10x15 - The Missing Piece

[bunniefuu]

I have been doing this long enough

to recognize raw talent.

Mason, you ever think about
applying with the CFD?

CFD won't hire felons.

I got you an interview

with the St. Paul Fire Department.

I wanna keep being you and me.

Mm, that's why we have
plane tickets and Facetime.

How you doing with this Casey situation?

Things might be different,
but we're still us.

There is a lieutenant spot
open on Truck .

I told Boden I want it.

You are not leaving
to go over to , because I am.

I'm just glad I can
keep your seat warm for you.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

First shift as permanent lieutenant.

How does that feel?

Three minutes under my belt,
and no major mistakes.

I'm feeling good.

Well, you have a major decision to make

about that empty slot on Truck.

I do, so I have floaters
coming in the next two shifts,

both of them highly recommended.

So today is Kim Rossi,

she's a couple years out of the academy,

and Chief Walker says
she checks all the boxes.

Sounds good.

Yes, but I would love any
input that you have about it.

Well, you don't want to rush it,

because you need to find the right fit.

But you also want to find
someone as quickly as possible

so that your team can start to gel.

That's all I was going to say.

Oh. No big deal.

I just thought you would add

some wise words of advice
on making the choice.

It is your decision to make,

and I trust that you will make
the right one.

All right. Thank you.

I got this.

Great to meet you guys.

Heard Chief Walker said good things.

Aw, that's nice.

- No pressure.
- [CHUCKLES]

It's an awesome place, .

I'm hyped to be here.

[ALARM BLARES]

Truck , Squad , Ambulance .

Person trapped, Western and th.

- Here we go, !
- Yeah, let's do this!

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

[SIREN WAILING]

What's OFI doing here?

Severide!

Van Meter, what happened?

Stairwell collapse. You gotta hurry.

All right, stay out here. I'm going in.

I'll give the order on the radio.

Copy that.

We were doing an investigation

on some fire-damaged stairs
when they just gave way.

The whole thing started coming down.

I was able to jump clear,
but Seager wasn't so lucky.

Seager? Where is she? She all right?

This way, come on.

She's down there.

♪

Seager? Can you hear me?

- Talk to me, Seager.
- I'm here.

Okay.

Hey, just sit tight,
we're coming to get you.

Want us to drop a ladder for you?

No, no, we have to keep
our weight off that mess,

it's too unstable.

Can you set up an overhead anchor point?

Yeah, I'm on it.

Squad, give me a harness bag and rope.

, I need a -foot ladder
and some webbing.

BOTH: Copy that, Lieutenant.

- Sorry.
- I got this.

Uh, I'll grab the webbing.

Why don't you help Mouch
with the ladder?

[TENSE MUSIC]

- I got it.
- Thanks.

Hey, Captain Van Meter,
can I get a look at you?

No, no I'm fine.

Seager's the one
you need to worry about.

Right, but until she's out of there...

- Ladder's here, boss.
- Okay.

All right.

Just drop it right here.

And then Gallo, secure the webbing.

- Copy.
- Here we go.

We're gonna plant it right here.

- Hey.
- Yep.

Keep going.

Set.

All right, Gallo,

put the carabiner about halfway up.

- Ready?
- Yep.

Okay.

♪

Line.

Got it.

On line.

Lower the main.

All right, Tony.

Talk to me, Seager.

Over here.

Down.

- Slack on the main.
- All right, I'm good.

Seager, hang in there. I gotcha.

- All right, I'm off line.
- Copy.

♪

I got her!

All right, try not to move.

Where are you pinned?

Legs, mostly.

Legs, okay.

[GRUNTING]

Hang on, hang on.

Can you move your toes?

Okay.

Okay, nice and slow, try and...

Try and pull yourself out.

[BOTH GRUNTING]

- Can you stand?
- Yeah.

Let's get the hell out of here.

All right.

- Sit down, easy.
- Yeah.

All right, take us up!

Raise the main!

♪

Okay, slack.

You scared the hell out of me.

- Are you okay?
- Yeah.

You're bleeding.

- Am I?
- Yeah, come on.

Let the medic have a look at you.

All right. Hey, thanks, Severide.

