Jake's POV
"What fire?" Maya's voice shook. "Jake, what is this postcard talking about?"
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The words on that postcard burned into my brain.
The fire seven years ago wasn't an accident. You know what you did.
"Jake!" Maya grabbed my arm. "Answer me! What fire killed Emma? She drowned. Everyone knows she drowned."
"I..." My throat closed up. "Maya, I can explain—"
"Then explain! Because right now, this postcard is saying you had something to do with Emma's death!"
No. No, this couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when I'd finally gotten Maya back.
I sank into a chair, my hands shaking. Seven years of keeping this secret. Seven years of living with the guilt. And now it was all coming out.
"There was a fire," I said quietly. "The night Emma died."
Maya went pale. "What?"
"At Derek's apartment building. Small fire in the basement. I was on duty that night. Got the call around 10 PM." I couldn't look at her. "When we arrived, the fire was already out. Someone had used a fire extinguisher. But there was smoke damage, and we had to clear the building."
"I don't understand. What does that have to do with Emma drowning?"
"Because Emma was there." The words felt like broken glass coming out. "At Derek's building. She'd broken in through the basement window."
Maya's eyes went wide. "Emma broke into Derek's apartment?"
"She was looking for evidence against him. Photos, documents, anything to help you escape. She told me her plan earlier that day." I finally looked up at Maya. "She asked me to create a distraction so she could get in and out without Derek noticing."
"You helped her break in?"
"I started the fire." The confession hung in the air like poison. "Just a small one in the basement trash room. Enough smoke to trigger the alarms and get Derek out of his apartment. Emma was supposed to grab what she needed and leave before the fire department arrived."
"But something went wrong," Maya whispered.
I nodded, feeling sick. "By the time we got there, Emma should have been gone. But she wasn't. Derek must have come back early, or maybe she couldn't find what she was looking for. I don't know. All I know is that when I cleared Derek's apartment, Emma wasn't there."
"Then what happened?"
"I got a call from Emma around midnight. She was crying, terrified. She said Derek caught her and threatened her. She managed to get away and was hiding somewhere. I told her to meet me at the old boat dock by the lake—somewhere Derek wouldn't think to look." My voice cracked. "But she never made it."
"Because she drowned."
"They found her body the next morning in the lake. The police said she must have fallen in accidentally. It was dark, she was upset, the dock was slippery." I buried my face in my hands. "But I've always wondered if Derek found her first. If he pushed her. If I'm the reason she died because I helped her break in."
Maya was silent for a long time.
When she finally spoke, her voice was cold. "Why didn't you tell the police? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I had no proof! And if I admitted to starting that fire, I'd lose my job. Go to jail. And for what? Emma was already dead. Nothing I said would bring her back."
"So you just kept quiet? Let everyone think it was an accident?"
"My captain knew. A few of the guys from my station knew. We agreed to keep it quiet because—" I stopped.
"Because what, Jake?"
"Because Derek had an alibi. He was at a bar when Emma drowned. Multiple witnesses saw him there. The police investigated. They cleared him." I looked at Maya desperately. "Even if I'd told the truth about the fire, it wouldn't have changed anything. Derek wasn't there when Emma died."
"But you don't know that for sure."
"No. I don't." The guilt crushed me. "I've lived with that uncertainty for seven years. Every single day, I wonder if I could have saved her. If I'd done something different—"
"You should have told me!" Maya shouted. "Emma was my best friend! She died trying to help me, and you just kept quiet about it?"
"I was trying to protect you! If Derek knew Emma came to me for help, he might have come after you next. Or after me. I couldn't risk—"
"Risk what? Risk losing your perfect reputation? Your job?" Maya stood up, tears streaming down her face. "You're just like everyone else. You care more about yourself than the truth."
"That's not fair—"
"ISN'T IT?" She grabbed the postcard. "Someone knows what you did, Jake. Someone knows you started that fire. And they're using it to threaten us both."
She was right. Someone knew. But who?
"Maya, please. I made a terrible mistake. But I swear I never meant for Emma to get hurt. I was trying to help her help you."
"Well, you failed." Maya's voice was ice. "Emma's dead. Derek's here. And now we're both in danger because of your lies."
She turned to leave.
"Wait!" I grabbed her arm gently. "You can't go out there alone. Derek's watching. Whoever's sending these postcards is watching. You need protection."
"From who? From Derek? Or from you?"
That hurt. Hurt more than anything she could have said.
But before I could respond, the fire station alarm blared.
Marcus burst into the room. "Jake! We got a call! Structure fire at Pine Valley Elementary School!"
My blood turned to ice.
Pine Valley Elementary. Where Lucy went to school.
Maya gasped. "Lucy! My daughter's there!"
We ran for the fire truck, my heart pounding. This couldn't be a coincidence. First the postcards, then Derek's threats, now a fire at Lucy's school?
As we raced through town, sirens screaming, I saw smoke rising in the distance.
Maya sat next to me in the truck, her face white with terror.
My phone buzzed. Another text from an unknown number.
I opened it with shaking hands.
"You started a fire once to help someone, Jake. Now someone's started a fire to hurt you. Lucy's classroom is on the second floor, east wing. Better hurry. —Emma"
I showed Maya the text.
She let out a sob. "They're trying to kill my daughter!"
"We'll get her out," I promised. "I swear, Maya, I'll get her out."
But as we pulled up to the school, I saw something that made my heart stop.
The east wing was completely engulfed in flames.
And standing in the parking lot, watching the school burn with a satisfied smile on his face, was a man I recognized from old photos.
Derek Martinez.
He saw me looking at him.
And he waved.
Like this was all just a game to him.
Maya screamed and tried to run toward the building, but I held her back.
"Let me go!" she sobbed. "My baby's in there!"
I grabbed my gear and turned to Marcus. "Get Maya somewhere safe. Keep her away from Derek. I'm going in."
"Jake, that fire's too big—"
"I don't care!" I shouted. "There's a six-year-old girl in there, and I'm not letting her die like Emma did!"
I ran toward the burning school.
Behind me, I heard Maya screaming my name.
And in my head, Emma's voice whispered: Some heroes are really killers in disguise.
Maybe she was right.
But today, I was going to save Lucy.
Or die trying.