Write about a google search

My FBI Agent

*Ding*

There it was, the expected notification that followed most of my searches these days. Oh the joys of being a writer of Murder Mysteries, Terrorist Plots, and other weird more esoteric things. 

Please explain reason for last search.

There were three options when I swiped down the notification, reply, snooze, ignore. Why that last one was an option I think honestly was just lazy coding as every time I clicked it the notification just came back 30 seconds later. At least snooze gave me a full 5 minutes to finish what I was doing.

I hit snooze and swiped up my notification bar to look at the google search results that were on my screen. This one hadn’t even been that bad of a search, Cash Paid Cellphones that work in Europe, Russia and North Africa. There was a horrible AI generated response about a few companies one of which I knew didn’t actually sell cell phones and so I scrolled down and found an actual company based out of Spain that offered what I was looking for. I opened their website and started taking some hand written notes.

You probably find yourself wondering why I have to explain my searches and that requires a bit of a flashback to a year and a half ago where I found myself neck deep in an arson case. It started simply enough, when I was lacking inspiration and saw on the news a third house fire had started claimed a babysitter although the kids had been saved somehow. Seemed like an interesting enough idea and with how long it took me to write a novel I would be able to say ‘inspired by real events’ but no one would still be super upset about it. So I started my research

.
"How does fire spread in a house?"

"Common causes of accidental fires"

"How do firefighters investigate arson?"

"How long does it take for a building to burn down?"

"What chemicals make fire burn hotter?"

All had been perfectly innocent searches or at least so I had thought. They’d led to me starting a great starting arc and then when the next fire happened I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go to the scene and take some notes. So I jumped in my carolla and off I went, even managed to interview a firefighter. Then though I hit massive writers block and so back I had gone to the Google. 

"Easiest ways to start a fire without getting caught"

"What accelerants leave no trace?"

"How do arsonists avoid detection?"

"Best places to start a fire in a house"

"How long before an arson fire looks accidental?"

Ok not going to lie, putting them all in order I saw how this could raise some eyebrows but who would have been looking at a writer who’d only published four books in a decade that none had been major successes. 

A few fires later, a few more stops and I was really on a tear. This guy, girl, whoever they were, I got disinterested after this next bit. You’ll understand. This person was making me gold. Each fire had been a bit weird and never had anyone associated with the family who owned the house died only people like Babysitters, maids, dog walkers. The Dogs had even been gotten outside before the fires started. One of the fun ones was a burglar was left to burn in the fire and the valuables had been left in the mailbox. 

It was after that fire things went a little weird. I got to interview another firefighter and then a cop. Thinking back on it though it really did feel like I was answering more questions than I had asked. Well as I was coming up on my conclusion I needed some more details so I had done a bit more research

"How to disable fire alarms without anyone noticing"

"How long before a house fire is fatal?"

"What burns hottest but isn’t suspicious?"

"How to destroy security camera footage"

"How to get rid of gasoline smell on clothes"

It was at this point I probably should have realized how deep I was, but I’d sold my pitch, I had an upcoming deadline and I was writing nearly 2500 words a day. Just a bit more research and I knew I would have my grand finale and probably the start of a series that would keep me going for years. Well as you can expect that didn’t happen. 

Not 18 hours later I found myself in an interrogation room across from the FBI agents who’d taken over the case when the next fire had crossed state lines. 

“We have your computer, do you want to explain these last searches?” was what they’d asked and I knew now how bad it all looked. “Where to buy thermite without ID?” I was hanging my head. “How to make homemade napalm?” But that was one of the things the news had said he used on the car in the garage. “Fastest way to burn down a building?” I mean I did need to escalate to get a better ending.

I couldn’t look up. “What are the best alibis for arson?” The perp had to have some amazing ones to not be caught yet, but at this point I knew what was coming. “How to frame someone else for arson?” As long as they didn’t ask about the last one I’d explain the rest as story research. 

“Porn Sites that don’t require an ID in Florida.”

I’d been so embarrassed I just vented. I explained everything from the ground up and even agreed to a stipulation where I would have an app on my phone that reported any suspicious search, anything that they didn’t publish that one search in the case file. I could handle being a suspect in a crime. Hell it would help my credit as a mystery writer, but I didn’t need my porn search published anywehre….

2025 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 12 - Writer's Digest