You're not too bad at this hero stuff.

That was pretty scary.

Yeah, no kidding.
Could've been real bad.

Yeah.

Well, I guess we should
cordon off this area,

you know, so nobody else falls in.

My guys will take care of that.

Did Squad just volunteer
for cleanup duty?

You trying to get me to reconsider?

No, no.

No backsies, you said what you said.

All right, Truck ,
pack it up, let's head home.

- Nice work, guys.
- Thanks, Lieutenant.

I'm just bummed I didn't get the chance

to really, you know...

Get up and in it? I know, me too.

Yeah, I actually hung out
with Evan again last night.

"Evan."

Still weird to hear the boss
called by his first name.

Yeah, you think that's weird?

I referred to him as "Chief"
in bed once.

I just... I blurted it out.

- Oof.
- Yeah.

But I have to admit,
there is something fun

about having to keep it on the D-L.

It adds a certain je ne sais quoi.

Hey, how're things with Casey?

We have a Facetime
in a few hours, actually.

Aww.

Hey, you guys, can I make lunch?

- That's a fast yes.
- Awesome, love to cook.

Ooh.

I like her so far.

Yeah, she seems like good people.

Nah, something about her
really annoys me,

but I can't quite put my finger on it.

You all realize...

She's a Gallo, right?

What?

- What're you talking about?
- It's true.

Most firefighters fit into one
of about four categories,

and Rossi is a Gallo.

The "Cool Young Buck."
Or in this case, Doe.

No. No way. I'm my own type.

You know what you guys gotta try?

My beer. I'm a home brewer.

I think the man's point has been made.

- Whoa.
- Come on, Mouch.

Everyone can't fit
into one of your "types".

Don't be offended,

I'm a classic "Mustachioed Old Timer."

I don't know.

- Hey, Lieutenant.
- Hey.

I know you're trying out
a few different possibilities,

but I got the perfect
firefighter for you.

Who?

You remember Mason, he was a young guy

we helped out last year?

He's a good man. Real skills...

Yes, Mason. He's great.

But he has a criminal record,

which is why he couldn't join the CFD.

Yeah, his buddy stole a car
for a joyride

when they were teenagers
and Mason got caught up in it.

But he went to a formal review,

and he got the, you know,
record expunged.

Yeah, but we got him a job in St. Paul.

We did, and he's doing great there,

but Chicago is his home.

And you know, just in case,
he took some time off,

did the CFD test,
he went through the academy.

Stella, I know that
Mason would fit in here.

I really appreciate
you going to bat for him,

and I like the guy,
but to be honest, Herrmann,

I need to hire someone who checks

all the boxes, and Mason just doesn't.

His expertise is wildfires.

- I'm sorry, Herrmann, but...
- Yeah.

Say hey for me
the next time you talk to him.

Yeah.

So this is why you volunteered us

for all this grunt work?

- So that you could uh...
- Play "Fire Cop?"

What? No.

No I was just gonna say, you know,

finish Seager's investigation.

I'm just having a quick look.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪

Good.

- Off line.
- Copy.

You think it was arson?

If you wanted to burn the building down,

this would be
the right place to start it.

Fire must've started further down.

I don't think I can get to it.

♪

The hell is this?

Stringer's cut halfway through.

Say what?

This collapse was intentional.

I know you've done a bunch
of shifts at other houses.

Plenty. Bring my "A" game to each one.

Anything in particular
you're looking for

in a permanent home?

- Honestly?
- Mm-hmm.

Just the chance to kick a lot of ass.

I like to get in there
and show my stuff.

Make an impression,
rise above the crowd.

Okay.

Well, that is good to know.

Thanks for talking with me, Rossi.

You bet.

Hey.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

Is everything okay?

She just got off a call with Casey.

I just um, I really, really miss him.

♪

What's going on?

That collapse wasn't caused by the fire,

at least not completely.

Somebody weakened the stringers first.

- Cut them halfway through.
- Oh, that's messed up.

Did you tell OFI?

Yeah.

Seager's coming here straight from Med.

All right, well, until she gets here,

can I pick your brain
about some leadership stuff?

Yeah.

