*Back in the Storage Unit: A Few Hours Later*
Kelly and Ana were standing side by side, silently staring down at the newspaper clipping with Leslie on it. They turned to their right at the sounds of footsteps approaching to see Gabby ducking through the makeshift entrance Kelly had to make while putting out the fire. She walked further into the room to reveal Kevin right behind her.
"Hey, guys." The Captain smiled.
"Atwater." The Lieutenant acknowledged.
"What's up? What we got?" The Officer inquired.
"Got chlorine powder, bags of cat litter,
Brake fluid, vegetable oil." Kelly listed, gesturing around the room at each group of items as he named them.
"All in bulk." Gabby finished for him.
"Yeah, well, he definitely had peculiar taste when he hit the Sam's Club." Kevin muttered, scribbling away in his notepad
"These are accelerants every arsonist knows about." Ana explained, turning back to the table before her.
"At least the slick ones." The Lieutenant added, mimicking his wife's actions.
"Then there's these." Gabby mumbled, gesturing to all the newspapers.
"All about Shay's death." The Captain murmured, softly.
Kevin turned to another man who had walked into the room, presumably the owner of all the storage units as a whole.
"What can you tell us about the person who leased this unit?" He wondered.
"Paid cash. Two years in advance, I'd pulled the paperwork." He shrugged.
"Yeah, man or woman?"
"Man."
"You remember what he looked like?"
"I don't weigh 'em and measure, I just take the money." The owner quipped with a shake of his head.
"We'll check that paperwork in your office
when we get time." Kevin assured. "Well, just, give us a minute?" The other man hummed and swiftly left the room. "Thanks, sir." He nodded after his retreating figure before taking a deep breath and turning back to the firefighters. "The thing is, it's not exactly a crime scene. It's gonna be real hard to pull forensics in on this."
"We know it's a long shot, and arson is almost impossible to prove, but even if it just rules it out, we'd sleep better." Gabby reasoned.
"Can't make any promises but I'll see what I can do." Kevin sighed. "I know it means a lot to y'all."
"Yeah. Thank you. Thank you." Kelly nodded.
"Appreciate it, Kevin." Ana shot him one last smile as he left the room.
*At Firehouse 51: In the Briefing Room*
"The items discovered at that storage unit
are unsettling to us all here at 51. As of now, there was no indication of foul play. But rest assured, no matter what we looked into." Chief promised as he gazed around at each one of the familiar faces before him. "In the meanwhile, our job remains the same, and that is to safeguard the people of Chicago. So you keep your heads down, and you handle your business." The older man glanced down at the table in front of him and picked up his radio before speaking once more. "Brett and mills, my office."
Ana watched them leave the room before looking up and finding Kelly staring off into space. The brunette gently squeezed his hand, bringing him back from wherever his mind had gone to. She smiled, softly, and he returned it a moment later.
*On Scene Under a Bypass*
The members of Squad 3 and Truck 81 hopped out of their respective vehicles to see a navy blue SUV smashed into the passengers side of an older looking tan car.
"A stalled train has Boden trapped in. I'll run point until he gets here." Ana declared with one hand on her radio.
"Copy that." Matt nodded, peering inside the SUV to see a woman of African American descent in the driver's seat.
"Help me! Please." She cried out.
"I'm Lieutenant Casey with the fire department. We're gonna get you out, okay?" The blond assured.
"I can't feel my legs." She sobbed. "Oh, god. Help me, please."
Matt looked down to see both of her legs being crushed by the steering column.
"Hey, just give us a minute, okay, ma'am?" Kelly requested, taking the other Lieutenant's place as moved to check the other car.
"Sev, Ana." The blond called, turning to the couple with wide eyes.
"Yeah?"
"What is it, Matty?"
"It's Chaplain Orlovsky. He's bleeding out." The Truck Lieutenant explained, urgently.
The two Squad Leaders took a look for themselves and immediately snapped into action upon seeing the familiar face inside.
"You guys, separate the two vehicles
And we'll pull them both out at the same time, all right?" Kelly ordered. "Tony, stay ready on that winch."
"Got it." He nodded.
"Wait, wait! Hold." Matt held a hand up, stopping them from progressing any further. "If we move this car first, she could be paralyzed or worse."
