CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Franks punched in the GPS of the next address they were headed to.
So far, they hadn't found out much. They interviewed almost everyone who'd been working in the kitchen when the explosion happened and none of them had seen or heard anything out of the ordinary.
Not a single person they'd spoken to had smelled gas, and the only person that had said they had was dead.
Their visit to the Chris residence had been a bust since no one had been home.
While they figured Tyler Chris would probably be at the explosion site, working with officials there, they hoped to find his wife at home.
Amy held up a finger as she talked to someone on the phone.
Franks paused what he was doing and sat back, waiting for her to finish her conversation.
It was impossible to know what she was hearing since the conversation seemed to be one-sided, and not the side he could hear.
He reached for another piece of gum and popped it into his mouth.
He was so tired of gum. He wanted a damn cigarette.
No matter how many times he reminded himself about how much money he was saving since he quit, it didn't help ease the desire.
He had a mantra of things he told himself when the urge got bad.
He smelled better. He was saving money. His teeth were whiter.
He didn't cough and hack like he was dying.
He didn't have to stand outside freezing just to get a fix.
It didn't matter how many reasons he came up with to not smoke, he still wanted to.
Amy ended her call and looked at him with tired eyes.
"They want us to go speak with the owner of the bakery next door to Desorio's.
They think that was where the explosion came from.
A.T.F. will speak with her later, but they want us to do an initial interview and find out if she knew of any issues with her gas lines or equipment. "
"Or if she had any enemies who would want to hurt her business," Franks continued with a nod. "Address?"
Amy put it into the GPS for them. "After that, we can go speak with Rose Chris. She's staying at her mother's home for now. I guess the media was hounding the family last night and they wanted to get away. Can't blame them for that. I've got the address where they're staying."
"When will the reporters learn some compassion?
At least they didn't seem to be bothering Mrs. Hilton at her home.
I'm sure half the reporters have conjured up some conspiracy story about how one partner killed the other.
I mean, it's possible it happened that way, but seems like a hell of a lot of trouble to go to.
Tyler Chris has a huge mess on his hands now.
Would have been easier to shoot the guy if he wanted him dead. "
"I agree. This doesn't feel like one partner taking out another. Everyone we've talked to so far has told us how close the two men were." Amy leaned her head back and yawned. "I need a nap."
"You and me both. I was so worried about Angus last night that I couldn't have slept if I wanted to, then by the time he got out of surgery, it was about time to get to work.
We'll get through these last two interviews, then head over to see Angus.
Once we're sure he's okay we can both head home and get some sleep.
" He pulled out on the road and followed the instructions to their destination.
"Gretta sent me a message telling me she's cooking dinner for us. She's at my house now and will leave dinner for me and Stew before taking some over to your place so it's there when you get home. She said she's planning on staying at your place tonight."
"She's a godsend. Sadly, I'm so tired today that I'll probably eat and go straight to bed. She knows she's welcome to stay at my place, but I won't be good company. My cat seems to be her new BFF though, so they can watch a movie or something together."
Amy laughed. "That sounds like my sister."
"She's great. I think Pix was missing her previous owner and Gretta fills the role. I don't know why, but the cat's different with females."
"Makes sense if the cat was raised with a woman. You haven't had problems with the cat on your own, have you?" Amy glanced up from her laptop that was once again on her lap.
"Nah, we get along fine. She's just cuddlier with Gretta. She doesn't curl up on my lap like she does with Gretta." He stopped at a traffic light. "Tell me about the bakery owner."
"Kathy Willgrow is a single mother of two. She bought the bakery five years ago. Not seeing much more. She bought her home ten years ago. Was married to Nathan, but he died of brain cancer three years ago. Kids are in their teens."
"Financials?" Franks asked.
"Nothing popping up. Looks clean. You thinking insurance fraud?"
"Maybe. It's always possible."
"Can't be easy being a single mother of two." Amy kept typing. "I'm not seeing anything that makes me think she's hurting financially, but one never knows. Son's social media shows he plays football for Fairway High, and daughter is into dance. Both can be expensive for families."
"I just can't see a single mother risking prison time with two kids to support." Franks had seen a lot over his years as a detective, but most people who had kids to care for didn't risk criminal activity.
"I agree."
Franks tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Could simply be equipment failure, but that's so uncommon. Maybe she left a stove on?"
"Would one stove be enough to cause that big of an explosion?" Amy asked.
"I'm not the one to ask. I don't know anything about gas lines other than it heats my home. My stoves are electric. I have no clue what it would take to cause an explosion that size." Franks was more than happy to let the professionals handle things like that.
"Neither do I." Amy closed her laptop and slid it into her bag. "Makes me nervous to go anywhere if stuff like this can happen."
"Right?" Franks laughed. "I mean, it doesn't happen often, but it's probably better if I don't know how it happens or how easily it could happen.
You hear those news reports of homes suddenly exploding and I've always wondered what was going on to cause them.
Sometimes it's better to be left in the dark. "
"Yeah, I wonder the same thing." Amy sighed as her phone started ringing. "Burns," she answered.
Franks tried to listen, but whoever she was talking to wasn't speaking loud enough. He knew it was important when Amy pulled out her notebook and wrote down an address.
"We've got a possible murder-suicide we need to head to. Interviews will have to wait." Amy slid her phone back into her pocket, then put the new address into the GPS. "It's down the street from Angus's old house."
"We really need to hire more detectives.
" He was so tired of being pulled off one case to work another.
When he'd started with the department, the city of Fairway was growing, but had yet to boom.
Now, the place was triple the size it had been then, and while the town grew, the department hadn't.
It was getting harder and harder to keep up with the calls.
"Agreed. And the chief knows it. I've heard they've requested a budget increase so we can hire more officers and upgrade some of the vehicles and equipment. CSU claims some of their equipment is so outdated that it could be considered historical and put in a museum about crime investigation."
Franks smiled. "That would be funny if it wasn't true."
"Right? Anyway, nothing will happen until the city council gets all their problems worked out. That's still months away from happening. Nights are where we need more coverage. It's not right that Phil is working alone at night without a partner and having to rely on patrol to back him up."
"If Angus fully recovers, he's out at least a month or more. Hell, maybe longer. Who knows what his recovery will look like. We need more detectives in homicide." Franks sighed.
"Drop the if. There is no if. Angus will recover." Amy glared at him.
"You're right. It's just so hard right now when all I can see is him lying in that bed, tubes in and out of his body, with his neck and head wrapped. I can't help but worry he might make it through this, but what will his life be like once he heals? Will he even want to come back?"
Amy reached over and placed her hand on Franks's forearm as he steered.
"You're really not thinking he won't return to work, are you?
Of course he'll be back. Being a detective is in his blood.
If he's able to physically handle the job, he'll be back.
I have no doubt about that. What else is he going to do?
He's not the kind of guy who can sit still.
He'd go nuts sitting behind a desk or retiring early.
Nope. He'll be right back by your side, listening to your horrible jokes, watching you eat greasy foods, and teasing you about your lack of social skills. "
"I don't lack social skills. I just hate being social," Franks objected, ignoring the fact that she had pegged him correctly on all the other things.
Focusing on following the GPS, he got them to the scene in less than ten minutes.
Red and blue lights lit up the neighborhood while people stood in their front yards, watching the activity.
Amy waited on the sidewalk for Franks to join her. "Please tell me those kids didn't witness this." Her gaze was on two girls and a boy sitting with an officer on the front porch.