“Thanks,” they all said together, before Calder launched into a speech. “Remember, we have to be professional, and we have to represent the station properly. No PDA, no scandalous sneaking off, no hints that something is going on here. We’re all friends attending an event together.”
I had the feeling that the neighborhood was already abuzz with gossip about us, but I nodded anyway. It was better not to add more rumors to the mill. Still, it was going to be hard not to give them sidelong glances and smiles and blushes.
“Understood, Lieutenant,” Beck joked from the back. “Any other commands you’d like us to follow?”
Calder raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Just behave yourself, alright? That’s all I’m asking.”
“No promises,” Ash grinned, but I knew he was just pulling Calder’s leg. All of us wanted this to go well, especially since Calder was up for that promotion soon. How he dealt with something this big would be a defining moment for his whole career.
When we reached city hall, there were already a whole bunch of people present. Community members, journalists, and officials dotted the front stairs and parking lot, chatting about the meeting ahead. Nobody paid much attention to us as we arrived, and we all followed Calder up the stairs and inside.
We were ushered into the hall and to the front seats by a set of assistants, and once there, we were met by the firechief, who got to his feet as we arrived.
“You’ll be leading the speech,” he said to Calder as they shook hands. “Are you ready for this?”
Calder took a deep breath. “Of course, Sir.”
“Good,” the chief nodded. “Then take your seats. The meeting will begin shortly.”
I sat down between Ash and Calder, with Beck on the other side of Ash. The chief took the seat to Calder’s right-hand side, closest to the aisle. On the stage in front of us were several podiums set up for the town council, and two for the chief and Calder. To me, it was a bit intimidating, imagining that so many people would be looking to them for answers.
But Calder sat quietly and confidently next to me, clearly knowing exactly what was expected of him. It was immediately obvious, at least to me, why he had been chosen to move up to the rank of lieutenant.
His posture was perfectly straight, his hands in his lap. I didn’t see a single hint of nervousness in his body language, just sheer focus in his eyes. I wondered if his speech was prepared, or if he’d just memorized the facts and was going to speak from the heart.
I almost laughed at that thought. It was Calder. Of course he’d prepared himself right down to the last word. He wasn’t likeBeck or even Ash; there was no way he’d simply wing something as important as this.
When the meeting started, the council spoke for a few minutes about other things. Basic new policy ideas, zoning issues, stuff that nobody was paying real attention to. Then, they mentioned the fires, and Calder and the chief approached the podiums. I noticed the sheriff ascending the stage along with them, standing just behind the chief.
The chief introduced Calder, before completely turning the floor over to him. Calder cleared his throat and looked out confidently at the crowd.
“Good morning,” he said with a nod. “I realize that there are many concerns about the recent string of fires in the local community. I would like to assure you that we are prepared to deal with any eventuality, and have protocols in place to keep the situation under control while the police continue their investigation. However, we are at this meeting to answer any questions you may have as citizens.”
As soon as he finished speaking, several hands shot up. Now, people were paying attention, and it was clear that most of those attending were here for this specific topic.
Calder pointed toward someone a few rows behind us, and someone offered her a microphone. “So, all of them are arson, then? It’s not some kind of weather or electric phenomenon?”
“We do believe the fires have occurred due to an arsonist, yes,” Calder answered, before taking the next question. He was unshaken by the amount of people peppering him; I could hear people yelling questions over one another, but Calder focused only on whoever had the microphone.
“How safe are we, really?” Came the next one. “They burned down someone’shouse,and people got hurt! Even one of you, right? What if someone dies?”
That was a difficult question to answer. I knew that Calder couldn’t completely allay those fears, especially after that last call. The family had been lucky that they’d gotten there in time, that everyone got out with mostly minor injuries. Ash had been lucky that Calder went in after him. But next time, they might not be that lucky. It could be a bigger building and a bigger fire, it could take longer for the engine to get there. Someone could really die if this wasn’t stopped in time.
But what could the fire station do outside of reacting when fires were set? They weren’t the police. They couldn’t chase leads or solve the puzzle of who was doing this. They had to rely on the sheriff to find the culprit. So, how could Calder even realistically answer a question like that?
“We’ve put protocols in place to increase the speed of our reactions to calls,” Calder said evenly, but I could see that this particular set of questions were getting to him. “We have also increased the amount of staff present per shift. We ask the public to be vigilant and to call quickly if you notice any fires, even small ones, as this might help the police investigation. If you see anything out of the ordinary or suspicious, or if you know anything that could assist, we urge you to call the sheriff’s office and report it.”
“Things will be out of the ordinary because of the festival!” Someone yelled from behind me.
“Yeah, what about that? There are going to be so many people!”
“How can you guarantee that it will be safe?”
“Will it be cancelled?”
Calder held a hand up to call for silence, but the reaction was mixed. Some people did settle down, but others doubled down. I felt stressed myself, and I wasn’t even the one dealing with all of this pressure. People were clearly getting heated, and they wanted answers. Answers that I didn’t think Calder necessarily had for them.
“The festival is going forward as planned,” Calder said loudly, his voice edging into a shout over the microphone to be heard over all of the shouting. “We have protocols in place to ensure its safety. Both the fire station and the police station will be sending additional staff to high-traffic zones to ensure everyone’s safety.”
