The photograph had been taken with considerable artistic flair—a middle-aged man, wrapped in flames, burst through a window amid the roaring inferno. Shattered glass scattered outward around him like specks of light.
Behind that eye-catching scene, a mirror engulfed in flames stood unobtrusively in the background.
Haibara Ai was enlarging that mirror. As the image expanded, the scene it had reflected gradually appeared, blurry, on the computer screen.
"Is that the kitchen counter?" The Mini Scientist, who loved studying cooking, recognized it at once and quickly guessed Jiang Xia's intention. "The initial point of ignition was on the counter... Your eyesight is amazing. You managed to spot such a tiny mirror."
Without needing Jiang Xia to explain further, she stretched out her arms to reach the mouse and keyboard, opened Professor Agasa's homemade software, and began operating it with a rapid clatter, displaying a proficiency wholly unsuited to a child.
Before long, the image in the mirror appeared clearly before them.
"Done."
Haibara Ai shifted her stool aside, clearing the space in front of the computer for Jiang Xia.
The screen showed a kitchen counter shrouded in firelight.
It had not yet been completely destroyed. Contrary to Officer Yuminaga's speculation that there had been cigarette butts in the water tank, the water tank in the photograph was covered with a strange flat layer of something. Beside it lay a wristwatch, burned black and warped out of shape.
"What are you looking at?"
Professor Agasa, returning from outside, saw the three gathered around the computer and hurried over curiously. He peered at the screen as well. "What's this, a fire photograph?"
Jiang Xia nodded.
"Speaking of fires..." Professor Agasa recalled some news he had heard while chatting with a friend earlier. "That reporter who's especially good at capturing fire scenes seems