Chapter Six
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Cori had spent the entire night reading through every single piece of information she had on James. She had compiled a large file on him, yet she knew it was far from complete. It was all based on business, which did, in fact, showcase him as a tyrant. Although she didn’t doubt that for a minute, Logan confirmed the picture she’d painted of James was accurate, but only to a point. She wished she had details of what James was like as a father, but Logan had alluded to enough to show that James was even worse than she’d imagined. That’s shocking, because I now imagine you as a total asshole.
Pushing Logan for more would’ve been easy, yet not kind at all. So she did the only thing she could and let him leave. They were meeting again tonight, but she knew he would’ve put up many walls since their last meeting. She was going to need to prepare a list of questions ahead of time and take into consideration that he might not be receptive to them. Refusing to move forward on the interview was the worst that could happen. That didn’t mean she would give up gathering what she needed. It’d mean she’d have to reach out to another Henderson.And I don’t think Logan wants that either.
This wasn’t the story she was looking for, the one that showed the inner dynamics of the Henderson family, but since it was brought up, she couldn’t help herself. If she could get proof that James was involved in the death of Grandpa Joe, the family story would be icing on the cake.
There was a voice in her head that reminded her to be careful. Although Logan didn’t seem to be like his father, she only had her gut to go on. She wished Grandpa Joe were alive to guide her. He’d have all the answers. Then again, if he were alive none of this would matter. She wouldn’t give two cents about the Hendersons or what James and his sons were like.
But Grandpa wasn’t alive, and James was responsible. Yet, with this new development, Cori questioned if she was wrong about why James went after Joe. She knew they weren’t in the same line of business, so it wasn’t about competition in the wine industry. Joe had wines that had far exceeded expectations. Some of his bottles cost more than two thousand dollars. Could his death be over something as trite as James being disappointed with his purchase and lashing out by destroying the vineyard? From what Logan said, there wasn’t anything good about the man. But that seemed so extreme.
Cori picked up the copy of the police report again that detailed what had happened. She didn’t know why she hadn’t noticed it before. The report stated the fire started in the fields. That wouldn’t have spread through the entire vineyard. They had to have used an accelerant in different locations at the same time. It was the only explanation why they couldn’t contain it and were caught in the middle with no way out.
It was painful reading this again, but she needed to. It called to her as though without her it would all be forgotten. I promise, Grandpa, that won’t happen.
As she flipped through photos she came across one of the main wine cellar. It had been damaged but not completely burned. Her fingers traced over the large wooden barrels that once contained some of the finest wines. She’d spent many hours watching them test the wine to make sure it was ready. Only then did it make it into the bottles, ready for sale.
There’d been rows of bottles on the racks, filled and waiting to be picked for deliveries. They all ended up on the floor, crushed. Like every dream Grandpa had.
It wasn’t so much what the report said that troubled her. They stated what they found, but made no mention of what they didn’t find that should’ve been present. No footprints or no fingerprints at all, even on the door leading to the wine cellar. There should’ve been dozens based on the staff Grandpa had working there. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure their presence would never be uncovered.
If James was involved, his money could have bought off any forensic data to cover up the evidence or paid to plant things to make it look accidental. She needed to find who and how. She knew James hadn’t flown to the West Coast to start the fire himself. He was dirty, but from what she’d learned, he didn’t get his hands dirty directly. That meant he had a hired hand. Was that person still doing business with the Hendersons? Was he on their payroll? If so, she needed to find him.
Cori wanted to mention the vineyard last night to see what reaction she’d get, but it didn’t seem like the right time. Even their brief conversation seemed to rekindle something deeper than the pain of the loss of a bad father. Each time Logan mentioned James’s name, there was a look of total disgust, and she knew he absolutely despised the man. That makes two of us.
Although her emotions ran dark when she thought of James, she still couldn’t relate to Logan’s feelings. The man was nothing to her, but he was Logan’s father. Cori wasn’t ready for such a strong reaction from him. Before she brought forth her accusations of James killing her grandpa, she needed to make sure none of them had known about it all this time. That wasn’t going to be easy to do. If the police couldn’t come up with any substantial proof, what made her think she could?
