"Frank?" she said as her eyes filled with tears. "You're here to see Frank?"
"Yes," Ava tried again. "I spoke with him a few days ago. Yesterday he left me a message asking me to come to see him."
"You haven't heard, then," she said, clutching her hand to her chest. "Frank's in a hospital."
Ava and Nick exchanged a quick look.
"I" m sorry to hear that, Mrs. Mitchell," she said. "What happened?"
She gestured for them to come in and follow her inside. Just like the last time, the house was quiet, with the occasional sound of a motorboat gliding across the lake. Unlike the last time, the house was in disarray. She seemed oblivious to everything around her.
"Can I get you anything?" she asked as if she suddenly realized there were guests in the house. "Some water, maybe?"
She then plopped on the couch between two piles of clothes like a deflated balloon.
"That's okay, Mrs. Mitchell," Ava said, taking a seat across from her in one of the chairs not yet covered with belongings. "Can you tell us what happened?"
Nick stood at the side as Mrs. Mitchell looked away towards the window, her eyes filled with grief.
"I went to the store just for a few minutes," she said. "I wasn't even gone that long. When I came home, I found Frank at the bottom of the stairs."
Her tears were dangerously close to spilling out like a flood. "They said it was a heart attack. He's in the hospital. Unconscious."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Mitchell," Ava said.
"Thank you," a vague smile crossed her lips. She looked around the room absently as if looking for someone.
"Frank left me a message yesterday to come and see him," Ava tried again. "Did he mention anything to you? About me or maybe a woman named Sharon Novak?"
"No, Frank didn't talk about his work," she said. "He must have called you when I was out."
"So you don't know what he wanted to tell me?"
"I don't, I'm sorry," she sat with her hands folded in her lap. "Frank has high blood pressure. That's why we moved here after he retired. For peace and quiet."
She dabbed the corner of her eye with a tissue. "Frank isn't in the best shape, but he is trying to be healthier. And now he might die anyway."
Ava thought about the beers Frank was pounding back the last time they were here but said nothing. It was perfectly plausible for a man like Frank Mitchell to have a heart attack. But that seemed very coincidental.
"Mrs. Mitchell," Nick asked. "Was Frank worried about anything lately? Anything or anyone bothering him?"
"He was a bit agitated lately," she said. "But that's Frank. He's always complaining about something. He doesn't tell me anything."
"That's okay," Ava got up and handed her a card. "If you remember anything, give me a call. I hope Frank has a speedy recovery, Mrs. Mitchell."
***
"Another coincidence?" Nick asked as they got back in his Jeep.
"Definitely a convenient one," Ava said.
"Well, I didn't see a black pickup truck anywhere."
"I don't think that was him in the truck," Ava said. "When we left him, he wasn't in any shape to drive."
"So either someone was watching the house, or he called someone."
Nick drove slowly down the driveway and stopped at the end of it.
"The truck must have come from somewhere," he said. "The town we stopped at was south of here. I think we should do a little cruise around the area and see if we can find it."
They drove around for a couple of hours but couldn't find a black pickup truck that matched the one they saw tear out of the parking lot. There were several similar-looking vehicles, but none were what they were looking for. It started to get dark when they decided to abandon their search.
"I would suggest stopping in town for a bite," Ava said. "But after what happened the last time, I am not sure that's a good idea."
"Well, we could drive by the restaurant and see if the truck is there," he suggested. "Of course, we could be wrong, and it was someone else entirely."
The truck wasn't parked at the restaurant, but they noticed another road that led to the parking lot. Since neither one remembered seeing the truck drive into the parking lot past them, nor saw it parked in the lot when they got there, they assumed it came from there.
"Should we see where this road leads?" Ava asked?
"We've come this far, "Nick shrugged. "Might as well. But then we really have to stop for food. I'm starving."
"Deal."
The road led them away from the centre of town through an industrial area with several large parking lots and warehouses. At this time of day, there wasn't a lot of activity going on. They drove for several minutes past the industrial area as the road split into a fork.
"Where to?" Nick asked.
"Well," Ava said as she glanced at her phone. "Left goes back to town. Right will take us back to the highway back to the city."
"How far is the highway?"
"About a fifteen-minute drive," Ava told him. "We could go back to town to get food, or we can just wait till we get back to Toronto. It's less than an hour's drive back."
Reluctantly, Nick made a right and headed down the dark road.
"We should really stock up on some snacks," he said. "If we're going to go on these long-ass drives."
They drove in silence for a while. Nick's was the only car on the road with the occasional one passing by in the opposite direction. They didn't notice a dark pickup truck parked behind a tree as they passed by.
"I totally forgot to ask how your date went," Ava said to break up the silence.
"My date?" he said. "What about it?"
"How did it go?" she asked again. "Unless, of course, it's none of my business."
Nick thought of Amber and the missed opportunities. There was no way she would give him another chance, but that wasn't something he was going to tell Ava about.
"It was fine," he said dismissively. "Nothing to write home about."
"Oh," Ava hesitated. "Ah, I was going to ask what dating apps you use."
