Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ali cautiously drove away from Iron Falls. “What a dick.”
Kenzi laughed. “It started when he called us girls.”
“Patronizing.”
Kenzi agreed. “That was the highlight. It went downhill from there.” She turned to Ali. “Do you think Dennis Holdcraft committed suicide?”
“First, the Sheriff told IMPD he wanted to speak to Michelle about possible involvement. Now he’s saying suicide. What is he covering up?”
Ali shrugged. “Perkins shut up quick when we mentioned the shed.”
“Why would Deputy McBride make something like that up?”
Ali’s smile grew. “I don’t think she did. That’s what we’re going to find out. I put the Holdcraft address in the GPS. We’re headed there now.”
Kenzi checked her watch. “Our flight to Indianapolis leaves…”
“In four and a half hours from Boston. We have time.”
“It’s a crime scene.”
“We’re right here. We owe it to this crime to check everything out.
The Sheriff wasn’t any help. Besides, do you really think they have enough deputies in Iron Falls to have someone watching the scene twenty-four seven?
And see how clear these roads are? There’s been a lot of traffic back and forth.
I think there’s more to this than a sad man ending it all. ”
Kenzi took out her phone and began to film. “Hi everyone. It’s Friday and I’m Kenzi.”
“And I’m Ali.”
“We’re in Iron Falls, Massachusetts, to learn more about the Holdcraft mystery. Mother, father, and daughter all consumed by flames.” She turned off the camera.
Ali laughed. “That was good.”
“Thanks. It just came to me.”
If it weren’t for the parade of sheriff cars, trucks, ambulances, and fire trucks that drove these roads recently, the turnoff to the lane leading to Dennis Holdcraft’s home would be easy to miss. As it was, the well-traveled lane was obvious.
“If anyone’s here, we’ll act casual and try to get some more information.”
“And if no one is,” Kenzi said, “we’ll get as much footage of the property as possible. Then tonight in the hotel we’ll go through it.”
Ali brought the rental car to a stop about fifty feet from what remained of the home. Both ladies stared at the charred aftermath. While no one was patrolling the area, there was yellow police tape tied to posts surrounding what was left.
After shutting off the car, both ladies zipped their coats and opened the doors to the cold air. The stench of burned wood assaulted their senses. The ground beneath their boots was slippery with frozen water, and their breath crystallized in the air. “How big was the house before?” Kenzi asked.
“I read in the county assessment that it was two stories and two thousand square feet.”
They stared in amazement.
“It doesn’t even look like it was one story.”
Ali pointed to what remained of the chimney. “That’s basically all that’s left.”
“I can’t imagine the condition Mr. Holdcraft was in when they found him.”
“Probably not a lot left.” Ali took out her phone and videoed what was left of the house. She didn’t speak. The silence was appropriately eerie. When she turned the camera off, she looked from left to right. “Let’s find the shed.”
Kenzi asked, “Do you want to split up?”
“No,” Ali answered immediately. “This is the middle of nowhere. I’m not prepared to meet a bear or an elk.”
“I’m not prepared either.”
“Yeah, but I can run faster than you.”
Kenzi pushed playfully against Ali’s shoulder. “Let’s follow some of these boot prints.”
“Wait.” Ali turned the camera on her phone back on.
This time, she spoke. “We’re here at the sight of the fire in Iron Falls.
” She switched the camera and began to pan the scene.
“This is where Dennis Holdcraft, the father of author D. Valentine, lost his life. There’s very little left of his home.
” She turned the camera again. “Come with us as we search for more clues.” After taping a few seconds of their walk, Ali turned off the camera.
Kenzi pulled a pair of gloves from her coat pocket and slipped them on. “It’s cold.”
Ali laughed.
The boot prints seemed to be taking them in a circle, until they veered away from the house.
Kenzi brought out her phone. They’d walked what seemed like a mile.
Although the charred bones of the house were no longer visible, the stench was imprinted in their noses.
“I see something,” she said, lifting her phone.
“In Iron Falls, we heard that there was a shed on the Holdcraft property, spared by the fire. What was he keeping out there? We’re getting close. ”
There was yellow tape over a broken window above the door and a yellow taped X over the door.
“Looks like we found the shed, Kenzi.”
Both of their faces were on camera. “We came a long way,” Kenzi said. “Do you think we should take a peek inside?”
“Let’s do it.”
They rotated the camera and pushed on the heavy door. “It looks like someone broke in. See the splintered doorjamb?” Kenzi made sure to record the damage.
The door creaked further open.
Nothing.
“It’s empty.” The ladies stepped inside.
The soles of their boots echoed within. The space was vastly larger inside than it appeared from the outside.
The concrete floor was spotless as if someone scrubbed it.
“Someone took a lot of time to clean this place out,” Ali said and began walking along the walls.
“How could someone have technology out here? How do they get electricity?”
Kenzi recorded as Ali went to a plug and removed a charger from her purse. “Let’s see if it works.” She plugged the charger into the wall and then her phone into the charger—nothing. “No electricity.”
“Or,” Kenzi said, “whoever cleaned this place out disconnected the electricity. Why have plugs if there’s no electricity.” Her eyes opened wide. “I’ve heard the commercials for generators. Do they make them powerful enough to run whatever Mr. Holdcraft had here?”
Again, both of their faces were on the screen. “We’ll find out.”
Kenzi’s eyes opened wide. “Do we both agree that the sheriff is hiding something?”
Ali nodded. “First, he insinuated Michelle killed her father, and then he insinuated suicide. What if whatever was in this shed got him killed?”
Ali and Kenzi boarded their nearly three-hour flight in Boston bound for Indianapolis at 5:16 p.m. Seated in the third row, they exchanged phones and watched each other’s videos.
“I’m really curious what was in that shed and who cleaned it out.”
Kenzi agreed. “Especially after Sheriff Perkins went ice cold when we mentioned it.”
“Do you think we could call Deputy McBride for follow-up?”
“When we land, we’ll check into our hotel. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Hopefully, the Indianapolis police will be more forthcoming with answers to our questions.”