Chapter 42: Smoke and Mirrors
As I walked slowly and deliberately through the fire station, the smell of burned wood and lingering smoke permeated the air. Red-painted lockers lined the walls, their metal doors gleaming in the low overhead illumination. After I asked the firefighters to disperse, the buzz of talk had subsided.
The station had fallen into a tense silence.
Good. That meant they were thinking. That meant doubt had begun to fester.
I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small leather-bound notebook, flipping it open to an empty page. With a smooth flick of my wrist, I retrieved a pen and began jotting down details as I moved through the room.
David. Logan.
Two names. Two suspects.
One truth.
I stopped in front of David's locker again, my eyes scanning its contents. The two lighters sat there, seemingly mundane, but the details screamed otherwise. The first was well-used, worn from excessive flicking, blackened at the edges. The second was nearly untouched, only half of its fuel used.
A firefighter wouldn't have much use for lighters beyond the occasional controlled test or personal habit. But in a case where arson was involved, the presence of multiple lighters—especially a nearly unused one—felt off.
I noted it down.
Two lighters, one half full and the other extensively used, are in David's locker. potential link to arson incidents.