I looked at Caleb’s face.
He was standing behind Ryan.
And he looked terrified.
The detective continued.
“Caleb told us that Ryan brought gasoline that night.”
My mouth went dry.
“He said they were playing with fireworks.”
My mother covered her mouth.
“Then something went wrong.”
The detective explained that Ryan had lit something near the side of our house.
The fire spread.
Caleb panicked.
He ran.
But before he left, he saw me.
A nine-year-old girl trapped near the kitchen.
He tried to reach me.
He couldn’t.
He had carried that memory for ten years.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
Ryan had threatened him.
He told Caleb that if he talked, he would hurt Caleb’s family.
“So why did he tell you now?” I asked.
The detective looked at me.
“Because of last night.”
“What happened last night?”
“He saw you.”
I didn’t understand.
“He said he spent years avoiding you.”
“Why?”
“Because every time he saw you, he remembered the fire.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“But he came to me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
The detective’s voice softened.
“He said he was tired of being afraid.”
I looked at Caleb’s mother.
She walked toward me.
“My son told us everything last night.”
