Page 30 of Whispers Left Behind

There was no stopping the emotional breakdown. Alex eventually steered Sebastian toward the kitchen. The house had somewhat of an open layout, but there was enough space to offer Kinsley some privacy with Jack. He had turned away from his brother’s emotional outburst. She tucked the business card that he had given her into her pocket next to her phone.

“Jack, we were granted a warrant to search your residence. A forensics team is there now.” Kinsley stepped in front of him before he could make his way to the front door. “Talk to me. You were in love with her, weren’t you?”

At first, Kinsley thought Jack wasn’t going to respond. Ever so slowly, he nodded his reply. It was progress that she would run with until another brick wall materialized out of nowhere.

“Is it true what my partner said earlier about you sitting out front of the house for hours?” Kinsley asked softly while positioning herself at such an angle to give her a better view of the kitchen area. “Why?”

“They were both at work.” Jack appeared angry with himself. “I thought that I could leave proof of Bass’ results out in the open for Rachel to find. I just couldn’t bring myself to go through with it.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“Sebastian had that conference in Bismarck, and Rachel was planning on calling in sick to work on Friday. She was going to see another specialist, and I couldn’t…” Jack cleared his throat. “I couldn’t stand to see her go through it again. I called Rachel that night and told her to meet me out at the Plow. No one we know usually goes there, so it was a safe meeting spot. Only she didn’t show. I stayed there until well past midnight.”

“What time did you call Rachel?”

“Right after she left work. Around five-o’clock.”

The timeline wasn’t in Jack’s favor. If he left the Plow at midnight, he had ample opportunity to locate Rachel, force her car off the road, and hunt her through the woods to Cooper’s farm.

“What time did you arrive home?” This was the moment when Kinsley figured she would lose Jack to an attorney. To buy herself some time, she made one more plea. “Help me clear your name so we can concentrate on someone else, Jack. Walk me through that night.”

He drew in an uneven breath, but she relaxed somewhat when he finally supplied her with a timeline.

“I got to the Plow around seven o’clock. The bartender can vouch for me.”

“Chuck?”

Jack nodded his reply, though it was clear he wasn’t really present. His mind had gone back to Wednesday night.

As for Chuck Wharton, he was the owner of the Plow. He preferred to bartend himself, but he made exceptions on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The Plow hosted a large crowd on the weekends, and Chuck relied on a handful of part-time employees for those three days.

“I waited for Rachel until around midnight. I tried reaching her, but the call went straight to voicemail.”

“Did you leave a message?”

“No.” Jack compressed his lips together before revealing the reason behind his decision. “I didn’t want Bass to figure out what I had planned to do that night. Anyway, I left the Plow and drove straight home.”

“You were home before one then?”

Jack hesitated, but he must have realized from her expression that she would eventually discover the truth.

“I might have taken a detour, but it was only to see if Rachel was still awake. Since she always parks in the garage, I parked out front. I then walked around the side of the house. There was a light on in the kitchen, but not in the living room. No sign of her, either, and I assumed she was in bed.”

“And you got home at what time?

“Two o’clock, maybe? A little after? I didn’t really look at the time.”

Kinsley had heard that excuse often throughout many investigations. She had a difficult time believing that someone didn’t take note of their vehicle’s clock before turning off the engine. She could vividly recall the neon numbers before exiting her vehicle to confront Gantz. She ignored the flash of green at the edge of her consciousness.

“Jack, did anyone see you? Do you have a security system, maybe a doorbell camera? Anyone who can verify the time?”

Wally had stipulated in the autopsy report that Rachel had been murdered between one and three o’clock in the morning. Jack had ample opportunity to kill his sister-in-law. By the expression on his face, he was well aware of why he needed such verification.

“Detective Aspen, I loved Rachel. I know it wasn’t right, but I loved her anyway. And I swear to you that I didn’t kill her.”

Chapter Fourteen

Kinsley Aspen

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