Mike McGarry put his government issue vehicle in park then followed his new partner, Jeremy Kerr, into the gathering crowd highlighted by the flashing red of fire engine and patrol car lights. He had recently been promoted to detective and been assigned to the hate crimes unit. His first few weeks he'd been assigned the scut work none of the other detectives wanted so this would be his first real case.
"What have we got?" Kerr asked the nearest uniformed officer.
"Church fire," the beat cop replied.
"And we're here why?" Kerr asked pointing to the still burning building. "They haven't even finished putting out the fire yet. Every church fire isn't a hate crime, officer. It might not even be arson!" The beat cop didn't say a thing as he pointed his flashlight towards the cordoned off sidewalk in front of them. "I stand corrected," Kerr admitted as he looked down at the spray painted words and symbols on the ground. He pulled out his handheld and began making notes.
Without needing to be told, Mike waded into the crowd watching the church burn. He grabbed another uniformed patrol officer and murmured quietly in her ear, "Get someone out here to tape the crowd." She nodded, and he left her calling in his order to the precinct. Mike knew that many arsonists like to mingle with the crowd to watch their handiwork. Out of the corner of his eye he finally spotted the group he had known would be here somewhere. "Excuse me, Reverend," he said to the man dressed in black who was obviously comforting members of his church. "I'm Detective Mike McGarry," he told the group displaying his badge for them to inspect. "I'm with the hate crimes unit. I'd like to ask you some questions if I may?" he asked calmly letting the distrust he saw on their faces wash over him like water off a duck's back.
His gaze swept over the crowd then he turned to look at the firefighters battling the flames. He was looking for one firefighter in particular having noted the engine numbers on the big yellow trucks as he'd driven up. He saw the name he was looking for on the back of a turnout coat worn by one of the firefighters heading into the building with a hose spraying water at the flames. He forced himself to turn his attention back to his work and the crowd gathered around him as the church's pastor spoke.
"Anything we can do to help," the older black man told Mike. "What is it you need to know?"
"Have you had any unusually threatening communications recently?" he asked. "Letters, e-mails, phone calls?"
"The Genaro's were members of our church," the reverend answered expecting Mike to understand the implications without further explanation.
Mike nodded absently as he pulled out his own handheld. "Any that stood out more than the others? Did you keep copies somewhere other than the church?" he asked.
"Since the Genaro murder I've been sending copies to the police and the SPLC," Reverend Abe Richardson answered. "There were a couple that stood out," he admitted.
"I'll get copies then and bring them by for you to look at?" Mike asked the clergyman. After Richardson nodded agreement, Mike turned to the crowd and asked, "Anyone hanging around lately that caught your attention?"
There were murmurs to the negative as many also shook their heads.
"What about tonight?" Mike asked. "Was the church empty when the fire started?"
"The choir was rehearsing," the reverend said gesturing to the people surrounding him.
"Did you get a warning telling you to clear the building?" Mike asked.
"No," one of the younger men in the crowd answered. "We smelled the smoke. Started in the basement it looked like. It was burning fast by the time we found the fire. The only thing we could do was call 911 and get everyone out."
Mike nodded as he added this information to his notes. "We're going to need a list of the members of your church, sir" Mike said.
"You think one of us burned down our own church?" An angry voice in the crowd asked.
"No," Mike vehemently denied. He pointed to the spray painted words as he explained, "that's a pretty big clue to who did this especially given the Genaro's were members here. However, someone from the church may have seen something or someone suspicious. They may be getting threats that they haven't spoken about. The more information we have the easier it will be to build a case"
He continued to conduct interviews until he hear the fire chief yell, "Get out!" His voice was raised to be heard above the noise of the crowd and the blazing fire. "Everyone out of the building! It's going to come down!"
Mike heard gasps and sobs from the members of the church around him as they watched their church burn, but he paid no attention as he once again surveyed the firefighters. "Wait here," he ordered them as he left the reverend and his people in search of someone he recognized. A few seconds later he spotted a familiar name written on the back of a heavy turnout coat. He turned the firefighter to him as he demanded, "Where is she?"
"Mike? What are you doing here?" Firefighter Eric Kearney asked grabbing Mike's arm.
