DONA DIPRIMA: ACE APPRENTICE ATTORNEY

Case 1 – Turnabout Apprentice

Investigation: Part 1

"I will never forget this day as long as I live. Not only was it my 17th birthday, but thanks to my high marks at Themis Legal Academy, I was allowed to observe an actual trial from a defense attorney's perspective. I was interning under Attorney Cybil Impressa's watchful guidance. Naturally, I was not allowed to participate in the actual deliberations. Although I was responsible for the evidence, she really wanted me to focus on the trial and not worry about being the defense's assistant. I wanted to study law in university after graduating from Themis anyway, but this interning position would give me the edge I needed. I was content to sit on the sidelines and remain a spectator.

"Life certainly has funny ways of throwing turnabouts upon us. I never would have imagined what this trial had in store for a student of law. But no matter how stressful things got in the courtroom, I always kept three principles at heart; believe in the client, provide genuine evidence, and seek the truth. Those facts never change no matter how experienced you are. Indeed, the courtroom turned out to be an unexpected classroom for me to learn those valuable lessons."

October 19, 2031

3:20 P.M.

Themis Legal Academy

Classes had just ended for the day at Themis Legal Academy, and some students returned home while others joined up together for various after-school club activities. The school divided its students and their uniforms by its three main courses; blue for defense attorney, red for prosecutor, and black for judge. This applied to both the female sailor uniform and the male gakuran so that there'd be no mistake to what that student was studying for, and made things much easier for the professors to organize their classes.

Entering this school was both a sign of academic influence and prestige, as it was not cheap for parents to enroll their children into Themis. Unfortunately, the school suffered a major blow to its reputation around this time four years ago when Prof. Aristotle Means from the defense attorney class murdered his own colleague, Prof. Constance Courte of the judge course, and tried to pin it on one of the judge course students. Another terrible setback was the reveal of a former Chief Prosecutor's son achieving high marks only due to his father's rank, as well as bribes taken in secret deals. And yes, those kinds of bribes became the motive for Means murdering Courte, since she had discovered his secret activities.

As if that wasn't complicated enough, Themis also suffered from the period that the general public and the media dubbed 'the dark age of law', which lasted from around 2020 to 2027. This was the result of two extremely prolific cases that shattered the public's trust in the legal system, and then the bombing of one of the District Court's courtrooms served as the literal symbol for this crash in faith. Themis' professors also became jaded in return and tried to force their doctrines upon their students, leading to the school being split between 'the ends justifies the means' versus 'the truth is more important than results'.

Four years after all of these crises had been exposed and resolved, some lingering effects still remained within the student body. A new dean had been appointed to oversee the faculty and ensure that such a disaster never happened again, and a board of directors was established between various teachers to ensure their students wouldn't be manipulated by their professors again. The student council also had its greater share of responsibilities, acting as an intermediary between the students and the board should anything go wrong. Themis had lost a lot of recognition from these scandals, but everyone would work hard to put those dark days behind them and restore the school to its former prestige.

It was only the first half of the first semester, but already the students were busy getting ready for the 71st Annual School Festival, not to mention having to keep up with their studies and club activities. For the freshmen, it was their inauguration into the hustle and bustle of Themis' most entertaining day of the year. For the seniors, it was their last chance to enjoy high school life before having to commit themselves to their careers.

One female student from the defense attorney course didn't involve herself a great deal in these preparations, as she had to focus on her internship with an actual lawyer's office. She didn't have much trouble with her studies throughout the years, but since she wasn't always in the best of health, she had to keep her club activities light so she wouldn't be too stressed out. This also meant having to distance herself from the school festival, this year most especially due to her hectic schedule.

This was why she jogged to the school's front entrance and dialed her home number on her cell phone. A man answered, "This is the DiPrima residence. How may I help you?"

"Bertie? It's Dona," the girl answered.

"Ah, young miss. From your audible panting, I assume that an emergency has come up, yes?"

"Mrs. Impressa called me just now. She wanted me to join her on an investigation into a potential homicide, so I won't be able to have dinner there."

"That is quite all right. I am just hoping something similar won't happen tomorrow since you and your sister are to celebrate your birthdays together."

