassie walked Karen over to where John had setup. They could see Roy treating Stoker. Karen was relieved to see him sitting up, apparently none worse for wear. She sat down and submitted to the routine. Both John and Cassie could see she was shook up. Her pulse and blood pressure were up, but under the circumstances, that was to be expected. They did find some bruises on her back where she had been hit by some of the bricks, but otherwise there was no sign of any injuries. Despite her protests, Captain Tacy ordered her to Rampart as a precaution.
* * * * * * * * * *
The next day she was stiff and sore, but considering what could have happened, she wasn't complaining. Dr. Early had given her permission to return to duty the night before and she was thankful the rest of the shift had been quiet.
She'd been home about an hour when she heard a knock on the door. She looked through the peep hole and opened the door. John stood there with a bag of donuts. "I brought breakfast," he announced with a smile.
Karen could only laugh and stand aside. They sat quietly eating the donuts and drinking coffee. "I appreciate you making me this wondrous meal," she said with a smile. "Now, you want to tell me the real reason you're here?"
John looked a little embarrassed. "I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said.
"Thanks, John. I'm fine. Just a few sore muscles," she said. "How's Mike?"
"He's okay. A couple of cuts and scrapes, but nothing serious," he said. "He's more upset about the damage to the engine than what happened to him."
They both laughed. "I'm glad," she said.
"That was a pretty amazing tackle you made. Mike's still not sure how you were able to throw him under the engine."
"Muscles," she said with a grin as she flexed her biceps.
Just then the phone rang. She didn't answer it right away and John looked a little puzzled.
"I've been screening my calls with the answering machine," she said. "I figured if this guy was close enough to know my schedule and nickname, then he might know my phone number and where I live."
"Makes sense," he said. "He hasn't called has he?"
"No. And I hope he never......."she didn't finish. A man's deep, gravelly voice came from the answering machine.
"Lady Phoenix, I saw you fall last night. You rose slowly from the ashes this time, is your strength fading? You shouldn't play the hero KJ, hero's die young. And by the way, tell your boyfriend there that he can't stop the fire either."
The line went dead. KJ and John stared at each other for several seconds. John recovered first. He reached over and popped the tape out of the answering machine. He then called Station 18 and explained what had just happened to Captain Williams. She said would get ahold of the investigators and Captain Tacy. He then called Captain Stanley at home.
Within 30 minutes, Captains Tacy and Stanley were at Karen's door. John let them in. When they got to the livingroom they saw Karen curled up in one of the chairs.
"She's hardly said a thing since he called," John said worriedly
Tacy went over to her. While Captain Tacy was known to be a hard ass, she cared a great deal for the people who worked for her. She could tell that Karen was close to losing it.
"Karen," she said quietly. Karen didn't respond. "Karen, look at me." Karen slowly met Tacy's gaze, but her eyes were empty and distant. "I know it's hard, but you can't let him get to you."
"He was there last night, Cap." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "He was watching when the wall almost killed Mike. And now he's watching me."
"How do you know he's watching you?" Tacy asked.
Karen looked over at John. "He made reference to Johnny being here this morning."
Tacy looked at Gage. "He said...Tell your boyfriend there that he can't stop the fire either..." John said.
Tacy's eyes narrowed as John spoke. "Cap," John said defensively. "Look all I did was come over to see how she was doing. There's nothing else to it."
Just then there was a knock at the door. When John opened the door, Inspector Brown and Detective Thompson walked in.
"Where's the tape?" Brown asked quickly.
"Good morning to you too, Inspector," John said sarcastically.
Thompson gave a slight smile. Stanley gave Gage a warning look, before he could say anything else. John walked across the room and stood next to Karen.
Again, Brown asked impatiently. "Where's the tape?"
John nodded to the table where the answering machine sat, the tape was next to it. Brown quickly snapped it off the table. "Has anyone else heard this?" he asked.
"No," was John's reply.
"Do you have a tape player?" He said to Gage.
"Yes, but it's at home," John said.
"John....." Stanley warned.
"Karen's is over there," John said with a nod.
