Over Her Dead Body (14 page)

Chapter 19

April only slept a few hours. Her sister had called and was adamant about meeting for lunch. They agreed to meet at the diner at noon. April had gotten showered and dressed. She looked in the mirror only to find that her eyes were still puffy from crying all night. It was her first night away from Michael. She couldn’t bear it. She was tossing and turning and she kept having the same weird dream over and over.
You’re my mommy silly
. What the hell was that suppose
d
to mean? She didn’t mind it so much because she was always there with Michael.
Michael
. She let the sound of his name echo through her mind.
What have you gotten yourself into? What have you done?
She had known Michael since grade school. Michael was respecte
d. People looked up to him. Kid
s looked up to him. She couldn’t imagine him hurting anybody.
He must have known she was there…
It just didn’t make sense. There was a knock at the door. April dabbed at her face with a cloth, threw it in the hamper and went to the door. Her sister was supposed to meet her at the diner, not here. April opened the door. There was a lady holding a microphone, a man with a news camera, and two other people taking pictures.

“Mrs. Bander, how do you feel about your husband Michael being charged with murder?” The girl held the microphone out to her.

“Wha…”

“Has he ever done anything like this before? Has he ever struck you?”

“No…I…”

“Do you think he killed one of his students or was he having an affair?”

“I…he..” April was shaking her head. A tear came trickling down her cheek. She shut the door and leaned up against it. She wiped away the tears and went from window to window drawing the curtains closed.
How was she going to get out of here? How was she going to leave? Michael wouldn’t have an affair…would he?
“Oh God.” She sat on the couch and put her head on the sleeve of her robe and cried. “Why is this happening to me?” Another knock came at the door.

“Angel Falls Police, we’ve got a search warrant. Open the door.” A harsh voice echoed into her home. April looked out the window and could see a man and woman wearing black jackets that said CSI on them,
one
officer in uniform, and a tall man with a mustache wearing a brown suit. The news people had moved back toward the road. April went to the door and opened it. The officer and CSI techs pushed in past her. The man in the brown suit stepped up to the door.

“Mrs. Bander?” He asked. He had a polite look about him. She nodded. “My name is
D
etective James. I
'm sorry
to inconvenience you.” He held out a folded paper for her. She took it and opened it. “It’s a warrant to search your residence. I’m sorry for that. I know you are under enough stress right now.”

April looked up, tears welled up in her eyes. “Why? Why are you doing this to us?” She
began
hitting him in the chest with her hand that still clasped the paper. She was crying full force. He didn’t move to stop her. He just let her get it out. April finally stopped and put her head
down, teardrops landing on the paper
. She was tired, confused, and ashamed. She was crying so violently she was struggling to catch her breath in between sobs. The detective put his hand on her
shoulders
and patted her gently.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Bander. I really am. We’ll get this all sorted out. I promise.” He grabbed her shoulders gently and pulled her back. “You want to help your husband?”  He asked. She looked up at him with tears and makeup running down her face. She nodded. “Then help us get this sorted out. Let’s get you cleaned up.” The detective stepped in and closed the door behind him. There were sounds of drawers opening and closing from the other rooms as the CSI’s went room to room looking for anything they could connect to the crime scene. “Where is your kitchen at Mrs. Bander?” April pointed straight ahead and walked with him around the corner. “Do you have any wash cloths in here?” April was trying to wipe off her face with the back of her hands. She pointed to the second drawer. The detective opened the drawer and took out a wash cloth and a hand towel. He went over to the sink and wetted the cloth with cold water. “Please…let me help.” He told Mrs. Bander. He dabbed away her makeup and tears that had streaked down her face. Detective James believed you always get more bees with honey. Meaning, you treat people nice and they will work with you
more often than when you treat
them like criminals. Even some of the worst criminals still had the sam
e basic needs as the rest of us:
t
he need for acceptance, for love, the desire to be understood,
and
to be forgiven. And of course the other basic needs of shelter, food, and water. Sometimes it was just a series of bad decisions that separated the good from the bad. And sometimes the people with the biggest hearts went behind bars while some of the coldest criminals enjoyed the life of luxury
and freedom
. Mrs. Bander was someone’s daughter and if she had been his, he would want someone treating her with a little respect and allow her to keep some of her dignity. The detective put the cold rag in her hands and let her finish washing her face. After a couple of minutes she began to feel herself returning to normal. The detective handed her the hand towel to dry her face with.

“Thank you.” She said as she took the towel in her hand and dabbed herself dry. “This has all happened so fast.” She said.

The detective nodded. “Can we sit down and talk?
"
He pointed to the kitchen table.

She nodded. “Sure. I don’t know what more I can tell you though. I told the other officer everything I knew last night.” April pulled out a chair and sat in it.

“Would you like me to get you a water or anything?” The detective asked before he sat down.

April was about to say that she was fine when she noticed that her nervousness had given her cotton mouth. “I can get…”

“You rest. You’ve had a long night. I’ll get it. Where are your glasses?” The detective asked. April pointed toward a cabinet on his left. He opened it and took out a glass. He filled it with cold water and sat it in front of her.

“There is coffee made and cups on the bottom shelf.” She pointed to the same cabinet. “Please, get yourself some.”

The detective nodded hoping she would offer him some. On days like this, it was the only fuel he had. He took a cup out and filled it up. “Thank you.” He said. He lifted the cup to his nose and smelled it. “Mmm…smells good.” He pulled out a chair next to her and sat facing her.

