“That’s assuming the fire really was set deliberately,” Iona replied, trying to sound uninterested.

Hammond leaned in toward her. “You and I both know it was.”

Iona blinked. “Why do you say that?”

“Because we’ve studied how fires start. Even accidental fires are caused by people. Something poorly maintained, or left burning when it should have been put out. But nobody had been in that building since the collapse. Why would it suddenly burn down now?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Iona admitted. She had been deluding herself with the possibility that the authorities would conclude it was nobody’s fault and ask no further questions. “But then,” Iona continued, “it might be a blessing in disguise.”

Hammond looked at her quizzically, and Iona instantly regretted having said it.

“I just mean it was going to be such a lot of work to repair the damage,” she went on, “and would people ever have felt comfortable in it? I’m just thinking of the people who would’ve had to work there. We can start afresh and do it right.”

“That’s not like you. You love solving problems.”

“Maybe I’m just getting old. Don’t have the energy to think my way around things anymore.”

“As you said before though, such waste. If we’d made the decision to tear the thing down, it could’ve gone into the furnace. But all that heat, just going into the air . . . awful. How much power could that have generated?”

Iona said she’d love to stay and help him work it out, but she had to go and teach her morning class.

* * *

A heavy, dismal feeling washed over Iona when she realized her students also wanted to talk about the fire.

She tried to start the lesson but the students were utterly preoccupied. She deflected the issue by turning the lesson into one about how good design could help prevent fires, and demonstrated how the layout of the city had stopped yesterday’s fire spreading to other buildings. This held her pupils’ interest sufficiently that they stopped discussing why the fire had started.

Afterward Iona returned to the sanctuary of her office and sat behind the desk. She considered closing the shutters so no one could see her but realized this would look strange. She would sit here and do some work, or at least give the appearance of doing some work. She found the pile of marking she had set aside yesterday. It all seemed so long ago and she struggled to find where she’d gotten up to with it. Finally she settled, opened an exercise book, and tried to focus.

She had done barely anything when the knock came at her door.

* * *

They could have sent a message. She would have come willingly if summoned. But, Iona realized as the officers marched her through the corridors, she had brought this on herself by not coming forward voluntarily. They were punishing her for that. If she had gone to them herself it could all have been done discreetly. Nobody need ever have known.