analysis of the statistics. In many cases, fires are never reported as arsons due to the non-training or overwork of the fire departments. And, as you know, most small cities do not have what Hope City has… an Arson Detective Division.”
She took another sip of coffee, then leaned back in her seat. “I’ve looked at your reports on what you’re dealing with, and I would say that you’re definitely dealing with a motivated arsonist, not simply motiveless fire setting. That would possibly mean that you’re looking at someone that is older… well, older than their twenties. Now, the question could also be looked at whether it is the pathological or the nonpathological motivation.”
Sean grabbed his notebook from his pocket. “I’m sorry, but I want to make sure I’m getting this. Give me just a minute.” Looking up, he nodded for her to continue.
“Nonpathological motivation would be for someone who is looking to defraud an insurance company, for example. They do not have a pathological need to set fire, they simply want money. A pathological firesetter is doing so as an act of aggression, hostility, attention, to embellish a deflated sense of self-worth. Those are the simplest motivations. But they could also gain sexual satisfaction from the fire or have delusions and hallucinations.”
Before he had a chance to ask, she quickly added, “At this point, I can’t give you an opinion on which you’re dealing with. I am fascinated with the rocks that are left at each site. Tell me more about those.”
“It’s nothing more than ordinary garden rocks that you find in any garden center. Our labs can’t give us anything unique about them. No prints. No accelerants on them. He leaves a pile of them somewhere near the origin of the fire.”
“Are they stacked… like in a pyramid or a circle? Or just randomly placed?”
“No… more like a… God, this sounds stupid, but like a bowl. Kinda like a nest.”
Her eyes widened, and as he expected, she simple shook her head.
“I hate to be pessimistic, detectives, but until he’s caught and evaluated, you probably won’t know his motivation.”
Jonas shook her hand and moved to the counter, offering to pay for everyone’s coffee. As Valerie stood, Sean re-pocketed his notebook and thanked her for her assistance. As the two of them walked toward the front door, he stepped to the side as several firefighters walked in. He recognized a few, but it was Bill who snagged his attention when the firefighter’s gaze darted between Sean and Valerie before a wide grin crossed his face and his eyebrows wiggled.
Ignoring Bill, Sean escorted Valerie to her car before meeting Jonas. Looking at his partner, he said, “I’ve got someone I want to interview. Let’s go.”
Thirty minutes later, Sean weaved through the lab tables, Jonas right behind him. John was in the back working at the same station he had been when Harper introduced them. Keeping his eye on his prey, he noticed when John looked up, first surprise and then curiosity on his face.
“Detective McBride. Detective Miller.”
John’s gaze looked around and Sean said, “Harper’s not with us. We had some questions for you.”
John pulled off his goggles, nodding emphatically. “Sure. Sure. Anything I can do to help.”
“Do you have a more private place where we can talk?”
John’s brow lowered, but he continued to nod. “Sure. Just follow me.”
John led them back through the lab and across the hall to a small conference room. He appeared ill at ease as his gaze darted around and he muttered. “Uh… do you want to sit?”
With a nod, Sean and Jonas sat on one side of the table, leaving John to fill the seat on the other side. “As part of fire investigation, we have to look at all types of people who fit arsonist profiles. It’s come to our attention that you recently protested when YouTube threatened to shut down your channel. What can you tell us about that?”
John ran his fingers through his hair, the ends now comically standing straight up. He leaned back in a huff. “Yeah, can you believe it? I’d been working on that YouTube channel for several years and had almost eight thousand subscribers and close to a million views! And they wanted to shut me down citing inappropriate content? I couldn’t believe it! It’s bad enough the government’s always looking over our shoulder, but now hobbyists can’t even have a platform for sharing what they love doing.”
“I’ve looked at a few of your videos, and it appears that in