456 Playing the Victim

After settling Bert down, Emily went straight to the police station the next morning.

“Fire?” the officer asked.

Emily nodded. “Yes, my house caught fire for no apparent reason, and I suspect someone set it deliberately.”

The young officer was very responsible. Hearing that it might be arson, he took it seriously and carefully asked her many questions related to the incident.

Emily answered them all, and after completing the report, four police officers accompanied her back to Bert’s house.

The narrow street quickly became tense as people noticed the arrival of police cars. This was a poor neighborhood, but it also harbored some shady characters. The moment the police arrived, people ran out to see what was happening, following them all the way to Bert’s home.

“Isn’t that Bert’s house? Why are the police here? Did they come to arrest someone?”

“Yeah, Bert’s a good guy, isn’t he? What could he have done wrong?”