Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I opened the folder open as the waitress came with our orders and Danner dug in. The first page, the official summary, was neat and carefully printed in black ink. I’d never known a fireman or medic who kept such clearly legible run sheets or reports unless there was a good Goddamned reason. Most of the time we couldn’t read our own handwriting after the ink dried. What had been hanging me up was the passage about the burn pattern at the north wall suggesting a possible accelerant, but that burn progression might also be consistent with aging wiring. The conclusion was listed as undetermined… which was the crux of the problem. The burn pattern wouldn’t have been mentioned if the investigator hadn’t been suspicious.
Photos of the unit’s interior after the fire were clipped in the back, glossy and in color. The walls were streaked with black in three distinct locations. I flipped them out onto the table to study them. One at floor level, one shoulder-height, and one near the ceiling grid. The accelerant had probably been poured in three places on her things at different heights but near each other, and some had slopped along the floor when it splashed. Tin roof overhead had been burned away to nothing but warped struts. I pulled one picture closer, squinting at the shadowed arc along the block wall. Of course, most of this came from the reconstruction. The place had not only ignited, but the vapor had exploded and some of the non-cinder block part had been blown away.
“You see it?” Danner’s voice was a rough whisper. “They’re counting on the eye tracking up, not down. If you look at the floor, you’ll see the true point of origin. The wall burns are staged.”
He slid a second sheet from the folder. Field notes, not part of the official file. Danner’s own handwriting this time. “My initial report showed I estimated five gallons of accelerant were used, probably more. Goddamned thing burned wicked hot.”
I nodded, more to myself than to him. “Multiple points,” I said, “but made to look like one.”
“Yep. And enough juice that there’s nothing left for a lab to test by the time the fire runs its course.” Danner tapped the edge of the table for emphasis. He didn’t look at the file. “Thing that always bugged me about this case is I always thought whoever set it got lucky. The more I think about it, I’m not so sure anymore.”
“You think this is more than just a firebug.”
“Yeah, Jonah. I think this guy has perfected his technique and done this before.”
My mouth twisted. “But was this a warning or a message?”
My friend shrugged. “Both, maybe? The woman denied any gasoline or other flammable liquid being stored in her unit, but the initial investigator stated he was told she’d inquired about storing extra gas for her lawn mower, though no name was provided as to who heard the statement.” He made a noncommittal sound. “You want to tell me what you plan to do with this?”
I closed the folder and looked him in the eye. “Let’s say there’s a guy with a history of torching properties that mean something to women he can’t control. I intend to stop the pattern of bad behavior.”
Danner’s lips twitched. “Not my business, so long as a repeat performance doesn’t make its way onto my desk.” He didn’t blink. “But if you’re planning anything illegal, it doesn’t come from this file. You understand?”
I grinned. “Loud and clear, Danner. Appreciate you going out on a limb. More than I can say.”
He drained the last of his coffee and wiped his mouth before standing, leaving the folder in front of me. “You don’t owe me anything for this,” he said in a low tone, “but if you ever need to make something disappear, you call first. I’m not one to rat out one of my best friends. So don’t make me.”
I gave him a respectful nod. “I promise, Frank.”
I had very little memory of the ride back to the compound. My mind was working too hard to concentrate on anything but the folder in my saddlebag. I needed to think about all this. Make a whiteboard or something to visualize it because I knew I had all the information right in front of me. I just hadn’t connected all the dots.
Once inside the compound, I headed to mine and Juniper’s apartment. She sat in the living room and looked up when I opened the door.
She sat up straighter. “Is that it?” she asked.
I nodded and dropped the file on the table. “It’s not pretty. You want the highlights or the horror show?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression hardening. “Give me everything.” That was my girl.
I laid out the whole thing, just like Danner had done for me. “Officially, the fire in the unit was undetermined, but Danner wasn’t convinced. Not then, not now.”