him, and he took off.” Hank dropped his head a moment, twiddling his fingers. Then he looked back at Annie. “The truth is, Annie, I had no choice but to arrest Jake, and he knew it. So he ran. He got away in the car and then abandoned it after a few blocks.”
“Did you try to call him?”
“He left his cell in the car.”
“But surely you don’t think Jake’s guilty of anything,” Annie said. “Especially murder.”
“There’s a lot more evidence than what I’ve told you about, and there’s nothing that supports his story.” Hank sat forward. “Further evidence points to Jake’s involvement in the bank robbery.”
“Now you’ve gone too far,” Annie said in a sharp voice. “Jake was on a stakeout when it happened. You were here when he came home.”
Hank spoke in a soft voice, probably in response to Annie’s growing anger. “If we can confirm that, it’ll go a long way toward proving Jake’s innocence.”
“He told you where he was. He was following around a woman whose husband suspected she was having an affair.”
Hank sighed. “That’s the problem with those kind of jobs. He has to remain unseen or it’s not effective. Unless somebody can testify he was doing what he said he was …”
Annie leaned forward. “You have the video from the robbery. Surely it’ll prove Jake had no involvement.”
“The video isn’t clear, Annie. And no one had a good view of the robber’s face.”
Annie sat back, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin. “What’s Jake’s motive for doing any of this?”
Hank hesitated. “The woman who he … who was shot … is a loan manager at the bank that was robbed. Though she said she couldn’t identify the robber, we know she saw his face from a distance. We think he felt the need to eliminate her to be safe.”
“If that’s the case,” Annie said, “how would the bank robber know who she was? If she couldn’t recognize him, how could he recognize her?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps he was familiar with the bank.”
She knew Jake was very familiar with the bank and many of its employees, but she kept the knowledge to herself. If this didn’t get straightened up soon, that information would come out eventually. But right now, Annie had no intention of adding more circumstantial evidence to the already growing list against her husband.
Annie dropped her hands to her lap and stared at the uneasy cop. “What’s your opinion about this?” she asked flatly.
Hank took a deep breath. “I honestly don’t know, Annie. It ludicrous to think I’ve known Jake all these years and never really knew him. I’m a cop. It’s my job to know people. I find the whole situation hard to swallow, but the evidence …”
Annie glared at the cop in disappointment. He didn’t sound too convinced of Jake’s innocence.
Hank reached into his pocket, removed a folded piece of paper, and unfolded it thoughtfully. He leaned forward, hesitated, then handed it to Annie.
“I want you to know how much this pains me,” he said as she took the paper. “But we have to search your house.”
Annie’s eyes widened as she stared at the search warrant. Then she looked into Hank’s troubled eyes. They seemed to be almost begging her to forgive him for the necessary intrusion.
She swallowed hard, handed the warrant back to Hank, and nodded in understanding. “Okay,” she said in a hoarse voice, her anger dissipating.
Hank was only doing his job, and besides, they had nothing to hide.
“We’ll be careful,” Hank said as he stood. He gave Annie one last look of apology, then went outside.
Soon the front door opened, and Hank came back in, followed by Detective King and a pair of investigators. Annie sat silently in the living room as her house was searched and her privacy was invaded, her heart silently breaking for her husband.
A few minutes later, Hank came back into the living room and dropped onto the couch. He carried an evidence bag containing a white
“Did you try to call him?”
“He left his cell in the car.”
“But surely you don’t think Jake’s guilty of anything,” Annie said. “Especially murder.”
“There’s a lot more evidence than what I’ve told you about, and there’s nothing that supports his story.” Hank sat forward. “Further evidence points to Jake’s involvement in the bank robbery.”
“Now you’ve gone too far,” Annie said in a sharp voice. “Jake was on a stakeout when it happened. You were here when he came home.”
Hank spoke in a soft voice, probably in response to Annie’s growing anger. “If we can confirm that, it’ll go a long way toward proving Jake’s innocence.”
“He told you where he was. He was following around a woman whose husband suspected she was having an affair.”
Hank sighed. “That’s the problem with those kind of jobs. He has to remain unseen or it’s not effective. Unless somebody can testify he was doing what he said he was …”
Annie leaned forward. “You have the video from the robbery. Surely it’ll prove Jake had no involvement.”
“The video isn’t clear, Annie. And no one had a good view of the robber’s face.”
Annie sat back, crossed her arms, and lifted her chin. “What’s Jake’s motive for doing any of this?”
Hank hesitated. “The woman who he … who was shot … is a loan manager at the bank that was robbed. Though she said she couldn’t identify the robber, we know she saw his face from a distance. We think he felt the need to eliminate her to be safe.”
“If that’s the case,” Annie said, “how would the bank robber know who she was? If she couldn’t recognize him, how could he recognize her?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps he was familiar with the bank.”
She knew Jake was very familiar with the bank and many of its employees, but she kept the knowledge to herself. If this didn’t get straightened up soon, that information would come out eventually. But right now, Annie had no intention of adding more circumstantial evidence to the already growing list against her husband.
Annie dropped her hands to her lap and stared at the uneasy cop. “What’s your opinion about this?” she asked flatly.
Hank took a deep breath. “I honestly don’t know, Annie. It ludicrous to think I’ve known Jake all these years and never really knew him. I’m a cop. It’s my job to know people. I find the whole situation hard to swallow, but the evidence …”
Annie glared at the cop in disappointment. He didn’t sound too convinced of Jake’s innocence.
Hank reached into his pocket, removed a folded piece of paper, and unfolded it thoughtfully. He leaned forward, hesitated, then handed it to Annie.
“I want you to know how much this pains me,” he said as she took the paper. “But we have to search your house.”
Annie’s eyes widened as she stared at the search warrant. Then she looked into Hank’s troubled eyes. They seemed to be almost begging her to forgive him for the necessary intrusion.
She swallowed hard, handed the warrant back to Hank, and nodded in understanding. “Okay,” she said in a hoarse voice, her anger dissipating.
Hank was only doing his job, and besides, they had nothing to hide.
“We’ll be careful,” Hank said as he stood. He gave Annie one last look of apology, then went outside.
Soon the front door opened, and Hank came back in, followed by Detective King and a pair of investigators. Annie sat silently in the living room as her house was searched and her privacy was invaded, her heart silently breaking for her husband.
A few minutes later, Hank came back into the living room and dropped onto the couch. He carried an evidence bag containing a white
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