After My Husband and Daughter Were Burned to Death

As I moved to follow the ambulance, a man burst forth from the crowd behind me. He was our new neighbor, Tom Short.

"Officer, I know who started the fire!" he declared.

His finger pointed accusingly in my direction. "It was her!"

The policeman stared at me and asked, "Are you the owner of the house? Did you set the fire?"

"I am the owner, but I absolutely did not set the fire!" I replied.

Rebecca came to my defense. "Officer, she couldn't have. She's been with me all day!"

"Of course you'd say that. You two are in this together. You might even be accomplices!" Tom retorted.

I held Rebecca back as she bristled at the accusation.

"Sir, I was out all day and never returned. How could I have set the fire?"

"Who said you haven't been back? I saw it with my own eyes! And not only did I see it, I took a picture of it!"

Tom brandished his phone as if it were a weapon.

"Let me see what you've got," I demanded.

"This is crucial evidence. I can't show it to you. It's for the police!"

Tom handed the video to the officer. "Officer, this is the evidence!"

The policeman's expression darkened as he reviewed the footage. His eyes shifted from sympathy to something far more severe.

"Take her away!"

Two officers approached to arrest me, but Rebecca intervened.

"You must be mistaken. Quinn can't be the arsonist. She was with me at the café all day!"

Tom shoved Rebecca aside. "The evidence is irrefutable. Why are you still arguing? Someone has died, and you're giving false testimony. How are you any different from a murderer?"

Rebecca's face blanched with anger. I spoke up quickly, "There's surveillance at the café we were at today. Checking it will clear this up!"

The police immediately dispatched someone to the café to review the footage.

The surveillance footage confirmed our alibi. I was indeed chatting with Rebecca all day at the coffee shop.

With this solid proof, the police could not detain me.

When Tom caught sight of me standing there, free and unchained, his face twisted with frustration. "Officer, she's the one who set the fire! Why isn't she in handcuffs? What if she bolts? She's a killer, for heaven's sake! You can't just let a murderer walk free!"

"Sir, are you instructing the police on how to enforce the law? It's not your place to decide if I'm an arsonist or a murderer. Keep making baseless accusations, and I'll sue you for defamation!"

"You're the real murderer here but point fingers at me! Listen up, I'm the witness, and I've got the video right here on my phone. That's your physical evidence! With both the witness and the evidence right here, let's see how you talk your way out of this!"

"I don't need to make excuses. I have evidence of my innocence. But I don't owe you an explanation. You're not the judge."

I turned to leave, but Tom blocked my path.

"Where are you going?"

"To the hospital. Care to join me?"

At that moment, my sister, Alice Tenpenny, came running from the distance. "Quinn, I heard something happened at home, so I rushed over! Are Mitchell and Poppy okay?"

"They're at the hospital. I don't know how they are."

Alice gaped at me in shock. "They're in the hospital?"

"Yes. Where else would they be?"

Tom dashed to Alice's side. "You don't know yet? Your sister deliberately set the fire, trying to burn her husband and daughter to death! Stay away from her; she's vicious!"

A crowd had already gathered and held their phones high, capturing the drama unfolding before them. The scene was eerily reminiscent of my past life.

What unfolded next was Alice launched into an accusation to slander me.

Just as I expected, Alice yelled, "Quinn, you didn't really set fire to Mitchell and Poppy just to run off with your lover, did you?"