Page 8 of Ghostly Bother (Ghostly #9)

"I know, but the chances of us finding out who the father is aren't high.

If he hasn't come forward already, upset about her death, I doubt he's going to.

Maybe he's married as well and doesn't want his wife to find out.

" He rubbed his neck, feeling a headache coming on.

"Let's see what Michael says about it and go from there. "

"You're breaking the news to him," Franks stated. "Telling a man his wife might have cheated on him is not something I want to do."

"I get the feeling since he filed for divorce, he might already know."

"Maybe, but then why not mention it to us? You'd think he'd want to take suspicion off himself and put it on someone else if he could." Franks pulled onto the road.

"True. Maybe he was in shock at the news that she was dead and wasn't thinking.

We'll see what he has to say today after having all night to think about things.

" Angus pulled out his notebook. "The warrant is for the whole house, but I think our main focus will be the office.

We can peek in the kids' rooms, maybe look around in her bedroom a bit, but I don't think she was dumb enough to keep anything at home. "

"You think she'd keep it in her office at the City Center with an audit going on? If there is something to find, I'd think her home would be the place we're going to find it." Franks pulled out a piece of gum from his pocket as they waited at a red light. "Want one?"

Angus shook his head. "You might be right.

At least at the house we don't have to fight with the city attorneys to search.

For once, we got the easy job." Not that telling the family their loved one was dead was easy, but it was easier than dealing with a ton of warrants and legal issues to see what the mayor had been working on.

"Do you think she might have kept stuff at her sister's house? "

"Possibly, but we'll never get a warrant for there without some proof she was working from there. The best we can do is ask and hope they'll be honest. We're set to meet with the sister tomorrow morning." Angus shoved his notebook back in his pocket.

"Are we telling the sister about the pregnancy?" Franks asked.

"We'll play that by ear. I'm not sure anyone needs to know anything other than her husband for now. The last thing we need is the press focusing on that. If it is Michael's this will make the loss even harder on him. If what Lance said is true, wouldn't she be starting to show at four months?"

"You're asking me? My knowledge of pregnancy is about as in-depth as yours probably is. I don't know anything about them, but it seems that's about when most women start to show. I'm sure we could look it up. The internet can tell us." Franks laughed. "Or you could ask your mom."

"Yeah, she'd know, but it's not important enough to get her involved. I didn't see the body, so maybe she was showing. You'd think that's something a husband would notice, right?" Angus glanced over at Franks.

"I'd think so. I'd like to say I'd notice, but then again, if he filed for divorce, how intimate were they?

They already have two kids. Maybe the passion had worn off and they didn't spend much time together so he'd notice.

Wear a baggy shirt or a suit coat and you could cover it up for another month or so probably.

" Franks shrugged. "We'll know soon enough. "

Angus nodded as Franks parked the car in front of the large home.

Michael's car was in the driveway, but he didn't see any signs of anyone else there.

Usually, they'd have other officers help them when they served a warrant, but this job didn't seem big enough to need a bunch of people parading around the house.

So far, it appeared that Michael Anderson was cooperating with them, and they had no reason to make things harder for him.

He might be a person of interest, maybe even their main suspect, but Angus's gut told him that Michael hadn't killed his wife.

They got out of the car and headed up the walkway in silence.

He wasn't sure how to tell Michael about the pregnancy.

If he got lucky, Michael already knew and had just forgotten to mention it, but Angus didn't think that would be something someone would forget.

Michael would have been grieving the child along with his wife the moment he'd found out about the murder.

Franks rang the doorbell and a moment later the door opened. "Mr. Anderson." Franks smiled. "Thanks for agreeing to meet us here."

"No problem. I want to do all I can to help find who did this. If Eden left something here that can help us figure that out, I want to know." Michael stepped back and let them in. "Do you have any updates?"

Angus turned and waited for Michael to shut and lock the door, then gestured to the living room. "Can we sit and talk for a few minutes?"

"Of course." Michael led them into the living room. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"We're good, but thanks." Franks took a seat on the couch beside Angus.

"So, there is news?" Michael sat down in a chair across from them.

"Nothing as far as who killed your wife, but the autopsy was completed this morning." Angus watched Michael closely, wanting to see his reaction to what he was about to tell him. "Were you aware that Eden was pregnant?"

Michael sat back, almost as if he'd felt a physical blow. "No. Are you serious?" He took a deep breath and sat up straight again. "Are you sure?"

Angus nodded. "They estimate she was around four months pregnant."

Michael shook his head, rubbed his brow, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

After another deep breath, he met Angus's direct stare.

"If she was pregnant, it wasn't mine. I had a vasectomy right after our last daughter was born.

We decided that two kids were enough. Eden was focused on her career, and we knew as the girls got older, we'd be busy with sports, clubs, and all the other stuff kids are involved with.

We didn't want to overwhelm ourselves." He shook his head. "Four months?"

"That was the guess the medical examiner had," Franks told him.

"She had to be seeing someone else. Eden and I hadn't…

" Michael bit his lip, then sighed. "I already told you that Eden and I were having issues.

We hadn't been together in a while. I can't be sure.

