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Sloane works open to close at the library, two weeks after threats against her and Mary Louise. With police monitoring her and Nash forbidding amateur sleuthing, she resists investigating but still rereads case files. She ignores Lucian’s daily texts and contemplates her future, even researching foster care while alone after hours.

A strange chemical smell and an eerie glow alert Sloane to a fire on the first floor. The library’s landline is dead, so she calls 911 on her cell and reports the emergency to dispatcher Sharice. Smoke thickens, heat rises, and visibility plummets as Sloane decides she needs a fire extinguisher before attempting an exit.

Crawling through the dark upstairs kitchen, Sloane battles disorientation and pain, finally locating the extinguisher. She plans to reach the stairs or a window, but the environment worsens. Police from the attached station arrive and call out to her—Sergeant Grave Hopper orders her to drop the extinguisher and get to the stairs.

Exhausted, coughing, and overwhelmed by heat and smoke, Sloane hears approaching sirens and realizes first responders are close. She clings to the extinguisher and edges toward escape as officers coordinate below, the scene ending with her on the brink of rescue.