Rookie Blue Episode 2.04 Heart & Sparks

POLICE LOG:

Detective Luke Callaghan is recovering from gunshot wounds at the hospital and there's an arsonist loose in the city. Officers are advised to track down this firebug before somebody gets hurt. Detailed report follows:

Officers respond to the scene of a Laundromat fire. It looks to be part of a string of arsons that have been plaguing the city. A frantic woman named Lydia believes the owner, who is also her husband, is inside. She rushes into the unstable structure with Andy in hot pursuit.

CRASH! Sections of the building collapse leaving Andy and Lydia trapped inside. The woman's husband is there, too. Lydia screams when she sees his charred body. Andy tries to keep the panicked woman calm on the inside while Oliver tries to keep Sam from storming the place on the outside. He can tell that his pal has more than a professional concern for Andy, though Sam won't admit it.

Traci discovers arson-friendly accelerants in the bag of a high school girl hanging out at the scene. The young lady's father is a top lawyer. Too bad he's also a lousy dad who can't stop taking phone calls long enough to deal with his little girl, who confesses to starting the fire. Both father and daughter are shocked to learn that a body was found inside. This case just went from arson to homicide.

The fire rescue guys cut through the wreckage. Once a pathway is cleared, Sam is able to step inside to help lead his favorite rookie to safety. While inside, Andy learned that Lydia and her husband were having money problems. She thinks the fire may have been a copycat crime done for an insurance payout. Jo dismisses the theory since they have a suspect who confessed back at the station.

As it turns out, the high school girl didn't set the Laundromat fire. Her confession was an attempt to get attention from her total tool of a dad. Andy and the other rookies learn the rental car guy next door set the fire to help the Laundromat owner start a new life with his wife. He had no idea his friend was inside. As it turns out, the victim swallowed a bunch of sleeping pills beforehand so his wife could have his life insurance money, too.

Chris makes a discovery while interviewing witnesses at the crime scene. Ryan Miller, a man he once called his stepdad, works in the area. Chris is still pretty ticked at this guy because he took off when he was 10. He believes this man is the reason his mom became such a wreck. But Gail learns that Ryan was booted out of the house after he called child services complaining about the cruel punishments Chris' mom inflicted on her son.

Though Gail and Dov are often at odds with each other, she realizes they have one thing in common that differs from Chris. Gail says, "He's used to looking after things and we're used to being looked after." This realization has her reconsidering her request for Chris to ditch the puppy he rescued from a dog fighting ring. Too bad they just found the cute pooch's owner.

Traci's doing the "happy family" thing with her former ex Dex while hooking up with Jerry on the side. Only Noelle knows her stories of working overtime are bogus because she's been staying late to drum up funds for her in vitro treatments. Noelle attempts to make an appointment with Frank to chat about her situation. But the dinner plans they make sound more like a date to us.

A few more folks become privy to Traci's personal life when Dex stops by the station. He saw some sexy texts from Jerry on her cell phone. Normally, a civilian would get arrested for decking a homicide detective in the middle of a police station. But in this case, Jerry simply sucks up the sucker punch he gets from Dex.

Remember how we said Sam couldn't admit his feelings for Andy? Well, she also seems to be keeping her emotions hidden during a mildly awkward moment at the end of their shift. After all, she's engaged to a guy who's still recovering from gunshot wounds. Luke is grumpy about being cooped up in a hospital room, but he seems happy enough when Jo stops by for a visit. As you can imagine, this isn't easy for Andy to see.