Page 42 of Ghostly Bother
"Looks like we found where the money is going. Stuff like the boat and jet skis are easily used by the whole family. We need to look into any vacations the family has taken recently. See if there is a location they often go to. We may find more property there." Angus smiled at Franks. "Doesn't solve the murder, but at least we have an idea where the money might be going."
"There's still millions missing. This doesn't even begin to cover what she's taken, but it's a start." Franks took a deep breath. "You going home tonight?"
Angus shook his head. "Not yet. Lance wants to give it a few more days. I'll be here most of the weekend anyway. I'm curious how things went with Betty around today, but I haven't wantedto call or text to find out. I risked that quick call this morning, but it really is best if Eden thinks we aren't talking at all."
"I'd love to see Eden's reaction when she finds out we're investigating her sister." Franks stood.
"She'd know already if she hung around us instead of bothering Lance. She could have told us where the money was going, but she refused. She had to know we'd dig into it. Hell, the audit should have been looking for the money once they proved the bribes were taking place."
"I still want to dig deeper. Look into any other family contacts that she might have invested the money with. I doubt she'd trust too many people. Her parents are dead, so other than her sister, I'm not sure who she's close enough to trust. Hell, I'm a bit shocked her sister would take the risk for her." Franks finished off the pot of coffee, set the cup on his desk, then went back to the coffee maker. "Be back. Got to refill this." He lifted the coffee carafe up.
Angus put in a request to get warrants on Rachel Reese's financial records and started searching for property records outside the state. He'd search the country, then beyond if he had to. While this break was huge and would open doors in the investigation of the mayor taking bribes, it didn't do much to help with the murder case.
"We need to reinterview Rachel now that we're aware of this." Franks walked back into the office and went about starting a new pot of coffee.
"We need to get all the information we can first and make sure we have solid proof that it was the bribery money Rachel used. For all we know she might have won the lottery, though I think we both agree that's not likely." Angus glanced over at Franks. "I don't want to bring her in until we know we have something solid on her."
"So, if we are going off the idea that Eden gave her sister the bribery cash to hide by buying property and items, do you think her husband knew?" Franks asked.
"Maybe. We confirmed he'd filed for divorce. It would make sense he knew what was going on and was trying to distance himself from it all before it blew up in their faces. I'm not sure we'll ever know who knew what. We know Eden was accepting cash bribes ranging from ten thousand to a hundred thousand dollars at a time. According to the audit report, this had been going on for at least two years. We can assume that almost every construction project the city has handled in the last two years has been given to the highest bidder. That would be the revamp of the City Center, the skate park that just opened, and the hospital being built. Just thinking of stuff around town, there's been a lot of construction going on. I'm not the one to know what was funded by the city or by private companies, but the audit breaks it down for us." Angus really didn't want to read the full audit, but it looked like he needed to so he could get an idea of how much money possibly changed hands. "The audit lists several companies possibly involved. The district attorney's office was looking into the audit report and investigating deeper before they charged anyone. Eden's death just rushed the process and pushed it into our laps as well."
"Lucky us," Franks sighed.
"While I run down Rachel Reese's financials, why don't you work on digging deeper into her personal life. Is she dating anyone? Traveled recently? Just see what you can find. We'll need warrants, but to get them, we need evidence. I'd love to get hold of her phone records for the last few months." Angus rubbed the back of his neck.
"Speaking of phone records, Detective Burns finally got Eden's personal phone records for the past year. She's in courttoday but said she is working her way through them during down time. She said she'd be in later today to finish."
"She hint at anything interesting?"
"No," Franks told him. "Claims it all appears like they were normal personal calls to her family and friends. Nothing we wouldn't expect to see."
"There had to be another phone. A burner she used."
"Maybe, but don't forget, Eden used her personal phone the night of the murder to contact Lucas Jenkin," Franks pointed out.
Angus looked up. "Did she? We know someone did, but was it Eden? The killer could have messaged him from her phone after they killed her. Call Lucas Jenkin and find out if the number Eden texted him from was the number she usually used. If he gives you shit, tell him we'll get a warrant for his phone records if he doesn't cooperate."
Franks groaned. "He's going to make me go through his attorney."
"Maybe not. It's a simple question. Answering it won't get him into any more trouble than he's already in." Angus stood. "I need to see a man about a horse and stretch my legs."
"I'll be here." Franks reached for his phone.
Angus headed out of the office and down the hall toward the bathroom. He wanted so badly to forget work and head over to the morgue and steal Lance away so the two of them could talk. He couldn't settle his mind until he was sure they'd be okay. The conversation earlier helped, but the fact Lance told him to stay away for a day or two more made him nervous. God, if he could strangle Eden himself, he would. As wrong as it might be, he understood why someone had killed her. The woman got on your nerves. Even dead she managed to cause problems. Why hadn't whatever powers there might be in the afterlife forced her to move on? It would have saved him a hell of a lot of problems.
He finished in the bathroom, then after washing his hands, headed back down the hall. He debated on checking in with Captain Marshall, but what was the point? He didn't have any news to share on the case. Right now, they were grasping at threads, hoping desperately that one would unravel and lead them somewhere.
He paused when he saw his mother walking through the front doors of the station. He gave her a curious look. "Mom?"
She grinned as she walked over to him. "I didn't expect to see you." She lifted her head so he could bend down and kiss her cheek.
"Why are you here? Is everyone okay?" He prayed one of her friends hadn't gotten into trouble. It had happened more than once, but she usually called him to help figure things out.
"I'm here to speak with Captain Marshall. Jeremy has been following Isaac's son around and had some information the captain needs to know." She glanced at her side. "Jeremy and Isaac are with me."
Angus smiled but didn't say anything. While his mother had no issue appearing to talk to herself or to imaginary friends, he wasn't about to do that. Especially here at the station where it could influence his job. "Do you need me?"
"No, you go work on your case. Betty stopped by this morning to give me a quick update. It sounds like Lance is dealing with one bitch of a ghost. I feel for him. Betty is staying close, but I'll come over and assist if things get any worse. We're working on a way to get her to move on."
