Chapter 8 – "My Grandparents Started the Fire Dynasty—And I Was Next on the List"
Evie sat in the library for three hours, reading every article she could find about the Vance family's history with fires.
She found seven separate incidents over the past twenty years.
Seven fires. Seven unexplained blazes that had destroyed property, sometimes killed people, and always left the Vance family richer or more powerful than before.
The first fire was her grandparents' house. Her father had been in college at the time. The insurance payout had been substantial—enough to pay for Richard's law school and give him the capital to start his own business.
The second fire was a warehouse owned by Vance Construction. It had burned to the ground, killing a night watchman. The insurance money had allowed the company to expand into new territories.
The third fire was a house owned by a business rival. The rival had been threatening to expose Richard's shady business practices. After the fire, the rival had backed off, and Richard had acquired his company for pennies on the dollar.
The fourth fire was a farm. A family had refused to sell their land to Vance Construction. After the fire, they had no choice.
The fifth fire was a car accident. Richard's mistress had threatened to go public. She'd died in a fiery crash.
The sixth fire was a yacht. A journalist had been investigating the Vance family's connections to organized crime. He'd been on the yacht when it exploded.
The seventh fire was last week.
The fire that had almost killed Evie.
Her hands were shaking as she closed the browser. She felt sick. The articles were all written in careful, understated language—"unexplained blaze," "suspicious circumstances," "investigation ongoing." But the pattern was unmistakable.
Someone in the Vance family was a serial arsonist.
And they'd been getting away with it for twenty years.
Evie walked back to the shelter in a daze. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the streets. She felt like the world had shifted beneath her feet, like everything she'd ever known was a lie.
Miriam was waiting for her on the porch.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Miriam said.
"Maybe I have." Evie sat down on the steps. "I think my family is cursed. Or maybe cursed isn't the right word. Maybe it's something worse."
Miriam sat down next to her. "Tell me."
Evie told her about the articles. About the seven fires. About the pattern that had been repeating itself for decades.
Miriam listened in silence. When Evie finished, she said, "That doesn't sound like a curse. That sounds like a habit."
"A habit?"
"Some people can't stop." Miriam's voice was flat. "They start with one fire, and then another, and then another. It becomes a way of solving problems. A way of getting what they want. And once you've done it seven times, it's not about need anymore. It's about compulsion."
May you like
Evie stared at her. "You think my parents are compulsive arsonists?"
"I think someone in your family has a very specific way of dealing with problems." Miriam stood up. "And I think you need to be very, very careful. Because if someone has been getting away with murder for twenty years, they're not going to stop just because you survived."
