"That's a very good question," Holt replied grimly. He had suspicions about the answer, but he kept them to himself. Only he and June knew about the potential Morrison family connection to these attacks, and until he had concrete proof, he couldn't share those suspicions with anyone else.
Rad carefully bagged the canister as evidence, making detailed notes about its location and condition. "Should I run this through federal databases to see if we can trace its origin?"
"Absolutely," Holt confirmed. "I want to know everything about where this came from and how someone acquired it."
They continued their methodical examination of the clinic, working their way toward the back of the building where the second phase of the attack had taken place. The rear hallway showed extensive fire damage, with blackened walls and a partially collapsed ceiling where the flames had been concentrated.
"The fire was set here deliberately," Willa observed, crouching down to examine the burn patterns on the floor. "You can see where accelerant was poured in a specific pattern to block the exit completely."
Ace knelt beside her, pointing to areas where the fire damage was most severe. "Someone wanted to make sure that back door was completely impassable. This wasn't random arson. This was tactical."
As they worked, Holt found himself going over the timeline that June had provided from her conversation with Margo. The coordination required to execute this attack was sophisticated, requiring multiple people or careful advance planning.
"So the sequence was gas canister through the front door, front door barricaded from outside, fire set at the back door, then a second gas canister through the bathroom window when they tried to escape that way," Holt summarized aloud.
"That's remarkably thorough," Willa said with a frown. "Someone really wanted to make sure there was no way out."
"How do you know all those details?" Rad asked, looking up from his evidence documentation. "Were you able to interview one of the victims already?"
Holt realized he'd revealed information he shouldn't have had access to yet. "June interrogated Margo while she was at thehospital," he said, giving Willa a slight smile. "She has a talent for getting people to talk."
"That sounds like Mom," Willa said with a fond sigh. "She loves solving mysteries. Spy novels are her favorite genre, and she's always been fascinated by crime investigations."
"Yes, I remember," Holt said without thinking, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
The comment hung in the air for a moment, and Holt realized both Willa and Rad were watching him with curious expressions.
"How do you know my mother so well?" Willa asked, her voice carrying the kind of careful neutrality that suggested she'd picked up on something significant.
Holt felt his chest tighten as he scrambled for an answer that would be truthful without revealing the full extent of his and June's shared history. This wasn't the time or place for that conversation, and he needed to speak with June before they told their children about their past marriage.
"June and her family used to summer here in Sandpiper Shores when we were teenagers," Holt said finally. "We knew each other growing up."
It wasn't a lie, exactly, just an incomplete version of the truth. But even as he spoke the words, Holt's conscience reminded him that omitting the four years of marriage was a pretty significant detail to leave out.
Before either Willa or Rad could ask follow-up questions, Ace's voice called from outside the building.
"I found the accelerant container," Ace announced, appearing in the doorway with a plastic evidence bag. "It was in the dumpsterout back. Whoever did this wasn't very careful about disposing of evidence."
Holt took the bag and examined the bottle inside. It was a standard metal container, the kind used to store gasoline or other flammable liquids, but it showed clear signs of having been used recently.
"This person isn't being very careful at all," Holt noted, though something about the carelessness bothered him. "It's almost like they want to get caught."
"Or they're taunting us," Rad offered, a theory that made Holt's stomach clench with worry. "There have been no fingerprints on any of the gasoline containers we've found at the other fire scenes, either. Someone who takes the time to wear gloves but then leaves the evidence containers lying around seems oddly inconsistent."
"I took photographs of where the bottle was positioned in the dumpster before I moved it," Ace told Rad. "I'll send those images to you for the case file."
"Thanks," Rad replied, pulling out another evidence bag. "I really appreciate the thorough documentation."
Willa had walked outside to examine the area where Ace had found the accelerant container, and the others followed her to the back of the building. She was frowning as she studied the exterior walls, her expression growing more concerned as she moved along the structure.
"I think there was a lot more accelerant used than what was in that one bottle," Willa said, stopping at a section of the back wall that hadn't been touched directly by the fire. "Can you smell that chemical odor?"
She pulled off one of her gloves and ran a finger along the wall, bringing it close to her nose to test her theory. "We need to get someone from the state fire marshal's office to test this entire back wall," she continued, her voice taking on an urgent quality. "I think the whole exterior has been sprayed with accelerant."
The implications hit Holt like a punch to the gut. If the entire building had been treated with accelerant, then this hadn't been a targeted attack designed just to eliminate Lacey and Margo. This had been planned as complete destruction, designed to burn the veterinary clinic to the ground and erase any evidence of what had happened inside.
"You're saying someone intended to destroy the entire building," Holt said, wanting to confirm his understanding of Willa's assessment.
