Page 13 of Serial Burn

Jesslyn looked up, her brow pulled into a mix of determination and frustration, but she lifted her lips in a small smile. “Good morning to you too.”

He coughed to cover his amusement. “Right. Sorry. Good morning. Get some sleep?”

“A few hours. You?”

“The same.”

“Good. Yes, something interesting. We know this brooch survived the fire—if it was even in it. It’s got a mark that could be a logo or a signature. Marissa’s got someone running it through the database to see if we get a hit and Pastor Chuck is checking with the congregation.”

Andrew leaned over for a quick glimpse. “Definitely looks like a signature. I’d go with that.”

Nathan kept his gaze on Jesslyn. “I agree. On a positive note, we grabbed security footage from the hospital parking lot. The plate from the car we saw last night was covered in mud.”

She scowled. “Then it’s highly likely it’s the same one I saw at the church. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t get a good shot of the plate. Dark-colored car, hidden plate...”

“Sounds about right,” he said. “More than a coincidence. Even if the driver’s not responsible for the fire, I want to know why he appears to be following and watching you. We’ve got a BOLO out on him so hopefully someone will spot him soon.”

“Good to hear.” She frowned. “Did you talk to Pastor Chuck this morning?”

Andrew nodded. “He gave us a statement and some names to run but said he really didn’t believe anyone from the church could be responsible for the fire.”

“Well, he wouldn’t want to believe that.” She shrugged. “I don’t want to believe it either, but I know it’s possible.”

“We’ll see what comes back,” Nathan said.

“All right, people,” Marissa said, “out of my lab. I’ve got evidence to process.”

They said their goodbyes and walked toward the exit, pausing at the glass doors that would lead them out into the chilly morning air.

“The arsonist has done their research,” Jesslyn said. “The general population probably hasn’t ever heard of potassium permanganate, much less knows that if you mix it with antifreeze you can start a fire but still have time to get away before it combusts.”

Nathan nodded. “I’ll pass that on to the officers interviewing church members.”

“Unfortunately,” Andrew said, “we don’t have any security footage from near the church. Maybe Lindsay can get me a list of retailers who sell the stuff and I can start looking into that.”

“That works,” Nathan said. Lindsay Franks, one of the analysts at the bureau who would have the information in their inbox shortly. “She’s already working on it.”

“You think our guy was dumb enough to buy both ingredients at the same place?” Jesslyn asked.

“One can always hope,” Nathan said. “But why use that instead of something like gasoline, acetone, paint thinner, or whatever? Something more common? Not that it’ll be easy to track down where he got it, but still ... it’s an odd thing to use if you ask me. And I doubt the average person knows that by combining those chemicals, you can do what he did.”

“I tried a simple internet search without the word ‘permanganate’ and nothing showed up. Then I used an AI software and got a hit. Then again, if this person has access to it and some chemistry knowledge ... he wouldn’t need to bother with a search. We need to be sure to question the employees at these places in addition to asking about the customers.”

“Exactly,” Andrew said. “We’ll figure out where he got it. Eventually. Anyone mind if we grab food? I skipped breakfast.”

“I’m in,” Nathan said. He looked at Jesslyn. “You hungry?”

“I’ve eaten, but coffee sounds good.”

“Cornerstone Café?”

She smiled. “Of course. I’ll meet you there.” Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen. “It’s Lainie. See you in a few.” She swiped the screen and walked away. “Hey.”

Nathan tried not to watch her leave, but his eyes had a mind of their own. And so did his feet since he found himself following her. Andrew didn’t say a word, he just stayed with him. Nathan shot him a glance. “I just want to make sure she gets in her car safely. You know. Because of that vehicle that seems to be following her.”

“Right. Of course.”

“Shut up, man.”

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