most of them you are giving instructions on how to set things on fire.” He carefully observed John, noting the spark of excitement moving through his eyes, just as it did when he gave his demonstration the prior week.
“My videos are good, aren’t they? I mean, everybody thinks that chemists are just nerds who sit around and talk about the periodic table. That might’ve been me if I hadn’t had such a good high school chemistry teacher. He made things come alive by showing us what we could do with mixing compounds. These are all the elements of life. All around us.” John’s arms flung out to his sides as he became more excited. “But I always emphasize safety in my videos. That’s the most important thing, is to make sure people know how to safely handle the chemicals.”
“And yet, YouTube flagged several of your videos.”
Sean observed as the goofy expression fled John’s face, replaced by anger. “I was stunned. I mean, their standards are fairly opaque. Hell, they use uneducated workers to trawl through and flag videos without even understanding what they’re watching. They see someone mixing chemicals creating reactions of all types, including fire, and they think it’s wrong or dangerous.”
“What kind of messages do you get from that channel?” Jonas leaned forward, placing his forearms on the table, and stared at John.
As though impervious to the detectives’ questions, John continued his excited explanation. “I get lots of questions about what happens when you mix different chemicals or compounds. Lots of kids are looking for great experiments to show their class or maybe for a science project. I never wanted to become a teacher because they don’t make any money. But this way, I’m still teaching. I’m still leading young minds, getting them interested in what they can do with chemicals.”
“And you were angry when you got a warning from YouTube and some of your videos were flagged.”
“You’re damn right I was angry. I protested and got some of my fellow YouTube chemists to protest as well. I even encouraged my subscribers to protest.” Shrugging, he added, “But ultimately I didn’t want to lose everything I had worked for, so I pulled down the flagged videos. Pissed me off, but it was better than losing my channel.”
Sean observed John carefully. “It’s our understanding that you had the nickname Firestarter when you were in college. Doesn’t that seem a little incongruent with someone who sees himself as promoting safety?”
Blinking, John leaned back in his seat, his head cocked slightly. “Who told you that? That was just a nickname. Hell, everyone I graduated with was an expert in chemistry. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff other people combined to make reactions. We used to have competitions to see who could create the biggest bang, the biggest spark, the biggest fire, the most smoke.” John’s gaze shifted between Sean and Jonas and he licked his lips slowly. “What are these questions really about? Are you looking at me as a suspect?” His voice raised with each word.
“We’re just looking at all sources where people can learn to set fires using certain chemicals. Have you come across anyone who has shown a particular interest, especially in phosphorus and carbon disulfide?”
John’s gaze narrowed. “As you’ve looked at my videos, you probably already have the answer to that question. With thousands of subscribers, I get lots of questions. To be honest, I answer very few of them, simply not having the time. And if you’re asking if I have any idea who the serial arsonist is, I’ll tell you ‘no’.” He stood and walked toward the door. “If that’s all, detectives, I have a job to do.”
Keeping their thoughts to themselves, Sean and Jonas walked back out to the parking lot. Once in his SUV, Sean said, “What do you think?”
Shaking his head, Jonas sighed. “What’s running through my mind is he’s only one person, but he has eight thousand subscribers and over a million views on his videos. How many of those viewers are secret firestarters themselves, and they’re getting all the information they need right in front of them.”
“Yeah, I had the same thought.” The weight of the investigation bore down on his shoulders, and Sean cracked his neck back and forth before pulling out into the street.
Soon, the two were ensconced back in their offices, once more buried under piles of papers. Beth walked in, going directly to their board with the map of Hope City and pushpins indicating the