“Marshal Vance.” Captain Hallie Hunter jogged over, her helmet tucked under her arm. “The fire started in the costume storage area. The building was still occupied when the call came in, but we got everyone out.”
Erin’s stomach dropped. “Was anyone hurt?”
“No injuries. Theater kids were rehearsing in the main space, heard the smoke alarm, and followed evacuation protocol.” Hallie gestured toward the building. “Looks like our arsonist struck again.”
“Time of ignition?”
“Approximately five-thirty. Bold bastard started the fire while people were still inside.”
Erin nodded, already analyzing the scene. The arsonist was escalating. First the empty buildings, then the library during the evening, and now this during prime after-school hours. It was far more aggressive and dangerous.
She spotted Lena’s unmarked car pulling up to the police perimeter, and her pulse kicked up a notch as she watched Lena step out of her vehicle.
Lena surveyed the scene as she approached, taking in the crowd of displaced people, the damage, and the coordinated response. When her eyes landed on Erin’s across the chaos, an awareness passed between them.
“Detective.” Erin kept her voice level as Lena joined her and Captain Hunter.
“Marshal. Captain.” Lena’s tone was equally professional, but Erin caught the way her gaze lingered for half a second longer than necessary. “What’s the situation?”
Hallie briefed them both on the timeline and evacuation while Erin forced herself to focus on the details instead of the way Lena stood just slightly closer than protocol required.
“I need to examine the point of origin to see if it’s the same pattern as the previous fires,” Erin said.
Lena fell into step beside her as they approached the building. “The timing suggests our suspect is getting more brazen.”
Or more desperate, Erin thought. The conversation at her apartment came flooding back: their breakthrough about community targeting. “This fits the pattern we discussed this morning. The community center offered youth theater programs and LGBTQ+ safe space initiatives.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.” Lena’s voice was low, meant only for Erin’s ears.
They worked their way around the building’s perimeter, documenting the scene while firefighters finished their ventilation procedures. The backstage area showed clear signs of accelerant use, the familiar burn pattern they’d seen at previous sites visible.
“Same MO,” Erin murmured, photographing the scorch marks on the floor. “But they were rushed this time. The pour pattern is less precise than at the other scenes.”
Lena crouched beside her, close enough that Erin caught her familiar scent beneath the smoke. “What do you think interrupted them?”
"Could be the rehearsal that ran late or someone came back for something they forgot." Erin stood, nearly brushing against Lena in the confined space. "Or they're getting careless because they think we're not close to catching them."
"Are we?" Lena asked quietly. "Close to catching them?"
Their eyes locked in the dim backstage area, and for a moment Erin forgot they were discussing arson. The morning's unfinished conversation hung between them like smoke.
"Marshal Vance?" A voice from outside broke the spell. "We've got someone who wants to talk to you."
Erin reluctantly followed the firefighter outside, where a teenager with purple hair and paint under her fingernails waited by the ambulance.
"I'm Abigail," the girl said. "I was here when it started, and I saw someone leaving through the back alley right before the alarm went off."
Lena appeared beside them, her notebook already out. "Can you describe what you saw?"
"The person was about medium height, not that tall but not really short either, wearing a dark jacket and a baseballcap pulled low. They were walking fast but trying not to look like they were running, you know?" Abigail twisted her hands together. "I thought it was weird because only the cast and crew are supposed to use that exit."
"Did you see their face?" Lena asked.
"No, but..." Abigail hesitated. "They walked like they knew the building and where they were going, not like someone who was lost or exploring. Like they'd been here before."
Erin exchanged a look with Lena. Someone who was familiar with the arts center’s layout, who knew about the back exit and when the building would be occupied.
"Abigail, do you know if anyone's been asking questions about the theater programs lately?" Erin asked. "Or seemed unusually interested in your schedules?"