Brown walked over and dropped the tape in. He pressed rewind for a few seconds, then play. There were a couple of messages from Suzy and one from Cassie. Then they all heard the arsonist. As the message played, Brown looked over at Karen, she hadn't moved or said a thing since they had come in the door. He saw that John had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Well Gage...." Brown's voice had a nasty edge to it. "Are you her boyfriend?"
"Not that it's any of your business," Gage snapped. "But, no, I'm not her boyfriend. We're just friends."
"I find that hard to believe," Brown sneered.
John stiffened and his eyes clouded with anger. But before John could reply Captain Stanley stepped in. "Excuse me, Inspector, but what does that have to do with the arsonist?"
"Maybe nothing. Then again the arsonist's apparent reference to Gage as her boyfriend may be a connection. He may be an old boyfriend or someone who wishes he was a boyfriend," Brown said. "How 'bout it, Jacobs, do you have any old boyfriends running around?"
Karen didn't answer him, she simply got up, looked at Captain Tacy and quietly said. "I have nothing to say to him." She then turned and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Brown couldn't believe what he had just heard. He started to follow her, but found his path blocked by the others.
"She's not up to this right now," Tacy said.
"That's conveniant," he snarled. "And just when will she be up to it?"
"I don't know," Tacy said coldly. "But I'll venture to guess it'll be when another investigator asks the questions."
"I see," said Brown accusingly. "A closing of the ranks." He turned and put the tape in an evidence bag. Just before he walked out, he turned. "You're going to feel real stupid if my suspicions pan out." And with that he was gone.
John was about to explode. "What did he mean about his suspicions?"
Tacy turned to Gage. "Brown thinks that Jacobs is involved with the arsonist. And now that the tape seems to refer to you as her boyfriend, he probably suspects you in some way also."
Detective Thompson had stood silently during the past 20 minutes or so, observing the interaction between the firefighters and Brown. He had observed the protective wall that the other three had thrown up around Jacobs and how that seemed infuriate Brown. He was beginning to have some unsettling suspicions of his own.
"Mr. Gage?" he asked finally. "Would you please see if Ms. Jacobs would be willing to talk to me?"
"And you are?" John asked defensively
"I'm sorry, Gage," Captain Tacy said. "This is Detective Mark Thompson, L.A. County Sheriff's Office. He's also investigating the fires."
Gage just stood silently in front of the bedroom door.
"Gage, he doesn't believe that she's involved," Tacy said as she looked at Thompson. "He feels that she's a victim, not a perpetrator."
Gage looked at Captain Tacy and then back at Detective Thompson. Then he slowly turned and went into the bedroom. A few minutes later Karen came out. With John and the Captains looking on, Detective Thompson gently questioned her.
* * * * * * * * * *
After Thompson had left, Captain Stanley quietly made a couple of phone calls. When he was done he nodded to Captain Tacy.
"KJ, you're taking the next shift off," Karen started to object, but Tacy raised her hand. "No arguments."
"John, so are you pal," Stanley said. We've arranged for both your shifts to be covered. We want you to get her out of here. Take her camping, or the ocean, or something, but get her out of town. And don't tell anyone where you're going."
Gage and Jacobs looked at each other and then back to their respective captains.
"Cap, you agreed with this?" Karen asked looking at Tacy.
"Yes," She said, much to their surprise. She saw the look on their faces. "I admit that I don't understand your friendship, but I've come to accept it as just that....friendship."
"Captain Tacy, Detective Thompson, and I discussed this while you two were out of the room," Stanley said. "We are testing a theory, that's why we don't want to know where you're going."
John started to say something but Stanley stopped him. "John, don't ask any questions right now. We'll explain it the next shift. Now just do it. Okay?"
"Okay."
With that the Captains left. KJ got some things together and they headed for John's house.
* * * * * * * * * *
The moon was up and the camp was peaceful. You could hear the night animals calling to each other. Karen leaned back on a log and looked at the stars through the trees. She hadn't been this relaxed in a very long time. John sat a few feet away quietly playing his guitar.
"Thank you, John," she said quietly.
