She called two experts to a meeting in her cramped office.
The fire chief’s report read: Cause: accidental. Old wiring. criminologia y criminalistica
“I visited Gerardo’s widow,” Marco said, sitting down. “I also interviewed the owner of El Molino , a man named Silvio Herrera. And I pulled the records from the first two fires.” She called two experts to a meeting in her cramped office
“So he burned his own building for insurance?” Laura asked. “I visited Gerardo’s widow,” Marco said, sitting down
When they arrested him, they found a pair of pliers with micro-fractures matching the soda can shim (Ana’s work) and a journal filled with manifestos about “cleansing the city with fire” (Marco’s work).
She cross-referenced Ana’s data (paint thinner, soda can shim, stairwell origin) with Marco’s profile (architect, preservationist, angry letters).
At the trial, the prosecutor summed it up perfectly: “Criminalística told us the truth of the flame—where it started, what fed it, and who held the match. Criminología told us the truth of the mind—why he struck the match, why he chose these buildings, and why he stopped caring if someone was inside.
