Original subtitles

It's all about fire.

In my eleven years as an arson investigator...

I've come to understand this.

The young and old, we all love to watch things burn.

It's mesmerizing. It's hypnotic. It's even magical.

But, for the arsonist, the magic becomes an obsession.

Grandma?

Grandma?

Grandma? Where are you?

Kenny, where are you? Kenny, don't move.

- Grandma? - Kenny, stay where you are.

I'll find you.

- Grandma? - Kenny?

- Kenny? - Grandma?

Grandma?

Grandma?

Going to be here awhile, Junior.

Who was the first company here?

Truck fifty-two made entry.

They did the search and rescue?

Yeah, their inside man was the first one in.

Alright, let me think this through.

How many rescues were there affected?

Over twenty people. All out of the west side.

East entry would have been pointless.

Yeah, but I don't get it. The fire exit is on that side.

Why didn't they make it?

Inhaling the smoke short-circuits the brain.

Made them go around in circles.

Just a couple more feet, they would've been right out the door.

- How many fatalities? - We got four confirmed dead.

The incident commander said an employee, a shopper...

an older woman, and...

- A child. - Yeah, we got a little kid.

Professor?

Professor? Let me ask you something.

Turn on your video camera, Junior.

I want a record of this guy's work.

Yeah, but you know, the chief thinks it started in the electrical system.

- It was arson. - What? You think the chief's wrong?

- Absolutely. - Okay, if you say so.

No, not me. Just the bodies. Come here.

You see, it was so hot he couldn't open his eyes.

- My God. - Pry the mouth open.

- What? - Open his mouth.

- Pull the tongue forward, come on. - No, man. Are you serious?

You want to learn this? Come on, it's okay.

There's always a first time. Come on.

Going to be okay.

Open his mouth.

- Pull the tongue out. - Jesus.

Note the erythema at the back of the throat.

The throat is swollen shut by the heat.

They suffocated as they were burning.

- God, man. - You all right? You okay?

Yeah.

- Do you ever get used to this? - No.

Not when it's a kid.

- It's horrible. - Hey, Lieutenant Hines.

Geez, here we go.

Okay, gentlemen, we'll take it from here.

We're not done yet.

There are dead bodies, which means now this is our circumstance.

- John, please, don't argue with me. - I'm not arguing with you.

But you can't destroy the crime scene.

Crime scene? What crime scene?

My investigators told me this was an electrical fire.

Your investigators are wrong.

This is arson, and I have to establish the point of origin.

I don't care what you have, or haven't established.

I have to recover bodies.

I would listen to the man, if I were you, Lieutenant.

I wasn't talking to you, Kid. And turn that damn camera off.

Knock it off, Tom.

What the hell are you doing here, anyway?

This fire isn't even in your jurisdiction.

- Now get out of my way. - Hey...

Stop, now let's all calm down. John is right.

Now, if you guys come romping through here...

how's he going to gather any evidence?

What evidence? This was an electrical fire.

- You said so yourself. - This was arson.

I'm not the expert. John is.

And if he says it's arson, then it's arson.

Some wildfires still are burning in Southern California tonight...

after destroying more than five hundred homes.

Three fires spread today through Carbon Canyon...

Glendale and Santa Barbara.

They were probably set by arson.

All together, thirty-five hundred acres.

Nearly four hundred houses and businesses were incinerated.

After touring the site, the governor declared...

a state of emergency.

And a 250.000 dollar reward for information...

leading to the arrest of the alleged arsonist.

The fire quickly spread through the brush...

as helicopters dropped flame-retardant chemicals.

This is the third devastating fire in this area in the past two years.

Arson is suspected in two more fires in California.

One in Orange County, and this one in Glendale...

that destroyed over forty homes.

Canvas the ridge. Over there.

- Hey, Professor, I got it. - Witnesses up here.

I'll set up the perimeter.

I'm sorry. Now look, this is a total disaster.

Everything about the location. It's just one big mess.

- It's a goddamned nightmare. - I'd walk away from it right now.

- What? - Think about it.

Malibu mansion. Sounds good, right?

- What the hell you talking about? - Fires.

Your wife is going love you for a very long time.

- Think, ocean view... - Jesus, man.

Sell real estate on your own time, Hollywood Mike.

Darcy? I can't, you're breaking up.

God damned cell phones.

Yeah, well, divorce ain't cheap. You don't need a place, do you?

No, I need a woman.

- So what's going on? - We've established...

the point of origin. Professor found a device.

Already? You're shitting me.

Hey, big John. What did you find?

Look at this.

It's been rigged to keep the flame burning.

Plungers jammed down here with wire.

Yep, found one exactly like that a month ago.

Brush fire Griffith Park.

Yeah, well, he's graduated to torching neighborhoods now.

- Good work, John. - Got it, Chief.

Hey, John, I found a witness.

Come on, Junior!

Yeah, something like that.

In fact, it's really very good. You're quite the artist.

And you say you never saw him before in the neighborhood?

No and I know everybody on the block.

Right.

I saw him sniffing around the Pierson's place.

Gave these big parties, it was just...

Excuse me, Mrs. Fin. Let's get back to when you first saw him.

- Okay? - Okay...

I had just made myself a lemonade.

Let me think...

That's it. Just picture it in your mind.