"I already told Mrs. Impressa about that and, other than observing the trial from the defense bench in the morning, she's given me the day off."

"Very good. Be sure not to wear yourself out with this investigation of yours. Remember, you are only to shadow Mrs. Impressa. You are not expected to participate in the search; that is for the police to handle. You just take notes and learn from your mentor's example."

"I know. But I'm just bothered by the way she said it was a 'potential homicide'," Dona wondered.

"If a defense attorney is present at a crime scene, it means they have a client to defend."

"That's a good point. Anyway I have to get going. The crime scene isn't too far from here, so I can walk."

"No, that won't do. Even if it's just a short distance, you should take your car. I always fret about you getting a cold in this weather, especially since you were discharged from the hospital back in the summer. You must protect your constitution at any cost, young miss."

"All right, I'll drive. Just so you don't worry about me."

"You take care now. If anything from the crime scene bothers you when you come home, I will always be available to talk to."

"Yes, sir."

Dona hung up and scurried to the parking lot where her white Rolls-Royce waited for her, parked next to an identical black Rolls-Royce that belonged to her sister. She got into the white vehicle and drove for the crime scene.

October 19, 2031

3:30 P.M.

Crime Scene

As Dona drove down the street toward the crime scene, she happened to notice a familiar purple Porsche parked off to the side and caught the license plate before rounding the corner. The plate read 'L-IMPRESS'.

Hmm? That's Dr. Impressa's car. Why would he be in the area when his pharmacy is way on the other side of town?

As she pondered this, she found the house in question quite easily due to the number of police cars surrounding the driveway and immediate area. Dona parked her car in a safe spot and approached the house, which was cordoned off with yellow caution tape and police officers. Even though she was supposed to assist in the investigation, there was no possible way she could enter without her mentor to authorize it. She had no choice but to wait among the small crowd of neighbors until Mrs. Impressa arrived. She figured it would be a good opportunity to ask these people a few basic questions in the meantime.

Dona approached an elderly lady in an electric wheelchair stroking a rather mean-looking cat's fur, and asked, "What happened here?"

"Hmm?" the woman squinted intensely and adjusted her glasses. "Who y'supposed to be? I dun recall seein' a lass like you in the neighborhood."

"My name's Dona. My mentor Cybil Impressa told me that her husband's brother lives here."

"Ohhh, so you be Cybil's newest lil' scamp! Yes, she always dotes on about her latest students every year! My, my, my, what a darling y'are! I'm the neighbor from two doors down, Marie Annie Smith, but everyone calls me Granny Smith. Y'could call me the town's very own private eye 'cause I love keepin' tabs on everyone!"

A gossiping type, I suppose. "Um, if you say so… So anyway, is everything okay with her husband's brother?"

The old woman shook her head and sighed, "Ah, such tragedy. I saw the paramedics wheelin' out the poor man's body into the ambulance 'bout lil' over an hour ago at 2:25. Even if he was a lech, peepin' tom and a petty crook, I wouldn't wish that kind of death on that fruitcake of a nuisance."

Sounds like the victim was Mrs. Impressa's brother-in-law, Forst Impressa, Dona noted, then asked, "How did he die?"

"A fire broke out at about 1:45 while I was doin' my usual knittin' with my lil' Malus 'ere," Smith recalled while petting her cat. "Luckily I called them fire guys and told them t'git their butts over 'ere 'fore things got outta control. I don't know the details, but I'm guessin' the blaze didn't spread much further than the bugger's bedroom. The rest o'the house looks mighty fine, if y'ask me. 'Course a lil' paint job ain't gonna do much good for that kinda damage. Might as well tear the sucker down and start from scratch, I reckon."

"You're probably right," Dona agreed, observing the burnt out remains of one of the rooms starkly contrasting the otherwise untouched house.

Marie hummed a bit before muttering, "By the way, I wonder if that nurse got out okay."

"Nurse?"

"Yeah, the poor lass who's had to babysit that cuckoo over the last year or two. Since his only caretakers are too busy with their jobs and he didn't wanna go to a nursing home, they had t'hire a full-time nurse t'make sure he don't get into any trouble. Poor thing had nothing but trouble from day one, and she'd come cryin' to me 'bout all the things Forst would do t'her."

