He inhaled a deep breath, clicking his pencil top, and regarded her with an unreadable expression. “Excitement. A pyromaniac might burn down a building simply to watch it burn. These are the most difficult to apprehend unless they are caught in the act. For this perpetrator, you will find no connections, no logic, no agenda, or vendetta, only the obsession of a damaged psyche.”
“What was that you said about the overlap of pyromaniacs and arsonists?” asked Hernandez.
“Pyromania is a psychiatric diagnosis, you see, not a legal term.” McFadden resumed his professor-like demeanor as he expounded. “Individuals who suffer from this psychological condition might engage in pathological firesetting for a period of time or their whole lives without ever committing the crime of arson. In milder cases, they are merely fascinated with fire, content to make do with candles or firepits in their backyards. With counseling and treatment, a patient can even be cured of pyromania or simply outgrow their urges. These tendencies primarily occur in adolescence or early adulthood.”
“I don’t understand,” Ice declared, shaking his head. “Why? What makes them so drawn to fires and setting fires in the first place?”
Athena continued to listen, her mind ticking and calculating as information was presented. Much of it she already knew, but she paid rapt attention to each word to glean a broader understanding of the subject and the criminal they were after.
“Many factors contribute to creating the mind of a pyromaniac, yet several seem to be consistent across various studies,” the profiler replied. “Genetic abnormalities, emotional problems, and harmful environmental influences occurring from infancy through adolescence contribute to the formation of the juvenile arsonist. We’ve found that most affected individuals suffered abuse or trauma in their childhoods, and/or possess low intelligence and a lack of achievement. They might set fires to seek attention, to come to the rescue, to pursue revenge, or even purely for the enjoyment of watching a building burn. But, as I said earlier, not all arsonists are pyromaniacs, and vice versa.”
Taking a moment to summarize, Athena recapped, “So we’re looking at three primary possibilities: an arson for hire, and the employer is the one with the motive, an unsub on the rampage, targeting establishments he thinks wronged him, or a pyromaniac who lights up random structures because it excites him.”
“That’s an accurate summation.” McFadden twirled the pencil through his fingers before setting it down and opening his briefcase. “Therefore, I have two profiles to present.”
He withdrew a folder of papers and passed them around the table.
“First scenario—a paid arsonist. This unsub is most likely to be a male, thirty to fifty years old, who might have once been a firefighter or is familiar with how to set fires. He probably has criminal connections and might have been doing this job without notice for years. He could have a family, friends, a normal job, and behave like a regular person because that’s exactly what he is, even if his shady sense of morality allows him to engage in criminal activity on the side.”
As Athena studied the profile, the corners of her mouth drew in and down. A professional like this would be extremely hard to catch. They’d do better to continue tofocus on finding his employer, the person with the motive—whatever it was.
“Profile number two describes a younger man or woman, aged eighteen to twenty-nine, who comes from a broken home or experienced childhood abuse. They probably have never seen a counselor or visited a mental health professional. While a quarter of pyromaniacs report never having a trigger to spark a burning episode, most do. Therefore, look for someone who has undergone severe emotional stress, such as a divorce, a death in the family, or losing their job—something that could trigger feelings of failure or inadequacy. Your perpetrator is most likely single, with poor social skills, working in a blue-collar job or the service industry, such as a waitress, custodian, or busboy. This person likely lives at or below the poverty level. Although pyromania isn’t linked to any particular social or economic class, families with money are more likely to have sought help for their child rather than risk unleashing them on the world, out of fear of the consequences of the firestarter getting caught, if nothing else. Potentially, he or she also exhibits an addictive personality, with a dependence on nicotine, alcohol, or drugs.”
Paulson rubbed his chin, appearing deep in thought. Shoops took dictation, rapidly scrawling in her notebook as McFadden spoke. Howard stared ahead with a hopeless, lost expression while Ice’s fair face hardened into full-on cop mode. Hernandez and Campbell shrugged at each other. Athena calmly sipped her water.
“This is helpful,” she responded in a businesslike manner. “Will you be staying to assist—”
“I’m afraid not,” McFadden answered before she had even finished her question. “I’m on my way to San Francisco to assist in a serial killer case. I understand one victim died as a result of your arsonist’s activities, but the bureau says the other case takes priority. Do you have questions for me?”
Athena and her agents followed up with a few more questions, clarifying minor details, and trying to build more rounded pictures of the two possible unsubs.
Theremust be something or someone that links the four arson cases, she pondered.Whether the match guy was hired or working on his own, he traveled to Arkansas and Louisiana to start fires.
“But what about the sparkler?”
The curiosity in Karen’s voice drew Athena’s attention back to the discussion.
“If this guy was just hired to burn down a building,” reasoned the junior agent, “why the theatrics? It seems to me like that piece of the signature is purposeful, meaningful somehow, like it made him or her happy, like celebrating something. I mean, who burns down a building with a sparkler?”
Athena had wondered the same thing, but her thoughts turned in a different direction, and she’d forgotten to bring it up.
“See where your investigation leads,” McFadden said. “It could indeed point to a thrill-seeking firestarter yet could just as well be a red herring thrown in by a professional arsonist for kicks.”
Either way, Athena was anxious to bring these profiles to her joint task force. She was interested in discovering what Fire Investigator Ballard, Fire Marshal Zapata, and Captain O’Riley had to contribute.
Chapter 16
Flash lounged in a comfy chair in the break room, stroking Snuffles, curled in a ball on her lap, while the guys whooped and hollered over a play in the ballgame on TV. She had been uncharacteristically contemplative since she’d lost her temper with Athena. Of course, she didn’t want to break up. Athena was amazing, like a fine vintage wine grown more valuable with age. She was certainlynottoo old. Could Flash be too young?
Putting everything into perspective, she realized Athena meant pushing a promotion as a compliment, not a dig, and she felt bad for going off over it.Self-sabotage?Maybe. Flash needed to take a long, hard look in the mirror, to assess her strengths and weaknesses, and take action to improve herself. Experiencing that daily hero-high wasn’t the same as true courage. Maybe she had no fear when it came to rushing into a burning building, but it didn’t mean she was brave in every aspect of her life.
“You won’t believe the call we just had,” declared Nita as she strode into the room.
Al Luis trailed in behind her, an embarrassed blush reddening his cheeks. “I’ll just be somewhere else.”
As he rushed out the other end of the room, Nita marched up to Flash and stared at her in disbelief. Someone muted the ball game, and the four guys turned their attention to the paramedic.
“What?” Flash asked, her curiosity piqued. She’d had her fair share of crazy calls—pigs in the road, a corpulent man trapped in a married lover’s window, and a hornet’s nest inside a house.
