Criminologia Y Criminalistica -

But Laura disagreed. The pattern felt wrong. Accidental fires are chaotic, stupid. These fires felt… surgical. She needed two things: proof of how the fires were set, and understanding of why someone would burn beauty to the ground.

Marco continued, “He killed Gerardo by accident. That’s why he changed the time—panic, guilt, or arrogance? No. He changed the time because he was angry. The court rejected his final appeal that morning. The fire at 10 PM was emotional , not strategic. He’s a white male, 40-55, a former architect or preservationist, with a history of obsessive letters to the city council.”

“No,” Marco said. “That’s the lazy conclusion. Look at the victimology . The first two fires happened at midnight—empty buildings. El Molino burned at 10 PM—the watchman was inside. Why change the time?”

Detective Laura Mora hated two things: an unsolved case and a lazy conclusion. criminologia y criminalistica

Marco pointed to a map on the wall. “Three warehouses. All historic. All slated for demolition by the city to build a new luxury condo complex. Silvio Herrera owned El Molino . He was fighting the demolition order in court. He was losing.”

Laura looked at both reports. Ana told her where to look for the killer. Marco told her who to look for.

The fire chief’s report read: Cause: accidental. Old wiring. But Laura disagreed

He tapped a psychological profile. “The arsonist isn’t an owner committing fraud. He’s a true believer . He loves old buildings. He sees the condos as a desecration. But he’s not a hero—he’s a purist . In his mind, if he can’t save the buildings, no one will enjoy the land. He’ll burn them as a funeral pyre.”

She cross-referenced Ana’s data (paint thinner, soda can shim, stairwell origin) with Marco’s profile (architect, preservationist, angry letters).

In two hours, they had a name: . A 48-year-old former architectural historian. He had written seventeen angry letters to the city council. He lived three blocks from the first fire. And his hobby? Restoring antique furniture using… industrial paint thinner. These fires felt… surgical

She was staring at the file of the “Northside Arsonist.” Over six months, three historic warehouses had burned down. The latest was El Molino , a century-old grain silo turned art studio. The fire had killed a night watchman, a man named Gerardo.

That was criminologia —the soul of the monster, not just his footprints.

“I visited Gerardo’s widow,” Marco said, sitting down. “I also interviewed the owner of El Molino , a man named Silvio Herrera. And I pulled the records from the first two fires.”

Laura leaned in. “And? What’s the why ?”

She called two experts to a meeting in her cramped office.