"I see. If the medics didn't wheel out a second body, it should mean that she's fine," Dona surmised, then thought, Mrs. Impressa said that this was a 'potential homicide', so I'm wondering if that nurse is somehow involved in this, either as a witness or as the defendant.

"Oh dear, oh my, what a terrible mess. Isn't that right, Malus, my boy?" Marie moaned while petting her cat so hard that fur flew onto her cardigan. She then asked Dona, "Do y'think the boys in blue are gonna drag me to the station and question me for hours on end, dearie? My heart ain't used to be the same as before, and it can't take such drama!"

"I don't think that'll happen," the student replied. "They have the 9-1-1 call on record, and you were nowhere near the scene of the fire. I think they'll just take a statement from you right here."

"Ohhh, how convenient! I ain't into this legal mumbo jumbo, even though Cybil's tried her darndest to explain her cases t'me. But how do y'know this kinda stuff, dearie? You studyin' t'be like lil' Cybil?"

Uh… doesn't my uniform give it away? And I already said I was her intern.

"Ohhh, that's right! You're Cybil's lil' scamp, Dana!" Marie snapped her fingers in annoyance.

"It's Dona, ma'am," the girl reminded her.

"Whatever. My mind ain't the same as it used t'be, so don't git your knickers in a twist if I can't remember things right!"

Which makes me question just how reliable her statement will be…

Right then, another car pulled up to the scene, and a woman in her 60s got out and greeted the pair with, "There you are, Dona! And good afternoon, Marie."

"What happened, Mrs. Impressa? You were running kind of late," Dona asked.

"Sorry about that. I had a few things to take care of at the office, and my husband just phoned me saying he'd be coming shortly."

"I see. Mrs. Smith got me up to speed while I was waiting for you."

"Right! Thank you for calling the fire department so quickly, Marie."

Marie exclaimed, "Hoh! It certainly gave me a right ol' scare, lemme tell ya, Cybil! Those kinda things never happened t'me when I was livin' in the Heartland!"

"I'll bet. If you'll excuse us," Cybil bowed to Marie and then said to her pupil, "All right, Dona, we need to investigate the scene ASAP."

"Yes, ma'am."

October 19, 2031

3:45 P.M.

Crime Scene - Lounge

After Cybil discussed several things with the police officers guarding the area, the duo were allowed to enter the house on the condition that they didn't touch anything. Although it was the bedroom that suffered the worst of the fire, crime analysts still photographed the rest of the house for anything suspicious. The one leading the investigation was one Detective Ema Skye, and she didn't look terribly happy about it judging from the fervent munching of her snacks.

"Hello again, detective," Cybil greeted the young woman. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Hey there, Mrs. Impressa. I thought you'd be showing up soon, since this is your husband's place and all."

"Still haven't been transferred to forensics, I see? Nothing else can explain that grumpy look on your face."

"Hmph. The upper brass are always complaining about the precinct being 'short staffed' and all that. It could have been that glimmerous fop prosecuting the case, so it's not as bad as it looks."

"Who will be the prosecutor?" Cybil asked.

"Winston Payne."

"Hoh hoh hoh! That boy and I go back a long ways! I hear he's set to retire around the same time as me."

"Yeah, I guess. That's in the spring, isn't it?"

"It certainly is. Although I'll miss my job, I look forward to the relaxation. My poor bones can't keep up with you youngsters anymore, not to mention that my memory has been rather poor lately."

"Congratulations on your retirement, Mrs. Impressa. And sorry for having to switch topics like this, but we really need to get back to business."

"Oh certainly, dear. I don't want to take up your time."

"Judging from my notes, you're the victim's sister-in-law, correct?" Ema asked.

"Yes, I am. We'll need to join in the investigation, as the defendant requested for my services."

"Who's 'we'?"

"This young lady here," Cybil gestured to Dona. "Her name's Dona DiPrima, and she's my final intern from Themis."

"… A kid at a crime scene? I've been seeing too many of those lately. But I guess I can't complain too much, since I was about her age when I was at my first crime scene. I trust that she won't cause any trouble for the investigators, right?"

