“Driscoll’s a felon,” Cal continued. “Petty arson in his twenties, insurance jobs, and quick cash grabs. That’s his profile.”
Rhea brought up a mugshot on the screen. “He likes accelerants, fast burn, fast exit.”
Wyatt’s jaw ticked.
“Will?” Cal said next.
The image shifted to Letty’s former research partner. Letty’s posture tightened almost imperceptibly.
“Motivation?” Cal asked.
“Jealousy.” Letty paused. “Professional rivalry. He applied for the same grant I got.”
“And?” Wyatt asked, voice neutral but tight.
“And he didn’t handle losing well.”
“Define not well,” Cal pressed.
“He implied I didn’t deserve it,” she said. “Said I only got it because I had ‘better optics’.”
Wyatt stilled.
“That’s a man who resents public perception.” Cal flicked his pen.
Letty pursed her lips. “What bothered me even more is that he didn’t yell. He just smiled, like he was filing the anger away.” She narrowed her eyes at his photograph before she turned. “Um, he was a volunteer firefighter.”
The room shifted. Wyatt’s eyes snapped to her. “Since when?”
“During grad school,” she said. “He liked proximity to crisis. Said it made him feel necessary.”
Rhea’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Confirmed, volunteer fire department in Baton Rouge. Two years.”
Cal turned back to the board and added:WILL -Fire access knowledge.
Wyatt pushed off the wall. “So, he’d understand response times.”
“And how to manipulate them,” Letty added.
Cal circled Will’s name once. “But,” Cal continued, “we don’t lock on too fast.” He drew lines connecting all three names. “Driscoll executes,” he said. “Will plans or feeds intel, and Holloway closes the file.”
Letty frowned. “You think the Deputy Fire Marshal’s involved?”
“I think he seemed motivated to shut this down fast.” Cal glanced around the room. “And that’s worth noting.”
Wyatt stared at Holloway’s face on the screen. The man had dismissed Letty’s evidence from the beginning. “Do we think he’s protecting someone?”
“I don’t think we know enough to ask all the questions.” Cal corrected.
Rhea shifted screens again. “Thomas Hargrove,” she said, “the marina developer.”
Cal added another name to the board:HARGROVE
“Hargrove as the insurance beneficiary.” Lines webbed across the board now. “This is complicated.” Heads nodded in agreement. “Fronts working different angles.”
Wyatt’s gaze went to Letty. “If Hargrove wanted Councilman Pike intimidated, he doesn’t hire a guy like Will directly.”
“No,” Cal agreed. “He hires someone like Driscoll. Or someone hires Driscoll.”
