“The fusible is the little red glass bulb and metal link in the sprinkler valve,” Moeller continued. “Usually, the heat from a fire would set off the fusible link and pop. When it pops, the system fills with water and goes out to where the sprinkler heads are.”
“H… How do you know it was tampered with?” Stella asked, her voice hitching.
“I don’t know for sure,” Moller added. “Did you or one of your employees accidentally turn it off?”
“No, I can’t see why they would have,” Stella replied.
“You don’t have a padlock on the riser room or the valve itself, and you really should,” Moeller pointed out. “I recommend you get one after this is all fixed.”
“I can do that,” Stella promised him.
“What started the fire in the first place?” I asked, hoping to start from the beginning before I went too deep into the water being turned off.
“It appears someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the window into the kitchen,” Officer Trenton spoke up.
“She has security cameras that should show us who did it,” I told them.
“Mr. Hanson also has security cams, but none that face this direction, and neither does Ms. Nielsen, but we will still go over the footage to see if we can get any kind of clue to who did this,” the officer added.
Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.
While the investigator took down her insurance and business information, I sent a text over to Vince, Archer, and Wade to let them know what was going on.
Vince: I’ve got a buddy who does fire investigation that we can reach out to and get some insight.
Me: Thanks, man.
Archer: Diego and I are still at the office. We can come over to help you board up any windows or help with cleanup.
Me: Let me talk with the cops first, and I’ll let you know.
Wade: I know a company who can come in and look at the fire damage cleanup and handle the restoration. I’ll call and get them over tomorrow to take a look at her bakery. I used them when we had that small kitchen fire at the Watering Hole a few years ago.
Me: Let me know when they can come, because Stella will want to be there.
Wade: Okay. If not, I can come and stand in for her since I know all the lingo already.
Naturally, my mind went straight to Doucet. I didn’t want Stella to worry, but I needed the cops to know what had been going on.
I also realized our talk with Doucet clearly had not sunk in like we’d thought, so I decided to also send a text over to Tex and Kitty.
Me: Someone set Stella’s bakery on fire tonight. Cops said it was a Molotov cocktail through the side window.
Tex: Everybody okay?
Me: Yes. Shop was closed up for the night. This was not random, though. I can feel it.
Tex: No, this feels personal. Your perp is escalating. She have security footage?
Me: Yes, but he was smart and knew exactly how to avoid the cameras. No good angle. I want to check nearby businesses, but I am still here at the bakery, so I will do it later.
Tex: I got it. Melody is out with her friend Amy tonight. I’ll let you know what I find.
Me: Thanks.
Having Tex on it would help. I knew Kitty would help too, but it was the middle of the night in Portugal, so it would have to wait until the morning. Though hopefully Tex would find something before that.
I wasn’t far, but I had stepped about twenty feet away to send my texts while Stella and Luna gave the cops the information they needed. I made my way back over to them and let Stella and the officers know that we had someone coming out tomorrow to look at the damage.