"Oh, you're being too blunt, detective. Dona is a very responsible and tactful young lady. She'll be writing the notes for me since I have arthritis in my hands."

Dona bowed and said, "I will be sure not to cause any disturbances for you and your team, Detective Skye. I must also maintain a degree of professionalism if I am to represent Themis as one of its senior students. If needed, I can remain under your supervision during the investigation."

"Oh… Well, you don't need to be so formal," Ema muttered. "Just stay out of the way and you'll do fine."

"Very good!" Cybil clapped her hands together. "Now that we're all settled in, can you bring us up to speed about what happened here? We spoke with the lady who called 9-1-1, but we're not familiar with the investigation details. I understand that Forst's body has been taken to the morgue already, so you must have taken plenty of good photos already."

"Yeah, we have. Here," the detective showed them a collection of photographs detailing the state of the body. They depicted a man in his late 60s or early 70s lying in his bed, which had its covers and sheets burnt to a singed black. The body had also been violently burned and almost unrecognizable had it not been for dental records confirming his identity.

"What a tragic way to die," Cybil shook her head in disappointment. "Poor Forst… My husband was especially close to him as his younger brother."

"Oh, speaking of Dr. Impressa-" Dona began, but then an officer walked in on them and reported to the attorney, "Mrs. Impressa? Sorry to interrupt you, but Dr. Impressa is here and wants to speak with you."

"He just got here?" Cybil asked.

"Yes, he did. When he heard that you were defending the suspect, he came straight away from the hospital."

Dona peered through the open front doors and saw an older man with features suggesting he originated from an Oriental country.

He was just parked near Themis earlier, and yet he came from the hospital? Maybe I had the wrong person… No, that can't be it. The license plate was the same…

"Oh, fantastic! Maybe he'll have more information about what the coroners have found out! I have to have a chat with my husband, so if you could take a look around and take good notes, that'd be great!" Cybil instructed Dona before running outside, leaving the dumbfounded student pointlessly stretching her arm out.

Geez… What happened to ensuring I don't push myself too hard? Bertie's not going to like hearing about this when I get home.

"Well that just complicates things," Ema grumbled while munching some Snackoos. "I'm not in the habit of babysitting students at a murder scene."

"I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm sure the nature of this case has thrown Mrs. Impressa into a frenzy. This is her brother-in-law we're talking about here," Dona apologized. "So on that note, what makes you certain that this is the scene of a murder rather than an accident?"

"… Oh. Did I say that?"

"Yes, you did. Just now, in fact."

"I meant to say that this is the scene of someone's death."

"But you said 'murder' so callously, as if it was an established fact. And Mrs. Impressa and I wouldn't be here in the first place if she didn't have a client to defend."

"Hmm… I guess so…" the detective muttered. "Fine, here's what I think - scientifically, of course. The autopsy's not done yet, but the initial coroner did a quick check of the victim's airway passages and didn't find any soot."

"Nothing? Even though he died from the fire?" Dona raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, it's obvious that wasn't the cause of death. If it was, there'd be plenty of telltale signs such as reddened eyes, soot in the nostrils and mouth, and signs of the victim struggling to escape. The initial coroner couldn't find anything of the sort. You saw in the photos that the victim was lying on his bed beneath his bed covers. He made no attempt to get out of that bed and run."

"So you're suggesting that the victim died before the fire, meaning he couldn't have committed arson."

"Right. The real purpose of that fire was for the culprit to eliminate any evidence of their crime. The only one who was home this whole time was his in-home caregiver, Nurse Nye Eve."

"So she's being treated as the prime suspect."

"Yep. But we need to eliminate the possibility of arson anyway, which is why we're combing the place for any sort of trigger that could have been used outside the bedroom, like an igniter, a switch, or some kind of set-up," Ema explained, gesturing to the forensics officers.

"Okay," Dona acknowledged with a nod. "Still, you sound really confident that Ms. Eve was a killer in the first place."

"How else can you explain this situation!?" Ema grumbled in annoyance. "The victim dies, and then his room lights up in a blaze! If that's not suspicious, I don't know what is!"

