Randi had put in some long nights, but none longer than the one that just ended. By the time the fire was under control, the dead and injured removed and Randi's story repeated at least half a dozen times, it was close to sunrise. She was exhausted in every nerve and pore and just wanted to crawl into bed for a week.

Shock reverberated through both the fire and police departments as news of Dan's complicity spread like, well, wildfire. Dan had made the official arrest and ...