Chapter Thirteen #3
“Not necessarily either of them,” inserted Everett. “The marriage was dissolved before Jana was born by Margot’s parents. Rachel was married next, it could be that Michael really is David’s legitimate firstborn except there is still the child that Margot had earlier.”
“We found a record that a baby boy was born to Margot when she was sixteen, two months before the marriage was dissolved by her parents who finally caught up to the couple,” mentioned Bree.
“He was named David Michael Ramesly and given up for adoption. We don’t know if David Junior is currently alive or if he had children.
Technically this line is the firstborn legitimate line and would inherit the Ramesly Pharmaceutical fortune.
They would get the business, all funds associated with it, the shares, any money Michael, Max, or Noah has had distributed to them as part of David’s estate. ”
“So it is probable our killer is David Junior, or one of his offspring,” said Kepler grimly.
“Do Drew and Molson know about their older brother? I have never heard them mention a David ,” wondered Ben with a frown.
Bree shook her head. “I don’t think they know.
Margot’s memory and mental health aren’t very reliable so no one takes what she says seriously.
Her parents made the decision for her regarding the baby and marriage as she was a minor.
David Junior’s name was probably changed during the adoption process and all records from back then were paper so it’s going to be a nightmare looking for the information.
Everett and I have an appointment to look through a bunch of dusty files to see if we can learn anything further but I expect it to take time to get any sort of leads. ”
Sterling returned to the room, taking a seat next to Jake. “Dixby says he will drive past the property tomorrow and talk to people in town to find out whatever information he can. What did I miss?”
The group filled her in on the latest developments while Henry frowned at Kepler. “You and I need to talk privately.”
“We can step into the next room,” agreed Kepler.
They both got up and Ben gave Henry a questioning look.
“It’s just a quick talk,” Henry told Ben as he joined Kepler.
The group had allowed them their privacy and Henry was grateful for that.
He took a seat on his walker, looking up at the FBI agent.
“You really can’t believe Cora had anything to do with Nate’s death.
Why did you keep questioning her about it? ”
“Sometimes people know things but they aren’t willing to share the information.
Sometimes people see things but they don’t always understand the significance until their memory is jogged in a certain manner,” sighed Kepler.
“No, I don’t believe Cora had anything to do with Nate’s death.
That woman was abused by her husband. I almost wish she had killed him.
No jury would convict on the evidence I found. Not in this state.”
“What do you mean?” Henry gritted his teeth. He knew Nate had harmed Cora. He had figured out that much for himself, but he wondered as to the extent of the abuse.
“Medical records show a number of dislocated joints, broken bones, sprains, concussions, and bruising. She tried to report the abuse twice then later dropped the charges, saying she had lied. A neighbor called in a domestic abuse situation once. They moved shortly thereafter so I’m of the opinion Nate threatened them,” said Kepler, keeping any emotion out of his voice as he relayed the facts.
“I knew she hadn’t killed him when I found out how he died. ”
“How is that?” wondered Henry. He tried to keep his own tone even and not betray the hope he felt at Kepler’s statement.
“Nate had her tracked. Cora was financially trapped but he also had tracking devices on her phone, her vehicle, her keys, her purse, and the kids backpacks. Nate could pull up an app on his phone and see where they were located at any time. He also had access to her texts and phone records. Nate knew who she talked to, how long she talked for, where she went, and exactly how much she spent. There were very strict boundaries with very strict consequences,” explained Kepler.
“We found everything when we confiscated his computer, phone, and looked at her car.”
Henry felt sickened by the knowledge. “Are the tracking devices still there? Can the FBI watch where Cora goes?”
“No. I had everything removed and made sure to put a magnet near her purse. It should have disabled it. She got the kids new backpacks for Christmas and donated the others to charity so those won’t be an issue,” responded Kepler.
“I hate that my brother did that,” murmured Henry.
“Agreed. Nate got an alert on his phone that the electronic safe in his home office had been opened the morning he died. Do you know what that was about?” questioned Kepler.
“Cora was leaving him. She might have needed something from the safe,” shrugged Henry. “He came back and broke her arm when he found out she was trying to escape.”
“No offense Henry, but I’m glad your brother is dead,” Kepler grimly stated.