Chapter 243 Hans’ Actual Murderer
“I can’t think of a reason other than related interests,” Janice said as she replayed the video. “But there’s enough evidence here to follow the lead and find the real culprit.”
Following her line of sight, Rachel stared at the enlarged image of the man in the video. “This is Stanley Tillery,” Janice said. “He has a pretty long record. He used to work for Gunny.”
“Gunny?” Rachel paled. “Are you saying Hans’ death is related to Jefferey?” Upon hearing that, Janice nodded seriously. “I didn’t bring it up before, because I couldn’t be certain Hans hadn’t stumbled upon something illicit by accident and was killed in order to silence him. From the look of things now, I can be certain.”
In the video were two groups of people making an exchange. A silver strongbox was in the frame, and the man carrying it was none other than Jefferey’s beater, Stanley.
Throughout her years of investigation, Rachel never thought the matter was related to Jefferey.
“After Gunny left the country, Stanley was the one to work under Jefferey, committing murders and robberies and other unsavory types of business. Several of the cases I investigated six years ago were related to him.”
“The drug agent cases?”
“Yes.”
Unplugging the USB stick from the computer, Janice continued, “Although the evidence has been altered, it meets the basic conditions to serve as criminal evidence. I’ll have Hans’ cases brought out for retrial as soon as possible. Wait to hear from me.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“I haven’t been working hard, you have.” Janice gave her a solemn look. “On behalf of Hans, I thank you.”
All of a sudden, Rachel felt her nose itch and she had to turn her face away to keep from crying.
Currently, Janice was the only person left in the world with whom she could still bring up Hans and the only person, to her, who was related to Hans in some way. While there were many things they couldn’t say outright to each other, a single glance between them could convey what words could not.
Patting her shoulder, Janice continued, “This is the Hudson Family business, though. Are you sure you want me to go through with it?”
“Don’t forget that Jefferey murdered my mother,” Rachel answered her. “The statute of limitations on my mother’s case has passed, but not on Hans’ case. He’s not getting away with it again. I’m taking him for everything he’s worth.”
“Alright. I’ll help you.”
After leaving Janice’s place, Rachel drove aimlessly around by herself for a while before finally going back home.
By then, the sky was dark.
The lights in the Burton Residence were on and when Rachel arrived home, the two children were sitting on the rug playing with building blocks.
“Home so late?” Seated on the couch, Justin lifted his head and immediately tossed the magazine in his hands aside. “Where were you?”
“I went to meet an old friend and bought a cake on the way home.” Calmly, she lifted the cake box in her hand.
“Wow!” Charlotte cheered, jumping up. “There’s cake today, Samuel!”
Next to her, Samuel clapped his hands. “It’s strawberry cake, my favorite!”
“Wash your hands and have dinner first,” Justin instructed somewhat sternly. “You won’t be able to eat dinner if you have too much junk food.”
“No! I want cake. I won’t be able to have cake if I eat too much dinner,” Samuel refuted, rolling his eyes at Justin before walking up to Rachel. “Let’s go cut the cake, Mommy!”
Justin did not feel that it was within his rights to discipline someone else’s son, so he could only instruct his own daughter, “Charlotte, go wash your hands.”
Unfortunately, the moment he finished saying that, Charlotte ran up to Rachel. “I want to have some cake like Samuel, Mommy! Can I?”
Faced with the girl’s large, starry eyes, Rachel could only nod her head helplessly.
With a humph, Justin grumbled, “Well, she’s certainly found someone to back her up. Go ahead and spoil her, then. I doubt she’ll listen to me again in the future.”
“It’s fine to spoil her every once in a while.” With that, Rachel led the children into the dining room to cut the cake, leaving him alone in the living room.
After cutting the cake, she instructed, “Everyone can have only one piece and once you’re done, we’ll have dinner.”
“No problem, Mommy!”
“Okay.”
She even gave a piece to Martha, but when she turned to look over her shoulder, Justin was sitting alone in the living room, rifling through a magazine. And so, she asked, “Do you want a piece? It’s fragrant and not particularly sweet.”
“How long do you think my arm is in order to reach you from here?”
His tone was full of resentment, for his back and his thigh were still injured.
“Mommy,” Charlotte said suggestively behind her, “I think Daddy wants you to go feed him.”
Samuel made a face. “Even I don’t need Mommy to feed me, so why does he, as a grown-up?”
“It’s called romance, Samuel!” Charlotte batted her eyelashes in response.
And so, they bickered happily, completely ignoring the man in the living room who was quickly becoming increasingly embarrassed.
“The cake can’t shut either of you up, can it?” Rachel rolled her eyes at the two children. “Your teacher has informed me that you’re not allowed to sit together next week because you talk too much and disturb the other children in class.”
“What?” Charlotte covered her mouth before whining in protest, “But I don’t!”
“And what about eating in class?”
Subconsciously, Charlotte glanced at Samuel.
Guiltily, Samuel dodged Rachel’s gaze and muttered under his breath, “We’re growing children. We need food.”
And just like that, the two of them fell silent. Only then did Rachel smugly carry a piece of cake out into the living room.
“Have a piece,” she told Justin as she placed the cake on the coffee table. “I know you’re not fond of sweet things, but Charlotte and Samuel both like this flavor.”
Flipping through the magazine, he answered haughtily, “No thanks. I’m busy.”
“You’re holding it upside down.”
“Huh?” Reflexively, Justin flipped to the cover of the magazine for a look before realizing that he was, in fact, holding it correctly and that she was teasing him. Instantly, he scowled.
“Come on, now. Have a taste. Do you really want me to feed you?”
“Go ahead and try. If you dare feed me, I’ll eat it.”
Never did Rachel expect he would say such a thing.
In fact, neither did Justin.
Yet, in the next second, she was cutting up a small piece of cake with a fork and holding it up to his mouth.
Instantly, he stiffened, feeling inexplicably nervous all of a sudden. “It’s fine. Put it down; I’ll eat it by myself.”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“What?”
As he parted his lips to say that, she pushed the fork into his mouth. In an instant, ice-cream cake melted away on his tongue and suffused his senses with the faint fragrance of strawberry.
“Is it good?” she asked.
Swallowing hard, he hummed in agreement.
“Have another bite, then.”
“No, thanks. I’m full.” Instantly, he picked up his magazine again, blocking her hand.
With a glance at him, she put down the fork and said mildly at the same time, “You’re really holding it upside down this time.”
All of the tanks on the cover of the military magazine were the wrong side up. Clearly, the more Justin tried to cover his emotions up, the more he revealed.