Yeah, it was a nice day, and I saw this strange car...

out in front of the Pierson's.

It was an old, beat-up station wagon.

And I watched it for a minute, and then this guy got out.

Now tell me again. What did he look like?

He was tall. Had floppy red hair.

Good-looking kind of guy, you know.

Now think real hard for a minute here, okay?

Maybe his hair could've been reddish brown?

- Does that make sense? - Yeah, maybe.

It wasn't that long either.

Mrs. Fin, the guy that we're looking for...

From what we've gathered from other witnesses...

his hair was darker. Almost black.

Darker? Yeah...

- Yeah. - It could have been darker.

Do you remember what he was wearing?

Did he have a chain around his wrist?

Maybe a blazer? A tie? Blue tie maybe?

Yeah, you know now that I think about it, you're absolutely right.

You are absolutely right.

He did have darker hair, and he was wearing a suit.

A jacket. And a tie too.

And I remember a gold bracelet around his wrist.

- You sure he was tall? - No.

No, he was a thin, little, wiry kind of a guy with curly, dark hair.

And he had dark, little, beady eyes.

Mrs. Fin?

You're an asset to your community.

- That was very interesting. - Yeah, I'll say.

You want me to carry that, Lynette?

I can't believe you were describing me.

Actually, I was describing someone far better looking.

Yeah, well, I'm sitting right in front of her, you know.

She was telling us what we wanted to hear.

- Remember what I taught you. - Always test the witness.

- I got it. - Here. Come on.

Let me get the door for you. Here you go.

Professor, what are you going to give the press, huh?

I'll give them what they want. The truth.

At a press conference in Glendale, Captain John Orr announced...

he will lead an investigation into the College Hills fire.

Forty-six homes have been lost.

Another twenty are severely damaged.

The scale of this destruction is truly massive.

Are you thinking arson, Captain?

Yes, that's definitely something that we have to consider.

That's my John. Always the star.

Daddy, you're on the news!

- Sorry, I'm late. - Hey, Hon.

- Look at that. - Look at you.

- So, movie star, are you hungry? - Yeah. I'm starving.

Hi, Carrie.

Carrie's not talking to me, huh?

You won't let her go to the movies with Marty on Friday night.

All my other friends can date when they're fifteen.

Why do I have to wait until I'm sixteen?

- My mom said it was okay. - I don't care what your mother says.

Okay, we've been through this how many times?

The rules are the rules. All right, you got two months to go.

I think you can wait two months, can't you?

Come on, please. Be nice to me. I had a tough day.

Tell Marty you're going to call him back.

How do you know it's Marty?

Because he always calls at this time.

Please, just tell him, you're going to call him back, and sit down.

I want to have some family time. Please.

Hello! Hey, Marty.

Come here, you. How are you?

- Okay. - So what did you think?

- Did I make sense? - Yeah. You sounded really cool.

I did? Thanks.

What's a serial arsonist?

Someone who likes their cereal very hot.

But you know what? It's time for bed.

Come here. I love you.

Did you do your homework?

- Yes, Daddy. - You did? All right.

I'll be in to tuck you in, okay?

- Okay. - I'll be up.

Good night.

You know, these fires feel like they're getting closer.

College Hills is right around the corner.

Two families from the girl's school are actually moving out.

Really?

The DA started a task force. He's even bringing in a Fed.

- That's good. - No, it's not.

I don't need any help from the ATF.

So you're not going to be on the task force?

No. The ATF is a bunch of bureaucrats disguised as bomb experts.

- I'm better alone. - Okay.

And besides, I'll be swamped with College Hills.

Marty said he saw you on the news.

He called to make sure we were watching it.

Really?

- Aren't you glad you took the call? - Yeah.

He said you should get a make-up artist.

What?

Who will make you look like less of a creep.

Very nice.

Like mother, like daughter.

Hey, you.

- Thanks. Thank you. - You're welcome.

Wait. Just wait. One, two.

What's up?

You know, sooner or later, Carrie will go out with boys.

- You'll have to get used to it. - I know...

I would just rather it be later than sooner, that's all.

Don't stay up too late, okay?

Yeah, I just have to finish up these reports.

- You promise? - Yeah.

You could have that instead of doing paperwork.

I know.

Hey, how's it going?

- Hey, Keith. - Yeah?

Whatever happened to, what's her name?

What's her name?

- Who you talking about? - Abbey...

- You're talking about Ambria. - Ambria, yeah.

Ambria, yeah, nothing. Forget it. It went bad.

Why? What happened? She was so nice.

Yeah, she was real nice. Real nice until she blew me off.

- She blew you off? - Hell, yeah.

- What happened? What did you do? - I don't know.

She says to me that things got weird...

because we saw each other at work everyday.

And then they put her on the task force, and forget it...

then it was that was over. That killed it.

Why? I mean, so what? What's the big deal?

What's the big deal? What? You don't know?

Know what?

- Wait. - Watch it...

- So, you really don't really know? - Know what?

All right, well, you're not going to believe this, but...

Mike Matassa, ATF, asked me to be on the task force...

and Chief Gray just approved it.

- You're kidding me? - Believe me, I thought he was too.

But he said I was highly recommended.

Look at you, moving up. Congratulations, that's great.

I'm moving up. Why am I moving up? That's what I want to know.

