Flames engulfed the north side of the elementary school building, but the Mountain Springs Fire Crew was finally quelling the flames with water.

Antonio Suarez worked for the Colorado government and lived in the Denver area, but he'd been residing in a hotel in Mountain Springs for weeks now, and he still hadn't solved the case of the Lake End arsonist.

This school fire had disrupted a fundraising event, and now frantic parents swarmed the southern soccer field, running amok with their scared children. Antonio scanned the field looking for the suspects he'd had the pleasure of questioning over the past weeks. Suspect number one: Dylan Vanderson. The tattooed ex-junkie didn't look like he belonged with the Lake End Elementary School parents; he stuck out like a sore thumb, a factor that would help Antonio to find him, if he was here.

One of the local police officers brought a man to Antonio. "This is the school principal, Mr. Rodman."

"How can I help?" Mr. Rodman asked.

"Have you seen Dylan Vanderson this evening?"

"Yes. I—I found him inside earlier, and brought him out here with me."

"Where inside did you find him?"

"In the preschool room."

The place where the fire might have started. "Great," said Antonio. He didn't really want to believe Dylan Vanderson was responsible for all these fires. It didn't add up. But this...this didn't bode well for Dylan.

Antonio was about to ask where Dylan might be, but then he spotted the young father with his stepmother, Ellie Vanderson. As Antonio began walking toward them, he laughed inside at what a shitshow this family was, a stepmother and stepson the same age, both with children the same age, with enough over-the-top family drama fit for a soap opera. The kind of soap opera his wife liked to watch. 

Ellie spotted Antonio as he was nearing them, and her eyes latched onto him.

"Officer!" she said, panic in her voice.

He ignored her, saying, "Dylan Vanderson, we've been looking for you. We need to ask you some questions."

"My husband is missing!" Ellie said forcefully.

"Clay Vanderson is missing?"

Her eyes filled with tears. "I can't find him anywhere."

Antonio sighed, wondering what to do with this information: Clay Vanderson. A casualty of the fire, or a suspect?

He spoke into his walkie. "We have a missing person. Male, 6'3, Native American. He may still be in the building. Alert the fire crew."

He turned around, ignoring Ellie and her watering eyes, then and began to walk away, and spoke into his walkie again once he couldn't be heard by the Vanderson family. "Who's on the perimeter check?"

"Officers Richardson and Gunship. We're driving around the school, currently on Lake End Drive. It's gonna be hard to spot fleeing suspects with all these parents leaving, though."

"I'll try to keep the parents from leaving for a little longer." He lowered his voice, putting his lips right up to the walkie talkie. "But keep an eye out for Clay Vanderson. He's our newest suspect."