Chapter 1 - The Duplicate Key
The hardware-store label was dated six days before the fire.
My mother had not returned my only spare key.
She had returned a copy and kept the original.
Investigator Daniel Reyes sealed the evidence bag again.
“Who knew you would be away from the apartment last Thursday?”
“My parents.”
“My brother.”
“I was at my grandmother’s lawyer’s office.”
Reyes wrote something in his notebook.
“What was the meeting about?”
“My grandmother died three months ago.”
“She left me part of her estate.”
“My family believes I manipulated her.”
A firefighter called Reyes toward the building.
Before leaving, he looked at me carefully.
“Do not confront anyone about this key.”
“Why?”
“Because the fire did not begin accidentally.”
My knees nearly failed.
He caught my elbow.
“We found traces of an accelerant near your bedroom closet.”
“That is where I kept the estate documents.”
“Were they valuable?”
“Not financially.”
“They proved what my grandmother wanted.”
The rain came down harder.
Across the street, Mrs. Alvarez watched us from beneath a blanket.
She suddenly raised one trembling hand.
“Claire.”
“I saw your mother here.”
Reyes turned toward her.
“When?”
“Last Tuesday.”
“She said she was watering Claire’s plants.”
“I thought Claire had asked her.”
I had not.
My mother had entered my apartment four days before the fire.
She had known exactly where the documents were stored.
Then my phone vibrated.
Miles had finally returned my call.
His message contained only one sentence.
May you like
Mom says you need to stop accusing people before you destroy this family.
I had not accused anyone yet.