- Why pick me? Why? - Why? Because you're good.

- Plus, you had a good teacher. - No, I had a great teacher.

That's true, but Camello's already on the task force, right?

So, I know he's not going to put me up for it.

Because Mike only thinks of Mike.

So it's got to be somebody else in my department...

who's been putting...

Congratulations.

See, I knew it was you, man. I knew it. Thanks a lot.

- I got you, didn't I? - No, you didn't, but thanks a lot.

- This is an incredible opportunity. - You make the most of it.

Believe me, I'm going to make you proud.

- Don't worry about that. - All right. I know you will.

Hell, yeah. Hey, I know you're up to your ass in work around here...

but I would still love to bounce ideas off you.

All right.

You know what fire they're starting me on?

What?

They're starting me out on the McWallis fire.

- Really? - Yeah. So any pointers...

you can give me. Any tips, man.

- Anything you can do. - Don't worry about it.

- You're going to do just fine. - Yeah.

But I'd still like to get some pointers.

Because you're the guy.

The arson epidemic sweeping the Los Angeles area rages on unchecked.

As the interagency task force sifts through the evidence...

firefighters have been overwhelmed by a series of retail fires.

The latest to fall victim was Glendale's McWallis gift shop.

I did what you asked and called McWallis...

for over an hour this morning.

You were right on the money about the stuffed animals.

But the place was really soaked, Junior.

So that's why it wasn't anywhere near the point of origin.

The freaking thing got washed away.

Once you're settled in at the task force...

you should see if anybody found anymore of these.

- Go through all your old cases. - Yeah, well, I already did.

I went through everything. I couldn't find any devices.

You know what, it turns out...

that there was an eyewitness at the McWallis fire.

- You're kidding? - He didn't see much.

But we got a police sketch out of him, anyway.

- And? - Look at this.

This is old lady Fin's first sketch, right?

And that's the McWallis guys.

Let's see.

Stick a goatee on Mrs. Fin's sketch, and look.

It might as well be the same guy.

- The old lady wasn't so nuts, huh? - No. I stand corrected.

Good job.

Excuse me. No smoking in the store.

Concentrate on the wife. She's going to close the deal.

And don't show him anything unfurnished.

- He's got no imagination. - Hey, Hollywood Mike.

You going to be up for an Academy Award?

Mike was a tech advisor on a TV movie.

The director threw him a line.

Actually, he just recognized my natural talent.

- Yeah, right. - Thank you.

- I got to go. - My name is Mike Matassa.

I'm going to be leading this task force for the ATF.

With me from the Los Angeles fire department...

are Glen Lucero and Mike Camello. Both of whom I believe you know.

Ambria, will you pass out those sketches, please?

- Here you go. - Also...

I've asked your premiere arson instructor...

John Orr, to drop down and give us a profile.

But, seeing as it's ten after. Let's just begin.

- Big John. - Hey, how you doing?

John, how you doing?

Hey, guys. Hey, how are you? Haven't seen you in a while.

- All right, let's get started. - We already have, John.

Well, great, thanks, Mike.

So I can see that the sketches that you have in front of you are from...

two eyewitnesses who ID'd the torch as a white male in his mid-thirties.

Now, typically, these guys are loners.

They have trouble with relationships, they have trouble with their jobs.

Generally, they've been setting fires their whole lives.

Usually because of childhood trauma.

Now, this is not your typical case.

What makes this case special is that he's setting these fires...

in residential neighborhoods, crowded retail stores.

He's setting them in broad daylight.

And he's setting them in stores that are mostly patronized by women.

- Why women? - Well...

He likes to see them panic. He likes to see them run.

He gets off on it. And what we're dealing with here is...

a very high level of self-confidence.

Now, he's using a time-delay device.

So, he's gone by the time the fire is started.

Now it's my guess that he's returning to the scene of the crime...

to watch the fire.

He's volunteering information.

So it's crucial when you arrive on the scene...

you check out the crowd. See if anybody looks out of place.

I also believe he loves the thrill of the chase.

That's a motivating factor.

Thanks, John. Appreciate the profile.

- I'm not done, Mike. - Yeah...

What I'd like to do now is move on to...

Unless you're in some kind of hurry. I mean, you asked me...

to come down here and I'm just giving your profile.

- No hurry. Carry on. - You sure?

Okay.

Where was I?

You were talking about check the surroundings.

- And check everyone at the sight. - Right.

If you want to catch this guy...

you must recognize that this is about ego, okay, not fire.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

I mean, it's interesting what you're saying...

the whole childhood trauma thing and getting off on the panic.

But then, how does ego work into this...

Think about it, Junior, I mean, he feels superior to us.

He's setting these fires in broad daylight.

He's setting these fires in the same area.

- I mean, he thinks we're fools. - Well, we're not.

And we're going to catch him. That I promise you.

Okay, well, start looking for some more of these.

That place is so cluttered. It's always been a firetrap.

No. This is no accident.

- I bet this was another arson. - Arson?

Everyday there seems to be another fire around here.

Luckily there's a fire station right around the corner.

Here comes the ladder truck. The whole engine company's here.

Those people inside are search and rescue.

They're supposed to be the first ones, look, there they are.

See the guys in the orange hats?

Okay, watch, they're going to vent the roof.

Going to what?

