hell… a nest. He’s leaving a fucking nest at each site! The Phoenix’ nest is his calling card!”
“I’m still confused,” Terrence said, a furrow creasing his brow. “Is our arsonist trying to emulate a constellation or myth?”
Dropping his gaze, he continued reading aloud. “As far as the constellation goes, it’s usually visible in the southern hemisphere, but not really around here. It has four main stars, the brightest one is the Arabic word for the Phoenix. It contains fifteen stars in all, eight of them already on our board.”
“Shit,” Jonas said. “Do you think that means he’s got seven more hits already planned out?”
Trying to filter through the information, Sean shook his head slowly, dragging his gaze from his computer screen up to his coworkers. “I don’t know. I have no idea.”
“Call in Agent Gladden. See if she can come by, and with this new information, make any sense from it.”
Sean agreed, and just as he picked up the phone, Jonas looked up from his computer and said, “Medical examiner has got a report for us from the deceased man in the last fire.”
“Looks like a busy day.” Sean gained an eye roll and nod from his partner.
Two hours later, Sean escorted Valerie past security and up to their offices. “I’m really glad you were able to come today.”
Smiling, she replied, “I am too. It’s not often that I can accommodate an impromptu request, but today allowed it, and I have to confess I’m completely intrigued.”
“It may be nothing, but we’ve got to look at everything.”
They walked into their workroom, and he quickly made the introductions. He explained how he stumbled upon the similarity between the arson sites and the constellation Phoenix. She listened carefully, occasionally asking questions for clarification and nodding her understanding. Continuing his explanation, he opened up his laptop and began divulging more about the Phoenix.
“The Phoenix symbolizes renewal and resurrection in ancient mythology. When death was approaching, it was said to build a nest, set it on fire, and be consumed by the flames. Then from the ashes, a new Phoenix bird would arise. I read where some themes include the sun, time, an empire, resurrection, Christ, virginity… almost every theme of renewal. It seems as though the legends began in ancient Egyptian times, and the Greeks described the bird, and then the mythology moved throughout Asia. Because of the themes of death and resurrection, it was even a symbol in early Christianity.” He held her gaze when he added, “It’s also an alchemical symbol. Representing changes during chemical reactions.”
The room was as quiet as a tomb as Valerie took in the information, her gaze shifting from Sean to the board where the star pushpins were clearly displayed.
Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly before turning back to her audience. “You have to understand that I’m making a subjective analysis based on very broad, basic information.”
Nodding, he said, “We understand. We’re not looking for you to give us an exact profile based on this information, but any ideas you might have would be taken into consideration.”
He held a chair for her, and she settled, waiting until the others sat as well. “We know that the prevalence of suicide is significantly higher with serial arsonists. Why? That, we’re not sure of. In fact, views toward arsonists have changed. Sometimes they are seen more like criminals and other times as suffering from mental illness. Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which the person cannot stop the impulse to set a fire, usually to relieve tension or for instant gratification. That, of course, falls into the category of mental illness. For your arsonist to be acting so deliberately, I would not say that he was mentally ill, although that might be a possibility.”
Shaking her head slowly back and forth again, she said, “It’s as though he’s trying to give a deliberate message. He’s in control. He’s setting the fires in a particular pattern, assuming that no one will figure it out. He’s leaving a trail, but almost one that can’t be followed. He sees himself as intelligent, smarter than you. This could fall under the category of a firefighter arsonist… but they are usually younger, with a hero complex. The Phoenix makes me think as though they may be older.”
She looked up and lifted her hands to the side. “I find this completely fascinating, but I have to admit there’s nothing definitive that I feel I can give you.”