In the Clearing (Tracy Crosswhite #3)(25)

“Why not?”

“Because she had no facts. It didn’t happen the way she said. Besides, she needed Tim to continue working so she could get the spousal support. It was just her way of letting Tim know she still had control over him, and that she would do anything to destroy him if he crossed her.”

“You say she isolated your brother from you and the rest of the family.”

“That’s right.”

“So you didn’t spend much time around them.”

Mark Collins cleared his throat. “No. But I know my brother, and I know he wouldn’t hit her or cheat on her. When she filed the divorce papers, he was really upset about the allegations. He was trying to keep things civil for Connor, but that wasn’t going to happen.”

“Connor signed an affidavit that his father pushed his mother.”

Mark shrugged. “Did he? I’d bet that was Angela who signed Connor’s name. She’s done things like that before. She’d get Connor’s cell phone and send Tim these horrible e-mails and texts, to make it look like they were coming from Connor. And even if Connor did sign the affidavit, what else could he do? He had to live with her, and he’s afraid of her. Angela has isolated him also. Have you met him? The kid is seventeen, and I swear he can’t boil water, never goes out with friends, never had a job or made his own money, and doesn’t have a girlfriend. He’s totally dependent on her.”

“What does he do?”

“Far as anyone knows, goes to school and goes home to his room to play video games.”

“What do you think happened to your brother?” Kins asked. “Why was he at the house that night?”

“He went to pick up Connor. He had him for the weekend starting Thursday night. I don’t know why he went inside. But I’ll bet Angela had something to do with it.”

“What was his relationship like with his son after his son’s affidavit?”

“Tim knew Connor loved him, and he knew what Angela was capable of. If anything, the affidavit only confirmed that he had to find a way to protect Connor from her.” Collins picked up a multipage document from the table and handed it to Tracy and Kins. “Timmy was in the process of redoing his will to leave everything in a trust for Connor, and he named me as the trustee. It wasn’t a fortune, not the way Angela spent money, but it wasn’t inconsiderable when you factor in Timmy’s share of the Greenwood house, a rental unit he bought before they married, and his Boeing 401K and life insurance, as well as what he stood to inherit.”

“You think she killed your brother for the money?”

“Since the divorce isn’t final and the new will isn’t executed, she gets everything as the surviving widow and has full control over his assets. How crazy is that? They were separated. They were getting divorced, she professed all kinds of vile things about Tim, but now she gets all the money as his widow? Why is there no law against that?”

“I don’t know,” Kins said.

“I have Tim’s iPad. I went to the apartment and took it. I don’t care if I wasn’t supposed to. Timmy had an appointment scheduled with his attorney for the Saturday after Angela shot him. I’m betting that meeting was to finalize his new will and the trust, and that’s why Angela shot him on Thursday night.”

“How would she have known your brother was redoing his will?” Tracy asked.

“Or about the appointment?” Kins said.

“Connor,” Mark Collins said softly. He motioned to the papers on the coffee table. “I found much of this right out in the open on my brother’s desk.”

“You’re saying Connor saw it and told his mother?”

“No,” Mark said. “Knowing Angela, she probably had Connor deliberately snooping for her.”

“Mr. Collins,” Tracy said, “what if I told you I have a suspicion that Angela confessed because she’s protecting Connor, that I think it might have been Connor who shot your brother?”

“Is there any evidence of that?”

“Nothing specific.”

Mark Collins seemed to give it some consideration. “Angela convincing Connor to commit the crime—yeah, I can see that,” he said. “But confessing? No. I’ve never known Angela to do anything that didn’t immediately benefit her. So if that turns out to be the case, you can be damn sure there was something in it for her.”

Kins looked to Tracy. She shook her head to indicate that she had no further questions. They stood. “Thank you, Mr. Collins,” Kins said. “We’ll keep you advised on our investigation.”

“Why isn’t she in jail?” Collins asked. “Why isn’t she in jail if she admitted she shot him?”

“The judge didn’t deem her a flight risk,” Kins said, “and she has no prior criminal record. She’s out on bail. That doesn’t mean she’s out of the woods. It’s not uncommon for the prosecutor to wait until all the evidence is gathered to charge someone.”

“But you indicated she came in and reconfirmed what happened.”

“She did,” Kins said. “But we have reason to doubt she’s telling us the truth.”

Collins exhaled, clearly exasperated. “It wouldn’t be the first time she’s lied. Far from it.”