Off Chance (Off 5)

Reaching out, she locks her fingers around my wrist. "Thank you," she whispers, and then she loses consciousness again.

I throw the last of my dirty clothes into my duffel bag and zip it up. This last call officially threw me into overtime, having received it just as the end of my three-day shift had expired. Now it's time to go home and relax for the next four days.

Best of all, if I skirt out of here quickly, I can avoid the Chief's wrath altogether. He's been holed up in his office since we pulled back in and has apparently forgotten that he was going to chew me out just a few hours ago.

"You headed out?"

Swinging around, I see Tim standing in the doorway to our sleeping quarters. He's leaning against the doorframe, his beefy arms folded across his chest.

"Yup. How about you?"

"Yeah. Headed over to Sam's school to pick him up. You know... surprise him."

I smile. Tim takes every opportunity he can to spend time with Sam. It's hard being a fireman because you work such odd hours. Ever since Tim got divorced, he takes every available opportunity to spend it with his son. Luckily, Tim's ex is pretty cool and works with him outside of their normal custody arrangement.

"That sounds great. Give the little monster a hug from me."

Tim gives me a grin that flashes sparkly white against his dark skin. "Sure will."

Turning my back, I lift up my duffel and sling it over my shoulder. When I turn around, Tim is still standing there, staring at me.

"Listen," he says, glancing briefly at the ground and then back up at me again, "I'm sorry I said that shit to you earlier. I just don't want you to do something stupid that gets you suspended or fired."

Walking up to Tim, I punch him lightly in the shoulder. It's like hitting concrete. "No worries, man. I get it."

"We're cool, then?"

"We're cool. Are you up for watching the game tomorrow at my place?" Tim and I are die-hard Jets fans.

"Yup. I'll bring the beer."

"And you're bringing Sam, right? I got this killer new Xbox game to show him."

Rolling his eyes at me, Tim just turns around and walks out. "He's coming, too. We'll see you around game time."

Peeking my head around the door and looking down the hall, I see the Chief's office door is still closed so I make a break for it. Just as I'm stepping out onto the sidewalk, I hear, "Caldwell... wait up."

Turning around, I see my teammate, Jim Skellig, trotting toward me. I hope he makes this quick because every second delayed is one that the Chief could be calling for me.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Pete told me you were looking for a roommate."

"Yeah... I'm considering it."

Fact is, I've always had a roommate while living in the city. It was nice to share expenses and it kept the loneliness down to a minimum. My last roommate had been with me for the past three years while he attended NYU-Poly, but graduated this past spring and moved on.

"Cool. I have a friend who has a friend that's going to be moving to the area next month and is looking to share some space. Want me to have him contact you?"

"Sure. Just give him my email if you don't mind."

"Got it."

"All right, man... I'm out of here. Catch you in a few days."

Jim gives me a casual wave and walks back into the station. I turn down Sheffield Avenue and head south. It's the beginning of September and it's finally starting to cool off. I swear I smelled a hint of fall in the air when I woke up this morning.

Luckily, I live close to the firehouse and it's only about a twenty-minute walk for me. I only drive if the weather is really crappy and today I'm enjoying the crisp weather.

As I walk toward my apartment building, my mind drifts back to the woman I pulled out of the house. I can't stop thinking about the fact she was chained to a bed. I mean... what kind of monster does that to someone? And I can't stop thinking that what if she was chained to the bed and the fire was started to kill her? Could she have been a target for murder? It seems unlikely since most of the fire was in the other unit, but that could have been done intentionally to cover motive.

Thank God that dog was barking. He deserves a good chunk of the credit for getting her out safely.

Shit... I really hope the pup is okay.

Now that is weighing heavily on my mind.

Stopping abruptly on the sidewalk, I get a curse from someone behind me that about plows into my backside. I ignore the person and glance at my watch.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I cross the street and head toward the parking deck that has my car.

Yes, I know... I like to save things. I can't stomach the thought of that poor dog out on the streets by himself. He could get hit by a car, starve to death, or hell, someone could shoot the damn beast. My mind runs rampant with all the terrible things that could happen to the dog and my step quickens to reach my car.

Saving the dog, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that I'm curious about his owner. The dog clearly belonged to the woman I pulled from the house, because he was protecting her and barking for help.

Running off to rescue some stranger's dog certainly has nothing to do

with the fact that I can't seem to get the image of those gray eyes out of my mind. Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that, based on the hideous circumstances I found her in, some part of my hero-alarm bell is starting to ring.

If my parents, my sister, my cousins, or even Tim, knew I was off to go hunt for this dog and possibly learn more about this woman, they would all be shaking their head with pity in their eyes.

They would all be thinking, There goes Flynn... off to save another soul.

Just as I pull out of the parking deck, my phone rings. I don't bother to look at the caller ID, just answer, "Caldwell."

"Hey man... it's Buzz."

"What's up, Copper? Shoot your dick off yet?"

Buzz Matheson is a good friend of mine. He was in my cousin, Nix's class in high school and we've all remained in touch throughout the years. He's currently working in the Narcotics division for the NYPD.

"Luckily, it's still attached. Burn yours off in a fire yet?"

Chuckling, I tell him, "Nah... all my parts are in working order."

"Listen... I just pulled a case that you're involved in and we need to talk."

"The fire this afternoon?"

"Yeah. I understand you pulled a woman out that was chained to a bed."

Visions of her lying there unconscious swim through my head, causing my stomach to turn. It appears that maybe she was into some deep trouble, just as I'd suspected.

"Yeah. I found her there with a metal cuff around her ankle. She was naked and my best guess is she was drugged."

Buzz curses into the phone. "I'm going to need a formal interview from you. I'm on my way to the hospital now to talk to Miss Page. I've been told she's trying to check herself out against doctor's advice and I need to catch her before she disappears. Think you can meet me over there and I can get your statement after?"

Miss Page? So that's one more part of the mystery unveiled.

"Sure. I'll head that way now. But why do you have this case? Shouldn't it be with someone that investigates kidnapping or arson or something?"