Chapter 3

An hour later, a fire investigation expert, a police officer, the property manager, and I gathered at the apartment floor where Lucy lived.

As soon as the apartment's fire door was pushed open, a pungent smell of burnt debris mixed with cheap perfume hit us.

The fire investigation expert led the way, his flashlight beam sweeping across the corridor.

"What's going on here?"

The expert pointed at the corridor.

The floor was littered with dust bags for expensive clothes and scattered shoe boxes.

The once spacious fire escape was blocked by a huge custom-made shoe cabinet, leaving only a gap narrow enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.

The property manager wiped sweat from his brow.

"We've warned Ms. Jenner many times, but she said she has too many shoes and they take up too much space inside her apartment, so she insisted on putting them in the corridor."

The police officer's expression darkened.

"Illegal use of fire escape space is a serious violation of fire safety regulations."

We squeezed through the narrow passage and entered the living room, which was burnt beyond recognition.

The fire investigation expert headed straight for the balcony.

In a corner of the balcony, a machine, now charred black, was still plugged in.

It was surrounded by cardboard boxes, synthetic blankets, and other flammable materials.

"Illegal wiring, a high-power pet dryer running for a long time without being turned off, and a large amount of flammable materials piled around it."

The expert took photos and made notes, his tone stern.

"This is the cause of the fire. It's a typical fire caused by illegal electricity use."

Just then, Lucy, accompanied by several fans livestreaming on their phones, pushed her way up the stairwell.

Her hand was still wrapped in bandages from a hospital visit.

Hearing the expert's words, she immediately rushed in to argue.

"Nonsense! My baby gets cold after a bath, so I just wanted to keep her warm! How was I supposed to know that machine would catch fire? That's the manufacturer's fault!"

She pointed accusingly at the expert, her eyes teary.

"Instead of going after the unscrupulous manufacturer or punishing the firefighter who stood by and did nothing when my dog died, you're bullying a weak woman who just lost her baby!"

In the livestream chat, her fans commented furiously.

"Poor Lucy. What did she do wrong? She loves her dog, that's all!"

"Exactly, what does the machine catching fire have to do with her?!"

The property's cleaning lady was clearing the debris on the floor. Her broom accidentally nudged a charred plastic ball.

It was a toy the dog used to chew on.

The plastic ball rolled to Lucy's feet.

Lucy suddenly let out a shriek.

"Don't touch that!"

She shoved the cleaning lady away.

The cleaning lady lost her balance, fell to the floor, and struggled to get up.

Lucy clutched the charred ball tightly and yelled at the woman.

"You crushed the only thing my baby left behind! You murderer! You're all murderers!"

The entire place fell silent.

The police officer's expression was terrifying. He stepped forward and sternly warned, "Lucy Jenner, keep your emotions in check! You're pushing an innocent woman and obstructing an investigation. Do you want to get arrested?!"

Lucy was startled by the officer's imposing presence. She shrank into a corner and burst into tears.

Just then, the old man living downstairs, Hank McClung, climbed up, helped by his family.

Hank's face was covered in soot, his arms were covered in scalded blisters, and his breathing was heavy and ragged.

He pointed at Lucy, his finger trembling.

"You venomous woman!"

Hank coughed violently from anger.

"Not only did you block the fire passage with your shoe cabinet, but when you ran away, you also locked the stairwell's fire door! If the firefighters hadn't smashed the door open, my family of three would have all burned to death!"

Lucy's face went pale, and she immediately started wiping away tears.

"Don't make false accusations, Hank. I was so terrified at the time that my hands were shaking badly. Maybe I locked the door by accident when I touched the lock."

Hank's relative, unable to stay silent any longer, quietly said, "Let it go, Hank. She's just a girl, she must have been terrified when the fire started. She probably didn't do it on purpose."

More of that "objective bystander" nonsense.

I stepped forward and took out my phone.

"Didn't do it on purpose?"

I played a video, holding up my phone for everyone to see.

"This is the elevator surveillance footage I just retrieved from property management."

In the video, the fire alarm was blaring, and the corridor was filled with thick smoke, yet Lucy was calmly walking into an elevator.

Carrying her Hermès bag full of gold jewelry, she unhurriedly reapplied lipstick in the elevator mirror.

She even disdainfully brushed some dust off her skirt.

Throughout the entire process, there wasn't a hint of panic on her face.

"You call this 'terrified'?"

I stared into her eyes.

Lucy completely lost her cool. She stammered out an excuse.

"I... I just wanted to save my valuables! I didn't know the fire would get that big!"

As she was arguing, a charred, precarious piece of ceiling directly above her suddenly loosened.

A firefighter nearby instinctively reached out to pull her away.

"Watch out!"

Lucy shrieked and abruptly stepped back.

Her retreat knocked over a cardboard box that Hank had placed outside the door. It contained something that he had just rescued from the fire.

The box hit the floor, and a crisp shattering sound came from inside.

The box contained a pair of ancestral jade vases passed down in Hank's family which he had risked his life to save.

Now, they were shattered.

Seeing the fragments on the ground, Hank's heart sank. Blood rushed to his head and he fainted on the spot.