They're going to cut a hole in it, so the fire has a place to go.

Let's all the smoke out.

How come you know so much about fire?

I'm a fireman.

Look...

The fire's hungry for air now.

See, it needs air to breathe. To live, just like us.

The fire's gasping for breathe.

Here she comes. Come on.

Come on.

Yesterday, a lead arson investigator up in Kern County, Clarence Hyde...

saw our bulletin and contacted me...

with some very interesting information.

Why don't you walk us through it, Clarence?

We had a series of retail fires a few years back.

At one of them, a Craft Mart, we found an incendiary device...

similar to that which was described in your memo.

It was stuffed inside a foam-rubber display.

The device failed and didn't cause much damage.

But it gave us a fingerprint.

That's great. I mean, tell us you got a match, right?

No. I ran it through the system.

I even checked with Cal ID in Sacramento, but we came up empty.

But if Cal ID can't trace it, I mean, it's no good to us, it's a dead end.

No, it's not necessarily a dead end.

When we put the fires on a map...

They made a nice little line right down Highway 99.

Pointing right down here to LA.

Now that's a busy road, and you got to understand...

that these fires all happened over one weekend. Which is unusual.

Scary part was, that I knew a lot of the men...

that we're traveling between Fresno and LA that weekend.

Because they were firemen.

LA firemen heading up to Fresno for the arson conference.

Hey, hang on there, Buddy. You got to be careful what you're saying here.

Why? You mean, there are bad cops, but not bad firemen?

No, it just seems really unlikely to me, all right?

Anyway, I put together a list from the conference.

But, that's where it ended.

I couldn't zero in on one suspect because I had two hundred names.

Look, guys, I'm sorry, but if you sat me down...

and started making accusations, that would really piss me off.

You worried, Mike?

- What? - Are you worried?

Yeah, right, cuff me now because I'm your guy.

It could be. Everyone in this room knows...

how to make a time-delay device.

If you don't, I got a class starting in twenty minutes.

It's an ugly thought, Mike, but it's possible.

He's right.

Okay. So, what do we have?

Seven fires the weekend of an arson conference.

Clarence, you'll get us that list of names as soon as possible.

All who attended are suspects.

Every investigator. Every fireman. Everyone.

John?

Hey.

Yeah.

You told Lori you were going to come upstairs...

and read her a bedtime story.

She won't go to sleep.

Well, I'm coming, I just need to finish this report.

Are you going to stay up all night again?

Maybe. We're narrowing down a list of suspects.

I got a lot of work to do, Honey.

- John. - What?

John.

All right. Okay.

- What's wrong? - Nothing.

But you've got to spend some time with your girls.

I'm not even their real mother.

But I'm closer to the kids than you are.

Every night you come down here...

and we don't see you until the morning.

As soon as this case is done, I'm all yours, I promise.

Are you getting obsessed with this guy? Are you?

No. Come here.

Come here.

God, you're beautiful.

You're changing the subject.

Do you know how much I love you?

Well, maybe you need to remind me every now and then.

I love you.

Come on.

Laura, if you want two six-packs, I need five more dollars.

Hey, Beautiful.

You need somebody to buy you a beer?

- No, thanks, Officer. - Officer?

- I look like a cop? - Yeah.

Well, I'm not a cop. I'm Aaron.

Stop the press.

What about you?

- What about me? - That's a really nice shirt.

Fuck off!

- Let me shoot this thing. - Here, guys.

- Thanks. - Thanks, Ambria.

- Hey, Fellas, you got a minute? - Yeah, what's up?

Hey, Ambria, can you give me a cup too?

- Kind of busy right now, Keith. - That's all right.

I'm just trying to cut back anyway.

So, you remember the fabric store fire we had a week ago?

- Yeah. - A couple years back...

there was another fabric store fire, up in Atascadero.

- Sure, so? - So I looked in the file.

It turns out that there was a whole rash of arsons the same weekend.

Just like Hyde had in Kern County. Identical MO.

- And guess what? - Fires all took place...

the weekend of Symposium Four?

Right. How the hell did you know that?

It was an arson conference. I was there.

Right.

Okay, I want everybody at that symposium cross-checked...

against the list from the Fresno conference.

Any names that come up on both of these...

I'll check with the print from Craft Mart.

Let's check with Atascadero. See if they recovered any devices.

- You got it. So, Keith? - Yeah?

- You and Ambria, huh? - Yeah, me and Ambria.

It was just, for a while, then she met somebody else.

Smart girl.

Fortunately, there weren't any fatalities at College Hills.

But forty-six homes have been lost.

Another twenty are severely damaged.

The scale of this destruction is truly massive.

- Are you thinking arson, Captain? - Yeah, yes.

That's definitely something that we have to consider.

We've had over a dozen calls so far, but no real leads.

Nothing that we would consider hot.

Could we be talking serial arson?

Yes, we could, that's a theory that I'm mulling over.

I definitely think this could be a serial arsonist.

Again, there's no...

John Orr.

The man who would be king.

Bye-bye.

- Hey, Fellas, what's up? - Keith.

- Yeah, what do you got? - Close the door, will, you?

Yeah, sure.

What's up with the cloak and dagger meeting, huh?

This...

This can't go beyond us.

So what? You ID'd the print?

We narrowed the list of suspects down to ten names.

