Free Ginny Gold - Early Bird Café 05 - Smashed Potatoes and Gravy by Ginny Gold

that we kept in touch. And when his son, Lou, moved to Hermit Cove, it was natural that we helped him get settled.”
    Bill paused and Kori saw Kyle lean forward slightly, anticipating whatever was coming next.
    Eve continued, “He did have a brother, Victor. We don’t know him well. And I’m not completely sure on Lou’s relationship with Victor, but their parents had disowned him.”
    “Why?” Kori asked, wanting every morsel of information she could get.
    Bill shook his head. “Their parents were very traditional. And when Victor fathered a son with a woman he wasn’t married to, nor who he wanted to marry, they gave him an ultimatum. I encouraged them to be a part of their grandson’s life anyway, but they couldn’t see reason. They told him that the only way they would remain in Victor’s life was if he married the mother of his child.”
    “He refused,” Eve said sadly, cradling her mug of tea as if it was warming the cold place this truth left in her body. “And ever since then, they’d talked about their one son, Lou.”
    “Would Victor have held that against Lou?” Kori asked.
    “I don’t know,” Bill said, glancing at Eve and wringing his hands together in his lap, his tea forgotten on the table beside him. “But what worries me more is that both of their parents recently passed and all of the inheritance went to Lou. Victor received nothing.”
    Kori looked to Kyle who had moved even closer to the edge of his seat. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and she had to agree. Victor could easily be the killer.

CHAPTER 11
     
    Kori tried to gather her thoughts and remain calm. It was clear that Bill and Eve were both thinking the same thing Kori and Kyle were. Could Victor really be the killer? And if their parents were dead, that black SUV she’d seen at Lou’s yesterday couldn’t be theirs. It must be Victor’s.
    “Do you know anything about Victor?” Kori asked hopefully. This was the most promising lead she’d been down and wondered if she should tell Zach. Probably.
    “Not a whole lot. Since he was disowned, I didn’t hear anything else about him from his parents, and we lost touch with Lou once he was established here and didn’t need our help anymore.”
    “Do you know how to get in touch with him?” Kyle asked, sipping his tea a bit more calmly than before.
    “He’s in town now. Staying at Lou’s place. Probably cleaning it out,” Eve explained.
    That sealed it for Kori. The car Kori and Kyle had seen yesterday with Michigan plates had to have been Victor’s, not their parents’.
    “Thanks so much,” Kyle said, standing and offering his hand. Bill and Eve did the same.
    “Are you going to tell the police what we shared?” Eve asked, concern returning to her voice.
    “I think we’ll have to,” Kyle said. “Anything to get my wife out of jail for something I know she didn’t do.”
    After a brief pause Eve said, “We’ll be happy to talk to them and tell them everything we shared with you.”
    The smile that statement brought to Kyle’s face was one of pure happiness and hope. Kori could tell that he was starting to see the end of his involvement in this investigation and thought Jenna might be home in time for Thanksgiving , just like Kori had thought was possible yesterday.
    Kori hugged both Eve and Bill and promised to visit again sooner than the last time she’d seen them—twenty years ago. Then she drove Kyle back to the café where he could get his truck.
    “You’re not going to come to the police with me?” he asked Kori.
    She shook her head. “I think you’ve got this one. And I’ve gotta take Ibis for a walk. She’s been cooped up all day. But let me know how it goes. I expect Jenna to be home in time for a huge family Thanksgiving tomorrow.”
    Kyle smiled again, his eyes even lighting up. “I hope so. Her mom’s been cooking enough for it and Jenna would love to be there. I’ll have her call you when she’s out,” he promised and then