CAPE GEORGE – Seeing the serene look on Vivian Hayter’s face as she strokes her new cat in her Cape George living room, it’s hard to believe that two years ago she lost everything she owned, and nearly her life.
A Dec. 2, 2004, fire at the Resort at Port Ludlow started in her car, which was parked beneath her Admiralty I condominium.
The 4 a.m. arson fire destroyed her condo, and all its contents, and three others, as well as severely damaging four adjacent units.
Her cat, Suzette, was the only casualty in the blaze that caused $4 million in damage.
Kevin Graesser, 29, formerly of Port Townsend and Port Hadlock, was taken into federal custody in Alaska last week after two years of investigation.
Investigators say they think Graesser set the fire in revenge because he suspected Hayter’s grandson, Phillip Downey – who was staying with his grandmother – was sexually involved with his girlfriend.
“He was after my grandson, and I was just collateral damage,” Hayter said on Friday.
“I can’t for the life of me understand how anybody can do something like that.
“To be able to do what he’s done, I don’t think there’s any such thing as conscience.”
But Hayter doesn’t complain about what happened to her or worry about the possessions she lost – which included an antique grandfather clock that predated the American Revolutionary War and an antique desk, among other heirlooms.
