"You didn't go to eat at Desorio's?" Amy asked.
"Seldom did. Tom was too distracted when we'd go eat there, so when we would go out as a family, we usually selected other places where he wouldn't feel like he needed to rush back to the kitchen and help. He said he couldn't get away, so we went out without him. We went out to eat and had just got home when I turned on the news and saw what had happened. That was when Becca and I rushed to Desorio's. Tom wasn't answering his phone, and we didn't know if he was hurt." Hillary gave Becca's arm a supportive squeeze as they both wept.
"Did you notice anything odd while you were visiting your husband at work? Any staff fighting or upset? Anyone there that shouldn't have been?" Amy asked.
Hillary shook her head. "Not that I recall, but Tom and I were in his office most of the time. I know Jules was upset about flowers. She interrupted us to complain about flowers dying. She's the only one that I really interacted with while I was there. Everyone was busy in the kitchen. I wasn't too happy that Tom wouldn't leave work for dinner with my parents, so I left in a bit of a hurry. I wasn't paying attention to much."
Franks nodded as he looked out over the backyard, trying to think of what else they needed to ask. It was hard when they still didn't know the exact cause of the explosion. The onlylead they had right now was that someone might have smelled gas somewhere in the kitchen area, but even that couldn't be confirmed. "Were there any issues between your husband and his partner, Mr. Chris?"
"No, not that I was aware of. The two have always been as close as brothers. I don't think I've seen them even argue over anything. If there were problems between them, I didn't know anything about them. Frankly, it would shock me if there were. The Chris family is like an extension of our family. Tyler is devastated about what happened. I spoke to his wife a few hours ago and she said Tyler was up all night at the restaurant, speaking to the fire marshal as they tried to figure out what caused the explosion." Hillary exhaled a long breath. "I know Jasmine is as upset as we are about all of this."
Becca looked up, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "Do you know if Dad suffered? Did he burn to death?"
Franks let Amy answer. He wasn't the person to field a question like that.
"I don't know exactly what happened there last night, but from what I've heard so far, I would guess he died quickly. Probably by the explosion before the fire consumed the area. The medical examiner might have better information than I do on that." Amy pulled out two cards from a small card wallet she kept on her. "This is the medical examiner's information. They'll call you once the body is ready to be released to the mortuary of your choice. And this is my card. If either of you think of anything that we need to know, or if you remember something about a person or situation you witnessed recently, please call us."
Becca took the cards and set them on the table by her mother. "Thanks. I wish we could help. Will someone keep us up to date on what they find out?"
"We'll do the best we can. I'm guessing Mr. Chris will be informed of any findings and you can find out through him." Franks glanced over at Amy who nodded.
"There will be a final report in time that will go to the insurance company as well. That should contain everything they find." Amy stood.
Franks followed her lead. "Thank you for giving us some of your time today. We're so sorry about your loss." He offered his hand to Becca first as Amy did the same to Hillary.
"Thank you." Becca smiled weakly. "I'll walk you out."
Hillary stayed seated as Becca led them through the house and to the front door. "Please find out if someone caused this. And if they did, make them pay for killing my father."
Amy placed a hand on Becca's shoulder. "We don't know if anyone did anything. It could be an equipment failure. I promise we will do everything to find out the truth, and if someone caused this, we will arrest them for what they've done."
"Thank you." Becca nodded.
Franks gave the young woman a gentle smile, then followed Amy back to the car. Once they got inside and had pulled away from the house, he let out a long breath. "I'm glad that's over."
"That's just the first of several grieving families we'll see today." Amy pulled her laptop back out. "Want to talk to the Chris family next, or Rachel Jefferson's family?"
"I'm sure Tyler Chris is already being questioned by people. I'm not sure his wife will give us much more than Chef Tom's wife did. Let's hold off on the Chris family for now and hit up the others. Where am I headed?" Franks pulled out another piece of gum. Most of the time it helped distract him from his desire to smoke again, but lately, it wasn't enough. Hell, since he'd heard about Angus, it felt like torture not lighting up a cigarette and taking a deep drag to calm his nerves.
"Fountain Drive. It's that neighborhood west Fairway High School. Get us to the school and I'll lead you in unless you want me to put it in the GPS." Amy kept typing on her keyboard.
"I trust you more than I do some computer system." He glanced at her. "What are you doing on that thing?"
"Just organizing notes and making folders for each person we interview. I like keeping things easy to find." She sat back. "Don't you do the same?"
"I don't even have a laptop. Everything I do is from the office computer." Franks laughed. "I probably don't know how to use half the programs you have on that thing. I'm lucky to type up a report and have it readable with my typing skills."
"I thought everyone our age could type."
"You thought wrong." Franks reached to his console and handed Amy his phone. "Text Lance and ask for an update on Angus."
"He'd call if there was anything to report." She took his phone. "What's your passcode?"
"Eight, Six, Seven, Five."
Amy laughed. "Do not tell me it's from that song."
"Hey, it's easy to remember. It was a good song. I dated a Jenny in high school. We teased her about the song a lot." He huffed. "Don't give me shit. At least I was smart enough not to use my birthday or some shit like that."