How's Rossi working out?

That's it.

She's good enough, you know,

she handled herself on the call, but...

She's not your missing piece?

Exactly, you know?
I need to get this right.

So do you have any tips
on how to assemble a good crew?

Keep pushing, I think I got it.

[QUIRKY MUSIC]

♪

I might not be the best guy
to give advice on that front.

Mm-hmm.

Come on. Just a little more.

And there she is.

- Hey, Severide, Kidd.
- How you feeling?

A little bruised and battered,

but, you know, mostly just angry.

So these stairs,
you're sure about what you saw?

Yes, hundred percent.

Come on, let's go fill in Boden.

Lieutenant.

[LAUGHTER]

Third shift Engine Lieutenant Cahill

was the incident commander
at that factory fire.

Sounded like a routine call.

"Light smoke showing when we arrived,

"discovered the fire at
the bottom of the stairwell.

Put it out with a single att*ck line."

That's it?

All it says here is that he thought

the fire was electrical in nature.

Damn lucky that
the stairs held their weight.

Do you guys know who owns the property?

He's a mid-size commercial developer,

and this building seems like
it's a real money pit for him.

Vacant since ,
on the market since

without a nibble.

Oh, and the insurance policy
is set to run out

at the end of the month.

A fire sure could solve

a lot of problems for him
right about now.

Arson for profit is bad enough,

but when you sabotage the structure

to maximize the damage,
you all but guarantee

that someone's gonna get badly hurt.

And if that's not evil,
I don't know what is.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

You gonna talk to this guy?

Yeah.

You want to come with?

Damn right I do.

♪

Hello?

Hello?

No, it's fine.
I can be there, like, : .

Does that work?

[KNOCKS ON DOOR]

Hey, let me call you right back.

Can I help you?

- Vincent Murphy?
- Vince. Hi.

I'm Lieutenant Seager

with the Office of Fire Investigation.

Oh, right, I heard one of your people

got hurt at my property this morning.

Ah, well, I'm sure glad
it wasn't serious.

Did you figure out
how the fire started at least?

Well, Mr. Murphy, as you probably know,

one of the things we look for is

the possibility
of an arson-for-profit scheme.

Wait, you think I tried
to burn down my own building?

There are more than a few red flags.

No, no, no. I need this building.

I got plans for this place!

No, I'm gonna do a massive rehab,

turn it into loft apartments.

Here.

Drawings are on file with the
Department of Buildings.

Look, I got the financing all lined up.

I've invested grand in this project.

If that building had b*rned down,

stick a fork in me, I'm done.

So what are your feelings on Rossi?

She's a good enough firefighter,

maybe not so much of a team player.

There's just more
to consider than I realized,

you know, the way that
everyone fits together,

what the new person will add to the mix.

I'm just not sure she's the right fit.

Totally.

I wasn't going to say anything,
but she was just...

a lot, you know?

Mm-hmm.

[LAUGHS] You do not have an easy task.

I know.

But the guy that DC Hill recommended

is coming in next shift,

and she says that he is
a really solid firefighter.

- That sounds promising.
- Yeah.

Where's Severide?

Uh, he and Seager are following up

on the factory fire, looking for cause.

Does it bother you,
at all, him and Seager

spending all this time together?

Not that it should.

- I mean, not really.
- Okay.

A slight twinge of jealousy, maybe.

Mm-hmm.

It's funny, with Evan...
"Chief Hawkins"...

He has all these women
he works closely with,

but it, um, it doesn't really bother me.

I'm not really a jealous kind of person.

What?

Nothing, it's just...

Do you not remember
how you reacted to Cara

at Blue Moon when she
flirted with Gallo?

- Hey! Look who I found.
- Hey, there.

Mason.

[BOTH LAUGH]

Hey, didn't know you were in town.

Just for a few days.

Heard the news about your promotion.

- Way to go.
- Thank you.

I invited Mason in.

I figured that he could do a ride-along

on Truck, you know, next shift,

just to observe
Chicago-style firefighting.

No pressure, though, for real.

If it's a bad time, please just say no.

Of course you can ride.

- Appreciate that.
- Yeah.

I'll be so low key you'll barely see me.