"Why?" he said. "So you can find me and see if we match?"
"Why in hell would I want to do that?"
Nick only laughed, but after a few moments, his laughter died as he looked in his rearview mirror.
Suddenly a black pickup truck drove up behind them. As Nick watched it speed up, the driver turned on the lamps mounted to the roof rack. The blinding lights made it impossible to see who was driving or see the road in front.
"Fuck," Nick swore as he tried to maneuver the Jeep away from the other vehicle. "Hang on tight."
Ava grabbed onto anything she could as the seatbelt dug into her flesh. As Nick sped up, so did the car behind them. The pattern repeated several times until the truck hit the back of Nick's Jeep, pushing it forward. He sped up to get away, just as the truck rammed into the back of the Jeep again.
"Who the hell is that?" Ava managed. "I can't see anything with these damned lights."
Nick slammed on the gas and floored it. It took them several minutes to realize that the truck fell behind and wasn't following them anymore. Once they were a fair distance away, the driver cut the lights, disappearing under the cloak of darkness.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Nick said as they finally got on the highway.
Chapter 11
Detective Burnett sat across from Ava and Nick in his office as they recounted their visit to Mitchell's home and the truck that tried to run them off the road. On his desk was a metal box Ava found in her grandfather's garage.
"It would probably be best that you two don't venture out anywhere near Mitchell's place," Tyler told them. "I'll try to do a run on the vehicle, but without the plates, I can't guarantee that we'll find anything."
"Can't you get anything off Nick's Jeep?" Ava asked.
"We can definitely give it a go," Tyler turned to Nick, "can you leave your vehicle in our shop for a couple of days? If we're lucky, we'll get some transfer paint
from the truck that hit you. It would help to narrow down the search."
"Yeah, I can do that," Nick said. "The damage isn't as bad as it could have been, considering."
"It seems that you're making someone nervous," Tyler noted. "I checked with the lead investigator on the dry ice bomb, and so far, there are no prints."
"So you think the bomb and the other incidents are related?" Ava asked.
"At this stage, we can't eliminate any possibilities. If you like, I can assign some officers to keep an eye on you."
"I think it's fine," Nick interjected. "As long as we stay in the area. Most of these incidents happened out of town."
"You can never be too careful."
"I think Nick's right," Ava said. "We just need to stay close to home. Have you had a chance to check in on Mitchell's condition?"
"I made some calls," he said. "There is no change in his status. Nothing about his condition indicated any foul play."
"It just seems too much of a coincidence."
"Stranger things have happened," Tyler said as he shrugged. "You want to tell me about this box? You said it belonged to your mother."
"Yes," Ava said. "Inside, we found some negatives, floppy disks, rolls of film and a notebook."
"We haven't been able to get the film developed yet," Nick told him. "With everything that's happened in the last few days."
"You've been busy," Tyler said as he opened the box and picked up the printed pages. "Is this what's on the disks?"
"Yes," Ava nodded. "They look like financial statements and accounts, but I have no idea who they belong to."
Tyler put down the paper and picked up the notebook. He flipped through the pages as Ava and Nick sat in silence.
"I know what you're thinking," Ava said as Tyler's eyes met hers.
"Like I said, there are two possibilities as to why Sharon was murdered," he said. "She either found something that she wasn't supposed to and was killed for it. Or, she took what she found and tried to bargain with it."
"You mean blackmail," Nick said flatly.
"We have to consider all possibilities. Even if the answers are not what we hoped for."
Ava didn't say anything, but she knew how this looked. The documents would either exonerate Sharon or prove she wasn't as honest as her grandfather believed. There was a reason she kept track of accounts and bank statements, but she was the only one who knew why.
"Could these documents clear her?" she asked.
"I'd have to take this all in and have our forensic team look at it in detail," Tyler told her. "You can leave the rolls of film with me or get them developed yourself. If there is anything useful on them, let me know." When she hesitated, he added. "I promise you that none of this will go missing. It's safe to leave it here."
"I know," Ava said as they got up to leave. "I made copies of everything anyway. We'll take the film, though. Are you still coming to the meetup this afternoon?"
"Yes, it's in my calendar."
After they left, Tyler laid out all the items on his desk. He took out the small key found with Sharon's remains out of the evidence bag. It didn't fit the box Ava found. He was still unable to figure out what it opened.
Since the key didn't belong to Sharon, it was likely her killer left it behind. Most likely dropped it when they dumped her body. Since forensics didn't find any blood or shell casings on the scene, it looked like she was killed elsewhere.
What did you find, Sharon? Tyler wondered as he logged onto his computer and got to work.
***
Ava met Lori for lunch at The Acropolis. Right now, it was probably one of the safest places in the city, and the food was excellent. Plus, she didn't think anyone would try to hurt her here.
"I can't believe someone set off a dry-ice bomb by your house," Lori said. "Have they found out who did it?"
"Not yet," Ava said. They covered the meetup scheduled for later that evening and the logistics that went with it during lunch. As much as she wanted to put what happened behind her, there was no denying that someone wasn't happy about her investigation into Sharons' death. Lori listened in disbelief as Ava filled her in on the event of the past few days.
