Chapter 52: Setting the Fire

He licked his lips as he drove past the squad building. As he suspected he would, he saw no cars. He drove around the block three times, just to make sure. No cop cars came into view. The officers were at the Donut Express, he was sure. He left his car on a side street a block away.

He made his way back to the building via the alley that ran adjacent to Main Street. “This place rolls up the sidewalks at 10 p.m.”

Lucky for me, he thought. Anyone out would be at the only bar on the other end of town.

Looking both ways, spotting no one, he left his newspapers and a full gas can behind the blue dumpster in the side lot. Picking the lock was his first task. He’d done it when he’d sabotaged the oxygen tank. A giggle threatened to burst from him at that thought. After one try, the lock gave and he pushed the door open.

That done he surveyed the deserted Main Street. He could hear crickets and an occasional dog bark. Otherwise no one stirred. Maybe some mice somewhere.