Trial By Fire

A new day, a new story in The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, whenever I read the title I want to say the devil and tom walker but it's whatever. This new story starts off with a bang, it doesn't have a slow start like the last one. It's really interesting, and recent also. The plot takes place in 1991, only three years before I was born. Now that I actually understand the gist of this book, I think i'll like it more. Well anyways, on to the story.

This story opens with a house fire taking place in texas. Todd Willingham was a 23 year old, unemployed mechanic serving as a stay-at-home dad. His wife had left out for work early morning when he was awoken by his younger daughter Amber screaming there was a fire. He also had one year old twin girls. Sadly, they all died of smoke inhalation in the fire. Because of the family having little money, the community paid for the funerals of the children. Meanwhile fire investigators Douglas Fogg and Manuel Vasquez were on the case to find out what really happened. Upon their visit to the Willingham home, they started the house was least burned and moved to the most burned ones. While searching the home, they followed the "burn trailer"-- the path the fire makes. It led from the hallway to the children's bedroom, where they saw "peculiar patterns on the floor, shaped like puddles. Likely caused by a flammable liquid. The floor underneath the children's bed was also burned. According to Dogg, when a fire burns, it burns up, and that where a fire is started it'll leave a V shape. Distinct V's were found in the children's bedroom, in the hallway, and at the front door. Dogg and Vasquez came to one conclusion, that the fire had been manmade. They believed that someone had to have poured liquid accelerant throughout the children's room, under their beds, and more in the hallway, and out the front door "creating a fire barrier" making it impossible from anyone to escape. Also, there was a refrigerator that blocked the back door, which would have been too heavy for a small child to move. Seeing as he was the only person home and capable to do this, all fingers pointed at Todd.

This stories actually really sad. It was a heart-racer from the very beginning and started off with a bang. Anyhow, it's been much more enjoyable than the last story. In other news I made a tumblr this week. It's pretty interesting, and I like it alot more than blogger. It's like a blend between blogger and twitter. Check me out <londentown.tumblr.com>