Chapter 906: Something Is Not Right

After confirming the fire was extinguished and receiving clearance from the firefighters, Roxanne finally approached the ravaged research institute. Her heart sank as she took in the devastation. All morning, she'd been consumed by anxiety, fearing the loss of the medicinal herbs retrieved the previous day. Her worst nightmare had come true; the fire had destroyed not only the newly acquired batch, but their entire existing stock.

Fortunately, Colby had called for help promptly, preventing the fire from spreading. Standing beside Roxanne, he stared at the wreckage, speechless.

Roxanne sighed softly. “Luckily, no one was hurt, and the fire didn't spread.”

Colby sighed, defeated. “There goes all your hard work yesterday.” He knew the effort Roxanne and Jack had expended moving the herbs, and the difficulty in obtaining them from Herbscape Group.

Roxanne frowned. Replacing those herbs would be difficult, but that was the least of her concerns. Turning to Colby, she asked, “Dr. Galloway, could you please investigate the cause of the fire?” If it was accidental, due to the herbs' flammability, there was nothing to be done. But if arson was involved, the culprit needed to be expelled.

Colby immediately dispatched a team to the surveillance room. Roxanne, meanwhile, sought the firefighters' help in locating the ignition source. Their search proved fruitless.

“Research institute fires are rare,” a fireman commented, “but often caused by improper storage of medicinal herbs. Perhaps that’s the case here.”

Roxanne reasoned that the ignition source might have been consumed by the fire, explaining its absence. Though suspicious, she thanked the fireman and nodded dubiously.

After the firefighters departed, Roxanne and the institute staff remained. She remained unconvinced. While the fireman's explanation was plausible, the institute's storage practices had always been safe and the staff experienced. The possibility of such a careless mistake seemed improbable.

Frustration mounted. Turning to the staff, she asked, “Who arrived first this morning?”

A hesitant voice replied, “Dr. Galloway. He has the keys and always unlocks the building.”

Roxanne frowned, a disquieting feeling growing. Only Colby had access, yet he had also reported the fire. The thought of Colby's involvement seemed unbelievable.