I'd have to really think about it, but we hadn't had sex in quite a while, maybe even longer than four months.

But the vasectomy should be enough to count me out as the father. "

"I'm sorry. We had to ask." Angus pulled out this notebook. "Was there anyone she was close to who you thought she might have been seeing? Were you suspicious at all recently?"

"Not really, but that was more because Eden was so focused on her job that I doubted she'd take the time to have an affair.

She never made time for us even when things were good.

Work consumed her life. She tried to make time for the girls, but for me, our marriage…

that didn't seem as important to her as her job did. "

"If you think of anyone who she might have been having an affair with, please let us know," Franks said.

"Do you think whoever the father was could have killed her because of the pregnancy?" Michael asked.

"It's possible." Angus shrugged. "At this point, we don't have any leads to point us to why she was killed or who did it."

"She was always at work or some event she had to attend.

At least that is what she told me. I didn't check to make sure she was where she said.

I was used to coming home and being with the girls because she'd work late most nights.

I just assumed it was part of her job as mayor.

It wasn't until I noticed that we suddenly had a lot more money than we should have that I got suspicious.

Then the city started that audit on Eden's office, and I knew my suspicions weren't crazy.

That's when I started to pay closer attention to our accounts and how much money was being deposited.

I even opened separate accounts for myself and my income.

I didn't want there to be any question about where my money came from.

I've kept close records of everything, so I don't end up being caught up in whatever mess Eden was involved in. "

"How much do you know about what she was doing?" Franks asked.

"Nothing. And when I'd ask her where the money was from, she'd blow me off with random comments or excuses about bonuses.

Had it happened once a year, I could believe it, but she was depositing money every couple of months, sometimes every few weeks.

The amounts varied, but as I watched our account grow, I knew something wasn't right.

She didn't make that kind of money during her first year in office.

What had changed? The fact that she wouldn't discuss it with me put me on high alert.

That was when I knew I had to protect myself and my business.

I didn't want to lose the shop because of her.

After I confronted her, I noticed there weren't as many deposits.

I'd hoped she'd stopped. Anything in our main joint account is hers now.

I deposit everything I make into my new account.

The auto shop has its own accounts, and she isn't attached to them in any way.

My attorney and I have been trying to safeguard everything for weeks now, so the kids and I were in the clear when she got the divorce papers.

It's been a nightmare." Michael closed his eyes.

"I expected someone to knock on our door, but it was to arrest Eden, not tell me she'd been killed. "

"And you have no idea who might have been working with her or involved in the theft she's been accused of?" Angus asked.

"No, nobody now. For a while, I thought her bodyguard might be involved, but once he was arrested for murder and nothing changed, I figured he wasn't working with her."

"You're talking about her old head of security, Mel Wickman?" Angus knew the case well since Franks and him had arrested the man for the murder of an administrative assistant a few months back.

"Yes. He was always around, but that made sense to me since he was her security.

I was shocked when he was arrested. He would come and go from the house with Eden often and was great with our girls.

I would never have guessed him as a murderer.

His arrest was hard on Eden. She trusted him.

Hell, I trusted him to keep Eden safe." Michael stood and paced to the window, looking outside with his back to Angus and Franks.

"I know my wife wasn't a good person. I still love her, probably always will, but I didn't know the woman she'd become after winning the election.

The power went to her head." He turned to face them.

"No, that's wrong. It wasn't the power, it was the money.

She was suddenly greedy. That wasn't how she was when we married.

When she decided to run for mayor, it was to make changes that would help people.

She saw how small businesses like mine were getting gouged.

Her heart was in the right place for a while, then I don't know what happened to change her. "

"You said she had an office here?" Angus pulled out the warrant they had to search the house.

"Yes. Follow me. I haven't taken the time to go through anything yet. It's just how she left it." He started out of the room and down a short hallway.

Angus and Franks followed, pausing as Michael opened the door at the end of the hall.

"Here is the warrant." Angus handed it to him. "I'm sorry we have to put you through this while you're grieving."

"Thank you." Michael took the warrant. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything.

The bedrooms are all upstairs, and there is a basement.

It's mostly laundry and storage, but you're free to venture down there if you want.

If Eden had anything here, I'd assume it would be in here. " He waved his hand around the office.

"Are there any safes in the room?" Franks asked.

"Behind the painting of George Washington.

The combo is on a sticky note on Eden's desk.

I didn't open it. I left her office as it was other than writing the safe info down for you.

The key to the file cabinet is in the top drawer of the desk.

I can't think of anything else that you need a key for unless you want to look in the gun safe in our bedroom.

I can get the key for that if you need it," Michael offered.

"I think we're good for now. We'll let you know if we need anything else." Angus walked into the room and looked around. "Thanks for cooperating."

"I want the same answers you do." Michael turned and left them alone.

Angus glanced at Franks and sighed. "Let's check that safe, then you can take the desk, and I'll take the file cabinet."

"Deal," Franks agreed.

Angus grabbed the paper with the combination on it and got to work, hoping they could find answers here, because if they didn't, he wasn't sure where to look next. Hopefully, the others had gotten access to the Mayor's Office. Somewhere there had to be a lead—they just had to find it.