latch onto a memory. "My dad should have told me."
"I'm sure he was trying to protect you. You were already dealing with enough pain." His face was soft and sincere.
I wanted to agree with him, but I couldn't because now he was trying to protect me.
"Maybe." I walked off looking for Dori and found her in the living room. She perked up when I came in. Jason was on my heels.
"Is there anything special that you’re looking for?"
"No, we just needed to look around," I told her.
"Okay, feel free to take your time. I need to make a few calls, so I'm going to step outside and leave you to your business." She walked to the front door. "Give me a holler if you have any questions."
"Thank you, I will," I yelled back.
I yanked at Jason's sleeve. "I just want to take a quick look around and then we can go. Is that all right?"
"No problem." He pointed to the back of the house where she was found. Max followed us down the hall.
The bedroom was small, with hardwood floors and a closet on the north wall. There were two windows, one to the left of the closet and another on the west wall. It was spotless. The floors had recently been refinished and fresh eggshell white had been painted on the walls. "What are we looking for?" Jason said.
"Nothing, everything. I wanted to see it. I have a gut feeling that in some way they are connected." I walked over to the closet. "I know that there's something that we're missing with all of them. And, I'm having a hard time swallowing that she had a thing going with Bill Randall."
"He'd be on the top on the list as person of interest. Nothing in here. Let's head to the basement." He raised his eyebrows waiting for my reaction.
"Let's go." As long as I had someone with me, I could handle the creepy crawlers and cat-sized rats.
We opened the door and I could smell the mildew from the dampness. Another dirt floor with stone walls. I didn't expect anything less.
Jason switched on the light at the bottom of the steps. "Pretty clean down here."
I moved my hand along the stone wall. "I'm sure the bank pulled in a crew to fix everything up for resale."
"Look at all these doors." There were little cubbies and doors all along the back wall. We started opening them one-by-one. Jason opened a door that led to a room that was probably used for cold storage before the invention of refrigeration. Most of the houses in the district had a room like this. My house had one, but I never went near it.
"What's that other door in the back?" Jason turned around and asked me.
"I don't know, open it." I automatically stepped back, so I could run from a rabid raccoon or worse, a snake.
Jason jiggled the latch and pulled on the door, but it wouldn't move. He rammed it with his shoulder and still no luck. "I'll be right back."
"What do you mean? Where are you going?" I wrinkled my face up to protest.
"To get a crowbar. Sit at the bottom of the steps with your guard dog, chicken shit, until I get back."
"Hurry up, dammit." I heard his laughter roll down to the bottom of the steps.
Jason was back in no time with a large piece of metal in his hands. "I don't think we should start tearing things up in here. Did Dori see you with that?"
"Yeah, and she didn't have a problem as long as I didn't pull the door off the hinges. “I'm just going to pry the latch."
Jason strong-armed the door for several more minutes and it wasn't opening unless he took a sledgehammer to it.
"Give it up, I don't think that there's anything behind it. That lock looks like something from the dark ages. Probably the dungeon of horrors." I laughed, trying to make light of the fact that Jason "The Bull" Bradford couldn't open a little wooden door.
Chapter 13
I made sure the door was back intact and went upstairs to find Dori. I saw her outside talking on her cell. I put Max in the car and walked in her direction.
"Hi, Dori." I waved.
"Did you get everything you needed?" She was fishing in her purse for something.
"Yes, and thank you for
"I'm sure he was trying to protect you. You were already dealing with enough pain." His face was soft and sincere.
I wanted to agree with him, but I couldn't because now he was trying to protect me.
"Maybe." I walked off looking for Dori and found her in the living room. She perked up when I came in. Jason was on my heels.
"Is there anything special that you’re looking for?"
"No, we just needed to look around," I told her.
"Okay, feel free to take your time. I need to make a few calls, so I'm going to step outside and leave you to your business." She walked to the front door. "Give me a holler if you have any questions."
"Thank you, I will," I yelled back.
I yanked at Jason's sleeve. "I just want to take a quick look around and then we can go. Is that all right?"
"No problem." He pointed to the back of the house where she was found. Max followed us down the hall.
The bedroom was small, with hardwood floors and a closet on the north wall. There were two windows, one to the left of the closet and another on the west wall. It was spotless. The floors had recently been refinished and fresh eggshell white had been painted on the walls. "What are we looking for?" Jason said.
"Nothing, everything. I wanted to see it. I have a gut feeling that in some way they are connected." I walked over to the closet. "I know that there's something that we're missing with all of them. And, I'm having a hard time swallowing that she had a thing going with Bill Randall."
"He'd be on the top on the list as person of interest. Nothing in here. Let's head to the basement." He raised his eyebrows waiting for my reaction.
"Let's go." As long as I had someone with me, I could handle the creepy crawlers and cat-sized rats.
We opened the door and I could smell the mildew from the dampness. Another dirt floor with stone walls. I didn't expect anything less.
Jason switched on the light at the bottom of the steps. "Pretty clean down here."
I moved my hand along the stone wall. "I'm sure the bank pulled in a crew to fix everything up for resale."
"Look at all these doors." There were little cubbies and doors all along the back wall. We started opening them one-by-one. Jason opened a door that led to a room that was probably used for cold storage before the invention of refrigeration. Most of the houses in the district had a room like this. My house had one, but I never went near it.
"What's that other door in the back?" Jason turned around and asked me.
"I don't know, open it." I automatically stepped back, so I could run from a rabid raccoon or worse, a snake.
Jason jiggled the latch and pulled on the door, but it wouldn't move. He rammed it with his shoulder and still no luck. "I'll be right back."
"What do you mean? Where are you going?" I wrinkled my face up to protest.
"To get a crowbar. Sit at the bottom of the steps with your guard dog, chicken shit, until I get back."
"Hurry up, dammit." I heard his laughter roll down to the bottom of the steps.
Jason was back in no time with a large piece of metal in his hands. "I don't think we should start tearing things up in here. Did Dori see you with that?"
"Yeah, and she didn't have a problem as long as I didn't pull the door off the hinges. “I'm just going to pry the latch."
Jason strong-armed the door for several more minutes and it wasn't opening unless he took a sledgehammer to it.
"Give it up, I don't think that there's anything behind it. That lock looks like something from the dark ages. Probably the dungeon of horrors." I laughed, trying to make light of the fact that Jason "The Bull" Bradford couldn't open a little wooden door.
Chapter 13
I made sure the door was back intact and went upstairs to find Dori. I saw her outside talking on her cell. I put Max in the car and walked in her direction.
"Hi, Dori." I waved.
"Did you get everything you needed?" She was fishing in her purse for something.
"Yes, and thank you for
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