Faithful Readers: It’s Ned here. Detective Ned. You all know that feeling you have that you missed something important? Well, for me, it’s that moment I was working on a case that involved arson. Was it one of the Crack the Cases? No. I had just finished the Critters case when I came across a wily criminal who loved chemistry. Now I can’t blame him much, I am fascinated by chemicals and how they react to stuff. Am I any good at it? I’d be better off sticking to detecting.
The Arsonist likes Fire and How Chemistry Works 🔥⚗️🔬
So there I was, burning up myself, as usual, in the Florida heat, at a sketchy building off a major road, the scene of the crime. Along the floor was an unusual burn pattern. A rapid, sweeping burn pattern and scorch marks that suggested something spread the flames unusually quickly. There was one witness. She had been minding her own business. Although what that “business” was at 2:00 in the morning in this neighborhood was in itself possibly not quite legal. Through a broken front tooth, she described a sudden, almost explosive burst of flame and a momentary whoosh of air.
The Building 🏚️
Why here? Why arson? Well, that might just be answered in a future Crack the Case Books story. You might want to hang around and find out. Or maybe stay home. In your air conditioning. And find out from there. I’ll give you a hint, though. There are 10 suspects and each one could have done it. You’ll have to decide.
In the meantime, stay curious folks.
—Ned
🔍 Crime Scene Tech Tip:
A fire can roar or fizzle depending on the mix of fuel and air. There’s a narrow “just-right” range where combustion will happen. Too little fuel or too much, and it won’t burn; hit the sweet spot and things move fast. In other words: sometimes fire behaves oddly because chemistry decided to be dramatic.
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