Through the FlamesChapter 3The arson investigator showed up on a Tuesday morning while Deacon was still at the station.Eli opened the loft door to a middle-aged woman in a plain navy blazer and a younger man with a notepad. They were polite, professional, and thorough. They asked him to walk them through the night of the fire again—where he’d been sitting, what he’d heard, whether he’d noticed anyone unusual in the building in the days before. Eli told them the truth: he’d been half-asleep on the couch, woken to smoke, crawled toward the bathroom, and then Deacon had come through the wall.They took notes. They asked if he had enemies, insurance disputes, or anyone who might want him hurt. He didn’t. They thanked him, left a card, and were gone in under forty minutes.When Deacon came home that evening, still in station blues with the faint scent of smoke clinging to his collar, Eli met him at the door and told him everything.Deacon listened in silence, jaw tight. Then he pulled E
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