The female CSI approached them. “They are finishing up in the bedroom. I’m going to get started on the garage. Is it unlocked?” The girl said directing the question toward April.

April nodded. “It should be. He doesn’t usually keep it locked.”

“K. Thanks.” The CSI had a long q-tip and a glass tube. “I need to do a swab for DNA real quick first.” She figured she would ask while the wife was not combatitive. April looked aghast and looked at the detective.

“It’s to rule you out as a suspect.” He said. April nodded but still looked concerned.

“I just need you to open your mouth for a moment. I’m going to swab your cheek. It won’t hurt.” The CSI tech said in her nicest voice. April did as she was asked and let the girl swab her cheek. She rubbed it around a couple of times and stuck it in the glass tube and capped it. “Thank you. We’ll try and be out of your way as quick as possible.” She said. April nodded and took a drink of water. The CSI tech disappeared out the door.

The detective pulled out his notebook and a pen. “I hope you don’t mind.” He said to April. “My memory isn’t what it used to be.”

“It’s fine.” She said. “I know you guys are just doing your job. It’s just…none of this makes any sense. If you knew Michael at all, you would know that. He’s just not the murdering type. He couldn’t have done this.”

The detective ran his fingers over his mustache while contemplating. “Mrs. Bander, can I ask a favor of you?”

April nodded. “I suppose. What is it?”

“Just for about ten minutes, I want you to step outside of this situation. Step outside of your marriage and see Michael Bander as just a man like any other. Can you do that?”

“I can try.” April said. But Michael wasn’t like any other man. That is why she had fallen in love with him. He was sweet, compassionate, and humble. Those qualities alone made him one in a thousand. He always put her up on a pedestal and treated her like she was the last star in the sky. How could she see him as just a man?

“How long have you known Michael?” The detective asked.

“Since Grade school.”

“Were you close then?”

“Not close, but we were aware of each other. We didn’t become friends until our freshman year.” April said.

“Is that when you started dating?”

“We didn’t date each other until our sophomore year.”

“Have you guys been together since then?”

“No, we broke up after our senior year. We both went to two different colleges. We tried a long distance relationship but…it didn’t work out. We stopped after about six months. Then Michael moved back into town a few years ago and we just found each other again. We’re like magnets I guess.”

“Did you guys have any children?” The detective asked as he was writing in his notepad.

April was about to answer but paused.
You’re my mommy silly
. “No, we haven’t had any children yet. We’ve talked about it, but we just kind of got settled in.”

“Did he mention having any children prior to you guys finding each other?” The detective asked.

“No, he said he dated a little in college but it was nothing serious. He wanted to focus on his work.”

“And he is a school teacher, is that correct?” The detective asked.

“Yes. He teaches Biology.”

“Does he ever leave on trips or disappear for any time at all?”

April hesitated. She looked slightly shocked at the question. “N..no. He always comes home after work. He doesn’t really go anywhere.”

“Does he own a gun
?
” The detective asked. He knew the questions were getting more difficult for her as he began to press for clues that her husband pulled the trigger.

“Well, yes but only for hunting.” April said.

“Does he have any handguns?” The detective asked.

“No, nothing like that. Just a couple of shotguns.” She took a sip of water and set the glass on the table. The detective wrote some more in his notepad. He asked her questions for about fifteen more minutes. The CSI techs and officer were done with their search. They left with only a couple small bags of things. They had collected some clothes, a cell phone, and a shovel. The detective sent them on their way and got up from the table. He stowed away his notepad and pen into his inner jacket pocket.

“Mrs. Bander, has your husband contacted you at all?” The detective asked after placing his pen into his jacket?

April paused. She wasn’t sure how to answer. They were going to check her phone records and know that he had called. “Yes. He called last night.”

“Did he happen to say where he is or where he’s going?”

“No, he only said that he didn’t kill that girl.”

“Is he supposed to meet you somewhere or contact you again?”

April’s heart began speeding up like a freight train. She felt like it was going to explode. Did they know about the meeting? Had the sheriff overheard them? “No.” She said. “I’m meeting my sister for lunch but that’s all.”

The detective nodded. He pulled out his card and handed it to her. “You think of anything else you need to tell me…”

She nodded. “I’ll call.” She finished the sentence. She walked the detective to the door and held it open for him.

The detective stepped outside and turned back around. “Oh…I almost forgot.” He had saved the crucial information for last. Her reaction would tell him whether or not she had any involvement. He doubted that she did, but just the same, it needed to be the last thing she heard because if she didn’t know, she was going to lose it. “The girl that they found in the woods?” April nodded. “DNA tests show that she’s Michael’s daughter.”

April’s eyes went big and her hand went to her mouth. She began shaking her head. “That’s…that’s not possible. Michael doesn’t have any children.”

That was about the reaction that he had expected. The poor girl had no idea. Michael had kept it a secret from her. “The tests are 99.9 percent positive. There is no question Mrs. Bander. The girl was Michael’s daughter. And if he did kill her, then there is another young girl whose life may be in danger.”

April was still in shock. “Wh..what do you mean? Why?”

“Because Michael had at least two daughters. Twins. Whoever killed this girl, was going to kill both of them. And the man who did it matched Michael’s description. If you hear from him again, you
must
contact me or you could be responsible for her death if he gets to her. You understand?” The detective asked.