Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ralph Perkins was closed in his office trying to figure out a way out of this mess.
Every damn domino was falling in the wrong direction.
Take his plan to secure Shelly Holdcraft.
Matt Wilcox was back in Iron Falls with a concocted story about securing Shelly and losing her.
Matt said he entered the house without issue, picking the lock and carefully blocking the doorbell camera.
Inside, he found Shelly asleep on her bed.
Matt claimed he had her secured and was about to inject the sedative when she started fighting, kicking, and bucking.
The next thing Matt remembered was waking up in his rental car to the sound of sirens.
He circled around. The streets were blocked by emergency vehicles.
Matt saw the debris from Shelly’s house and fled the scene.
Once he was a few miles away, he called Ralph.
Unlike Britney, who had a fancy degree in criminology, Matt’s experience came from the job.
While he was usually dependable, he wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the box.
Nevertheless, it seemed that even Matt could make up a better story about his failure to procure the target.
Turned out he wasn’t lying. The urine sample Matt delivered after his flight back to Massachusetts corroborated his story.
It came up positive for Propofol, the drug in Matt’s syringe.
The question was how a twenty-eight-year-old woman overpowered and drugged a man dumber than an ox and as strong as one. No one had an answer to that mystery.
The door to his office opened. Britney stepped inside. “Sheriff, you have a call from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police, an Officer Darla McCoy. She’s on line one.”
Well, shit, Ralph thought, wondering if Wilcox screwed up and left some trace evidence around Shelly’s house.
He’d deny sending Wilcox to Indianapolis.
Then he had another thought. Maybe they found Shelly’s body in her destroyed home.
Can’t get much more silent than dead. Ralph was almost giddy when he picked up the telephone receiver.
“Officer McCoy. Do you have news for me?”
“Thank you for taking my call, Sheriff. What I’m about to tell you is currently classified. I know you were upset about what happened in your city to Dennis Holdcraft, and I believe our departments can be of assistance to one another.”
She had Ralph’s attention.
She continued, “My captain authorized me to speak with you. You, however, must agree, for the time being, to keep this information confidential.”
He sat forward on his chair, believing this nightmare was almost over. “You have my word, Officer McCoy. I’m assuming this is about Shelly Holdcraft and what happened at her house. Did she go on to meet her papa in heaven?”
“Only if the road to heaven is west on I-74 in a 2017 white Toyota Camry.”
“What?” His volume rose.
“We received a call late yesterday from an Indiana state trooper named Warren Stephenson. Before getting off duty Tuesday morning, he pulled over a 2017 white Toyota Camry with Ohio plates.”
“Shelly was in the car?” he asked in disbelief. He was certain Shelly’s car was in Denny’s garage. Of course, it could have been a rental.
“Possible sighting.” She emphasized the word.
“Trooper Stephenson said the woman in the car looked familiar, but he admitted to being tired. His shift was about over. The woman didn’t have an ID.
She’d said she’d left her purse at home.
Something about leaving early and being on their way to visit a grandfather in the hospital. ”
Ralph didn’t care about an old man in the hospital. “Did this Stephenson run the license plate?”
“No, sir. He didn’t pull them over due to any violation. Stephenson informed them of a low tire and sent them on their way.”
Fuck, Ralph growled. “Wait.” His volume rose. “Did you say them? The woman wasn’t alone?”
Officer McCoy hummed. “A man was driving, carrying an Ohio ID with the name Jason Martin. The car registration matched. The woman who looked like Ms. Holdcraft said her name was Mindy Martin, Jason’s sister.”
Ralph shook his head. “This sounds farfetched.”
“I’d agree. However, yesterday after Trooper Stevenson woke, he saw Ms. Holdcraft’s picture on our APB and remembered the stop. Stephenson was so sure the woman was Ms. Holdcraft, he contacted two truck stops in Oakwood, Illinois. That’s the first exit after he pulled them over.
“He figured the driver would’ve stopped at one of the two locations to fix the low air pressure.
There’s a Pilot and a Love’s. Sheriff, we have video of Michelle Holdcraft in the Love’s truck stop with a time stamp of 5:13 a.m., Wednesday morning.
Trooper Stephenson’s shift ended at six.
Time changes over the Indiana-Illinois border. ”
“I’ll be damned.”
“She was wearing a stocking cap and sunglasses.”
“Sounds like she’s trying to be incognito,” Ralph said.
“The location of the traffic stop also suggests she wasn’t at home when the house exploded.” Darla McCoy lowered her voice. “Sheriff, what if Ms. Holdcraft caused the explosion at her own house? Why would she do that?”
Ralph couldn’t pass up the opportunity. It was as if the good Lord Almighty was clearing away his troubles. “There’s people talking they saw Shelly up here before Denny’s fire.” He hesitated. “No, Shelly wouldn’t hurt her father.”
“I pulled Ms. Holdcraft’s file. I don’t know if you’re aware. Eight years ago, in Johnson County, just south of us, there was an incident.”
“An incident.” he repeated. “What incident?”
“Ms. Holdcraft was twenty years old at the time and a sophomore at Purdue University. She was home on holiday break, spending the night at a friend’s home when her parents’ home exploded.
The police accused Ms. Holdcraft of tampering with the gas stove.
That stove was believed to have ignited the explosion, the one that killed her mother.
Now her father dies in a fire, and her house explodes.
Sheriff, I’m starting to think we could have a serial arsonist on our hands. ”
He sat taller. “I think I should tell you, the fire marshal determined accelerant was used in Denny’s house fire.
Place went up quicker than a dead cat can fall out of a tree.
” Ralph debated about the wisdom of what he was saying, but this story was writing itself.
“We haven’t released COD. Confidentially, Dennis Holdcraft died from a gunshot to the head. We were leaning toward suicide, but...”
“Sheriff, would you be open to bringing ATF in on your case. Our chief has called them about the recent explosion at Ms. Holdcraft’s house.
Due to the burn pattern, our fire chief believes an incendiary device was used.
If that’s the case, Ms. Holdcraft could have been able to set the device to explode once she was out of the city. ”
Ralph was glad they weren’t talking in person. He never would have been able to hide his grin. “I would never suspect Shelly…”
“It seems too coincidental. Three family members. Three fires. Occam’s Razor.”
“Let me consult with our fire chief, and I’ll get back to you.”
“Hard telling where Ms. Holdcraft is now. Chief said to broaden the search. We’re still calling her a missing person. Once we get the ATF in on this, Ms. Holdcraft will officially be a suspect.”
“Thank you for your call, Officer McCoy.” A two-ton weight came off Ralph’s shoulders as he hung up the call.