He stopped playing. "What for?" he asked.
"Being there when I needed you," she replied.
"You're a friend," he said. "That's what friends are for."
"Well...I'm still glad you were there. I don't think I could have made it through this without you." Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was blushing. She smiled to herself.
"We'd better get some shut eye," he said. "We've got to get an early start in the morning."
* * * * * * * * * *
As soon as she saw the orange envelope, Captain Tacy had sent the squad to Rampart for supplies and told them to stage from there until they heard from her. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. They stayed at the hospital until the investigators had come and gone. The letter had been particularly nasty. It had directly threatened Jacobs and Gage. Later that night there was the expected fire. Two firefighters had been hurt, fortunately their injuries were not serious.
* * * * * * * * * *
Karen came into the station the next shift with a smile on her face, something Cassie hadn't seen in a while. She didn't know what had happened on her days off, but getting away from work for that day had obviously done her a lot of good. Tacy saw it too. She hated to have to tell her that there was another letter.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The fire that night was the worst one of the batch. It was a two story warehouse. Several stations had been dispatched, including Stations 18 and 51. There was a report that a security guard was missing. Karen, Cassie, John, and Roy geared up and headed for the building. Once inside, the two teams split up. Gage and DeSoto found the security guard and headed out. They notified Jacobs and Kelly on the handy talky.
Karen and Cassie were about 40 feet from the door when there was a series of explosions in the basement. The floor started to collapse. KJ grabbed Cassie and threw her clear. Cassie hit the floor hard but got too her feet quickly. She looked around for her partner.
"KJ!" she yelled. There was no answer.
When she didn't see her anywhere, Cassie ran to the edge of a large hole in the floor. By the light of the flames in the basement she made out the figure of her partner on the pile of debris below. She quickly grabbed her handy talky and called a Code I, firefighter trapped in the rubble. The Battalion Chief acknowledged the call. She then ordered a ladder, stokes and a backboard.
"KJ!" she yelled down to her partner. "Hang on, girl! We'll be there soon!"
It seemed to take hours before someone was beside her, but in reality it was only seconds. A hose crew quickly aimed their hose into the basement trying to keep the flames away from the injured firefighter. A minute later John, Chet, and Marco were by her side. They lowered the ladder into the hole and the paramedics quickly descended.
Karen was laying on her left side. Her helmet and mask had been knocked off when she'd hit. She had a deep cut over her left eye and a large contusion near her right temple. John checked her pulse and respiration, and Cassie grabbed the backboard and stokes as they were lowered. Her pulse was weak and thready, and her respiration was rapid and shallow. They couldn't do anything for her where she was. Quickly, but gently they cut away her air tank, strapped her onto the backboard and secured her in the stokes. Then Chet and Marco hoisted her out of the basement, with John and Cassie right behind.
Roy got on the horn to Rampart as soon as he saw them clear the building, advising them that they had another victim. He then started her on oxygen as Cassie and John cut away her turnout gear and uniform so they could access her injuries. Besides her head injuries and severe smoke inhalation, she had a broke left tibia, possible broken ribs and a bruise that went from her hip to her shoulder on her left side. Roy passed her vitals to the hospital. Because her BP was low, Dr. Brackett had ordered two large bore IV's. The paramedics started the IV's and splinted her leg. They were getting ready to transport when Captain Tacy ran up.
"How's is she?" she asked worriedly.
"It's bad, Cap," John said. "Real bad."
Just before they put her into the ambulance, Tacy leaned down and whispered. "You fight him, Jacobs. Don't you dare let that bastard win!"
* * * * * * * * * *
The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. Both John and Cassie were in the ambulance. If anything happened they wanted to be sure there would be plenty of help. They were about 5 minutes out from Rampart when KJ stirred.
"Take it easy, KJ," John said quietly. "You're going to be okay. You just stay still."
Karen gave an almost imperceptable nod, but didn't open her eyes. John reached out and squeezed her hand, he felt her squeeze back, then her hand went limp and she was unconscious again. John saw Cassie blinking back tears, he wasn't far behind her.
