Donuts and Handcuffs

The two women shook their heads. The taller one with nearly black hair said, “There was another fire last night. At the corner of Ferris and Plaxton.”

“Do you know that little beige apartment building?” the other woman asked. “The ugly five-story one?”

“Yeah,” I said, thinking. “I think that’s where Mrs. Williams lives.”

The taller woman nodded. “That’s the one. An empty apartment on the top floor caught fire last night, and they had to evacuate the building.”

“Do they have any idea yet what started it?” I asked.

She shrugged. “It’s an old building. It could just be bad wiring. Or teenagers on the roof throwing cigarettes. Who knows?” The women picked up their order of seven-grain bread, smiled politely and left.

I felt the prickle at the back of my neck. That strange, inner radar that screamed that something was off. Setting it aside for the moment, I put on another pot of coffee and took muffins out of the oven, my left arm strong enough to take a third of the weight, so I could balance properly.

Rushing to the front when I heard the bell, I was delighted to see Daniel. Just watching him walk in the door filled me with a sense of soothing warmth. “Hello, Officer. Another lovely day in the neighborhood?”

His enticing lips smiled, but his eyes were tight. “You didn’t hear about the fire last night.”

“Yes, actually. Just a minute ago from a couple of customers. What happened?”

He cocked his head, accidentally turning his perfect jawline into the light. “You don’t read the news?”

“No. It just makes me angry and I don’t sleep very well as it is.”

“Well, there was a fire at the Armstrong apartments a few blocks away.”

“Yeah, was everyone okay?”

“Apparently. They said it was a wiring issue, and it started in an empty apartment, but the smoke alarms were intact, so there were no injuries.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged. “But the inspectors have said that the wiring in the whole building is shot, and it has to come down. So all of those people will need a new place to live.”

“The whole building?” He nodded. “That doesn’t seem suspicious to you?” I asked.

He looked at me oddly, but I could

see that he was genuinely interested in my opinion. “Go on,” he said.

“People are tearing old buildings down and putting up condos all over the place. It’s much easier to get a lot rezoned if they have to tear any structures down anyway.”

Daniel nodded. “There have been a few rumblings up that alley, but there’s no way to prove anything.”

“Are the electrical inspector and the property owner related in any way?”

“I don’t know. I’ll look into that.”

“Did the fire start vertically or horizontally?”

“What... Every building is different. How would that make a difference?”

I knew I shouldn’t be saying this, but some of my customers lived in that building, and could have been killed. “One way to make a fire look like an accidental electrical fire is to punch a hole in a wall where there is a bunch of wiring, and have a rat ready. You have the cage door lined up at the hole. Set the poor little thing on fire, and open the cage. The rat runs wildly through the interior of the building, setting things on fire.”

His jaw fell open. “That’s the most disgusting, cruel, horrific thing I’ve heard today, and it’s not even noon.”

I nodded. “I know. So, natural electric fires tend to go upward, as flames and heat rise. Rats tend to run on a horizontal plane.” I held up a hand. “I know, it’s awful. I read a book on insane crimes a few years ago, and that has stuck with me. According to the book, it’s done all the time, and really hard to detect.”

“I’ll look into it, and mention it to the detective on the case. There’s likely no way to prove anything.” He sighed heavily. “Those damn condos are squashing every building with a bit of charm. Nobody will be able to afford to live here in twenty years.”