Hey, hey!

Oh, you better go say some hellos.

Will do. Thanks again, Lieutenant.

Mm-hmm.

Nice try.

Like I said, Mason's just
here for a ride-along...

I thought it'd be good for the kid.

Okay, Seager watch your step.

I already pulled you out
of this mess once.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

♪

Any idea what you're looking for?

- One of our guys, Markowca?
- Yeah?

Did the initial investigation.

He thought it was
an electrical fire that started

in a junction box.

Well, Markowca's a pretty sharp guy.

Why did you and Van Meter have to come

back here and double-check his work?

Because afterwards, a call
came in on the tip hotline.

Somebody suggesting there was more

to this fire than meets the eye.

I found the junction box.

- Huh.
- What, what's wrong?

Can you angle that light a little more?

Yeah.

♪

Hey.

Whoa, hey!

[TENSE MUSIC]

Hey, what's happening?

Severide?

♪

Fire Department, stop!

- Whoa!
- Hey!

Damn it. You okay?

- Who was that?
- I don't know.

He was right in there with us,
who knows how long.

What the hell is going on here?

♪

You can clearly see
the exposed copper wiring

is covered in fine, aerosol-type beads.

A strong indicator
of electrical overcurrent.

It would have easily ignited

the surrounding wooden structure.

So you're saying Markowca was right?

The fire was accidental.

Sure seems like it.

Then explain the stairs.

I can't.

Even if you could fake
the electrical origin,

why give yourself away
by sawing through the stairs?

To ensure total destruction.

That is the goal
of a profit-motivated arsonist.

But you don't think
the owner is behind this.

What's your finely calibrated gut

telling you on this one, Severide?

Well, the one thing I can't get past,

why didn't the weight of
the responding engine company

bring the stairs down?

Or Markowca, when he did
his initial investigation?

You know how collapses work.

A step one inch to the left or the right

could make all the difference.

Or...

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

If this really was
an accidental fire, what if

somebody came back and weakened
the stairs after the fact,

and then called in a fake tip
to the arson hotline?

You mean...

They were targeting fire investigators?

I saw this thing in a science magazine

that is freaking me out,
explaining why water

is less dense when it's frozen.

Now they're talking about
this extra "liquid, liquid"

phase transition with a sixth molecule.

That's crazy, right?

I guess.

I hope you know, you don't have

to bury your feelings about Casey.

[EXHALES]

I know. I just...

I can't stop thinking about

when Amelia and Scott
were here last time.

Scott said that every moment
with a person you love

is precious.

And don't just let the time slip by.

[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC]

I need to take some real time off.

Not just a week or even a month.

I have to go to Portland
and be with Casey.

Okay.

Last but not least, that's Mouch.

Howdy.

- Good to meet you.
- Likewise.

Sykes was over at
until it shut down.

Big mistake, shutting down that house,

but what can you do?

Glad to be here.

If it's all right, I'd like to go

get my bunk in order, Lieutenant.

Sure, yeah.

So what type is he?

Uh, "The Eagle Scout."

Common traits: solid firefighter,

hard worker, straight arrow.

But don't expect
belly laughs from this guy.

- Come on.
- Sounds on the money again.

Even I could've come up with that.

No, no. I'm not buying it.

Mm, you don't know.

Uh, thanks for letting me
ride, Lieutenant.

I hope Herrmann didn't strong-arm you.

You think he can push me around?

[LAUGHS] No, guess not.

He's kept in touch
since I left for Minnesota,

You know, such a stand-up guy, you know?

When he suggested the ride-along,

you know, I had to come.

I knew I'd learn a ton from you guys.

We really are happy to have you here.

We pulled the file
of every known arsonist

who could conceivably
have a beef with OFI.

Basically any suspect
from the last decade

who isn't dead or in prison.

All people you put behind bars?

Or tried to, even if the prosecutors

couldn't make the case.

This is the call
that came in on the hotline.

Um, hi.

You guys had that fire yesterday

over on Western,
that abandoned building?

Look, I don't want any trouble, but...

You oughta take
a close look at that one.

Real close.

So we're looking for a male,
anywhere from puberty

to, what, ?

