“When?”
“Three weeks before the fire.”
I sat very still.
“Is that unusual?”
“Maybe.”
Then Priya asked:
“Did you know there was a life-insurance policy on you?”
My stomach tightened.
“We both had policies.”
“This is a different one.”
“How much?”
“Two million dollars.”
I stopped breathing for a second.
“Beneficiary?”
“Derek.”
“When was it opened?”
“Five weeks before the fire.”
I tried to laugh.
Nothing came out.
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“No,” Priya said carefully. “By itself, it doesn’t.”
Then she told me something else.
The fire investigation had never been fully closed.
The initial report listed probable electrical failure.
But a supplemental laboratory analysis had detected an accelerant near the rear hallway.
The report had been delayed.
The fire might have been deliberately set.
I looked at my scarred hand.
“Priya.”