You know, investigators that were at both conferences.

- Yeah, and? - Well...

- The print belongs to one of them. - All right, already, so who is it?

It's John Orr.

Yeah, right, of course it is.

Of course it's John Orr, man. Shit, why didn't I think of that?

Why didn't I come up with that answer, huh?

Come on, stop fucking with me. Who is it?

- We're not kidding. - No...

- Come on. I can't believe that. - I can't believe it either.

- But the print's a match. - I don't care that the prints match.

That's ridiculous, man. Somebody made a mistake.

It only takes six points of comparison for a positive match.

Right, and how many did you find?

Thirteen.

- Thirteen? - Thirteen.

Not much room for error there.

Hey, wait. I bet John handled the evidence.

Man, you know how he always shows up to everybody's fires.

He's a workaholic for Christ sake, Matassa.

No, that's exactly what I thought, so I talked with Hyde.

- Right. - Asked him if any outside...

investigators came by to offer help that day.

His answer was a very emphatic, no.

Keith, all these fires have the same MO.

We even went back and examined the hardware store fire.

- Where the little kid died? - Remember?

Orr was arguing with Hines that day trying to tell him it was arson.

Well, guess what? John was right.

So now you're calling him a murderer?

Did you ever wonder why John was so good...

at finding these time-delay devices?

So, what? Because you're good at your job...

that makes you a suspect, man? John was my partner, all right.

There's no way. I know him better than you, man.

There's no way that he was the torch.

Keith, I've known the guy for years too.

But we can't ignore the facts.

Ignore the facts. Mike...

They have two sketches of the same perp.

None of the pictures look like John.

What about that fact, huh? I don't care what you guys say.

There's a big fuck-up, and I'm going to find it.

It is essential that you don't say anything to him.

- I'm not going to say anything. - Do you hear me?

- Hey, don't threaten me, Matassa. - All right, guys. Let's calm down.

- Hey, you taking this awfully easy. - No, I'm not.

There's still a lot of gray here, okay. But Mike's right.

Mike's right. Stop sucking up to the fucking ATF.

- You're a fireman, for Christ sake. - You can't tell John about this.

- Where are you going? - I'm going to John's.

- I'm going to snitch on you. - This is no joke.

I'm going home, if that's all right with you, big guy.

- Don't go near him. - Fuck you, Matassa.

John, what are you doing?

What are you up to, Baby? You don't smoke.

Come on.

What are we doing now?

Shit.

Get on top of me.

Talk to me.

So, where does she think you are right now?

I'm just curious what Wanda thinks you're doing while you're fucking me?

She probably thinks I'm putting out a fire.

You are putting out a fire.

Just not the kind she thinks.

Come on.

Fuck.

We're not done here yet.

Sorry, my mind's somewhere else.

It's not your mind I'm after.

I know. But my ass has got to be someplace else, too.

What's the matter with you today? You're no fun.

- I feel like I'm being played. - What are you talking about?

I feel like whoever's setting these fires...

is doing it to push my buttons.

I feel like this guy's...

He's messing with me.

You really think he's a fireman?

Yeah.

And I've got this weird feeling that it's someone that I know.

- Police. Did you call? - What?

- The police. Did you call, Ma'am? - No.

We got a call about a noise in the hallway.

- Would you please come to the door? - I didn't call the police. What?

Let go!

Come here, you bitch! Get over here.

Let go! You fucking asshole. What are you doing?

- Let go! - Move it!

Before I blow your fucking head off!

No! Please, stop!

Stop! Let go!

- Let go of me! Bastard! - Stop!

- Look what you made me do! - No!

- Damn you! - Let go!

Shut up!

- What are you doing? - Teaching you some goddamn manners.

Stop!

No! Somebody please help me!

No!

Please.

I don't want to die. Help!

Help!

Copy. Just waiting on the coroner before we move the body.

Mattasa!

Matassa, what happened?

We got a two-roomer started in the living room.

One fatality. What are you doing here?

- I got paged. - Where were you?

What do you mean, where was I?

I was in the area, why?

- Lucky you got here so quick. - Hey, Professor.

- How you doing? - Hey, Junior.

They're on their way down to St. Anne's.

- All right. - Who is?

This kid was acting like a hero, and he got burned up pretty bad.

Did you get to show him the sketches?

No, the kid was in shock, didn't get a chance to.

He can barely breathe. I don't think he's in any mood for interviews.

Well, you should see what?

- Hey, Matassa? - Yeah?

Mattasa, you guys closing in on anybody yet?

We're working on it. We've got it under control, all right?

You got it under control? It doesn't look like you got it under control.

You got another victim here. It's totally out of control.

Why don't you guys stop fucking around...

and find this guy before he kills somebody in my family.

- Somebody in your family? - Yeah, somebody in my family.

Professor, come on.

Believe me, we want to catch this guy every bit as much as you do.

Then fucking do it!

- Got enough fucking guys. - What's he doing here anyway?

He's doing his job. Just like everybody else.

We were there like ten minutes.

Suddenly he shows up telling me he's been 911ed.

- What's that about? - No. You don't know...

what you're talking about.

All right. Well then you tell me.

Why was he there? He burned that building.

It wasn't him. You're wrong. I know where he was.

- Yeah? Where? - I followed John this afternoon.

