“I was actually sent here to investigate a few incidents in the area. I suppose it’s a matter of convenience that they asked me to handle them all.” Nate pointed to a few concrete buildings in the middle of the burnt area. They stood like a gray soot-streaked island in a sea of mottled black. “What are those?”

The officer followed Nate’s gaze. “Oh, those used to be observation cells, back when this area was used as a bombing range. I don’t think they’ve been used since the sixties, so no real harm done. In fact, they’re probably fine. They were made to keep folks safe from an off-course bomb, so a bit of a fire shouldn’t have done any meaningful damage.”

Nate hitched his evidence bag over his shoulder and trudged through the burnt field toward the buildings, and the major, after hesitating for a moment, followed. Panning his gaze across the rectangular single-story concrete building, Nate estimated it was approximately fifty feet by twenty. His hiking boots crunched in the burnt debris as he approached.

He knelt beside the building and detected a scent that brought him back to his days in Fallujah. He raked his fingers through the soil and sniffed his fingertips. He recognized the odor. An accelerant.

This place was deliberately torched.

But why?

As he scraped soil into baggies, he spotted something metallic. Grabbing the tweezers from his kit, he picked it up. It was a glass-coated metal object about twice the size of a grain of rice. A bit of burnt, matted fur was stuck to it.

“Find something interesting?” the officer asked.

Nate put the items in another baggie and shook his head. “Just taking samples from different locations. Can we go inside?”

The officer nodded. “I don’t see why not.”

The interior of the building consisted of a single central corridor with tiny rooms, almost like jail cells, lining both sides. Scorch marks covered the walls, yet there was no burnt debris. The place had been swept clean.

“Has anyone been in here since the fire?”

The major shook his head. “I’m not sure. Like I said, I just got back. But I can’t imagine why anyone would have bothered. This building hasn’t been in use for ages. There wasn’t even furniture in here.”

Nate kneeled at the entrance to one of the rooms. At the edge of the doorway, just beside the frame, was a bit of ash and dust that hadn’t been swept up. He ran his fingers along the side of the frame, and felt a rough texture where the door hinge would have been.

Nate glanced at the officer standing near the entrance to the building. “Were there doors here before?”