Maybe we could
match a voice to the face?

Don't you have
a caller ID on that hotline?

Call came in from a blocked number.

It's one of the reasons
why we took it so seriously.

Thought it might be someone
with intimate knowledge

of Murphy's business.

Yeah, I don't know if
that one belongs in the pile.

He's pretty small fish.

Marc Greene?

Just a punk kid from Pilsen.

Van Meter included him because

he recently was paroled, six months ago?

He torched a Honda Civic?

Belonging to the guy
who stole his girlfriend.

It was a dumb, impulsive move
by a jilted -year-old.

He served months
for a class felony.

I don't see him graduating
to attempted m*rder.

I'm pretty sure that's the guy I saw

lurking around the factory last night.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

♪

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

Marc Greene?

My name is Lieutenant Wendy Seager

with the Office of Fire Investigation.

Who is it, Marc?

What do you want?

We'd like to talk to Marc,
ask him a few questions.

- About what?
- Can we come in?

He's been keeping his nose clean,

staying out of trouble.

Whatever you're here about,
he didn't do it.

Then it won't take long.

Someone tried to get fire
investigators hurt or k*lled

by luring them into a dangerous location

with an anonymous phone call.

Well, it wasn't Marc.

There's an easy way to prove it.

This is a transcript of the phone call.

Would you mind letting me
record you while you read it?

No way. Not without a lawyer present.

I couldn't have made that call anyway.

Why's that?

It says the call
came in at : PM on Monday.

I got a welding class then,
out at Universal Tech.

See? What'd I tell you?

He doesn't have time to get in trouble.

He's too busy trying to make
himself employable again

after you people ruined his life.

Now, why don't you leave him alone?

♪

Welding class?

I'm sure of it now.

He's the one I chased out
of that factory.

Okay.

We have some work to do.

- Ready?
- ALL: Ready!

Go!

[INQUISITIVE MUSIC]

All right, all right.

There we go, there we go, there we go.

Okay, Mason.

Good hustle, Sykes.

Come on.

Nice.

Come on, guys.

All right, Gallo.

Oho!

Attaboy, Sykes.

Come on, nice!

Come on, all right!

seconds.

Okay, I was looking for under ,

but we'll get there.

Mouch distracted me,
y'know tripping in his boots.

That's what we mustachioed old timers do

to throw the young bucks off.

Worked too, I saw you fumble the coat.

Don't let Mouch's
old-timer talk fool you,

I saw him pull the rescue of a lifetime.

Solid performance on the drill, guys.

[ALARM BLARES]

Truck , smoke investigation,

- Hardy Street.
- Well look at me,

with my crew ready right at the bells!

Am I the best lieutenant
in the CFD or what?

I'll second that.

[SIREN WAILING]

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

- What happened?
- We smelled smoke on the fourth floor,

but we have no idea
where it's coming from.

- Okay, we'll check it out.
- Thank you.

- Yeah.
- Got a lockbox, Lieutenant.

- I'll grab the keys.
- Great.

All right, 's caught up by a train.

Grab a few extinguishers,
we're going up to four.

On it.

All right.

[ALARM BLARING]

Ah, the smoke alarm symphony.

Smoke must be traveling
through the ventilation system.

It's gonna be hard
to track down the source,

so check each unit carefully.

- Mouch, Gallo, take the east end.
- Copy.

Sykes, we'll take the west end.

- I'm on your hip, Lieutenant.
- All right.

Fire department!

Open it up.

Fire department!

All right, I'll have a look.

You take the next one.
Mason, you're with Sykes.

Fire department!

- [CATS MEOWING]
- I'm all good.

You find anything?

Just a whole slew of cats.

The bad kind.

is clear!

Fire department!

Smoke alarm is quiet.

- is clear!
- Hey, Sykes?

I know I'm just a fly on the wall here,

but that unit?

There is no smoke alarm.
Somebody removed it.

Open it back up.

♪

Mouch, Gallo, we found it. Fire's out.

Copy that.

Truck to Main, it was a pot of meat.

You can hold up on .

Copy, . cancelled.

Open up some windows, would you?

Copy that, Lieutenant.

