Chapter 18 - The Name on the LedgerNina stared at the signature: Assistant Fire Chief Robert Mallory. Three years earlier he had supervised Aaron's crew. In the present investigation he'd been the department liaison, answering Nina's questions and approving access to records.
Her stomach tightened. “He knew which files I was looking for.”
Marcus read the page. “That could explain why our first requests came back empty.”
Nina took the evidence straight to the prosecutor and asked that Mallory have no further access to the case. State investigators joined the review to avoid conflicts within the local department.
Within days, electronic records connected payments to Mallory's private company. Linda Carver identified him as the person who had ordered her concerns removed from a safety meeting. Investigators found no proof that Mallory had set the Riverside fire, but evidence suggested he'd helped conceal unsafe conditions and falsify official paperwork afterward.
Mallory denied everything. Victor Vale did too. Both were entitled to defend themselves in court, and Nina knew that documents, witnesses, and testimony—not fury—would decide what could be proved.
At a private meeting, Nina laid the findings out for Mara.
“Aaron wasn't imagining it,” Mara said.
“No.”
“He came home that last week so angry. He said the doors were chained and somebody would get trapped.”
“He tried to change it.”
Mara looked down at her hands. “He died thinking nobody listened.”
Nina waited. Then she said, “We're listening now.”
The criminal case moved forward in stages: arrests, bail arguments, contested evidence, and motions that filled months. Families at Briar Hollow filed their own civil claims with legal assistance. The city suspended contracts pending independent review.
The publicity brought help as well as painful attention. Helen's shelter received donations. A local contractor offered to fix damaged apartments at cost. The hospital foundation quietly paid for the twins' immediate needs without asking the family to become a publicity campaign.
Mara began walking short distances with a therapist. Ellie kept count of every lap.
One afternoon, Nina called with the news Mara had hoped for since the first siren: investigators had located the missing original Riverside inspection photographs in Mallory's storage locker.
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But the last photograph showed something none of them expected—a fourth person inside the warehouse before the fire.
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