“A lot. A GLC can break any accelerant down into its components—the precise amounts of each—which essentially produces a fingerprint of the chemical by type, sometimes even by brand if it’s a distinctive formula. It can be pretty specific.”

“Too bad it can’t be specific about the son of a bitch who set the fire,” said Madeleine, chopping a large mushroom with considerable force, the knife banging against the cutting board.

“Well,” said Kyle, “Investigator Kramden may have a smart machine, but he’s an asshole. Kept asking me about my flashlight, exactly what path I took to and from the house, how long I was down by the pond with Dad. He seemed to be suggesting that maybe I was lying about not knowing who started the fire. Jerk.” He looked over at Kim. “He kept you the longest. What was that all about?”

“He seemed to want to know all about The Orphans of Murder.”

“Your TV thing? Why would he want to know about that?”

She shrugged. “Maybe he thinks the two things are connected?”

“Did he already know about Orphans?” asked Gurney. “Or did you tell him about it?”

“I told him about it—when he asked how I was connected to you, how I happened to be here.”

“What did you tell him about my role in the project?”

“That you were acting as a technical adviser on issues related to the Good Shepherd case.”

“That’s all?”

“Pretty much.”

“Did you tell him about Robby Meese?”

“Yes, he asked about that.”

“About what?”

“About whether I had any conflicts with anyone.”

“So you told him about the … the peculiar things that have been happening?”

“He was very persistent.”

“And about the staircase? And the whisper?”

“The stairs, yes. The whisper, no. I didn’t personally hear it, so I figured that was up to you.”

“What else?”

“That’s about it. Oh, he wanted to know exactly where I was when I stepped out of the house last night. Did I hear anything, did I see you, see Kyle, see anyone else, stuff like that.”

Gurney felt a slow wave of uneasiness rising in his chest. There was in any crime interview or interrogation a wide spectrum of data that might or might not be disclosed. At one end of the spectrum were irrelevant personal details that no reasonable officer would expect someone to volunteer. At the other end were major facts crucial to understanding the crime, facts whose concealment would constitute obstruction of justice.

In the middle was a gray area subject to debate and rationalization.

The question here was whether the personal conflict in Kim’s life could be viewed, because of the basement incident, as a conflict in Gurney’s life as well. If she reported a potential connection between her sawed step and his burned barn, shouldn’t he have reported it as well?