Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  That is the phrase that’s buzzing aound Flame’s head as she drove into work.

Why is it that sometimes you just can’t get rid of a phrase or song and it just drives you almost nuts?  Just human nature I think, it’s the way we are built.  But today there is work to be done.

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A new client coming in for a preliminary meeting in less than 10 minutes and there is more prep to do.  The client is charged with arson and out on bail but home detention.  He’s got one of those ankle bracelets that his movements are tracked with.  He’ll probably be escorted by a guard for the visit today.

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James was escorted by a guard, Flame insisted that the guard stay outside the office because of client lawyer priviledge.  Hey, where could he go?  There isn’t an opening window in Flame’s office and only one door in/out.  The guard put a chair up against the door and sat on it until Jocie told him to move away.  Can’t have him listening in to a private converstion can we?

James is slow, very slow.  He just can’t remember where he was yesterday and yet he was home all day.  Had to be, he’s on home detention.  James also has no idea what the bracelet on his ankle is, he just knows that he can’t take it off and when he goes for his daily walk around the block the Police take him home again.

He loves flames, he watches them at home in the fireplace for hours.  He is allowed to light the fire sometimes and that is a really special day.  James’ parents keep all the matches, lighters etc. under lock and key.  James has lit a couple of small fires at home and has the burns to prove it.

It was great though when the fire truck arrived to put them out.  Fire trucks are nearly as good as flames but big fires James doesn’t like, they burn people and that hurts, a lot.  James knows that, he’s been burnt, his left hand and arm are well scarred with an old burn.

No matter how many different ways Flame asks James questions she has not been able to prove his innocence of the charges laid against him.  He just has no idea where he was at the time of the fires.  What is a little damming though is that he does know the people whose homes were destroyed and he doesn’t like them.  They or their children have made fun of him or bullied him in the past.

But then so have most of the children at Risdon Primary at some stage or another.  Unfortunately for James he is an easy target and, kids being kids, has been bullied in one way or another for his entire school life.  He is frustrated and angry most of the time.  The anger only goes away when he watches the mesmerising movements of the flames.

If Flame didn’t know better she would believe that he was the Pirie Pyromaniac as The Recorder has been calling him since the second fire and long before he was charged.  But she did know better.  Which created a huge dilemma for Flame.  How does she mount a defense for James which keeps him out of jail while keeping the Law satisfied that there would be no more fires and stop the search for the Fire Bug?

Her job as his defense lawyer is to keep him out of jail first and declared innocent second.  Innocent is what he is but innocence is impossible to prove if your client has no idea where they were at any time and is easily confused.  The prosecution will trip him up over and over again if James is put on the stand.  The massive doubt raised combined with his love of flames and his anger against the victim’s families will look like an open and shut case.

This is going to be tough.

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