"I'm glad you're okay," Lori said. "You are okay, right?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Ava said dismissively. "Just a little bit bruised from the fall still. Nick's car got some damage from last night, but it's not as bad as it could have been."
"Ava, you have to be careful," Lori said. "You don't know who you're dealing with."
"I wish I did," she admitted. "It would be so much easier. Right now, nothing about this makes sense. Why would anyone want to harm me?"
"It looks like they are trying to scare you off," Lori said. "But people like that always mean business. If they had something to do with Sharon's death, they probably wouldn't hesitate to hurt you too."
"If they did have something to do with Sharon's death," Ava said. "That's more of a reason to keep going to find out the truth."
"I don't know about this, Ava. I feel better knowing that you have that assistant working for you," Lori said. "Where is he, by the way? I was looking forward to meeting him."
Ava picked up her phone and checked it for messages.
"He went to get the film developed," she said. "If he's not back in time, you'll meet him at the event."
"Are you going to hire him permanently, or should I keep looking for suitable candidates?"
Ava didn't answer right away. She got used to working with Nick, but their arrangement was temporary.
"Oh, he has his own thing going on," she said. "I doubt this is something he would even consider. Especially after what happened last night. Besides, I'm going to start working on the new season of The Missing Voices soon."
"You know, you don't have to move every time you work on a new season," Lori told her. "You choose to go to where the cases take you and stay there before moving on to the next one."
"It's how I work best," Ava said. "You know that. I like developing a connection with the families and being where it all happened."
"You know what I think?"
"I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."
"I think that you leave because you're running away," Lori said. "You've been chasing Sharon's ghost for so long you forgot how to live."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? You're great at what you do because you relate to people whose cases you investigate," she said. "You care about the families. You feel their pain and what they are going through. And by channelling all of yourself into every case, you're reliving Sharon's case over and over."
"You're wrong," Ava said defiantly.
"Am I, though?" Lori said gently. "I'm just telling you how I see it."
"Are you my shrink now?"
"I'm your friend. One that worries about you," she said.
Before she had a chance to respond, Odessa rushed over to their table with a big smile on her face.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said as she sat down at their table. "I'm just grabbing some takeout. I'll be out of your hair shortly."
"Oh, don't worry," Ava said as she introduced the two women. She wasn't surprised when the two became immediate friends.
"I have an idea," Odessa said as she got up to pick up her food order, "Since you're here another day, why don't you two come out tomorrow night? We can have a girl's night."
"I like the sound of that," Lori agreed. "Ava?"
"Sure, "Ava laughed. "Text me the details, and we'll do it up."
***
Nick met Ava and Lori at the event, getting there minutes before it started. She noticed Tyler in the audience as well. Ava almost missed him dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. He also sported a ball cap. If she didn't know him, Ava would have never pegged him as a cop.
This wasn't the first time she's done one of these events, but that didn't mean she enjoyed them. Ave watched people mingle, recognizing some of the faces from previous events. While she wasn't a member
of any murder mystery club, she had attended as a guest speaker. New ones were popping up on every corner, inviting her to speak.
Crime and murder tended to bring out the worst in some people. The morbid curiosity often disguised as a willingness to help pissed her off. Those people showed up at these events not to help but to get a fix for their true crime addiction.
Ava wasn't naïve. She started her own podcast to capitalize on the collective fascination with the suffering of others. But she didn't do it for entertainment value. It gave her purpose. While most people switched off the show after getting that fix and moved on with their lives, there were countless families of the victims who couldn't. She knew what that was like. She was one of them. Ava didn't need to live vicariously through the stories. Her life was very much like the stories she covered.
She couldn't overlook the entertainment value the podcast held for others, so she made it her mission to focus her show on the people behind the stories. Ava meticulously researched the cases, interviewed the families and law enforcement if they were willing. Sometimes these episodes led to solid leads that helped close some of the cases. That alone made events like this one worthwhile.
As the event's organizer, Kevin took his role seriously. The monthly meetups brought many true crime fans together to talk about both unsolved and solved murder cases. Attendees often discussed their own theories of famous and lesser-known cases. Occasionally, they watched true crime documentaries together and discussed them afterwards. It took all kinds, she supposed.
After the standard opening greeting and introductions, Kevin opened the floor for Ava. She gave an overview of the recent seasons of the podcast, the cases and fielded questions like a pro. Those that didn't know her would have assumed she loved every minute of it, but Nick could see the strain and struggle within. She hid it well.
"You know why her podcast is such a hit?" Lori asked Nick as he sat beside her in the audience. "She is every story she tells. They are all very personal to her, no matter the case."
"She hates this," he looked around at the crowd. "She hates being here. Why does she do it then?"
"It's what drives her," Lori tilted her head slightly to look at him. He had an intensity about him that, as a flesh and blood woman, she could appreciate. No wonder Ava kept him all to herself. "She's been chasing Sharon and others like her, most of her life. Running is what she does best. The podcast, events like this, they are a means to an end."
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