“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.
April stood there with a vacant look. She was running back every memory she ever had of the two of them together looking for any signs, any clues that Michael had ever had a child. She coul
dn’t find any. She nodded her head vacantly at the detective and turned around and disappeared into her house.
The detective climbed into his car and made a phone call. “You guys in position? Ok, she’ll be going to town in one of two ways. I want both directions covered. Stay back far enough that she doesn’t know she’s being followed. I had a GPS placed under her car in case we lose her. She claims to be meeting her sister for lunch but it will more likely be him. Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.”
Chapter 20
April had lost it. She cried. She paced the floor. She cried some more. She even smashed the picture of her and Michael together screaming “liar!”April went outside and jumped in her car. Her hands were trembling as she tried several times to get the key into the ignition. She banged her head on the wheel and sobbed. “Why…why…Michael? How could you do this to me? How could you do this to us?” April sat there for a moment with her head on the wheel. When she had finally begun to calm down and her heaving subsided, she placed the key into the ignition and started the car. She had promised her sister to meet for lunch at the diner and she had promised Michael to meet him at two. How could she do it? How was she supposed to look him in the face knowing that he had had children and not told her? Would she see the kind wonderful man that she married or would she see a murderer and a liar? She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t. All she wanted to do was run away. She didn’t even want to meet with her sister. She was embarrassed, humiliated, and violated. On some level she wanted to keep on driving right out of Angel Falls and never look back. She gave the thought some consideration. She used her sleeve to wipe her cheeks dry. April turned on the radio and tried to lose herself in the music. Every song seemed to bring her back. She listened to Adele belt out “Rolling in the Deep” as she headed into town. “There’s a fire burning in my heart, reaching a fever pitch and it’s bringing me out the dark…The scars of your love remind me of us, they keep me thinking that we almost had it all…Rolling in the deep.” I’m rolling in the deep alright. April thought as she drove into town.
April’s sister Becca was sitting at a far table on the right. She smiled and waved. Becca was about 5’6, nearly the same height as April. She normally had brown hair as well but had dyed it blonde. Her hair was long and slightly curly and hung down to her shoulders on each side. She was gorgeous no matter what her hair color was. She was wearing a green shirt and skinny tight jeans. She looked good. April plopped down on the other side of the table. She felt horrible. Her eyes were all puffy again. She had wiped all her makeup off. She sat for a moment looking at her sister. She was sitting there looking so pretty. So happy. Not a care in the world. The thought made tears well up in April’s eyes and they began to fall down her cheeks.
“Oh…honey, don’t do that.” Becca said as she got up and came around and sat next to her sister. She put her arm around her and pulled her close. April put her head on her sister’s chest and sobbed. Becca just patted her shoulder and pulled her close. “I know. I know honey. It’ll be ok.” Angel Falls was a small town and the news that Michael Bander had escaped police custody and was wanted for murder had spread fast. The diner was mostly empty but the few people scattered about all seemed to be staring in April’s direction. A waitress approached the table, but spoke quietly.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Two iced teas please.” Becca said. The waitress nodded and disappeared. Becca pulled her sister back a little. She grabbed a napkin and dotted her face. “How did you get away from the news reporters?” She asked.
“I…I didn’t. They followed me for a while but then some car cut them off and they stopped.”
“Oh, you poor thing. This is terrible. How could this possibly happen? Michael just doesn’t seem like the killing type.” Becca said.
“He’s not…er…I didn’t think he was. But…but…oh I don’t know what to believe. Nothing makes sense anymore.”
Becca brushed back a strand of hair behind her sister’s ear. “Has he contacted you?” She asked.
April nodded. “Ya, I’m supposed to meet him at two.”
“What? You can’t do that. He’s a fugitive. They’ll arrest you. They’re probably following you anyway.”
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to believe he did it, but…but…Becca, they said it was his daughter!”
Becca’s eyes got huge. “The girl they found?”
“Yes.” April was crying again. “They did a DNA test. They said it was 99.9% positive that it was his daughter. And he is the one found digging her up. What am I suppose to believe? What would you do?”
