Mallory Brennan, Arson Investigator's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Mallory stood in the courthouse hallway and watched lawyers move between offices with file boxes stacked in their arms. She needed to understand this building if she wanted to see Juan Harrison convicted. The district attorney's office sat on the third floor, but the real work happened in the records room downstairs. She descended the concrete stairs and pushed through the heavy door. Metal filing cabinets lined the walls from floor to ceiling. A clerk directed her to the case archives, where she pulled files from three similar arson convictions. Each one showed the same pattern: strong physical evidence, multiple witnesses, and detailed documentation. She copied the prosecution strategies into her notebook. One case used accelerant matching just like hers. Another relied on security footage timestamps. The third conviction came from a recorded confession. Juan's case had all three. This building held the template for justice, and she was learning to use it. Outside, she walked to the courthouse plaza where the Conviction Wall stood against the western edge. Dark brick stretched twelve feet high, covered with brass plaques. Each one honored a judge and their verdict. She read the names and dates, tracing her finger across the engraved letters. These people had done what she needed to do. They had taken evidence and witnesses and turned them into convictions. She studied the wall section by section, reading the descriptions of murder trials and fraud cases. One plaque marked a judge who had presided over an arson case in 2008. The defendant received twenty years. The family got their answer. Marcus Chen's family deserved the same outcome, and this wall proved it was possible. She stepped back and looked at the entire structure. Juan Harrison's case would add to this history. The DA's office, the case archives, and this wall all pointed toward the same goal. Killead had the tools she needed to finish what she started. She turned from the wall and walked back to her truck, carrying the weight of that knowledge with her. The trial wouldn't start for another week, but Mallory needed to reach the community now. People forgot details over time. Witnesses moved away. She drove to the Sunrise Breakfast Food Truck, where working people gathered before their shifts. The truck's bright graphics caught morning light as she parked nearby. A line of customers waited for coffee and breakfast sandwiches. She stood at the end and listened to their conversations. Two construction workers discussed the Chen fire. A delivery driver mentioned seeing smoke that Tuesday. Mallory introduced herself and handed out cards with the tip line number. She explained that even small details could matter. Three people took her number and promised to call if they remembered anything new. The truck owner knew Marcus Chen's family and offered to post information about the case. This was how convictions happened, one conversation at a time. By noon, Mallory had spoken with fifteen people and collected four new witness contacts. The breakfast truck would display her card in the window where hundreds would see it each week. Juan Harrison's trial would succeed because she'd built the case properly. She'd studied the archives, learned from past convictions, and kept the community involved. The Conviction Wall would someday hold a plaque marking this case. Marcus Chen would have justice, and Juan Harrison would answer for what he'd done. Mallory drove back to the station with the prosecutor's checklist in her pocket. Every item was now complete. The goal she'd worked toward was finally within reach.