Colby felt the words hit Sabrina like a physical blow.She swayed almost imperceptibly, her weight shifting backward for just a fraction of a second.He moved a half step closer, ready to catch her if she lost her balance, but she stayed upright through what looked like sheer force of will.
He watched her swallow, hard, like she had a stone lodged in her throat.
She had known this was likely.She had heard Anderson hint at it earlier, standing in this same spot while the crews finished their work.She had whispered about her ex in a hospital room that still smelled like antiseptic and smoke, her voice thin with fear and exhaustion.
Hearing it named now, with lab results and official reports behind it, carved the truth deep.
"Arson," she repeated under her breath.The word came out hollow.
Diaz's voice lost a little of its harder edge."Yes.That designation will be included in the formal report.It matters for the insurance file and for the investigation going forward."
Sabrina nodded once.The motion looked automatic, disconnected from anything she was actually feeling."Okay."
Diaz's gaze shifted to Colby for a moment, then back to Sabrina.Something in her expression changed—not softer, exactly, but more careful."There's something else you need to know.We received an anonymous call last night.The caller suggested you had motive to set the fire yourself."
Sabrina's tired eyes went wide, shock cutting through the numbness."I didn't set the fire.I would never do that.I love—" Her voice cracked, splintering on the word."I loved this place."
Colby stepped closer, his hand hovering near her elbow without quite touching.He wasn't sure if contact would help or hurt.Wasn't sure what she needed from him in this moment.
"Sabrina."He kept his voice low, steady."Anyone who knows you knows how much this place meant to you.Nobody who matters believes that call."
She hiccuped, trying to control her breathing, her chest rising and falling in uneven jerks.Her eyes—red-rimmed and bright with unshed tears—held Diaz's gaze."I didn't do it."
Sergeant Diaz nodded once, the gesture carrying weight."I hear you.I'm not treating you as a suspect.But I needed to tell you about the call, so you're aware.Anonymous tips have to be documented, even when they don't hold water."
Sabrina stared at her for a moment, processing.Then she turned back to the ashes, to the place where her life had been destroyed, while someone tried to make it look like it was her fault.
"If you remember anything you didn't tell me last night," Diaz added, her tone gentling, "anything at all, you call me directly."
"I will," Sabrina said.
Diaz closed the folder and tucked it back under her arm."I'll let you have your time here.Take as long as you need."
She gave Colby a brief, understanding look—one professional to another, acknowledging that he would handle things from here—then turned back toward her SUV.
He waited until the sound of her boots on gravel faded and the engine started, watching the vehicle pull away down the service road.Then he glanced at Sabrina."You need to sit down?"
"No."
Her voice was thin but firm.
He let his arms hang loose at his sides, fingers flexing once before going still."Talk to me."
Her gaze didn't leave the rubble."She said it was arson."
"She did."
"So someone did this on purpose.Deliberately.They walked onto my property, poured gasoline on my grandmother's floors, and struck a match."
"Yes."
The wind shifted just enough to pull up a stale whiff of burned wood and something chemical underneath.He saw her flinch at the scent and then force herself still, refusing to give the reaction any more ground.
"Last night," she said, "I kept trying to tell myself maybe it was faulty wiring.Or an old heater someone left running.Or something I missed during my last inspection."She dragged in a breath that shuddered on the way out."That would have been awful.I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life.But at least there would have been a reason.Something that made sense.Something I could point to and say, 'That's where it went wrong.'"
He let her talk.Better out than locked inside, eating at her.
"This?"She lifted a hand slightly, fingers trembling as she gestured at the ruins."There's no sense in this.There's no lesson.There's no way to fix it or prevent it next time because there was nothing I could have done."
