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As I arrived on scene, it was clear that the issues had been solved and I wouldn't need to spend much time attending to anyone. On the side of the road sat a car that had clearly been engulfed in flames, along with an ambulance and a firetruck. Sitting on the stretcher there was a young man, about sixteen. He appeared to only have minor burns on his feet and calves, nothing too severe that would require a skin graft. Approaching him with my partner, we begin to ask questions while others apply ice and bandages to his burns.
"So, how did this happen?" I ask, pulling out my notepad and beginning to write down what he reports. As the first people who arrive on scene, it's important for us to get the full report before any of it fades from the witness's mind.
"I had just pulled out of my parking space and the hood started smoking...and then I felt a burning down my my feet….Then the whole car went up in flames." The young boy speaks, appearing to be quite shaken. Glancing at the car which has now burnt to a crisp, I shake my head and write down more details. A few more minutes pass by and we ask him steady questions, until my partner speaks up.
"Any reason that the car would just spontaneously catch fire like this? I mean, you said this car was a birthday gift, and it's only a few months old, right?" My partner asks him, recalling previous information that the boy had told us.
"I took it to the shop just last week to get new tires...They looked over the whole thing too, because my mom is paranoid about this sort of thing anyways….I have no idea why this happened." He pauses for a moment, looking at his lap with a devastated expression. "It shouldn't have happened."
"It certainly shouldn't have." I turn as I hear an outside voice, then seeing the fire investigator approach us. In his hand he holds a small electrical device, or what is remaining of it. Continuing, he speaks with a grave tone.
"See this right here?" He holds up the small device. "This was found right near your brake pedals. They were mostly burnt up but we can decipher what is what- and it must have been attached to them somehow."
"What are you saying?" The young man asks, sitting up straight and leaning forward.
"This device looks like it was engineered by a professional, but it's not something you can buy on Amazon...it starts fires, that's it's only job. When it detects a certain amount of vibrations- like the vibrations of a car starting- it creates a spark and releases flammable gas."
My partner's pencil is flying rapidly across the paper as he writes this all down, meanwhile I stand with my jaw dropped. I expected this to be the result of some sort of malfunction in the engine….not arson.
"S-so someone t-tried to set my car on f-fire? Like, to kill me?" The young boy trembles, his hands gripping the side of the stretcher.
"It appears so. You are lucky that you got out in time." The fire investigator replies calmly, rolling around the fire-starting device in his hands. I swallow hard and turn back to the boy, taking the notepad from my partner and asking him more questions.
"I have to ask you a few more things, some are unrelated to the accident. But it's regulation so bear with me."
"Okay." He nods his head and sighs, I can tell this has really shaken him to the core.
"What's your full name?"
"Trent Lee Brothers."
"How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Alright and...Where were you coming from right before you got in your car?"
"The cafe down the street, Topanga's. I got finished at the art studio and then went to get a muffin."
Everything in that sentence catches my attention, but I know I must continue with the regulation questions.
"Where were you headed to?"
"Home, my house is in Greenwich Village."
As I write down his answers to all the questions, my own mind begins to wander. Strange...Didn't Maya come from the art studio before she arrived at Riley's? I wonder if Topanga or Katy saw any suspicious people follow him out of the cafe...Shaking these thoughts from my head, I get a sturdy slap on my shoulder from my partner.
"Looks like they're all finished here. Carol says she can finish bandaging him up. Good news, no ambulance ride for you!" My partner says in a far too lighthearted tone, and I exit the scene with my hands in fists at my sides. Looking back once more, I see the young boy bid me farewell with a shy glance. Giving him a slight smile, it is impossible for me to imagine a motive behind someone starting this kid's car on fire.
Someone dangerous, for sure. And he is still out there.
It isn't like me to leave the investigating to the BCI. There's no way I'll be able to leave this alone.