Page 51 of Nowhere to Hide
Carmichael batted his hand. “No need for that. I never really cared for the guy. Never made a secret of that when he was alive either.”
The back of Eric’s neck tightened. “May I ask why?”
“You may.” Carmichael took a few beats, a smile teasing his lips. “I just never liked the guy. He was two-faced and untrustworthy, but my sister obviously saw something good in him. What that was, I’ll never understand.”
“You said he was untrustworthy. Do you think he ever cheated on your sister?” Eric got the feeling Peter Carmichael was a man who liked things straightforward. Also with his professed dislike for Timothy, getting him to open up about him might be easier than he’d expected.
“I’d be more surprised if he hadn’t. That man was a womanizer when she met him. All charm and charisma, no essence. But he was very intelligent. If he had dalliances, he was smart about hiding them. And he had good reason. Our father insisted my sister have Timothy sign an iron-clad prenup. Her money was also family money, so she had little choice. But there was an infidelity clause worked in it that if he cheated on my sister, he’d have to pay her one hundred and fifty million. The cost wouldn’t stop there though. Such a scandal would destroy Hanson Property Development and cause their stocks to nosedive.”
Eric was trying to catch everything Carmichael was saying, but he was stuck on the payout amount. That was one hell of a costly infidelity clause. “He definitely had a reason to be discreet in his affairs. Would you be able to provide me with a list of people who were friends with Timothy?”
“Friends?” Carmichael smiled, amusement lighting his eyes. “When you have the amount of money he did, that I do, you never have friends. You can’t trust anyone, not even people withsimilar fortunes. Those who have less use us to get ahead. And those who are equals scheme for ways to claw ahead.”
No matter how bleak Carmichael’s take on wealth, Eric would be all right with more in his bank account.“All right then, no friends. What about associates or a right-hand man?”
“Now, that he had. His main security guy. The two were attached at the hip up until Tim’s death. If Tim was a pharaoh, he’d have insisted the guy be entombed with his corpse.” Carmichael took a sip of his drink. “Surprised he didn’t insist on that anyhow.”
“Can you remember his name?”
Carmichael shook his head. “As horrible as it sounds, I’ve never been good at remembering the names of the help.”
That sounds horrible all right…Eric’s reaction was immediate, but he could appreciate Carmichael’s world was far different from his. He grew up middle class with his only window into wealth being through Sandra. But she and her adoptive mother, Margo, were down to earth and treated everyone the same regardless of financial portfolios.
Carmichael set his glass down. “I’ve been patient and played along, but don’t think that I’ve missed the fact you haven’t told me why you’re here asking questions about the dead bastard.”
Eric could tell he wasn’t getting out of answering that this time. “There have been some allegations made against him.”
“As we’ve established, he’s dead, so how could any allegations made possibly warrant police coming to my door?”
“It’s related to an ongoing investigation that could impact his family and the business’s future.”
“Huh. Well, if any of theseaccusationslead you to proof that Timothy Hanson violated his vow to my sister during the time they were married, that prenup survives her death and his.”
“Really?” The question slipped out, and his cheeks heated with embarrassment.
“Our worlds are different, Detective. My family’s fortune has a long reach into the past. It’s not just about the present generation, but the ones that came before and the ones who will come after. It’s a matter of honor and legacy.”
“Just to clarify. If there is evidence of Timothy’s infidelity, then the Hanson estate is still liable to pay the Carmichael family one hundred and fifty million dollars?” He almost choked saying the large amount.
“That’s right. It would be divvied between myself and some distant cousins.”
“All right. Thank you for your time, Mr. Carmichael.” Eric stood and pushed the chair back into the table.
“Be sure to keep me apprised on the findings of your investigation.”
Eric dipped his head and left the room. He’d just been handed a motive for Timothy Hanson to kill Susan Crawford. In fact, if he viewed her as a liability, he’d have one hundred and fifty million reasons to want her gone and then some.
TWENTY-EIGHT
3:30 PM
Sandra was thinking about how she was going to break it to Ryan that the press conference would be taking place outside with only one news station. She feared suggesting it in a way that made him lose trust in her. It was challenging enough to build it when so many people had let him down. But she couldn’t push this conversation off forever. After all, Edward needed urgent medical attention. “I’m going to call Ryan.” She put her headset on and waited for Donny, Monica, and Gibson to get on theirs.
The line rang twice before Ryan answered. “Is the press here?”
“They will be.” A lie she could live with.
“Good.”