“Wha…has he ever mentioned a daughter before?” The waitress came and dropped off two teas. She opened her mouth to ask about food and Becca shook her head. “Just give us a few minutes please.” The waitress nodded and moved on.
“No, he’s never mentioned anyone before.”
“Well, you can’t meet with him. What if he kills you?” Becca said wild eyed.
April shook her head. “He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t.” Becca sat back in deep thought. April took a sip of her tea. “They said there was another.”
Becca looked at her. “Another? Another what?”
“The detective said he had another kid. That the girl in the woods was a twin and that Michael matched the description the other girl had given of her killer.”
Becca’s expression turned to shock. “That does it. You are staying with me. No if’s ands or butts. Got it?” April nodded and wiped at her face with a napkin.
“I just don’t think I can meet with him. I wouldn’t know what to say. The detective thinks he may be after the other girl. What should I do?”
“You need to turn him in.” Becca said. “If he kills someone else and you don’t, then you’re as responsible as he is.”
April took another sip of tea and set the glass down and looked at her sister. “I know, but what if he’s innocent? What if he didn’t do it? I’ll be betraying my husband.”
Becca flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “Listen sis, I know you don’t want to do that, but if he’s innocent then he can sort it out in court. Let’s look at the facts: one, he dug up the girl.” Becca stuck out her finger as she listed it off. “Two, the dead body was his daughter that he never told you about.” She stuck out another finger. “And three, he escaped from police custody. Now why would he run if he was innocent?”April nodded. It was a good point. “Look, after we’re done eating, I’ll call this detective you’ve been talking to and tell him what’s going on. You head out to my place and I’ll handle this so you won’t have any involvement.”
April didn’t know what to do. She nodded her head solemnly and looked down at her lap lost in thought.
Chapter 21
Michael had gone to the back of the loft to change. He had found a box marked Halloween costumes and that got him to thinking about what he was wearing. He would stand out like a sore thumb. There were several boxes that were marked clothes. After going through three boxes, Michael had settled on a pair of overalls, a hat, and a long sleeve shirt. It would be the least inconspicuous. He’d look like a farmer.
Michael was hungry but he didn’t want to risk any public places where police officers may cross paths with him by coincidence. He had seen them at fast food places, diners, and gas stations. In the end, he settled for Walgreens drug store. He kept his head down through the store and even at the checkout. He purchased a pack of doughnuts, a small chocolate milk, a small notebook, and a pen. He headed down to the park and walked a path along the river to a small grassy clearing. He sat down and pulled out a white powdered doughnut.
Michael looked out across the river and imagined the times he and April had met here with a picnic lunch. It seemed like so long ago. It was as if the last day had propelled him two years away from her. He felt different. He felt older somehow. He pulled out his notebook and pen and began to make notes. He wrote the word 'Maria'. He remembered the name in
the back of his mind. He felt like it might have been the name of the girl buried out in the woods. He wrote 'female' next to her name and underneath it, he wrote ‘orange nails’.
Was that all he knew? Maria, female, orange nails? It didn’t seem like very much to go on. How had he found her? He couldn’t have known she was there. Had she called out to him somehow from some other world? Michael didn’t believe in ghosts or an afterlife for that matter. It just didn’t make sense. Michael stared out across the river. A turtle was near shore and poked its head out of the water. It stared at Michael for a few seconds and then disappeared under the dark water. How am I going to sort this out? He wondered. He couldn’t go back. He knew that much. Not unless he found out what happened to this girl and cleared his name. Michael wasn’t sure that that was going to be possible. Sometimes, not even detectives can figure these things out even with a team of CSI and all the equipment in the world. Michael didn’t have any equipment and he was on the run. How could he prove he didn’t kill the girl when all he had to go on was Maria, female, and orange nails? Michael lay down in the grass and looked up at the sky. What is the next step? He wondered. He tried and tried, but the answer just wouldn’t come. April will be here soon. Maybe she’ll know what do. Michael let himself drift off to sleep.
Over Her Dead Body Page 13