Fireproof

Criminals

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

Baekhyun sighed miserably. "Not really."

"Well - ugh, never mind, you need to get dressed and come with me, now."

"Why? What happened?"

"There's been another murder." Kris's eyes were shadowed with anxiety, and as Baekhyun looked a bit closer he could see the dark circles the chief had desperately hidden under layers of concealer. "And there's no doubt; it's the Phoenix."

Baekhyun got ready quicker than he ever had before, following Kris out to his car just moments later. He'd been hoping to take a shower, but he'd only had time to brush his teeth, change his clothes, and quickly wash his hair in the sink. It was still wet, but it was better than it being dirty.

"Who was it this time?" Baekhyun asked.

Kris shook his head. "Forensics is ID-ing the body as we speak."

Baekhyun glanced down at the hands he clenched in his lap, realizing suddenly how afraid he was of this case, and of the Phoenix, and of the fact that even Park Jungsu had told him to be careful, and especially of the rumors that told the Phoenix possessed some sort of supernatural ability to manipulate fire to his will. It was all just so much to take in. How on earth had he been hired for this case?

"Did you make any progress?" Kris asked, breaking the silence.

"A little," Baekhyun admitted. "I found a connection between all of his victims."

Kris's eyes grew wide. "Already?"

Baekhyun nodded, "O-oh, yeah. It's not really anything big. But all of the Phoenix's victims so far have been criminals. I looked them up. Some of them weren't in our databases, but only because they'd never been caught or reported. But they were all criminals." He frowned, "So I guess that means that official who died the other day, Choi Siwon, was involved in something too."

A tick appeared in Kris's jaw. "I'll make sure to look in on that. You just focus on what Jungsu told you to do; finding out his identity." He smiled, "But you're doing a good job already, Baekhyun. We'd been wondering at the connection between the victims for months, and now - in just under a day - you've given us the answer."

"Really?" Baekhyun bit his lip, embarrassed. I thought it was kind of obvious, actually.

"We're here." Kris said then, pulling up into the driveway of a large, expensive-looking house, and Baekhyun's heart sank. The victim was obviously someone important. But who?

He was just about to ask again, hoping to at least know what to expect , but as he and Kris stepped out of the car they were instantly bombarded by flashing red-and-blue lights, a whole shitload of police and forensics vehicles, various different reporters, and a large crowd of curious citizens that was steadily growing. Altogether, the mix created a cacophonous symphony of noise that left Baekhyun with a pounding headache and the urge to run away.

"Come on," Kris said, grabbing his arm and quickly leading him inside the house. "Let's get inside."

Inside the house it was a lot quieter, as if the stillness of death had blanketed it, giving all those inside the feeling that they shouldn't utter a single word lest they break the silence.

The body was in the living room, and Baekhyun felt the color drain from his face as he saw that it was a young man - one who could not have been much older than him - with dark brown hair and a handsome face. He was lying on his side, curled up into a fetal position as if he'd tried to protect himself, and stab wounds littered his body. That was the first thing Baekhyun thought was odd, because didn't the Phoenix usually kill his victims with fire? Then he noticed that the ground all around the body had been scorched to a crisp; the hardwood floor cracking and peeling in most places from the heat. And yet, the floor closest to the body was completely untouched by the fire.