Chapter 5 Mitch
MITCH
Mitch stood in the darkened hallway of Seabird Cottage, his mind already working through solutions. The fuse box was the immediate problem. Without power, Lori and Tessa would be vulnerable tonight, and whoever had removed those fuses knew it.
He pulled out his phone and scrolled to Jim Brewster’s number. The hardware store would be closed by now, but Jim lived above the shop. It was worth a try.
Jim answered on the third ring. “Hello, Mitch. Is everything all right? I don’t usually get calls from you after hours.”
“Hi, Jim,” Mitch greeted. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but I need your help. You know Seabird Cottage, Carrie Ware’s place?”
“Of course. Is there a problem?” Jim asked.
“As you know, Carrie hasn’t yet updated the fuse box in the house,” Mitch explained, keeping his voice calm and matter-of-fact.
“All the fuses have gone, and we need replacements.” He paused.
“I know the store’s closed, but I don’t want to leave Carrie’s friend, who is staying here in the dark for the entire night. ”
“Say no more,” Jim interrupted. “I’m happy to help. As you know, my wife and I live in the apartment above the store now, and the kids are grown and out of the house. So come on by, and I’ll open for you. I’ve got the right fuses in stock as I keep them for Carrie and a few others in Nantucket.”
Relief washed through Mitch. “Thank you, Jim, I appreciate this.”
“Not a problem. I’ll meet you at the store in… say, fifteen minutes, if that works for you?”
Ryan stepped forward as Mitch ended the call. “I’ll go pick them up. I know where Jim’s store is.”
Mitch nodded. “My son, Ryan, will fetch them,” he told Jim.
“Ryan’s here?” Jim said, surprised. “I bet Piper is happy to have her uncle home.”
“We all are,” Mitch told Jim. “Again, thank you, Jim.”
“Any time,” Jim told him. They said their goodbyes, and Mitch hung up.
“I’ll go with Ryan,” Tessa said, appearing beside Ryan.
Ryan nodded. “Great.” He smiled at Tessa and turned back to Mitch. “We shouldn’t be too long.”
“Be careful,” Lori told them as they walked out the door, and Misty started to follow them, but Lori stopped her. “Misty.”
The German Shepherd seemed to hesitate, looking from Tessa to Lori, but then turned and wandered back to her.
Tessa and Ryan headed out through the front door, and Mitch heard his son’s truck engine start a moment later.
He turned to Lori, who stood with Misty pressed against her legs as she stroked the dog’s ears.
“Let’s get the food you made over to my house,” Mitch said. “No point letting those rolls and pie go to waste, and you’ll be more comfortable there with the lights working.”
“Good idea, as some of the rolls still need another ten to fifteen minutes,” Lori said, looking relieved as she started gathering the food. “Oh, good, at least the cherry pies have cooled down enough to transport.” She found some cake tins and put the two pies in them.
“Cherry pies?” Mitch’s mouth started to water. “Mmm, those are mine and Piper’s favorite.” He smiled. “And if I remember correctly, Ryan’s. I hope you don’t want any leftovers from those?”
“I made them especially for your family,” Lori told him, looking pleased. Her eyes fell on a glass bowl that already had a lid on it. “Tessa finished the salad before the power went out.” She packed everything except the rolls that needed to go into the oven into a large basket.
“As soon as Ryan and Tessa are back,” Mitch told her as he took the basket to carry to his house, “Ryan and I will board up the basement window to ensure no one can come through it again. Then we’ll get the barbecue going.”
“If anyone is still hungry after all this,” Lori said, her eyes glancing around the house as Mitch closed and locked the door behind her.
“We all need to eat,” Mitch told her. “We need to have our head on right.”
Lori smiled at him as they walked over to Mitch’s house, with Misty trotting beside them as they crossed the dark yard.
His kitchen was bright and welcoming after the darkness of Seabird Cottage. Mitch set the basket down, and Lori unpacked it while Mitch set the oven for her. Once it was heated, Lori slid the baking sheet loaded with the rolls into it and set the timer.
“Mitch,” Lori said quietly, wiping her hand on a tea towel. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something Tessa brought up earlier that might be relevant.”
“Oh?” Mitch’s brows went up as he turned to give Lori his full attention. “What is it?”
“It’s about Florida. About my property there.
” Lori told him, leaning back against the counter.
“Trevor, my late husband, had a business partner who defrauded several people, including my neighbors Matt Parker, Ian Marshall, who was also a business partner, and me. We thought we’d purchased our houses, but they turned out to be leaseholds.
