Page 44 of Nowhere to Hide
Heather picked at the hem of her shirt.
“Mrs. Wainscott?” Cindy prompted.
“I can’t think of a beau, but she directly reported and worked for Timothy Hanson. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”
Cindy nodded. “Do you think it’s possible that Susan and Timothy had an affair?”Had Susan felt pressured because Timothy was her boss? Or did she have genuine feelings for him?
Heather met her eyes and shook her head. “Susan wasn’t the type to sleep with a married man.”
“You seem confident about that, but sometimes people do things out of character.”
“Not Susan. She was devoted to her faith and regularly attended church.” Heather licked her lips. “Why are you here anyhow? Asking these questions about Susan when she died so very long ago.”
Cindy set her pen on her notebook, cradling it on her lap. “There’s an active situation that has a connection to the company.”
“The company or Timothy Hanson? Because if you came here asking about the man, I’d have a lot more to say.”
How unexpected…“And what would that be?” Cindy readied her pen to scribble down notes, finding this switch refreshing. Most of the time when Timothy’s name was mentioned, people clammed up.
“Well, Timothy and his father didn’t live up to the image they projected. The whole thing about upholding family values was nothing but a lie. I can’t speak for Timothy’s son, but I highly doubt he’s much better. Ask my opinion, and no family should have that sort of money. It messes with a person’s head, makes them think they can do whatever they like, hurt whoever they like.” Heather clenched her jaw.
Tingles laced through Cindy’s arms and legs. “Did Timothy Hanson hurt someone you know about?”
“The secretary he had before Susan. Now, he’d have denied it with his dying breath, but something happened between them.” Heather laid a hand over her heart.
“That something being…?” Cindy was getting the distinct impression that Timothy used his authority to pressure his female employees into sleeping with him.
“Listen, I can’t be certain, but Timothy was a womanizer. He was always patting her on the ass and telling her she looked pretty.”
“What happened to her?”
“She quit too.”
Cindy scribbled all this down. Just how many women had Timothy Hanson sexually harassed? And just how far did he take things? Did he stop at touching and verbal harassment or take it further? “You make it sound like her leaving came rather suddenly.”
“It did.”
“Do you remember this woman’s name?”
“Rhonda Stein.”
Cindy scribbled the name on the page.
“I’ll never forget her,” Heather went on. “Some people just stick with you. When she started at Hanson, she was upbeat, but the longer she worked there, she lost that light bit by bit.”
Just like Susan Crawford…That could have been a coincidence, but one other thing Cindy’s training officer beat into her was never to accept that was the case. He’d say,Dig until you are sure.Cindy intended to do just that, but she got all she was going to from Heather. She closed her notepad and stuck the pen through the loop. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Wainscott.”
“I hope I helped you.”
“I believe you really have.” Cindy dipped her head and let herself out of the house.
TWENTY-FOUR
2:30 PM
Sandra watched as Abram Duke got into the back of an MPD squad car. She could only imagine how relieved he was to put the day behind him.
“All right, so there’s one other thing everyone should know,” Gibson began. “Ryan had Duke bring him a laptop so he can watch the surveillance video from cameras around the property.”
