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the house. Do you want to see
it?”
    “ No ma’am,” the Fire
Inspector said. “What condition was the house in?”
    “ Perfect. Like home,” Lo
said. “No fire, if that’s what you mean. I came in and went
upstairs for my album. The Deputy was with me the entire time. Did
he say that?”
    “ Yes ma’am,” the Fire
Inspector said. “He said he escorted you out of the house around
three-thirty.”
    “ I’m sorry,” Lo said. “I
haven’t been well since…”
    Lo hiccupped back a sob. Her eyes filled
with tears. She let out a breath.
    “ If he says it was
three-thirty, then that’s when it was.”
    “ We have another report
from a Sherriff’s deputy saying he removed you from the backyard at
ten-fifteen that same night,” the Fire Inspector said.
    “ I sat on the swing for a
long time. We planted that tree when we got married. I just wanted
to…”
    “ Yes, ma’am.”
    “ Do I need a lawyer?” Lo
asked. “No matter what anyone says, I’d never ever… do…
this…”
    Despite her best efforts, tears slipped from
her guarded eyes. She swatted at them with her finger tips.
    “ Ma’am, I’d like to show
you something,” the Fire Inspector said.
    Lo followed the inspector up what was left
of the marble staircase and into her old bedroom – Don’s old
bedroom; their bedroom. Lo gasped at the sight. In the left back
corner of the room, the falling roof had taken out her walk-in
closet.
    The room was wet and streaked with smoke
stains. But otherwise, unburned.
    Yet, everything was destroyed.
    The mattress had been slashed to bits.
Pieces of her clothing lay around the room in ribbons. Don’s
expensive suits, his trial suits, had been ripped to shreds. His
cowboy boots were cut to pieces. Every mirror, clock, and figurine
had been smashed. Lo kneeled down to touch a piece of the Hummel
figurine that looked like Alisha. Her eyes scanned the floor for
the shards of the Hummel that looked like Mandy. Trying to right
the fuzzy sensation in her head, Lo swallowed hard and stood
up.
    Her shocked, round eyes returned to the Fire
Inspector.
    “ The Deputy swears the
house wasn’t like this when you and he left with your photos. Did
you see or hear anything while you were in the
backyard?”
    Lo shook her head slowly back and forth.
    “ And you slept in your
car?”
    “ I had nowhere to go,” Lo
said.
    “ Did you hear or see
anything?”
    Lo shook her head.
    “ They must have started
after you left. This would have taken a long time. They went
systematically through every room. Busted walls, chopped up
curtains, clothing, everything,” the Fire Inspector
said.
    “ Then set it on fire?”
Larry asked.
    “ Yes sir,” the Fire
Inspector said. “We expected to find a body.”
    “ How dare you!” Lisa’s
voice was belligerent and loud. “What are you implying?”
    “ Nothing, Lisa,” Larry
said. “You just usually see this kind of damage when someone’s
trying to cover a murder.”
    Larry and Lisa’s eyes held. Lisa gave a
little nod.
    “ Do you know what time you
moved your vehicle?” the Fire Inspector asked.
    “ I came after my shift was
over at two,” Larry said. “It was probably two-thirty. We talked,
then left. They’d have the video from my cruiser downtown. We went
straight to Whataburger. They must have a record of our
purchase.”
    “ We have a receipt for food
purchased at 2:44 a.m.,” the Fire Inspector said. “Then again at
3:24 a.m. The clerk remembers Mrs. Downs.”
    “ The house is ruined,” Lo
said.
    “ Yes ma’am,” the Fire
Inspector said. “Your insurance agent has already been through the
house. The house and property are a total loss. He tried to get a
hold of you, but your phone…”
    “ Everything’s turned off,”
Lo said. “Money, phone…”
    “ Ma’am, do you have any
idea why anyone would do this?”
    Trying to keep from sobbing, Lo bit her lip
and shook her head.
    “ I’ve been authorized to
let you get whatever you’d like,” the Fire