I tailed him to a motel. He's having an affair.

- You happy now, huh? - No.

No, what? Just because the guy's getting some on the side...

makes him a pyro? Please, God.

We've got a finger print. What don't you understand about that?

Run that print again because it's possible that he handled...

the evidence after it was logged in. John shows up at fires.

That's who he is. That's what he's about.

- He's obsessed with arson. - Exactly.

Bullshit!

You're using a seven-year-old fingerprint to build evidence...

against a guy who practically founded my department?

I don't care what he founded.

I'm getting authority to put him under surveillance.

It's as simple as that.

God damnit, I hate that prick.

He's just trying to nail somebody. Anybody.

Look I would love nothing more...

than to see you prove John's innocence, okay?

But, until then, Matassa, he's just a stiff, you know...

Look, it's just all about following ATF procedures. That's all.

Mike, I hope you're not siding with ATF against one of your own.

Hey, don't give me that shit.

Besides, if he is the torch, he's not one of us.

Al?

I'm John Orr from the Glendale fire department.

How are you feeling?

I've been better.

Sorry about what happened. That was a very brave thing that you did.

- A very stupid thing. - No.

So, I understand you were at a party across the hall?

How are your eyes? Can you see okay?

They hurt like hell.

But you can see?

- No, I'm not blind. - No, of course not.

I'm going to show you something.

Have you seen this man before?

- Is that the guy who did it? - Why don't you tell me?

- No. - No?

No, I've never seen that guy before.

Why would somebody do something like that?

That's a real good question, Al.

You tell yourself that arson is a problem for firefighters.

But the reality is, it affects each and every one of us.

As long as there are people who get their thrills...

from the relentless destruction of fire.

Support for the heroes of the Glendale arson unit is vital.

Every dollar counts.

When we apprehend an arsonist, and we get him off the street...

we're saving lives.

Now make no mistake, your contribution...

is helping us defend your neighbor's businesses.

And even your families homes.

Now at this very moment.

We are closing in on the serial arsonist...

who has been terrorizing Los Angeles.

On behalf of the Glendale arson unit...

I want to thank each and every one of you for your support.

Every dollar counts. So please give.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I got to hand it to you, John.

You are a hell of a fundraiser.

Thanks, Chief.

- Keep up the good work. - I will...

- Thanks. We'll get their money. - We need it.

- Your wife is here, John. - Hey, you made it.

I'm so glad you're here. What did you think of the speech?

You said she was going out of town.

She was, she heard I was giving the speech...

and she wanted to be here. You know how proud she can get.

Yeah, I don't know how proud she can get, John.

Look at you. You look beautiful.

- Thanks. - I like this dress.

- Hey, Baby. - Hi.

How are you?

Kate, this is my wife, Wanda. Wanda, this is Kate.

Wanda, your wife. I've heard so much about you.

It's nice to finally put a face to the name.

We work, she's with the LAPD.

We work together on fires.

- That must be very exciting? - Well, it can be very exciting.

- Yeah. - Well, it's a pleasure to meet you.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

- That's a very beautiful dress. - Thank you.

It is a nice dress. Usually I only see her in uniform.

It's nice to see her dressed up.

- Hey, John. - Hey, Keith.

Hey, how you doing, Wanda?

- How's my favorite bachelor? - Striking out. I don't know.

It must be my cologne or something.

Can you take a picture of us?

- Yeah, sure. - Please. Thanks.

- Why don't I just scootch... - No, come on...

Scootch in, Kate.

All right. Here we go.

- Get what you wanted? - Yeah, I think so.

Take one more. I think my eyes were closed.

All right.

Wait.

Can't wait until we get to do this in our own bed.

Me, too.

Careful with that.

It's part of the costume for the boys play.

Really?

My God. That's next week, isn't it?

You're really going all out this time, aren't you?

You have no idea. It's going to be great.

Can you hand me my smokes? Please.

This really is a nasty habit.

No.

You're my nasty habit.

Maybe not so nasty today?

I'm sorry. I've just got some things on my mind.

Hey, John, how's it going?

Hey.

What the hell are you doing here? You slumming?

No, Wanda told me you were going to be down here.

So I thought I'd come over.

You're always working so hard, man.

Amazing.

I dropped by to tell you...

that they're running that print again.

- In case you want to know. - Really?

- Yeah. - Why? Was there a match?

No match yet. We're still waiting on the lab.

My old desk.

That was a great speech you gave.

You had those fundraisers right in the palm of your hands, man.

- Thanks. - No problem.

John, did you ever meet Hyde...

before he came down to the task force?

Like maybe around the time of the Bakersfield fires.

- Around that time? - I don't think so. Why?

Too bad. I was hoping to get a little info.

You know, something to grab on to.

Is there something you want to tell me, Keith?

No, John, I'm just like you.

I'm just looking for a needle in a haystack. That's all.

Now I'm John, no longer the Professor, huh?

- You got a suspect? - No. No suspect yet.

But you know what, I keep remembering what you said.

About what?

That the only way you're going to catch this guy...

is that you recognize that it's about ego, and not fire.

There's the guy with the ego, Keith.

Looks like the only way we're going to catch him...

is if I do it myself.

Marty?

- Can I speak to you, please? - Yeah, sure, Mr. Orr.

