shuddered as he let it out.
Hunter could see how much this situation was wearing on him. He became even more determined to get the man out of here and home with his family.
“What I just told you stays between us, do you understand?” the general asked.
Tapping his foot against the dirty linoleum floor, Hunter considered his options. “The fact is, the prosecution could find out and make it public during the trial. I highly suggest you play things straight up.”
The general leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “I’ll consider it, but if anyone tells Sonya anything, it will be me.”
“Fine,” Hunter said. So the general was protective of the widow. He jotted down a note on that fact. “What happened next that night?”
“I took the books home with me to go over. We had dinner-”
“Who was home?”
“The commander and Molly. Robin was away at school.”
“Where was Jessie?” Hunter asked.
“Next door with Seth.”
He nodded. “So far all sounds normal.”
“It was normal. Except for the fact that I suddenly had no money in the business.”
“Did you tell the family about Paul’s embezzlement?”
“Hell, no. I wasn’t going to upset the women.”
“What about your secretary?”
“I’m sure she heard the fight. Whether she knew the details…I just don’t know.”
“Go on.”
“We ate. Jessie came home for dinner. Around nine, the phone rang and it was Sonya. She was hysterical and I went right over. She said she’d walked in on Paul ripping his office apart and throwing things. His temper wasn’t news but she could see something was seriously wrong. She pushed for answers and he told her everything, including the fact that he’d drained their personal accounts, as well.”
Hunter ran a hand over his eyes. He hadn’t realized the extent of what had passed between these families until now.
“She started screaming back at him, yelling that he’d ruined their lives and he’d jeopardized Seth’s future.” Frank met Hunter’s gaze, his expression bleak and thunderous.
“What happened?”
“He told her to shut the hell up and slapped her across the face,” Frank said through clenched teeth. “Then he grabbed his car keys and took off.”
Hunter let out a long whistle. “Was this the first incidence of abuse?”
“No,” Frank bit out. “And I knew it. Knew it had happened before and begged her to walk out on him then, but she wouldn’t. She stayed and told me he had stopped and as long as I didn’t see, I closed my eyes to the truth because that’s what Sonya wanted me to do.”
“And now you feel guilty.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
Knowing it was a rhetorical question, Hunter didn’t answer. “So you were with Sonya during the time Paul drove to the office,” he said more to himself than to the general. “As far as the police are concerned, you have motive. On the night of the murder, you discovered your partner and best friend had admitted to embezzling from your business and beating his wife.”
“Nobody knows about Sonya. The police know about the money and that was enough for them. Sonya and I agreed there was no need to leak the sordid details of her life to the police and ultimately to the rest of the neighborhood.”
Except for the fact that Sonya, too, had a motive for killing her husband. “Once again, I’m counseling you to tell the truth and not wait until someone else reveals it for you at a time when you’ll only appear more guilty.”
“You’re a man with strong principles.” The general inhaled deeply. “As am I. I’ll talk to Sonya about not hiding the abuse and I’ll also tell her about her husband’s affairs. When the time is right.”
Hunter inclined his head. “Fair enough. Now, where was Sonya when her husband was killed?”
“Home. Both Edna and Molly saw her car in the driveway, and Edna also saw her through the yard. She likes to sit out on the patio and look at the stars.”
“Good enough,” Hunter said. “Sonya didn’t have opportunity.”
“Damn right,” the general said.
“And you found your partner’s body the next morning when you showed up for work?” Hunter asked, recalling what the cop had told him earlier.
The other man gave him a curt nod.
“One more thing. Did you go home after you left Sonya’s house?”
Frank shook his head.
“Where did you go? Where were you at the time of the murder?” Which, Hunter thought, the police placed at between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m.
The general rubbed his eyes, obviously exhausted. “I was out.”
“Did you take the car?”
He shook his head. “I took a walk into town.”
“Did anyone see you?”
His gaze shifted downward. “No.”
“Did you stop anywhere?”
The general groaned. “I was angry. When I’m upset I walk. Just ask anyone in the family. I didn’t have a destination in mind. I just walked. Are we almost through? I’m wiped out.”
“We’re fine for now. I’m going to get another bail hearing scheduled right away. I have a friend I graduated with who’s a local judge. If I can pull some strings, I can get a new hearing based on your other lawyer’s incompetence scheduled today. I’ll get you out of here,” Hunter said as he placed his pad back into the duffel bag.
“I’d appreciate that. I might have spent my youth sleeping just about anywhere, but age and a soft bed have spoiled me.” He winked at Hunter and he caught a glimpse of Molly in the general’s eyes and smile.
Hunter laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. We’ll talk some more when you’re back home.”
He shook the man’s hand and waited as the guard recuffed him and led him out of the room, returning him to his cell.
Hunter gathered his things and headed to the house, reflecting on what he’d learned. The most important thing he’d discovered today wasn’t on paper. It had been in the general’s expression, his voice, his emotions.
On finding out his best friend and partner had betrayed him, Frank had been pissed, no doubt. Angry and upset, surely. But there had been no murderous rage that Hunter could detect in the telling, and he doubted there’d been any that night. The man couldn’t possibly cover his feelings that well. Hunter’s gut told him so and his gut had served him well over the course of his stellar career. He chose to trust it now.
Molly was right. No way could her father kill over money or revenge. But somebody had and as soon as Hunter ensured the general’s release, he’d have to find other viable suspects, or the truth, such as it was, wouldn’t be enough to keep Molly’s father free forever.
MOLLY ENTERED the house around seven in the evening. Since moving in, she’d become more and more attuned to the normal sounds of family living, but instead of noise, quiet enveloped her. She hated thinking of her father in his tiny jail cell when he should be here with his family and as usual, a lump formed in her throat. She was about to call out for her grandmother when she remembered that the commander had mentioned taking Jessie to do some shopping before dinner.
She might not be surrounded by familiar sounds, but Molly knew she wasn’t alone. The motorcycle parked in the back of the driveway told her Hunter was here.
And she was glad. She headed straight for her father’s office. The door was cracked open. A quick glance told