"He could have died from natural causes."

"Oh, so the guy has a heart attack, and then something coincidentally shorts out in his room and causes a fire? How convenient… And anticlimactic."

Okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but she doesn't need to be so grumpy about it.

"All I know of the victim is that he wasn't a man of good health, so that sort of death is always a possibility," Dona said.

"Anything is a possibility until we get the autopsy report in. The body also had fourth degree burns, so we'll be lucky if we can get any solid leads from that," Ema shrugged.

"You're right. We could argue this all day and not get anywhere. I suppose the only thing we can focus on is how the fire started."

The detective adjusted the bright pink sunglasses on her head and smirked, "The only facts I believe in are the ones derived from science!"

"Um… So how does a homicide detective go about investigating an arson case using 'science'?" the student wondered.

"Glad you asked!" Ema grinned with the glee of a child at an amusement park. "There are some factors that we can analyze in the meantime. First of all, I want to determine if anything in the victim's room was flammable and if they promoted the spreading of the fire. Next, I want to analyze the structure of the house itself. Lastly, I want to put those factors together and search for a trigger that our killer could have used."

"What do you mean by a 'trigger'?"

"Something that's responsible for starting a fire. It could be a lit cigarette, an electrical short causing sparks, a lightning strike, used matches, or even some kind of elaborate trick!"

I think she's most enthusiastic about finding the 'elaborate trick' type of trigger…

"So our first stop is the victim's room, where the blaze was contained," Ema adjusted her glasses.

October 19, 2031

4:00 P.M.

Crime Scene - Bedroom

The student and the detective approached Forst Impressa's bedroom, where two men worked diligently to examine every detail of the scene. The room was 10x10 feet in size, so it wasn't very accommodating for the examiners to do their work. The two women had little choice but to stay outside so they wouldn't get in the way. In the nearly burnt out room, there was the afflicted bed in one corner, a small table with the remains of a lamp, a closet on the opposite side, and a worn out reading chair with an ottoman that clearly needed replacing – and not because of the fire.

"Geez… No matter how many times I see the damage here, I still can't help but think it could have been much worse," Ema remarked.

"So you wanted to find anything that could have been flammable in here," Dona summarized.

"Yeah. Hey, have you guys found anything of the sort?"

One forensic technician saluted his superior and reported, "There have been several signs found. We've collected what was on the body, and we noticed that there were cigarettes in his pants pocket."

He gave her an evidence bag containing a package of opened cigarettes. The label read 'Oldport 24', and had enough space for 24 cigarettes. Curiously, two were missing.

"Well, there's one potential trigger," Ema folded her arms. "Two have been used up too. It's a common theme for fires to start because of careless smoking. Someone lights one up, then falls asleep while it's still burning. Poof! Instant fire hazard!"

Dona said, "Our culprit could have lit the two missing cigarettes up and left them sitting on the bedding for them to burn up. But the victim died before the fire started, so there's no way for the whole 'sleeping while smoking' scenario to be possible in the first place."

"In addition to what Ms. DiPrima said," the officer added, "We examined the sheets and found no traces of any cigarettes that could have been used as the trigger. The ones in the package were relatively undisturbed since they were found on the victim's back pocket, so it didn't get a lot of exposure to the fire."

"Do you guys know where the missing two cigarettes are?" Ema asked.

"We've been confined in here for the last while, and we haven't found them yet. We had noticed some ash trays throughout the house earlier, so maybe they've been extinguished in one of those."

"I see…" she muttered, then shrugged. "Well, I figured that was too easy."

"I still don't understand what the point of burning up this room is in the first place," Dona shook her head. "Regardless of what the trigger is, there's no way the culprit can get around the fact that the victim died prior to the fire starting, meaning that someone other than the victim caused the blaze to happen. The culprit is just asking for suspicion to fall upon them."

"Hey, you're not exactly helping your case here, you know," Ema frowned.

"I know. It just feels so roundabout and unnecessary, as if the culprit wanted to be caught."

Or it could be someone trying to frame Ms. Eve… But I can't jump to conclusions just yet. I don't have enough information yet before proposing my idea.

