“Why didn’t you stop them?” the female officer asked.

“I tried to talk to them earlier,” Derek said, his eyes casting down toward the floor. “They wouldn’t listen to me.”

He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve.

“They wanted to ruin Carl,” Derek said. “They wanted to destroy the whole place so they could collect the insurance money.”

Carl looked at Derek, his expression a mix of sorrow and gratitude.

“Thank you, son,” Carl said softly.

Derek didn’t look up, but his jaw tightened.

“I couldn’t let them burn it down,” Derek whispered. “People live here.”

Mr. Alvarez nodded, his flashlight still casting a yellow beam on the floor.

“Good boy,” Mr. Alvarez said. “You did the right thing.”

Officer Miller took out his radio and pressed the button on the side.

“Unit two-four,” Miller said into the microphone. “We have a witness here with video evidence of intentional sabotage.”

The radio crackled in response, a voice confirming receipt.

“Identify the suspects in the vehicle,” Miller said. “We have a Mallerie and a Jake.”