- What is it, Dad? - It's okay, Honey.

- You mean privately? - Yeah.

- No, not at all. - Dad?

- It'll just be a minute. - Dad?

It'll be just a minute, okay? Let me ask you a question.

- What are your intentions? - My intentions?

Towards my daughter. Planning to get married?

Marriage? I'm only seventeen.

So, then you're not planning to get married in the near future?

- Heck, no. - All right, good.

Good. I have no further questions.

Don't need to have any further conversation.

You answered my question.

Stop fidgeting, man.

Matassa, this is Keith. What's going on?

Nothing. Just sit tight.

Been sitting tight all fucking day, what are you talking about?

- So, that's it, Mr. Orr? - That's it.

Buckle up, Honey.

- Is there a problem, Sir? - I'm sorry?

- Is there a problem? - No, there's no problem.

We don't have a problem at all.

There's going to be no problem so long as my daughter's a virgin...

on her wedding day, Marty.

- You understand? - Yeah.

Okay. Good.

- You have a good date. - Yeah.

- Okay? - Thank you, Sir.

- Drive safe. - Yes, Sir.

- This is it. He's on the move. - Copy that.

Damnit. Shit. The antenna's broken. He can see it.

Hold your position.

- What has just happened? - He found it.

He spotted the tracking device.

Camello, let him go. Don't try and follow him.

Fuck.

- Hello. - Hello. Who's this?

- Who's this? - Put Kate on the phone, please?

- Who is it, Sweetie? - It's for you.

Okay. Hold on a second. Stay right there.

Work on your bow.

- Hello. - Kate.

John.

My boys have their whole class here. It's crazy.

Kate, listen to me. You're not going to believe this.

Someone's following me. I'm being tailed.

I found a tracking device under my car.

It's Wanda. It's got to be Wanda.

I mean, she's obviously hired a private detective or something.

- You got to tell her about us, John. - You're right.

You're probably right...

Wait, hold on. Wait a minute.

John? John, what's the matter? Are you okay?

Holy shit. No, I'm okay.

I'm fine. You're right. Bye.

It's not Wanda.

This is not something Wanda would do.

Well, it didn't just show up there by magic, John.

Listen to me. Remember I told you...

that I thought these fires were being set by a fireman?

- Yeah. - They think it's me.

John, I'm telling you...

This tracking thing, it was put there by a private investigator...

that your wife hired.

I see this kind of thing all the time...

Kate, it's not Wanda. I'm telling you.

These bastards think it's me.

Carrie really had a good time with Marty.

Yeah, you think so?

- Yeah. - That's good.

It was very nice of you to let her go.

You're such a softie.

Sweet dreams.

Drop the fucking gun.

- You? - Yeah. It's me.

- Thought I wouldn't figure you out? - It took you long enough, Professor.

You can kiss my ass.

You're nothing! Nothing but a loser!

Grandma?

Mommy?

Mommy?

Grandma?

Wanda! What the hell are you doing? Put it down!

John, I can't believe this.

You stay down here almost every night...

and you've been writing a book?

You said you were doing your reports, trying to stop these fires.

I was. I am.

I started writing to get inside the mind of the arsonist...

and this book just evolved.

Why did you lie to me?

Why?

I wanted to surprise you.

Sorry.

- Did you like it? - What?

What did you think of the book?

Tell you what I thought about the book?

Yeah. What'd you think?

Wanda.

I think your hero is a lot like you.

And I also think he's having an affair.

- Wanda, this is fiction. - Are you having an affair?

I wrote that to spice up the character.

To make him more interesting. Wanda, this is just a novel.

Answer my question.

I can't believe you're asking me this.

I wrote this book for you and the girls.

Come on, tell me what you thought.

I think it's a bit too close to home.

Actually, I think...

I think it's creepy.

- It's creepy. - Creepy?

What's creepy?

The rape.

Yeah.

I didn't know pyromaniacs are also rapists.

Well, some are. For some, fire's like sex.

What? Why are you looking at me like this?

Why did you write this kind of book?

- Are you unhappy? - What? No.

I love you, Wanda.

I would never do anything to jeopardize that.

It took me four marriages to find you. Four.

You're my soul mate.

You're the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.

You're the woman I want to make proud.

Do you have any idea what this family means to me?

What you and the girls mean to me?

I'd never do anything to hurt you.

- What do you mean, you want off? - Just think of it...

as a conflict of interest, that's all.

Have a seat. Don't give me that old Feds versus the locals cliche.

No, it's nothing like that.

There must be a good reason to want to get off the task force.

All right, look, if I tell you, you got to keep it confidential.

Okay, shoot.

Matassa's building a case against John Orr.

John Orr?

You got to be joking.

He's the best arson investigator we've ever had.

He trained half the guys on the force.

- He taught you, for God's sake. - Chief, we got a print.

And the print's a perfect match.

Okay, what am I supposed to do with that?

What about the police sketches?

You know, we interviewed the College Hills lady.

And John was right. John is right. This lady is totally unreliable.

We got two sketches that are just a coincidence.

This makes his book a whole lot stranger.

Book? What book?

Can you believe it? John actually wrote a novel...

and then he had the balls to show it to Chief Gray.

So, what's it about?

Well, it's about an arsonist.

A serial arsonist who turns out to be a fireman.

