Page 66 of Fear of Flames
They’d now stepped into a boarding area within Indianapolis International Airport.
“Put me on speaker. Oh my God, you’re not going to believe what happened. I’ve been trying to call” —Ali waved Kenzi to an area of empty chairs and put Greta on speaker— “right after your plane took off from Boston.”
Kenzi and Ali wrinkled their foreheads in confusion.
“What happened, Greta.” Ali asked. “You’re on speaker now. We lost some of what you just said.”
“You know that case you’re working, the one with the author and her father. The fires?”
“Yes,” Kenzi said. “It’s why we’re here in Indianapolis.”
“Right after your plane left Boston, there was a press conference in Indianapolis. The Indiana state attorney general announced that her office is convening a grand jury with the intent to present evidence that Michelle Holdcraft killed both her parents. They’re saying she’s a serial killer and a serial arsonist.”
“The fuck?” Ali questioned.
“They also said she didn’t die in the house explosion. She’s been on the run, using disguises.”
Kenzi replied, “No way.”
“And get this, the police accused Michelle of blowing up her house years ago when her mother died. But then, the prosecutor dropped the charges.”
“Oh,” Kenzi said, “can you get us the police records and court documents?”
“I’ll work on that.”
“I don’t believe she killed her father,” Ali said. “The sheriff in Iron Falls is hiding something. A day or two ago, the IMPD stated Michelle had an alibi for the time Dennis died.” She nodded at Kenzi.
“Yeah,” Kenzi agreed. “I know I have that report on my computer.”
“And,” Ali said, “there was a shed on Dennis’s property that the deputy said was full of high-tech equipment. Then it was mysteriously cleaned out, and when we saw it, the place was spic-and-span clean.”
Greta replied, “I’m just telling you what I heard. I sent both of you the link. You can watch the press conference. I think we should let this story fizzle and start something else. I’ll keep looking for new topics.”
“Let it fizzle?” Ali asked, astounded. “Are you kidding me? This case is getting more interesting by the minute.”
Kenzi spoke. “I’m with Ali on this. Greta, once we’re at the hotel, we’ll send you what we recorded in Iron Falls. There’s more to this story.”
“You ladies are the stars. I’m still going to scour the police reports, public records, and media.”
“Get us the deets on that case from…” Ali paused to think. “…years ago. The one where they dropped the charges.”
“On it.”
Ali hit the red icon. “Holy shit. I don’t think this case is fizzling. I think it’s catching fire.”
“Let’s make our game plan for tomorrow.” They began walking through the airport. “I still want to talk to the two officers who interviewed Michelle before the explosion,” Kenzi said.
It was after nine at night when they stepped into their hotel room. High in the Indianapolis skyline, the small city sparkled through Ali and Kenzi’s windows. The large sports arenas, tall limestone buildings, and variety of restaurants made for a visitor-friendly and walkable city. The Crime Daily podcasters weren’t taking advantage of any of that.
After ordering room service, the two ladies went to work.
Ali started digging into the first Michelle Holdcraft accusation. Turned out that it was eight years ago. In Indiana, the statute of limitations for arson was expired. However, if that fire caused a death, there wasn’t a statute of limitation.
Kenzi’s voice pulled her attention away from her research. “You said you read The Wishing Well, right?”
“I did.” Ali pursed her lips. “You said you read another one.”
“I’ve read two, The Wishing Well and Broken Promises.”