"The longer he's pinned in, the more blood he-" The Squad Lieutenant argued.
"I know." The blond just nodded, grimly, and turned to the Captain, prompting the other man to do the same.
"Your call." Kelly reminded her, gently.
Ana took all of one second to contemplate her choices before nodding at her best friend. The brunette knew he was right but that didn't mean she had to like it.
"Hermann, dawson, get the jaws." Matt commanded.
"Lieutenant, with all due respect, it's the Chaplain." Gabby protested.
"Benson made her call. We're getting her out first." The blond insisted, firmly, leaving no room for discussion.
"You heard him, candidate, move it!" Herrmann yelled as he raced by with the tools.
"Capp, Tony, we're gonna cut the roof posts off so we can get the Chap out as soon as this car is out of the way." Kelly decided after quickly weighing his options.
"Yeah." They nodded and rushed off to get the necessary equipment.
Ana just watched as Peter slid into the back of the Chaplain's car.
"How is he, Mills?" She called after a few moments.
"Yeah, I've got a pulse but it's weak. He's lost a lot of blood from his head wound." The former candidate turned paramedic yelled back a few seconds later.
The Captain let out a small breath at that. A weak pulse was better than none at all. She watched as Truck 81 worked to save the woman. Tony reversed the second she was out, allowing the rest of Squad 3 to get to the Chaplain. Both victims were brought over to stretchers, loaded into the back of two separate ambulances, and driven off to the hospital.
*In the Bunk Room: A Little While Later*
Kelly and Ana walked out of the former's Office and made their way over to Matt's, finding both him and the candidate they were looking for inside.
"Hey, can we borrow Dawson?" The Squad Lieutenant inquired. "We'll keep our radios on."
"Yeah." The blond nodded.
As Gabby left the room, the Captain eyed her best friend with a knowing gaze.
"Don't do that, Matty." She pleaded, softly.
"Do what?" He played dumb causing her to let out a small sigh.
"Torture yourself thinking about what could happen to the Chaplain. He'll be fine and even if something does happen it'll be on my head. No one else's." The brunette reasoned, gently.
"I know." Matt admitted, quietly. "I just can't help but think of what would've happened if I had just kept my mouth shut and you-"
"Would have made the same exact call anyway." Ana finished with a smile, causing the blond to look up at her with furrowed brows. "I had already made my decision way before you even started talking. You just happened to stop everyone else before I could."
And, with that, the Captain left her best friend alone and moved to catch up with her husband.
"It cost me a bottle of 12-year-old scotch, the good stuff, but I talked the landlady into letting us into the building at west walnut." Kelly explained as his wife came up beside him.
"Where Shay died?" Gabby frowned, tensing up a little.
"Yeah. I mean, given what we found at the storage unit, I just- I figured-"
"It wasn't arson, Kelly." The Candidate snapped, quietly, moving to face the couple completely once they were out of the Bunk Room. "It was squatters cooking over an open flame. You saw the fire with your own eyes, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I-"
"So why go back?" She argued.
"Gabby, we get it." Ana smiled, sadly. "If you're not ready for that yet, just say it."
The other woman stared at the couple for a moment before her gaze hardened into a determined expression.
"Okay. I'm coming."
*At That Building: A Few Minutes Later*
Kelly used his halligan to pry the door open and he held it open for the women before heading inside himself. The trio of firefighters began looking over the interior of the building for any clues and they eventually ended up right back where it all began.
"This is where we were." Gabby sniffled, tearing up a little as they all kneeled down to the place where Leslie Elizabeth Shay took her last breath. Kelly even pulled his gloves off and laid a hand flat on the floor, wanting to feel just that little bit closer to his best friend. "I just wanted her to know that she could do it without me. That's why we changed places." She sobbed.
"It's okay, Dawson." Kelly assured, blinking back tears of her own.
"I never wanted to come back here." The Candidate sniffed, slapping her leg in anger.
"Look at it this way, Gabby. If we don't turn over every stone, then who will?" Ana reasoned, softly.
"She's right." The Squad Lieutenant agreed, gathering his composure and his things before standing back up. "Come on, let's go upstairs."