No, I think that's all we need for now.

Thank you.

That was Marc Greene's
welding instructor

from the trade school.

Marc was definitely in class
on Monday, : to : .

Never left the room.

All right, so maybe
you were right about Marc.

Just a punk kid,
not a cold-blooded k*ller.

But you saw him there last night.

I'm pretty sure, yeah.

Van Meter testified against Marc.

The whole trial hinged
on our forensic evidence.

We put him away.

He's six months out
of prison and still struggling

to find a job,
living with his parents...

His dad did say OFI ruined his life.

Um, hi.

You guys had that fire yesterday

over on Western,
that abandoned building?

Look, I don't want any trouble, but...

you oughta take a close look
at that one.

Real close.

Marc didn't make that phone call.

His dad did.

They're in it together.

Sorry to bother you again, ma'am.

No. We already settled this.

He couldn't have made that phone call.

Yeah, we know. But what's your alibi?

What're you saying?

We're saying you're the one
who made the anonymous call.

To help Marc get
his revenge against OFI.

You got it all figured out.

Not all of it.

We can't understand why Marc went back

to that factory last night.

No, I didn't go to any factory.

No? What happened there?

This? I burnt myself. On an arc welder.

You sure you didn't cut
yourself on some barbed wire?

We gonna find DNA on that fence?

Marc didn't do anything.

I want you people outta my house, now.

So what were you doing there?

Trying to see why your plan didn't work,

trying to finish what you started?

No, I... I just...

This is Seager with OFI.

I need a - - at Southeast...

Wait, wait... wait!

He had nothing to do with it.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

It was all me.

Why did you go there, Marc?

I had to find out
what was going on with you.

You were out till : in the morning,

Mom doesn't know where you are.

I looked at his search history.

He's been following
some firefighting blog

that tracks all the fires in Chicago.

Then he started checking out
one of the locations,

this old factory down on Western.

I went to go see what you were
up to, but I was too late.

It's not fair
what they did to you, Marc.

You people railroaded him!

Hey, hey! Calm down. Take a seat.

♪

Well, you know we support you,

even though we'll
miss the hell outta you.

Hundred percent.

I just, I need to spend some actual time

with Matt, reconnect.

When I hung up that Facetime
the other day,

I just got hit with this wave of all

the things that I miss about him.

That warmth, you know?

The way he could be so strong
but also so kind, and...

He has that gift of making everyone

feel like everything's gonna be okay.

Yeah. Casey is a one in a million.

Thanks, you guys,
for always having my back.

Really gonna miss you.

[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC]

♪

It's just...

such a stupid mistake,
missing that smoke.

Could've happened to any one of us,

man, I'm telling you.

Yeah, but I'm...
I'm not "any one of us."

I don't cut corners, I follow
procedures to the letter...

You're still human.

Listen.

Man, I could see what
a good firefighter you are,

so you gotta just put this
in the rear view and move on.

You get me?

Yeah.

Thank you.

Ah, Lieutenant.

Wanted to make sure I saw you
before I got outta here.

Thanks for the opportunity.
It was an amazing shift.

Mason, you are the missing piece.

What's been missing at
is what Casey brought us.

And I mean, no one will ever

be able to replace him,
but it wasn't just his talent

and his skills that made him
so important to .

It was his generosity. His kindness.

His heart.

And that is what you have.

So, um...

I know you're happy in St. Paul, but...

This is where I should be?

Yeah.

[CHUCKLES]

Can't argue with the lieutenant.

♪

- Hey.
- Hey.

I figured you'd be stuck at PD a while.

It didn't take long
to get Dennis Greene booked.

But I ran into Marc,
his son, on the way out.

Feel for the kid.

I know what it's like trying to get out

from under your dad's dark cloud.

It's a tough situation.

So I hear Mason is gonna be
sticking around a while.

Yes, yes.

I, uh, I pulled a boss lady move

and hired him on the spot.

And then I called DC Hill
and begged and pleaded for her

to speed up his transfer into the CFD.

Hold on.

Listen, I do not wanna get
all worked up just for you

to get a call from OFI and have
to run out and investigate.

Not a chance.

I'm exactly where I want to be.

♪