Chapter 9
At ten on Wednesday morning, the odor of charred wood still hung in the air, burning Tori’s nose as she once again surveyed the damage that was limited to the outside wall of the studio.
She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that someone had set fire to her home and recording studio.
And that someone was probably Calvin Russell.
Megan’s husband hadn’t been found yet, and a chill raced over her body. She scanned the street for the six-three former professional football player. Was he hiding in the shadows, gloating over his handiwork?
“You okay?” Amy asked.
Tori nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Amy had refused to hear of her going to a hotel last night, and Tori had crashed at her best friend’s house. “We worked so hard on that studio, and now—”
“Stop worrying! It’s not that bad, thanks to the fast response of the fire department.” Amy squeezed her shoulder. “The insurance adjuster called, and he’ll be here tomorrow morning. As soon as the check arrives, we can start the remodel.”
Ever the optimist. Only Amy could look at what had to be done and call it a remodel.
“Have you called the reno guy yet?” Amy asked.
“Not yet. I will now—might as well see how long his waiting list is.” Tori fished her phone from her jeans pocket and scrolled to the contractor she’d used before.
A couple of years ago, she’d had the opportunity to buy the garage apartment she lived in when the main house burned and the owners hadn’t wanted to rebuild. Thank goodness she’d kept the insurance premiums current.
He answered on the first ring. “What can I do for you, Ms. Mitchell?”
Tori explained about the fire. “The outside wall sustained the most damage. The rest was caused by water and smoke. Mostly smoke.”
“Hate that for you.”
“Me too, but it could’ve been much worse,” she said. “How soon do you think you can get to me?”
“I’ll try and get by there tomorrow to look at it. I’m working on a big job right now, and it’ll be three weeks before I can even think about starting on yours—and that’s putting you at the top of the list.”
That’s what she’d been afraid of. “I appreciate it. Do you know what time tomorrow?”
There was silence on the line, then he said, “How about eight, or is that too early?”
“That will be perfect.” Especially since the insurance adjuster was coming at nine.
“Of course, you know that the estimate won’t be written in stone.”
A chuckle escaped her lips. “I know, but I trust you.”
“You and my dog.”
She smiled at the laughter in his voice.
“See you then,” he said.
She disconnected and turned to Amy. “Guess you heard?”
Her friend nodded. “You’ll stay at my house until the job is completed.”
“No . . . it’ll be weeks before he can even get started. Insurance will pay for a hotel room, or maybe I can find a place to rent.” Tori appreciated Amy’s offer, but her friend was used to her solitude. Tori wasn’t going to impose.
“Not happening. You are staying with me.” Amy’s voice was firm.
“You sure?” Tori’s cell rang and she glanced at the caller ID. Erin. Again? She didn’t have time to argue with her sister about coming home.
“Are you going to answer that?” Amy asked.
“Not now. It’s my sister. I’ll call her back.” She let it go to voicemail.
Thirty seconds later, Erin phoned again.
“Answer it,” Amy said. “It might be important.”
Tori handed her the phone. “You answer it and tell her I’m too busy to talk right now.”
Her friend reluctantly took the phone and slid the answer button while putting it on speaker. “Erin, this is Amy. Tori is, um, tied up at the moment.”
“Tell her to call me right away.”
Tori stared at the phone. Was Erin crying?
“What’s wrong?” Amy asked.
“Jenny Tremont was murdered Saturday morning and—”
Tori grabbed the phone. “Jenny’s dead?”
“Yes. And Sheriff Ben Logan is questioning Drew—he thinks Drew killed her. He’s going to arrest him, I know he is. Tori, you have to come home.”
Tori chewed her thumbnail. Her nephew wouldn’t kill anyone. “Why is Drew a suspect?”
“Someone saw him running near Jenny’s place around two that morning—about the time the medical examiner says she died.”
“What does Drew say?”
“That’s just it—he won’t say anything except he didn’t do it, and he won’t say why he was out at that time of night or what he was doing in Jenny’s neighborhood.”
Regret swirled through Tori’s mind. She’d been close to Drew when he was a kid, and while she still kept in touch, either texting or calling, she should’ve come home more, especially after his mom died and her brother buried himself in a bottle. “How about Zack? He can’t get Drew to talk?”
“Our brother is no help at all. He and Drew barely tolerate each other, mostly because of Zack’s drinking,” Erin said.
“You two have always clicked . . . I think he’d talk to you if you were here.
And you know how to dig up evidence—you talk about it on your podcast, how you’ve found evidence when the police didn’t. ”
Erin listened to her podcast?
“Please. Come home—it doesn’t have to be long, and you can stay with me.”
Tori turned and stared at her apartment, warming to the idea of Erin’s offer. It would solve one problem—getting away from whoever set the fire. Maybe while she was gone, the police would find and arrest the culprit.
While she hadn’t planned on starting her investigation into Walter Livingston’s death this soon, a quick trip to support Drew would also give her an opportunity to talk to some of the people in town who knew Walter.
And she could stay with Erin this trip since it would only be for a few days.
Build bridges there. As for her dad . . .
she could find ways to avoid him, and if she didn’t, Tori knew how to be civil.
“All right, I’ll come,” she said. “But I can’t get there until tomorrow, probably late afternoon.”
Her sister’s sigh was heartfelt. “I’ll put fresh sheets on the guest bed.”
“I’ll call you when I leave Knoxville.” Tori disconnected and turned to Amy. “I guess you heard . . .”
Amy nodded.
“You want to come? I’m only staying two days, max.”
“What about the podcast? Do you plan to continue with a temporary studio? I don’t think the equipment was damaged, just the wiring that was in that outside wall.”
Tori considered their options. “I hate that we don’t have one to post in our regular spot Saturday night. And I’m sure not going to ask Megan to finish the recording from last night.”
“I agree.” Amy tapped her finger against her mouth. “But I think I can edit that one, cut it off before the fire alarm sounds, and have you do a voice-over with additional info we want listeners to know.”
Tori slowly nodded. “That would work. It’s definitely a message that needs to get out.”
“Why don’t we plan on setting up in one of my bedrooms, like when we first started?”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll take care of that while you’re gone.” Amy cocked her head. “Or if you have to stay longer than two days, I can bring the equipment to my aunt’s in Logan Point. Her basement would make a great studio, and we can stay on schedule.”
Tori considered Amy’s suggestion. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Of course not. I love being in Logan Point. I’d go with you tomorrow except I’m meeting with a potential sponsor in the afternoon.”
“I’d forgotten that.”
Amy grinned. “If I come to Mississippi, you can stay with my aunt too—if Erin’s house gets too small.”
A good option to have if the trip stretched any longer than she expected. No. She’d make sure it didn’t.
Tori hugged her friend. “Thanks. There wouldn’t be a podcast without you.”
“Get outta here.”
“No, seriously, you keep the wheels turning.”
“I enjoy what we do, and I think the podcast is important,” Amy said. “But returning to Logan Point to help your family is important too. If Drew gets arrested, they’ll need you to find out who really did it—your nephew is no killer. Erin was right about you knowing how to dig into a case.”
Tori closed her eyes briefly. What if she failed and Drew went to jail?