The couple moved to head to the second floor but paused upon realizing the Candidate had yet to move. They shared one look before stepping back and placing a hand on each of her shoulders, letting her have her moment. Gabby eventually stood up as well and the trio continued their investigation of the building's remains.
*A Couple Minutes Later*
"See the burn pattern?" Kelly wondered, shining his flashlight on some scorch marks. "The 'v'shape?"
"Yeah." Gabby nodded. "That's where the fire ignited the blast, right?"
"Mhm." Ana hummed in affirmation. "Except that they didn't find any signs of arson. No accelerants. No nothing."
"Right." The Lieutenant murmured, seemingly distracted by something as he moved over to the left.
"What is it, love?" The brunette prodded, gently, pulling the Candidate's attention over to him as well.
"This is where I saw the. . ." He paused in confusion. ". . .squatters' fire."
The Captain paled rapidly at what her husband was implying. Gabby, on the other hand, took a little bit longer to catch up.
"What are you saying?" She frowned.
"If that's where the fire started, the burn pattern should over there. Not here." Ana explained, quietly, and the other woman could practically see the gears turning in the couples' heads.
"Are you sure that's where it was?" The Candidate pressed, walking over to take a look for herself.
"Yeah, 100%. This is my landmark. This pole." Kelly nodded, shining his flashlight on it.
"Well, it's worth running by arson." Gabby pointed out. "You know anybody?"
"Yeah, I do." The Lieutenant muttered, locking eyes with the Captain who was now wearing a dark expression that matched his entirely.
There was no doubt in their minds now that this was arson, which could only mean one thing. And they did not like it at all.
*At the Office of Fire Investigation: Sometime After Shift*
Kelly, Ana, and Gabby were all seated at a desk across from OFI Captain Lynette Cunningham.
"I'm not saying there's not something there. But arson reached the same conclusion you did the day of the accident." The blonde explained, flipping open her file and continuing to read aloud without missing a beat. "'Squatters cooking on an open flame caused a 100 gallon propane tank to explode.'"
"Neither arson, nor anyone else, knew the burn patterns were in a different place from where I saw the fire. I didn't even know it myself until we went back." The Squad Lieutenant argued.
His wife just bit her lip and stayed silent despite how angry she suddenly felt.
"I hear you, Kelly. And it's interesting but inconclusive." Lynette shook her head.
"Look, Leslie Shay wasn't just some victim in this fire. She wasn't just a paramedic on 61. She was my partner. . . for five and a half years, and his best friend. So if there's even the slightest bit of 'maybe,' we will walk through hell to find out for sure." Gabby promised, darkly, while the couple nodded in agreement.
The blonde glanced between the three of them before speaking again and Ana couldn't help but notice the sudden burst of emotion in her gaze.
"The investigator in charge of the case is by the book. To be frank, he's a bit of a dick." She admitted. "All he shared with me was the summary. No guarantees, all right? But let me see if i can pull the file so you can take a look."
"Thank you." Gabby sighed in relief.
Kelly just looked down at his and his wife's intertwined hands and let out a small breath.
*Right Outside of Chief's Office: Sometime During Next Shift*
Matt knocked on the door before walking inside with Ana right behind him and Kelly taking up the rear to close it afterwards.
"What's up?" The blond inquired as the older man stood up from his chair.
"Uh, just got off the phone with Chief Hatcher. Apparently, CFD approved the alderman's request for a dedication ceremony in Shay's honor." Chief revealed.
"That's great, right?" The Truck Lieutenant turned to his Squad Counterpart.
"Yeah." He agreed.
"Of course it is." Ana smiled.
"It's gonna be next Thursday here at 51. Kelly, I was hoping that either you or Dawson would say a few words." The older man explained.
"Yeah, of course." The Squad Lieutenant nodded, instantly.
"In light of the storage unit fire, I understand if it's not a good time." Chief reasoned, gently.
"It's never not a good time." Kelly shook his head.
"Then, uh, then that's all." The older man dismissed them and the two Lieutenants swiftly left the room.
The Captain was about to do the same when she doubled back at the last second, sensing something off about her Battalion Chief.
"Hey, is everything okay?" She wondered, watching as his face fell almost immediately.