She wasn’t sure what Logan even remembered from back then. He was five years older than her, making him forty. That meant he would’ve been ten when her grandpa was killed. Logan wouldn’t have had any knowledge of what James was involved in. It was possible he’d never heard about the fire at the vineyard, as it took place on the opposite side of the country. Until she was one hundred percent sure, she needed to keep this to herself.
Sarah knew Cori’s suspicions but was absorbed in her own life, and she didn’t believe her theory anyway. That was to be expected. As the oldest, she’d inherited all the money and was supposed to use it to take care of them both. The money was used, but Sarah chose to spend it on expensive trips and gaudy jewelry. It did, however, attract men to Sarah, and she was more than generous with them.
Cori, on the other hand, used the small amount Sarah shared with her to go to college. As far as she was concerned, education was the best investment. Since she was still at the bottom of her field at the news station, she questioned if she should’ve had a little bit of fun with it instead. But she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She was just like her grandpa: work hard for everything you get and only then can you genuinely appreciate what you’ve earned. Too bad I’ve earned what amounts to peanuts.
Grandpa Joe seemed so vivid in her mind now, thirty years later. Even though she’d been the younger sister, Cori was Grandpa’s shadow every day. Sarah on the other hand never wanted anything to do with the vineyard and was bored hearing the stories of the the difference of grapes and the entire process for making some of the best wines. Hence why Sarah barely remembered him at all, and when Cori spoke of their childhood, Sarah didn’t seem interested in talking about the old days one bit. And I can’t seem to let them go.
She closed the file and opened her laptop. There were files she kept under password, so if anyone ever hacked her computer, they couldn’t steal her work. Not all her files made that list. She was working on a story right now that had to be submitted to the editor by the end of the night. This was what she was being paid for, and as far as she was concerned, it wasn’t worth a dime. Each week she needed to interview a person with a different sexual fetish.
First of all, she could only imagine what her search engine looked like. If there was something kinky out there, she had researched it and written an article about it. Cori wasn’t a prude by any means, and since taking on these assignments, her eyes were opened to so much more than her imagination could process.
The one she researched this past week made her laugh several times. Thankfully the interview had been over the phone. Which in itself was a bit odd based on the subject matter, but it would’ve been so much worse in person. Half the time she needed to push mute on her phone. She didn’t know such a thing existed. At first, he seemed like a man who enjoyed cooking, as he described many delicous recipes. He’d had her mouth watering. The man was into feeding women. At first, she liked that idea. Let me sit on the couch, you cook and bring me the food. If she could date him and the guy who got off cleaning houses, her life would be made. But as she spoke to him longer, he kept asking for pictures of her stomach. She didn’t get it. It wasn’t like sexting, but it had struck her as odd. By the third time he asked, she had him explain why. And he did.
It all went downhill from there. He went into details, which made her wish her brain was like a chalkboard and could be easily wiped clean. Instead, she had to hold on to each word, so she could quote it properly. Sometimes I hate my job.
How she was able to pull off writing this article about men who get off, literally, on feeding women until they become obese was beyond her. But as she read it again, her writing was spot on, even though the material made her laugh. Who would’ve thought Feederism was a real thing?
Another week done.She couldn’t wait until she had options for what she wrote and for whom. She knew the story on the Hendersons was the way out of this dead-end job. It would be her mark on true journalism. That day can’t come fast enough.
She attached the file and sent it to her editor. Then she lay back and broke out in laughter. I don’t think I’ll ever let a man buy me dinner again.
“Bennett, I knowwhat I’m doing.” That wasn’t totally accurate. He was supposed to be gathering intel, and instead he felt as though he gave away a bit too much.
“You’re lucky she isn’t a real investigative reporter or you’d be in trouble. From what I’ve read, you should be okay. And if she does write a story about you, I plan on laughing my ass off.”
He knew exactly why too. Cori seemed so proper, but when she wrote, she blew his mind away. It didn’t seem to fit who she was. Or maybe it does. “Trust me, that’s not the story she’s after.”
“It would be better if it was. If she gets wind of Tabiq, she’s not going to stop until she knows why we’re there.”