While Dona was lost in thought, Ema asked the officer, "Did you find any other potential triggers?"

"Well, there is this lamp," the man pointed to the night stand where the all-but-destroyed desk lamp stood. "The glass bulb had shattered as a result of the fire, but its internal components are relatively intact. I couldn't find any signs of a short circuit or sparks coming from the bulb or the wiring. However, we found the remnants of a magazine plus embers caused by loose papers. At this time, we can't be sure if they contributed to the fire or were simply caught in it."

He showed them the magazine in an evidence bag. From what they could see, it was a fairly thick book written in Chinese, with the edition number '46' emblazoned on the binding.

"Papers around a lamp that had no problems with it…" the detective pondered. "It's hard to tell if there's a connection or not…"

"The worst of the fire was contained to the bed, night stand, lamp, window, and opposing dresser. The door, chair and ottoman have some damage, but not nearly as much as these items. As a forensic investigator, I firmly believe that the fire originated from this side of the room and was extinguished by the fire team before it could spread further."

"Their response was most fortuitous," Dona agreed. "If they had been too late, it would have been impossible to determine the origin and localize the search to that spot."

"Hmm…" Ema scratched her chin.

"Is something the matter, detective?"

"Well, it's convenient that we can narrow the search, but our culprit really did a good job of not leaving any obvious traces behind. Maybe they knew what to take advantage of to maximize their ability to destroy evidence. That's partly why we arrested that nurse, since she's familiar with the layout of the house."

"Are you saying that because the fire was so potent in here, she would have known what materials to use to cause the most damage?"

"Ah!" the detective's eyes widened with enthusiasm. "If we can't find the trigger in here, perhaps there was an external trigger she could have used! Then she could have gathered whatever flammable materials she could find, placed them in here in a way that they wouldn't look suspicious, killed the guy, and then set the fire!"

"Let's not say if she 'gathered these materials' until Dr. Impressa is questioned. For all we know, everything in this house could have been here for years, if not decades. Mrs. Smith told me that Ms. Eve started working here about two years ago, so I can't imagine her being familiar with everything from top to bottom."

"Well, you get my drift. All I'm saying is that she had to have known what materials in here were flammable and take advantage of them. Even just standing in here for five minutes tells me everything about what how dangerous this room really is!"

"What do you mean by that?" Dona wondered.

"Take a look at this," Ema pointed to the blankets. "These are cotton fleece, which is known to have a high combustibility rate. Those curtains? Cheap linen, also known to combust easily. Then we've got an old wooden table and dresser, and a magazine sitting around. I've been told by neighbors that this is a really old house too, so I wouldn't be surprised if the infrastructure itself contributed to the fire's potency."

"Can you determine such damage right now, or would it require a detailed investigation?"

"Hmm, hmm! Thanks to the power of science, it's possible to closely examine wood and extract its entire history from it! All I need is a sample of unburned wood from the infrastructure and put it to the test!"

October 19, 2031

4:20 P.M.

Crime Scene - Backyard

The duo left the bedroom and went outside to the back where they could find any samples of wood from the house. After some poking around, Ema found an opening on the side of the house where rats could get in and out, and she stuck her hand in to try and find any wood. To her surprise, a small chunk broke right off with little effort.

"Wow, that was easier than I thought," she remarked, observing the rotten wood with excitement.

Dona raised her eyebrows and uttered, "That's from the structure?"

"Sure is. Let me take a good look at it."

Ema lowered her pink sunglasses and used a microscope she had on hand to analyze the piece of wood. She suddenly uttered, "Why, hello there."

"What's the matter?"

"Just found a few termites. Not only is the wood very dry, it's also incredibly infested."

I'm almost afraid to ask, but here goes… Dona thought before asking, "When was this house built anyway?"

"Judging by the age and composition of the wood as well as termite damage, I'd say it's about 75 years old."

"You can't be serious… And they never did any upgrades?"

"Doesn't look like it. With this kind of structural damage, it's a miracle that old woman called the fire department before the blaze could spread to the rest of the place."

Mrs. Smith wasn't kidding when she said this house should just be torn down! I'm almost afraid of the whole thing collapsing on us!

