“Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.” He pulls up a document on his screen. “My assistant, Phoebe, made some connections today. Connections we should’ve seen earlier.”
“What kind of connections?”
“Dorothy Williams.” He turns the laptop so I can see. “She’s the link between all three fires.”
I lean forward. “What do you mean?”
“First fire: café. Dorothy was there minutes before it started. She left early, you stayed late. Fire happens.”
“Okay.”
“Second fire: library. Dorothy was scheduled to volunteer that afternoon and called in sick. You went to get Tommy’s book. Fire happens.”
“Third fire. Her house. Where I was visiting.”
“Exactly.” Marco pulls up another file. “Three fires, Dorothy’s the common factor. She was supposed to be at all of them. But she wasn’t.”
“Except the third one. She was home.”
“Right. Which is why that fire happened at her house specifically.” He looks at me. “Someone’s targeting Dorothy Williams. You keep accidentally being there instead.”
I sit back, processing. “Who would want to hurt Dorothy?”
“That’s what we need to figure out.” He sets the laptop aside. “Phoebe ran backgrounds on everyone in Dorothy’s life. Family, friends, church members. Only one person stands out.”
“Ryan.”
“Ryan.” Marco nods. “Dorothy’s grandson.” I think about Dorothy’s voice when she talks about Ryan. The worry. The disappointment. The way she always makes excuses for him, even when she knows he’s lying about where the money goes.
“She complains about him constantly,” I say quietly. “Every time we talk, she mentions the gambling. The money he keeps asking for. How he gets angry when she suggests he needs help.”
“How angry?”
“I don’t know. She never gave specifics. Just said he’s been volatile lately. That he stormed out last time she refused to give him money.”
Marco writes this down. “When was that?”
“A few weeks ago? Before the first fire, I think.” I try to remember. “She mentioned it at the café one Tuesday. Said he’d been by asking for rent money, and she finally told him no.”
“And then the café burned down that night.”
We both go quiet.
Marco closes his laptop. "We're building a solid case. I have enough evidence to be confident Ryan is our guy, but I need more before we can make an arrest that sticks."
"What kind of evidence?"
"I can't share details of an active investigation." His tone is professional but not cold. "What I can tell you is that we're close. Very close."
"But you're sure it's him?"
"Yes. The evidence points to Ryan. He had motive and opportunity for all three fires." He stands up. "What I need from you right now is to stay vigilant. Keep your doors locked. Don't go anywhere alone if you can help it."
"You think I'm in danger?"
"I think you've been present at three fire scenes. If Ryan realizes you might have seen something—anything that could identify him—you could become a problem, he wants to eliminate."
The words hit like ice water. "You think he'd come after me?"
