and the FDNY. It was somewhat better after nine-eleven, but the tension was still there.
“Can we go somewhere and talk, Sparky?”
“Sure, we can use our command bus.”
They went into the FDNY bus, and Dickie Davis went to round up the task force members and cops.
“Do you have any fireman’s coffee in here?”
Sparky began to laugh.
“Yes, but not the kind you’re thinking about.”
Bryan Flannery had stepped inside. Sparky continued to laugh, telling an old story. “When the chief here was a homicide detective in Queens back in the day, we worked several cases together. We had this suicide by gasoline case where this wacko had torched himself. The Chief and I were sitting on the back of a ladder truck. One of New York’s bravest had set his chewing tobacco spit cup right beside the Chief’s cup of coffee. It was like seventeen degrees and the Chief took a big gulp of the spit cup by mistake. He lost his cookies all over his Brooks Brothers’ suit and wool top coat.”
Bryan laughed, and Pat commented, “Oh it’s funny now, but at the time I saw no humor in it and in those days it was probably a J. C. Penny suit.”
“I thought you were going to duke it out with the fireman, until you realized you were out-numbered ten to one. Anyway, here’s some fresh brewed stuff.”
Sparky handed Pat a piping hot mug of coffee with the FDNY logo decorating it.
“Thanks, buddy, those were great days.”
By now the command bus was full of detectives and police officers and a couple of New York City Fire Marshals, who also carried guns and had the power of arrest.
“Bryan, let’s get everyone up to date on what we have.”
“Yes sir, I think most everyone is here.”
Brian walked to the front of the command bus.
“Chief, I’ll let the first officer on the scene start.”
“Thank you, Captain. I’m Police Officer David DeBlasio and my partner is Matthew Lewis.”
The officer was visibly shaken by having to speak in front of the three-star Chief of Detectives. “My partner and I responded to a report of a car on fire in the street on Campus Drive near the college at about 2130. When we rounded the corner, the car was fully involved. FDNY had already arrived. The flames were tree-top high. We blocked the street and started trying to find any witnesses. It took a little while to get the fire out, but the Fire Marshal here told me that he could smell a crispy critter in there early on, whatever that means.”
Pat interrupted. “It means that Sparky here has a lot more experience at fire investigation that you do, Officer DeBlasio.”
“Sorry, Chief, I just didn’t realize you could actually smell anything while it’s actually burning.”
“It’s kinda like having a backyard barbecue, but different.” Sparky interjected.
“I’m sorry. I think I get the message.”
Sparky shook his head.
“Forget about it!”
Pat resumed with a question. “Did you locate any witnesses?”
“Only a couple of people who heard screeching tires and then saw the car on fire.”
“Make sure that our detectives get to talk to them.”
“Yes sir, Chief.”
“Sparky, can you give us a run down from the Fire Marshal’s perspective?”
“Sure, Chief, I’ll be glad to. This was a very hot fire. I suspect that the fire had a little help. I’m certain that some type of accelerant was used, probably gasoline. I found a liquid trailer on the pavement leading up to the car. There’s no structural damage to the car, so there was no traffic collision involved. It looks like it was torched with the victim inside. The victim, who appears to be a male, was in the back seat, so he may have been dead before the fire, but we won’t know for sure until the autopsy. The victim is a crispy critter with nothing identifiable except a turquoise ring on his right ring finger that didn’t melt. This is definitely a criminal homicide, Chief.”
“Thanks, Sparky. We want you to work this with
“Can we go somewhere and talk, Sparky?”
“Sure, we can use our command bus.”
They went into the FDNY bus, and Dickie Davis went to round up the task force members and cops.
“Do you have any fireman’s coffee in here?”
Sparky began to laugh.
“Yes, but not the kind you’re thinking about.”
Bryan Flannery had stepped inside. Sparky continued to laugh, telling an old story. “When the chief here was a homicide detective in Queens back in the day, we worked several cases together. We had this suicide by gasoline case where this wacko had torched himself. The Chief and I were sitting on the back of a ladder truck. One of New York’s bravest had set his chewing tobacco spit cup right beside the Chief’s cup of coffee. It was like seventeen degrees and the Chief took a big gulp of the spit cup by mistake. He lost his cookies all over his Brooks Brothers’ suit and wool top coat.”
Bryan laughed, and Pat commented, “Oh it’s funny now, but at the time I saw no humor in it and in those days it was probably a J. C. Penny suit.”
“I thought you were going to duke it out with the fireman, until you realized you were out-numbered ten to one. Anyway, here’s some fresh brewed stuff.”
Sparky handed Pat a piping hot mug of coffee with the FDNY logo decorating it.
“Thanks, buddy, those were great days.”
By now the command bus was full of detectives and police officers and a couple of New York City Fire Marshals, who also carried guns and had the power of arrest.
“Bryan, let’s get everyone up to date on what we have.”
“Yes sir, I think most everyone is here.”
Brian walked to the front of the command bus.
“Chief, I’ll let the first officer on the scene start.”
“Thank you, Captain. I’m Police Officer David DeBlasio and my partner is Matthew Lewis.”
The officer was visibly shaken by having to speak in front of the three-star Chief of Detectives. “My partner and I responded to a report of a car on fire in the street on Campus Drive near the college at about 2130. When we rounded the corner, the car was fully involved. FDNY had already arrived. The flames were tree-top high. We blocked the street and started trying to find any witnesses. It took a little while to get the fire out, but the Fire Marshal here told me that he could smell a crispy critter in there early on, whatever that means.”
Pat interrupted. “It means that Sparky here has a lot more experience at fire investigation that you do, Officer DeBlasio.”
“Sorry, Chief, I just didn’t realize you could actually smell anything while it’s actually burning.”
“It’s kinda like having a backyard barbecue, but different.” Sparky interjected.
“I’m sorry. I think I get the message.”
Sparky shook his head.
“Forget about it!”
Pat resumed with a question. “Did you locate any witnesses?”
“Only a couple of people who heard screeching tires and then saw the car on fire.”
“Make sure that our detectives get to talk to them.”
“Yes sir, Chief.”
“Sparky, can you give us a run down from the Fire Marshal’s perspective?”
“Sure, Chief, I’ll be glad to. This was a very hot fire. I suspect that the fire had a little help. I’m certain that some type of accelerant was used, probably gasoline. I found a liquid trailer on the pavement leading up to the car. There’s no structural damage to the car, so there was no traffic collision involved. It looks like it was torched with the victim inside. The victim, who appears to be a male, was in the back seat, so he may have been dead before the fire, but we won’t know for sure until the autopsy. The victim is a crispy critter with nothing identifiable except a turquoise ring on his right ring finger that didn’t melt. This is definitely a criminal homicide, Chief.”
“Thanks, Sparky. We want you to work this with
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