Arson & Ache (Surrender to Them 8)

I’ll just have to find the right balance…

The next day

“Why is everyone whispering so much?” I walked up to my desk and looked over at Hannah.

“You haven’t heard?” Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “That serial arsonist guy—Fireball? He set Mr. Livingston’s house on fire last night!”

“What!?” My eyes bulged more than Hannah’s and I almost dropped Ms. Stone’s coffee. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, but one of his maids didn’t make it.” Hannah’s face twisted into a pained grimace. “She’s Fireball’s first actual victim.”

“Damn.” I put down Ms. Stone’s coffee and sat down behind my desk.

That was where Kincaid and Donovan were headed last night. I should text them to see if they’re okay.

“There was another fire in his neighborhood too. People are saying there was some sort of loud boom, like a bomb almost.” Hannah sighed and looked down at her desk.

“That’s crazy…” I shook my head back and forth.

Ms. Stone was in an unusually somber mood when she arrived, and I understood why. She took her coffee and immediately went to her office. I loaded up the reports that I needed to work on during the day and noticed that some of the funds we invested in had dropped when Wall Street opened. An article on the front page of the website that I frequented for news mentioned that there was concern—and rightfully so it seemed. The other house that was set on fire in Mr. Livingston’s neighborhood belonged to a hedge fund manager—one that had previously worked for Livingston Capital before he ventured out on his own. I didn’t recognize the name, but I had to assume some of the people at the office knew him. Thankfully, he wasn’t home when the fire started, and there were no additional casualties.

“Uh oh.” Hannah looked up and I noticed that her face was pale.

“What?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively.

“Fireball sent out another letter.” She turned back to her computer screen.

Dear New York,

Are your eyes open? Do you relish in your sins? The time of repentance has begun. A martyr has given their life for the Cleansing. Those who associate with the greedy are just as guilty as the ones who crush society for their own gain. Destruction for profit is unacceptable. The world cries for your loss, and I laugh at your misery. Monuments of greed are trophies for the weak. My strength is in the flames that consume them. Did you see my message? Do you hear it now? I’ll keep spelling it out for you until I’ve taken the last bloodstained penny from the grasp of those that make children cry. Separate yourself your idols unless you want to burn alongside them.

-Fireball

“This guy is freaking crazy!” I shook my head in disbelief as I read the letter that had been published. “I don’t understand what he’s trying to do.”

“Yeah.” Hannah nodded quickly. “It can’t be a coincidence that he burned down Mr. Livingston’s house and someone that used to work here. I’m honestly quite terrified.”

“I need to take an early lunch. Please cover for me.” I grabbed my purse and started to stand.

“Where are you going?” Hannah blinked in surprise. “We haven’t even done the morning reports!”

“I need to talk to someone.” I rushed towards the elevators as fast I could go on heels without falling on my face.

I decided to just go see Kincaid and Donovan at the fire department instead of texting them. I was concerned that Fireball was hitting people that worked in the same industry I did. He was just a public nuisance to me when I heard people around the office talking about his letters, but Mr. Livingston owned the company I worked at. I didn’t know if Fireball had targeted the hedge fund manager who lived in Mr. Livingston’s neighborhood because he used to work at Livingston Capital or not, but it seemed to be more than a coincidence. I assumed Kincaid and Donovan already had that information, but I was curious to know if they had anything they could share with me. If nothing else, I wanted to at least see that they were safe. Even if they weren’t running into the buildings, there was still danger. The fire department was a bit of a madhouse when I arrived, but I quickly spotted Kincaid and Donovan at the back of the station in the area set aside for the investigators.

“Marissa!” Donovan looked up at me as I approached and immediately smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“I bet I can guess.” Kincaid walked over and gave me a hug. “We were going to call, but things got busy.”

“Yeah.” I leaned back from his embrace and then hugged Donovan. “Fireball set Mr. Livingston’s house on fire!”

“And another guy that used to work for your company.” Donovan nodded and sighed. “We’re still digging through stuff, but I’m not sure we’re going to find any clues.”

“Do you guys think other people at Livingston Capital should be worried?” I looked back and forth between them. “The letter he wrote was pretty ominous.”

“The police are finally invested in the case, and they’re going to be meeting with Veronica Stone later today.” Donovan nodded. “I wish I could tell you that there’s nothing to worry about, but we really don’t know what Fireball will do next.”

“At least you’re not a billionaire yet.” Kincaid’s lips form a slight smile. “That should keep you off his radar for a few years.”