Dixie and Brackett met the ambulance and were surprised to see who the patient was. The rushed her into the treatment room. As soon as KJ had been transferred to the exam table, Dixie escorted the paramedics out of the room and into the doctors' lounge. All they could do now.....was wait.
* * * * * * * * * *
Johnny wasn't very good at waiting, but Cassie was worse. She paced back and forth, sat down for a few minutes, then paced some more. Johnny was about to nail her into her chair when Dr. Brackett and Dixie came in. Cassie and John both turned to face them.
"Doc?" John said.
"She's in ICU," Brackett said. "She's not completely out of the woods yet, but barring any complications, she should pull through." The two paramedics gave sighs of relief. "We had to operate to stop the internal bleeding,." he continued. "She also has a severe concussion, broken ribs, broken leg and a bruised lung. She's one very lucky lady."
"Can we see her?" Cassie asked.
"Sure," he said. "but only for a few minutes."
"Thanks, Doc," Cassie said. She reached over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Dixie and John both smiled. Brackett just blushed.
The next day John was back at the hospital. He sat holding Karen's hand and talking to her hoping she could hear him. Suzy and Cassie were on duty and stopped by after every call to check on her. It was difficult to see their friend like that, but they were glad that she wasn't alone.
* * * * * * * * * *
The suspected arsonist had been arrested the night before. It was an arrest that had shaken the Fire Department to it's very core. Dave Brown had been charged with multiple counts of arson, assault, and attempted murder.
He had looked upon the women as a major threat to the department. He believed that women would undermine the department's strength. That they would destroy everything that he and all the men had worked to build. He figured that if he threatened the women, they would buckle under and leave. That's why the threats and the fires kept getting worse. Brown had also figured that since he was an arson investigator, he could cover his tracks. He couldn't believe his luck when he had been assigned to investigate the fires.
Apparently he had singled out Karen because her tour at Station 51 had been responsible for the department's decision to fully integrate women. That made her the main target of his anger. And that anger had grown when he realized that some of the men were supporting the women. That deep anger had also caused him to start making mistakes. The phone call to Karen's apartment was his first major one.
Detective Thompson had started to suspect something when his interviews with firefighters weren't matching up with the arson reports he was getting. It also bothered him that the arsonist seemed to know every move Jacobs made. To test this theory, he had convinced Captain Tacy to give Jacobs the shift off and not tell anyone. They were all concerned about her being alone, that's why Stanley had decided to give Gage the same day off.
The letter and fire that next shift had helped to confirm Detective Thompson's suspicions. He took his evidence to a judge and got a warrant to search Brown's office and home. They found the orange envelopes and a copy of Jacobs schedule, complete with shift changes. He also found a list of addresses of buildings in Station 18's area, included were the buildings the Lady Phoenix Arsonist had torched. Based on that an arrest warrant had been issued. Unfortunately they weren't able to immediately find Brown. They finally located him that night at the fire, he was in the crowd watching. Thompson had stood and watched him for several minutes. He couldn't believe the look of anticipation on his face when the Code I had been called. Then the expression of pure joy when he realized it was Jacobs that was injured. At that point, Thompson had placed him under arrest.
* * * * * * * * * *
Johnny had just finished telling KJ about the events of the night before. He hoped she might hear him and know that she was safe.
"Come on, girl. Wake up," he begged.
He felt her hand tighten on his. "KJ?" he asked quietly. She squeezed his hand again. "Thank God. -- You're going to be alright," he said.
He felt her squeeze his hand again. "Cassie?" she whispered without opening her eyes.
"She's fine," he said. "She's not hurt."
A tear slide down the side of her face. "Hey. Hey. None of that," he said. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. "You rest now. I'll go tell Brackett and the others that you're awake."
As he reached the door he stopped and turned to look at her. He smiled and sent up a silent thank you. It would take some time but, he knew she would be alright.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Note: I want to apoligize to any Arson Investigators I may have offended with this story. Please understand that I have the greatest respect for Arson Investigators. They have an extremely important and sometimes, impossible job, but I needed an unlikely heavy for this story.
