Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
“You may use your cell phones now.”
Ali and Kenzi hadn’t waited for the announcement. The second the wheels hit the tarmac, they both took their phones out of airplane mode. Even in silent mode, their phones vibrated with incoming notifications.
It was as they walked up the jet bridge that Ali’s phone vibrated with an incoming call. She lifted it and looked at the screen. “Oh shit,” she said. “It’s Greta.”
Greta Erikson was the producer of Crime Daily Podcast.
Ali hit the green icon. “Hey, Greta, what’s happening. You knew Kenzi and I were traveling today.”
“Is Kenzi with you?”
“Yeah, she’s right here.”
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.”
“How many books has she written?” Ali asked.
Kenzi opened another window and entered D. Valentine. “Her website says four. The Wishing Well was her first. Broken Promises is the most recent. Don’t Say Goodbye and Until Tomorrow are the others.” She turned to Ali. “Why do you ask?”
“I have her page up.” Ali sat back and sighed. “What do you enjoy?”
Kenzi laughed. “You can probably guess.”
“Right. True crime. Me too.”
“Well, I’m glad to know that. It works for our podcast.”
“I’ve only read the one—The Wishing Well. It reminded me a lot of the Emily Madison case.” Ali said.
Kenzi nodded. “Frank Loews.” She shook her head. “I can see some similarities. He got away with it.”
“Yeah, the accused abductor got off—hung jury.”
Kenzi scrunched her nose. “But the trial resulted in uncovering a bigger trafficking network. I think it was somewhere around here.”
“The trial was in Indianapolis. The media called the network Crossroads. A few months after the trial Frank Loews committed suicide.”
“What does this have to do with Michelle Holdcraft?” Kenzi asked.
“I read Broken Promises, and that story had similarities to a Wisconsin abduction of two girls. Remember, we covered that on the podcast.”
“I still don’t—”
Ali went on. “Hear me out. I’ve got the synopsis of the other two books here. They sound like they’re stories about human trafficking. If Michelle Holdcraft a.k.a. D. Valentine is a serial arsonist, wouldn’t she write about fires? I mean, you do what you enjoy.”
Kenzi’s eyes grew wide. “You think she’s involved in the abduction of Timothy Wells.”
“Shit, no. I just don’t think she is what the attorney general is saying. She couldn’t have been in Iron Falls and in Indianapolis, and that shed is bugging me.”
“Me too. We need to prove she didn’t do what she’s accused of doing.”