The paperwork was deliberately misleading. ”
Mitch felt his jaw tighten. “When did you find out?”
“About a week ago, Carrie started helping Matt sort through the legal mess of his property. She realized the same thing had happened to me.” Lori’s voice wavered slightly.
“The worst part is that Trevor found out about it a few weeks before he died. Before his heart attack.” He saw her eyes darken with emotion, and his heart ached for her.
He knew the pain of loss, and hers was a lot fresher than his was.
“Ian admitted to me when I spoke to him a day after I found all this out that he was sure the stress of trying to sort things out was what caused it.”
“I’m sorry,” Mitch said, meaning it. “That’s a heavy thing to carry.”
“Tessa handled the legal work for us. She was brilliant and, according to Carrie, Matt, and Ian, they managed to get it all sorted out.”
Mitch frowned. “If it’s sorted out, I don’t see how this would have any connection.” His mind started to tick over. “Unless there were others that were defrauded and are now coming after you.”
“Ian assures me that he’s been cleaning all that up with the help of Carrie’s son and Tessa,” Lori assured him. “Still…” She stopped, and her eyes filled with worry.
“Still what?” Mitch asked, realizing there was more.
“Ian and his wife lost their only daughter because of this mess,” Lori told him. “Trevor and Ian’s business partner was a very bad man, and his ex-wife’s son killed her.”
Mitch nodded as he watched her, listening.
“Let’s go to my office, and I’ll give you a pen and paper.
” He started leading her out of the kitchen.
They walked down the hall to his office.
Mitch pushed the door open, stepping back for her to enter.
“If you don’t mind writing down everyone’s names, I’ll look into them with Trent’s help. ”
“No!” Lori spat. “Please, let’s keep this between us. Carrie has had enough problems thanks to all that transpired in Lost Love Cove. I want to keep her out of this for as long as possible.”
“Okay,” Mitch agreed. “If Tessa has been working on the case, then she can help instead of Trent.”
“Thank you,” Lori said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Tessa was the one who brought this up and agrees we shouldn’t tell her mother right now.
But she also said we needed to tell you, as we can’t leave any stone unturned.
” Her head swivelled toward the side where Seabird Cottage was, before she turned back to him.
“Especially as things seem to be escalating.”
“She’s right about that,” Mitch agreed. He rifled in one of the desk drawers, pulling out a pen and notepad, which he slid over to Lori. “Can you write it down? Who else knew about the fraud? Who had access to the information?”
“Trevor’s business partner, obviously. A few lawyers. The people who were affected.” Lori frowned, thinking. “But Trevor’s business partner, his stepson, and his criminal family are all in jail.”
“Criminal family?” Mitch’s brows shot up.
“Oh, yes,” Lori’s eyes widened. “Trevor’s business partner was Richard Stanstead. His parents were…”
“The Stansteads that were on the FBI’s most wanted list?” Mitch spluttered. This changed things.
“Yes,” Lori nodded and held up a hand. “But Trevor and Ian only found out who he really was just before Trevor passed away.”
“You said they’re in jail?” Mitch asked.
“As far as I know,” Lori told him. “But Tessa will be able to tell you more about that.” Her jaw clenched, and he saw the emotional turmoil churning inside her. “Maybe whoever this is is after me!”
“Hey,” Mitch said gently, stepping closer. “We don’t know that yet. It could still be connected to Carrie, or it could be something else entirely. Even an old enemy of mine.”
“But what if it’s not?” Lori’s voice rose slightly. “What if I brought this danger here? What if the Stansteads have people on the outside who—”
“Stop,” Mitch said firmly but kindly. “We’re not going to spiral into what-ifs. We’re going to gather information and figure this out methodically. That’s how we stay safe.”
Lori took a shaky breath and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just...”
“I know,” Mitch said. “But right now, you stay here where it’s safe. Write down all the names you know that are connected with the property fraud.”
“Okay,” Lori nodded, taking a seat, and Misty flopped down beside the chair. “What are you going to do?”
Lori watched Mitch gather his flashlight.
“I’m going to go back to Seabird Cottage and examine the basement more thoroughly while we still have some light left. See if I can find anything useful.”
“Please be careful,” Lori said, and the concern in her voice made something warm bloom in Mitch’s chest despite the seriousness of the situation.
“I always am,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Just in case, though.”
Lori’s eyes widened in alarm. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“I always like a backup and safety plan,” Mitch told her reassuringly. “Nothing’s going to happen but…”
“We never know,” Lori finished for him, and he smiled.