"Where is she?" he demanded again ignoring Kearney's question as the sound of creaking timbers overshadowed that of the water being pumped onto the fire.
"She's inside," the firefighter told him just before the creaking timbers finally gave way and part of the church came crashing down no longer able to bear the weight of the water being thrown at it. Mike attempted to bolt towards the raging fire, but Kearney had expected Mike's reaction and pulled him back. Mike broke free of Kearney's hold only to be stopped by a second firefighter from the same company who had noted the exchange and been ready for Mike's rush toward the fire.
"Let me the fuck go!" Mike ordered as he struggled against the hold they had on him. They redoubled their efforts to hold him back as the horns on the big fire trucks sounded and the firefighters began shouting to their comrades still inside attempting to lead their comrades from the inferno.
"McGarry!" Kerr screamed rushing over as he saw his new partner apparently going berserk. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?"
Mike didn't answer as he continued to struggle against the two firefighters. "Help us with him," Eric ordered.
"Christ!" the senior detective swore as he added his own weight to the other two men in keeping Mike from going into the fire. "Calm down, McGarry, or I'm going to lay you flat!" Jeremy warned.
"Go ahead and try," Mike growled shaking off Eric's grip on his arm and lunging forward dragging the other two men with him. A third firefighter tackled him like a linebacker throwing him off-balance long enough for the other men to bring him to the ground and pin him there. "Let me go!" Mike demanded as he tried to throw them off him. "I've got to..."
"You're not going in there, Mike" Eric said. "The chief's pulled everyone out. There's nothing we can do."
Rage gave him extra strength as Mike managed to throw a punch at Kearney who had been expecting another attempt to break away from their hold not an attack. Mike used their surprise to slip from the other three men. He dodged other firefighters who tried to stop him as he ran towards the burning church. He almost made it before he felt a large weight slam into his lower back bringing him to the ground once again. When he made it to his knees he looked up at the church in time to see a firefighter emerging from the flames supporting another. A hose was turned on the fire around the figures as other firefighters surged forward to take their injured from his or her rescuer who was staggering under the weight. Mike was right behind them. He pulled the mask from the firefighter's face. "Hey," Madison Davis greeted him. "What are you doing here?"
Mike didn't reply just grabbed her in a tight embrace. He didn't even notice the filthy wet turnout coat she wore. All he knew was that she was safe in his arms. As he held her at arms length when he finally let go Mike ordered in a voice gruff with emotion, "I want you to quit this damned job!"
"Mike," she admonished in a loud angry voice.
"Let him be, Maddie" Eric told his fellow firefighter. "The first time's always the worst. Ashley didn't speak to me for a month after my first close call when we were dating, and she didn't even see it happen."
Mike took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Growing up with a mother who was a founding member of 'the Sisterhood,' he could recognize exactly how deep the hole he'd just fallen into was. "Can we back up?" he asked shamelessly using every manipulative trick of body language he'd ever learned. Considering who the members of his family were it was quite a repertoire.
Maddie nodded grudgingly.
Instead of groveling as she'd expected, he simply kissed her once again. "Hi, honey," he whispered as he finally lifted his face from hers. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she assured him. Anything could be forgiven when he kissed her like that. "How 'bout you?" she asked with an understanding smile.
"I'll live," Mike said tongue in cheek.
"Davis!" the chief roared from where he stood next to the large ladder truck. "Back to work!"
"Sure, chief!" she called back. Maddie pressed a quick kiss to Mike's lips before jogging back towards her company. "I'm off at six!" she shouted back to him.
"Mom's having a family dinner tomorrow night!" he reminded her. She waved an acknowledgement over her shoulder as she went back to work.
"Pretty girl," Kerr commented from Mike's right. "Bit of a spitfire isn't she."
Mike could only laugh at his partner's understatement. "You have no idea," he told the older man.
"My wife, Susan, is with the Service," Kerr commiserated with him. "On the Vice President's detail."
As they got back to work, Mike and his partner traded stories of life with a spitfire. Their jovial mood was shattered a few hours later as a firefighter searching the still smoldering church called out, "We've got a body here!"