And Gray never said anything about it?

Yeah, well, he read the first few pages...

and then the profanity made him stop.

But, you know, he said that if he thought about it.

That Orr's fictional arsonist...

probably was based on the police sketches.

All right.

We got to get this book. Let's concentrate on that.

How we going to do it? We can't just ask for it.

- He trusts you, Keith. - No, not anymore.

I saw him the other day, and he knows we're on to him.

But just remember, remember what he said.

He said it's about ego, not fire.

Hey, Camello. It's simple.

These movies you work on, there's a fire marshal, right?

You get one to tell John he'll give the book to a producer.

- Feed the ego. - Thanks a lot. It's my baby.

Take care of it. You let me know, okay?

As soon as you hear something.

You're not going to believe this. He bought it.

I'll get it to you soon as I can.

Yeah.

Please.

Please, don't hurt me!

He couldn't have known all this.

I can't believe he wrote all this down.

Every day it seems like there's another fire around here.

Look at that. They're going to vent the roof.

- Do what? - They're going to put a hole in it.

So the fire has a place to go. It let's the smoke clear.

- Can you feel the heat from here? - Yeah.

It's exciting, isn't it?

How come you know so much about fire?

I'm a fireman.

I'm John. John Orr.

Man, we investigated a lot of the fires in this book.

He had you investigating his own fires.

Yeah. He investigated his own fires.

That's why he found all the devices.

They were his.

You know, if John really did the things in this book...

what about the rape of that girl?

What? I don't understand.

What do you mean it doesn't ring true?

The villain's too over the top.

Okay.

Just for your information, I'm investigating a case right now...

where the arsonist is the arson investigator.

So, it's just like...

Okay. No, I appreciate your reading it.

Thank you.

That's the third rejection.

I got it out to two other people. To two other agencies...

and they're not even returning my calls, so...

Don't give up on it, okay, Dad.

I mean, there's a lot of other agents out there.

Thank you, Carrie.

- Goodbye. I love you. - Love you too, Daddy.

I appreciate that. Thank you, that's very nice coming from you.

- Sure. - Thank you.

You two have a good day, okay.

I love you.

Bye.

Don't move, John. Stay where you are.

Put your hands away from your gun, John.

- What's going on? - In the air. Nice and easy.

Get your hands up, John. I will shoot you, John.

John, what's going on? What happened?

- John! - Daddy!

Stay where you are!

Get your hand away from your gun, John.

- Nice and easy. - You're under arrest for arson.

We're going to take you down to the station, John.

We'll explain everything, but first we're going to read you your rights.

What?

This is nuts. You don't have anything on me.

- This is crazy. - How about a print?

- How many prints? - How many?

- That's all you have to say? - We've got your book, John.

My book? My book is fucking fiction.

You have got the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

- You have a right to an attorney. - Junior?

If you can't afford one, one will be provided for you.

- Keith, those are for my classes. - Do you understand...

these rights, John?

Don't look at me, John.

Keith. Look at this.

- Look how many guns this guy has. - Hey, Ron, get a picture of this.

All these videos. It's a library of all his fires.

Jesus.

Look at this.

Jesus. It's Ambria.

When I look in front of me...

I see only clouds.

What am I supposed to believe?

I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me the truth.

Wanda, Honey, it's nothing.

I've seen these kinds of screw-ups at work all the time.

I'm going to have this cleared up in a heartbeat.

But I need you now.

You didn't seem to need me...

while you were screwing around with your policewoman.

That's over. That was nothing.

You know I can't live without you.

Okay.

I'm your wife, of course.

I will stick by you during the trial.

But then, I want a divorce.

Wanda. Listen to me, you're just...

You're just scared now.

But don't worry, soon everything is going to be like the way it was.

We have to stand together on this.

Together?

How am I supposed to do that?

How am I supposed to defend you?

You don't have to say anything.

They have no case.

You know I love you.

Don't you?

Don't you?

When this is over...

I'm going to get my divorce.

It's going to be you and me and the kids.

It's going to be just like we talked about.

I need to know you're by my side.

Yeah.

You take care of your little sister.

I'll be home in a blink of an eye.

I love you.

Mr. McCann, three counts of arson, ten years each.

- Do you have any comments? - We will appeal.

This entire trial was built...

on a fictional manuscript and we will appeal.

What about the possibility of a homicide conviction?

You have my statement.

I'm confident that after all the facts are in...

my client will be exonerated.

The truly great investigators step inside the mind of the arsonist.

They get right in his skull and look out his eyes.

This is what the task force was never able to do.

But they had to nails somebody.

So with a four-year-old fingerprint and work of fiction...

they built a case against me.

The truth of the matter is that an arsonist managed...

to set thousands of fires without ever leaving a trace.

He taunted them and they never got close.

You can't help but admire that.

Eventually, the arsonist was identified.

After examining all the evidence...

the jury found John Orr guilty as charged.

He is now serving four life sentences for the deaths...

in the hardware store fire.

The year after Orr's conviction...

arson fires in the Los Angeles area dropped seventy-five percent.

- Get your lazy-ass back to work. - His arrest sent shockwaves...

through the Los Angeles area fire departments.

It is believed to be the worst case...

of serial arson in Southern California history.

If you want to catch this guy...

you must recognize that this is about ego.

Ego.