ease with which the crime could be committed. Well, Brian thought, it was the guy’s choice if he wanted his house burned down. He would split the money with Joey, which would be more than enough to buy the used car he had been saving up for. If his parents asked him anything, it would be easy to say he saved up for it; he had been working at the same supermarket for almost a year. Above all else, watching the large house burn down would be exciting – just plain fun.

In considering all these eventualities, Brian had never considered the one thing that mattered the most; that things were not all that they seemed. That Joey was lying. That the rich man that Joey had described was not in cahoots with him but was, in fact, the subject of a cruel act of retribution – for no greater...

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