Part 2: My aunt wanted to adopt my little sister after our parents d*ed just to get her hands on the money — she had no idea I had one more card to play.

A woman.

I leaned toward the screen.

“No.”

Ruiz paused the video.

The woman was mostly shadow.

But the coat was familiar.

So was the scarf wrapped around her head.

I had seen it in photographs my whole life.

My mother had given it to her for Christmas.

Denise.

My mouth went dry.

“She was there.”

Ruiz said nothing.

Mercer exhaled slowly.

The video continued.

Denise chased Howard toward the truck.

They appeared to argue.

No audio.

Howard shoved something into her hands.

She threw it onto the ground.

He picked it up.

Then both got into the vehicle.

At 11:58, they drove away.

Nine minutes later, the first flames became visible through our downstairs window.

I stared at the frozen image.

“They left them there.”

Ruiz shut off the tablet.

“We don’t know what happened inside.”

“They ran out of a house that caught fire nine minutes later.”

“I understand what it looks like.”