"What's the matter? You're suddenly looking pale there," Ema asked.

"Oh, uh... It's nothing. So is this evidence that the house itself is a fire hazard?"

"This place is barely up to code. You could call it little more than a basic shack disguised as a modern house. With all of the pests, weed overgrowth and rotting wood going on here, the house being a fire hazard should be the least of this neighborhood's worries. How the victim refused to live anywhere but here is beyond me."

This isn't looking good for Mrs. Impressa's client. Any arsonist with half a brain would immediately see this kind of damage as fuel to add to their fire, and Ms. Eve's been working here for two years.

Aloud, Dona asked, "So now that we've verified that the house is a hazard and that the possibility of an external trigger exists, what do we do now?"

"What else? We gotta ask the boys and see if they found anything outside of the bedroom," the detective smirked.

"What kinds of external triggers can be used?"

"I was involved in one case where an igniter was used to light up a certain someone's guitar. If I still had that footage, I'd replay it over and over again just to get a good laugh after a bad day at work. Oh well, that's what memories are for."

"Igniters can be set off manually using a switch, right?"

"Exactly. They're supposed to be used by scientists for testing the flammability of certain products and by law enforcement for recreating the scene of a fire, but they've also been a real hit with arsonists, if you get my point."

"You mean they're easy to get?"

"Hmm… I wouldn't say 'easy' as in you can go on a website and buy one there. But if you had the right connections and enough money, you can buy any kind of illegal contraband. Word around the grapevine is that there's a huge international black market cabal that can get you anything you want if you cough up the dough, and some of our detectives have been working nonstop on that case for years."

Dona shuffled her feet while thinking, I'm praying that the forensic team doesn't find any sort of illegal tools like that. But with the way this investigation is turning out, it may be the only possibility we have left.

"But I digress," Ema stopped herself with a shrug. "We should focus on finding evidence of such things. Let's go to the laundry room since the breaker is located there as well as the ladder to the attic. I've sent a guy up there to see if the wiring wasn't tampered with."

"If the wood wasn't refurbished in 75 years, I'm almost frightened of what standards they had for electrical engineering back in the day," Dona mumbled.

October 19, 2031

4:30 P.M.

Crime Scene – Laundry Room

Just as Ema and Dona entered the cramped laundry room, the officer in question climbed down a ladder from the attic. In his grasp was a plastic bag with a hideous mishmash of thin metal cords and black rubber coverings. Ema exclaimed, "Hey, did you find something!?"

"Yes, ma'am. I just finished examining the wiring and, well… I stumbled across this lovely example of 1950s engineering."

The two women stared at the thing in the plastic bag with such flat astonishment that it was downright comical. The detective muttered, "Dare I ask what this monstrosity is supposed to be?"

"It's the main circuit line for the whole place. One more lightning strike and we'd have had a real accident on our hands."

"More like a case of gross negligence! Doesn't this house belong to a well-respected pharmacist!? He should know better than that! Just… unbelievable!"

Dona interrupted Ema's spaz attack by deducing, "All that aside, even though the wiring was installed poorly and not well maintained, it's still nowhere near the bedroom. Can I assume that there weren't any signs of an external trigger in the attic, officer?"

"There were some melted wires and chewing marks from rats, but nothing indicating that the fire originated from there and traveled to the bedroom," the man reported.

"So the attic is clean…"

Ema became so agitated that she needed one of her patented 'snack breaks', and she munched her Snackoos loud enough for everyone to hear. Dona sighed and suggested, "Let's ask everyone first before giving in to the munchies, detective."

"I know, I know. This is just… Ugh! If the boys don't find anything, then we're back to the bedroom!"

"That might not be such a bad thing. It'll help tremendously in narrowing down our options."

"I don't know how 'helpful' it'll be for you, Ms. DriPrima. If you don't find anything suggesting that someone other than Mrs. Impressa's client could have done this, then your case will be stuck on a fork before the trial begins!"

"If Nurse Eve proclaims she's innocent, then I'll just have to work harder than ever to find evidence supporting her."

"Man, you're cool as a cucumber, aren't you?"

"I've been told that a few times," Dona shrugged.