Page 82 of In the Arms of a Hero

Aaron stood to the side, tension palpable in the air, as Hunter read Jon Matherson his rights and a deputy handcuffed the man. Jon had been upstairs packing a suitcase when the detectives rang the doorbell, announced themselves as deputies, and surrounded the home. He’d only answered the door when they threatened to kick it in.

Jon’s indignant outbursts filled the room. “This is absurd!” His face contorted with anger as he railed against the injustice.

“Where is your wife?” Aaron asked, his gaze fixed on Jon. Each protestation from Jon only served to fuel Aaron’s resolve to force the truth out of him.

“She’s not here. She’s out shopping.”

“Where is she shopping?”

Jon sputtered, scoffing. “I have no idea where my wife shops in this backwater place. Our stay here has been nothing but miserable, and as soon as my lawyer has me out of your clutches,my wife and I are leaving. And I can assure you, we will never come back.”

Hunter's calm demeanor contrasted sharply with Jon’s escalating agitation and Aaron’s fury. The deputies escorted Jon outside. Once he was placed in the cruiser, Hunter and Brad followed as they headed to the station.

Aaron was antsy, wanting to watch the interview, but he knew it would take a while for Jon to be processed once they were at the station. He and Sam spent several minutes with Colby, Sheila, and the deputies searching the house.

“Document everything,” Sheila reminded the deputies. “We want no loopholes to let these people get away.”

Colby walked over. “I’ve put a BOLO on Eileen’s vehicle. You two should head back. I know you want in on the interview. I promise Sheila and I will be here with the deputies. We won’t leave anything to chance.”

Thanking them, he and Sam climbed back into their SUV. Once they were at the station, Hunter and Brad had just taken Jon into the interrogation room, and Aaron, Sam, and Colt watched the proceedings.

At first, Jon protested, saying he would wait on his lawyer before answering any questions.

Hunter nodded and said, “That’s your right. You’ll be held in a cell until your lawyer arrives.”

Jon loudly shouted, claiming his lawyer couldn’t get there on such short notice.

Hunter continued to nod. “That’s fine, Mr. Matherson. You’ll be held in a cell until he comes.”

A look of panic crossed Jon’s face. “I’ll have you sued for false arrest.”

“That would be difficult to do, considering your landlord has the front, back, and downstairs security cameras on your rental.”

The room crackled with the intensity of Jon’s facade crumbling under the weight of the evidence. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes bugged. He tried to speak, but words didn’t come out.

“If you would like to continue this interview, we can do so,” Hunter said, “Or you can go back into a cell and wait until your attorney gets here. It’s your choice, Mr. Matherson.”

Jon violently shook his head. “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my idea! None of it was! It was all her!”

“Are we to assume that, based on your statement, you want to continue the interview without your attorney present?”

Conflict etched across Jon’s face, but he nodded as he placed his elbows on the table and dropped his head into his hands. “If you saw the video, you know this wasn’t on me.”

“What we saw was a man show up at your house, met by your wife, and then, when you came in, a fight ensued. In the process of that fight between you and your wife, a gun was discharged, killing William Gaston. Then you had someone come down to assist you in disposing of the body. That someone also attempted to kill Belinda Crowder.”

Jon’s head jerked up, swinging back and forth. “No! I mean, yes. But it wasn’t like that. I didn’t want any of that!”

“Then why don’t you tell us what happened?”

His face scrunched, and Aaron watched as emotions collided.

“My wife has a habit of… collecting… affairs.”

“Collecting affairs?” Brad asked.

“She’s obsessed. Obsessed with always trying to look younger. Obsessed with her own sex appeal. I’ve never understood it, and no matter how much I tried, she always uses other men to make herself feel better. Her liaisons are never very long.” He scoffed, his eyes staring at the detectives as he glared, and his voice hardened. “I admit, she’s very picky about the men she chooses. She would never consider going for thepool guy, for example. Oh no—my wife’s affairs usually involve men of status, some only one-time flings.” He winced, his face contorting. “The crazy thing is that she doesn’t do it to make me jealous. She never does anything untoward in my presence. She simply engages in short affairs to feed her ego and then comes back to me.”

Behind the glass, Aaron shook his head and then glanced at Sam, finding his partner to respond with the same expression.

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