"It's my father." He whispered, glancing at the floor. "He's not doing well."
The brunette closed the door and stepped forwards.
"Sounds serious." She observed.
"It is." Chief nodded.
"If there's anything that I or any of the guys can do. . ." Ana trailed off.
"Just need two minutes to myself right now." The older man admitted, quietly.
"Tough." She murmured, softly, before closing the distance and pulling him into a hug as best she could with their height difference.
He made it easy on her, though, and leaned down to return it instantly. The Captain could see how badly he needed this, but she also knew that she wasn't the only person he should be hugging right now.
*On the Apparatus Floor At the Squad Table: A Little While Later*
"Atwater, what's up?" Kelly greeted, standing up upon seeing the Officer walking in.
"Hey, Kevin." Ana smiled, mimicking her husband's actions.
"What's up, guys. I was in the area. Figured I'd tell you what I got in person." He explained while shaking their hands.
"All right." The Lieutenant nodded for him to continue.
"So, uh, the storage unit is leased out to this guy named John Johnson. Previous address he listed was 1956 Elvis Lane. Graceland, Tennessee. I found no car registered under his name, the date of birth he listed on the credit check was bogus." Kevin revealed with a small shrug and shook his head. "The guy's a ghost, man."
"Damn." The Captain swore, looking off to the side in thought.
"We appreciate you looking into it." Kelly murmured.
"I'm sorry, guys. I mean, if it was classified as a crime scene, there would be more i could do, but. . ." The Officer trailed off.
"No, we get it." The Lieutenant assured. "Thanks for coming by."
"Yeah, take it easy." Kevin nodded before heading back the way he came.
The couple just locked eyes with one another, already knowing exactly what the other was thinking.
*In the Briefing Room: A Little While Later*
Kelly was now seated at one of the tables with Ana and Gabby on either side of him. In front of the trio, was a laptop containing photos of the files Lynette managed to snap for them.
"There it is again." The Lieutenant pointed at the screen. "Second mention."
"Mm. Shredded news paper, so what?" The Candidate wondered.
"They call it a trailer." The Captain explained, gently.
"Wait, yeah, I think I learned about this at the academy. It's a way to spread fire from wherever it starts to other flammable materials already there, right? Like plastic, or trash, or whatever." Gabby recalled.
"Yeah, that way it doesn't look like arson." Kelly nodded.
"Well, this would explain why the burn patterns are in a different spot from where you had seen the squatters' fire." Ana murmured, thoughtfully.
"Possibly." He muttered.
"I guess we're going back." The Candidate sighed.
The couple just stared at her in response.
*Back at the Building on West Walnut: Later That Night*
"The trailer would have carried the flames from over there. . . to the propane tanks right here." Kelly explained from where he was crouched on the floor next to Gabby and Ana.
"It's just hard to tell what's what." The Candidate muttered. "Everything's so badly burned."
"Well, we can forget about looking for shredded newspaper." The Captain sighed.
"Okay. So what are we looking for?" The other woman inquired.
"I don't know. " The Lieutenant shook his head ahead. "Something else."
The trio began searching around and it only took a couple minutes at best before Ana's gaze was pulled towards something near the center of the room.
"Kelly." She swallowed, crouching back down towards some debris.
He was at her side in less than a second and his eyes widened.
"Dawson!" The Lieutenant called. "Come here."
"What is it?" Gabby wondered, appearing just in time to see him stick the blade of his pocket knife into a ring like object.
"You see this? See that staple?" Kelly held it up for her to see.
"Matchbook?" She frowned after a few seconds.
"Yeah." He nodded. "Baling wire would have been used to hold a cigarette in place which would then burn down slowly until it lit all the matches."
"Like a slow-burning fuse." The Candidate realized.
"Mhm." Ana hummed in affirmation.
"Oh, my god, you guys were right. This was arson." Gabby breathed in horror.
"Which would mean that Shay was murdered." The Captain added, darkly.
"And whoever did it is still out there." Kelly finished, matching his wife's tone and expression completely.
A/N Not me thinking I could get a chapter out with finals week right around the corner. 💀
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed regardless. Till next time!
~Princess <3