Page 55 of Ghostly Bother
"You can come back in." Mr. Hemsworth smiled.
"Thanks." Franks went in and Angus followed.
"So, my client has decided to tell you everything he knows, but he'd like your word that he won't be charged with murder or conspiracy to commit murder," Mr. Hemsworth told them.
"We can do that." Franks stood. "Let me head down the hall and speak to the assistant district attorney right now. We'll get you something in writing."
"That would be appreciated." Mr. Hemsworth smiled.
They watched Franks leave, then Michael spoke. "What charges could I face if I knew after the fact and didn't come forward?"
"You could face charges for accessory after the fact, but more than likely you could face charges for impeding an investigation. A lot will come down to how much did you know, and when did you know it? If we interviewed you after you found out and you lied to us, that could bring charges. Right now, we are more interested in making a solid case against Miss Reese than we are upending your life, especially if you didn't find out until after themurder happened." Angus couldn't make promises to Michael, but he really wanted to do all he could to keep him with his children. "Let's see what Franks finds out and we'll see where we stand."
They didn't have to wait long. Within ten minutes Franks came back with a signed paper from the D.A.'s Office that protected Michael from murder charges as long as he testified against Rachel Reese.
"This looks good." Mr. Hemsworth nodded and set the paper down in front of Michael. "Tell them what you told me."
Angus hit the button that would record everything said in the room.
Michael sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I had no idea Rachel killed Eden. I honestly thought someone she'd worked with had done it, but then once Eden was gone, Rachel started spending even more time at my place. At first it was nice. I was upset, the girls were a mess, and we needed the help and support. Over the next week, Rachel was practically living with us. I didn't think anything of it. Rachel was always close to my girls, and I figured she was grieving too. She stayed in the guest room the first few days. I don't know. Time is all jumbled for me after all this. But one night, Rachel came on to me, telling me we could drown our sorrows in sex. It had been so long since someone wanted me. Eden and I hadn't been together in months. I figured what the hell. After that, things just kept happening, until we were acting like a couple. I made sure the girls never saw it. I didn't want them asking questions so soon, but when we were alone…" Michael stared up at the lights in the ceiling. "I was a fool."
"When did you find out Rachel had killed Eden?" Franks asked.
"Not right away. At first, she started by badmouthing Eden. Telling me about all the bribery and scams she hadbeen involved in and how much money she'd scammed from her schemes. Rachel bragged about how Eden would give her the money in cash, then Rachel would deposit it in different accounts. Just smaller amounts, so it didn't grab anyone's attention. When she had enough, she'd buy a condo, or the boat. She's got several properties she bought that way." Michael reached for the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. "One night, she laughed and said all that money was ours now. She was going to start selling off some of the properties, then we could move somewhere with the kids and have a good life. I don't think she meant to admit to me that she killed Eden, but she slipped up one night and said she did it all for us. When I asked her what she did, she got quiet for a moment, then laughed. It was then I knew. I just knew. I asked her if she'd killed Eden, and she laughed some more." Michael glanced at his lawyer and sighed.
Angus gave him a nod to continue. This was exactly what they needed to make the charges against Rachel stand.
"She went on about how it was worth it because we'd be able to be together and not have to share the money with Eden and her new child. I guess Eden had told her about being pregnant and Rachel said that really pissed her off because Eden had planned on leaving me and living with that other guy. To Rachel, that meant Eden would want to share the money and investments with him as well. Too many hands in the pot, so to speak. The whole time, I knew nothing about any of this. Of course, I'd heard the rumors of the investigation of Eden's office. I knew she was up to something. That's when I decided to file for divorce. I didn't want any connection to whatever she was doing. I didn't want our girls to have to face it all. I didn't know the extent of her bribes or that she was having Rachel pretty much launder the money. There were times I'd ask Eden where she got the extra money for something, but she always waved it offwith an excuse about it being part of her income as the mayor. I probably let her get away with it when I should have pushed harder for answers."
"What did Rachel say about killing Eden?" Angus asked.
"I asked her point blank if she strangled her and she said yes. Said Eden had told her she was meeting a contractor for a payment and where. Eden used a burner phone, and Rachel had messaged her from her own burner acting like the contractor. She had Eden change the meeting time to a bit earlier. That gave her time to get there, murder her sister, then take Eden's phone and message the contractor to cancel the meeting. She knew people would assume her murder was because of her involvement in the bribery schemes. She really thought she'd gotten away with it. As the investigation slowed and you guys stopped coming around asking questions, she relaxed more and more. At that point, I was scared to say anything. I didn't want to lose my girls, and if Rachel killed once, what would stop her from killing again? I already feared she might do something to keep all the money for herself. I told her several times I didn't want any of the money or property that came from that money. I really didn't even want to be with Rachel. I'm ashamed to say it was purely sexual on my part. I enjoyed having a sex life again, and I admit, it was nice having someone attentive around for the girls again. Eden had quit being a mother about the same time she started running for the mayor's office." Michael took a long drink of water, then asked, "What gave her away? Where did she go wrong?"
Angus couldn't tell him that Eden had identified her killer, so he just shrugged. "Her hair was on the scarf used to kill Eden, and there were boot prints in the dirt that were identified as a woman's boot. Once we started to track the money and it was easy to put two and two together."
"That's hardly enough to prove murder." Michael said, then sat back hard as he came to a conclusion. "Which is why I'm here. You needed my confession to solidify your charges against Rachel." He bowed his head. "I handed her to you, didn't I?"
Angus smiled but didn't respond.
"I was so blind. Not just here, but with Rachel. I should have seen what she was up to. I should have left Eden when I first realized she was breaking the law and taking money from people. I should have done so much differently." Michael glanced over at his lawyer. "Are we done?"
"We are. They can call us if they need more, right, Detectives?" Mr. Hemsworth looked across the table at them.
"We'll be in touch. We appreciate all your help here today. We'll need a written statement, but we'll give you two time to do that. Just have it to us in a day or two." Franks stood and offered his hand. "Thank you for being honest with us today."
"Anything to protect my kids. I was so scared this would all come back on me. I felt trapped." Michael looked relieved. "When I first got here today, I thought I was screwed. I know I should have spoken up sooner, but I was scared."
"It will all work out. You may face some charges, but nothing you can't handle. There's a good chance you won't face any at all," Mr. Hemsworth told him. "Let's go get something to eat and talk about where we go from here."
Angus watched them go then turned to Franks. "And that is a wrap. You want to go tell Amy to go ahead and book Rachel?"
"Sure. I'm guessing you don't want to volunteer to drive her to jail?" Franks grinned.
"No, we'll let an officer have that pleasure." The jail was located on the opposite end of the county. Angus had been there more than enough back in his patrol days. "I'm going to call it an early day, go home, and cook Lance a nice dinner. What about you?"
"Gretta and I are going out to dinner tonight. She wants to try that new Thai place. She's determined to get me to like spicy foods. Not going to happen, but I'll let her enjoy trying." Franks fist bumped Angus. "Go home and have a good night. We'll start fresh tomorrow."
"Enjoy your dinner." Angus didn't even bother going back to his desk. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and headed outside. He pulled out his phone and sent Lance a quick text letting him know he was headed home. He was surprised when Lance called him a second later. "Hello?"
