Playing With Fire by Gail Anderson-Dargatz

him. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I never would have believed he started those fires.”
    “Don’t beat yourself up,” said Jim. “Trevor had us all fooled.”
    “Did Trevor have a history of setting fires?” I asked the chief. “Did he burn things as a kid?”
    Jim shook his head. “Not as far as we can tell. He told the cops he started setting the fires only after he became a firefighter. His brother said the same thing.”
    “He said at first he set those fires because he wanted to train himself,” I told Jim. “He wanted to be a better firefighter.”
    “The funny thing is, I believe him,” said Jim. “I never saw a more dedicated firefighter. He loved his job. He wanted to be the best.” He paused. “He was the best. He could have gone pro, got a job as a professional firefighter in the city.”
    “So why did he do it?” I asked. “Why did he set those fires? Even after he tried to explain it to me, I still can’t make sense of it.”
    “I can tell you why,” said Matt.
    The chief and I both turned to look at him.
    “When I get a call that someone is missing, I feel a thrill,” Matt told us. “I’m worried, of course. I hate to see anyone lost, but I still feel that rush of excitement. Very often the missing person is found right away, and there is no search. I actually feel disappointment then. I go home and don’t know what to do with myself.”
    The chief nodded in agreement. “As firefighters, we spend most of our volunteer time fixing equipment or washing the truck,” he said. “The men are wishing for a fire so they can do something.”
    “So Trevor set the fires to release that tension,” I said.
    The chief sighed. “I’m going to sit down with my fire crew and have a long talk. We’ll have to come up with ways for them to deal with those feelings. I won’t let this happen again.”
    “Trevor also liked being the hero,” I said.
    “We all do,” said Matt.
    I tucked my arm through his. “Listen, Matt, I’m really sorry about the way I acted this past week. I guess I got a kick out of you and Trevor fighting over me. I liked the attention.”
    “I understand.”
    “The thing is, I never really liked Trevor,” I said. “I just liked the idea of Trevor, that a firefighter wanted me.” I paused. “I’ve always been interested in you.”
    “I know,” he said.
    “You knew?”
    “I could tell from that smoldering look you give me.”
    I snuggled closer to him and gave him another one of those smoldering looks. “Are you saying I was on fire for you?”
    Matt grinned back at me. “Hey, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”