Stella Markam, a sharp-eyed reporter from Sinister Remnants, a Tori Winters mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? to interview her fellow characters, Tori Winters and her irrepressible sidekick, Mia O’Brien.

Welcome, Stella. Let’s get started, shall we?

“Hello, everyone. This is Stella Markham, and welcome to my latest podcast, Around Town with Stella. Today, I am over-the-top thrilled to welcome Tori Winters and Mia O’Brien to the news studio. Tori owns the historic Leichter mansion located in Granbury. After extensive renovations, she’s turning this imposing mansion into a B&B, the Red Door Inn. Mia O’Brien is the inn’s General Manager. I recently toured the new inn and can honestly say, it’s amazing. So delighted to have the two of you here today.”

“Wow, thank you so much for the invitation. We’ve been looking forward to this,” Tori admitted, her face glowing with pleasure.

Mia nodded her head. “Absolutely. It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase everything Tori’s done with the mansion.”

With a roll of her eyes, Tori said, “I should warn you that Mia doesn’t like to talk about her contributions to making the Red Door Inn a reality.”

Mia shrugged. “I just keep things moving.” She shot Tori a mischievous look before adding, “And try to keep her out of trouble, which isn’t always easy to do.”

Tori chuckled. “See what I have to put up with.”

Stella’s laughter joined in. “Sounds like quite the partnership. But before we get into this intriguing topic, let’s start with you, Tori, and your connection to the mansion. From what little I’ve heard, it sounds like a rags-to-riches mystery.”

“Very much so, Stella. I was a nurse, living in Missouri, when a local Granbury attorney contacted me about an inheritance. It wasn’t until I walked into his office that I learned Elly Leichter was my grandmother.”  She laughed. “But that’s a story for another day.”

“I imagine it must have been quite a shock to inherit a historic mansion and an estate worth millions,” Stella said.

“Shock is a mild description,” Tori admitted. “If I hadn’t been sitting down, I’d have been on the floor.”

“So, how did the two of you join forces? Another mystery?”

Mia laughed. “Not really. The first time I saw Tori, she was pushing two overflowing grocery carts at the store where I was the manager. She wrote a temporary check, but her driver’s license had a Missouri address. The cashier paged me. When Tori mentioned the address where she was living, the light bulb went off. I’d heard rumors of a new owner of the Leichter mansion.”

“That’s quite an introduction. But it doesn’t explain this remarkable friendship.”

“Fate. It was nothing short of fate,” Tori said. “The mansion needed to be cleaned, and I went hunting for a cleaning service. I found one with the name of the woman who had helped me at the grocery store.”

“Ah, one of those what goes around, comes around kind of moments,” Stella said.

Tori and Mia exchanged a glance, both chuckling.

“Absolutely. I couldn’t believe it when I got a call from Tori. And in this case, the rest really is history.”

Tori added, “And there have been plenty of adventures since that first day Mia showed up to give me a quote.”

Mia let out a groan. “Stella, you don’t know the half of it. We’ve had more Sherlock-and-Watson moments than I can count.”

Tori smirked. “She’s exaggerating. Mostly.”

Stella laughed. “I’m starting to think I need a whole separate episode just for your escapades. But for now, let’s talk about the mansion. Tori, where did the name Red Door Inn come from? And your logo has poker chips. What’s up with that?”

“Ancient history that goes back to the early to mid-1900s. My great-grandfather, Frankie Leichter, ran the illegal gambling syndicate in Dallas. One of his casinos was named the Red Door Casino.”

“Wow! How interesting. So, I’m guessing the poker chips in your logo have something to do with his casino.”

“My grandmother left me several poker chips that were used in Frankie’s casino.”

“Your great-grandfather was quite an infamous person in his day.”

“He was—guns, gambling, prohibition. He also built the mansion and its secret tunnel. The tunnel was an escape route in case the Feds raided the place, and it has rooms where his illegal goods were stored.”

“I was fascinated by the tour of the tunnel. Though I have to confess, it gave me a shiver, especially knowing a skeleton had been discovered inside it. The tunnel practically breathes history and secrets.”

“That it does,” Tori said. “And it’s not just the tunnel but also the mansion.”

“How titillating. Sounds like there’s another backstory. But to fast forward here. I’m sure my viewers would like to know more about the two of you. What tidbit of inside gossip can you share?”

Mia groaned. “Coffee.”

“Coffee? That’s your inside scoop?” Stella laughed. “No pun intended.”

“It’s worse than you can imagine.” Mia glanced at Tori. “Don’t give me one of those yeah, right faces.” She turned back to Stella. “Tori is addicted to the stuff. It runs in her veins. I swear, half of our Sherlock-and-Watson capers start because she’s over-caffeinated and has an idea that spells trouble.”

Tori sniffed. “Maybe so, but it’s better than that syrupy stuff you drink.”

“Uh … syrupy?” Stella asked.

“Sweet tea,” Mia told her.

“Ah … yes. A Texas tradition,” Stella said.

Tori grumped. “Maybe so, but I never heard of it until I got to Texas.”

Mia said, “She’s still adjusting. She’ll come around one of these days.”

Stella’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “You two clearly have a great rapport. Do you have a favorite moment of mishap from working together?”

Tori shot Mia a mischievous smirk. “There was one involving a dumpster at a taco bar.”

Mia groaned. “Tori, seriously? Not a good idea. Besides, you’re the one who said we couldn’t risk missing them if they slipped out the back door.”

Stella leaned forward, her voice tinged with interest. “I’ve got to hear this, and I bet my listeners will too.”

“It just proves that not all the ideas are mine. Mia suggested rock, paper, scissors to decide who had to wait by the dumpster outside the back door of the restaurant.”

Stella burst out laughing. “That’s hilarious. Who lost?”

“It was one of those moments where we were saved by the bell,” Mia admitted. “The two men walked out the front door.”

“As much as I want to hear the rest of this story, we’re out of time. I have a feeling there are plenty more tales where that one came from. Maybe even a few that don’t involve dumpsters. Thanks again to my guests, Tori Winters and Mia O’Brien. Be sure to join me on my next edition of Around Town with Stella.”

Thank you for conducting this interview, Stella, and good luck to you and your author, Anita Dickason, with Sinister Remnants, the latest book in the Tori Winters mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Stella and her author, Anita Dickason by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube pages.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

Amazon – B&N

About Anita Dickason: Anita is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. Anita served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, and Dallas SWAT tactical officer and first female sniper. Her law enforcement experience and knowledge provide an endless source of inspiration for her characters and plots.