Chapter 14
Hailey scoffed. “Relationship? My father didn’t have a relationship with Hunter.
My father used Hunter as a verbal punching bag, berating him constantly, always comparing him to Christian.
It was just another form of abuse. Nothing Hunter did was ever good enough for my father.
Is it any wonder he turned to drugs and alcohol?
Dad would say he was just trying to set a high bar, but it was unrealistic.
” Her eyes filled, and the tears spilled over.
“Mom turned a blind eye to all of it. She never wanted to admit any of it was happening, but she knew. I know she knew.” Her jaw tightened. “I hate them both!”
She broke down into sobs, standing there in the doorway of her apartment.
JD and I shared an awkward glance.
It was a heartbreaking story.
“Can you think of anyone who may have wanted to harm your father?”
She looked at me like it was a ridiculous question, and it probably was. “Something tells me you’re going to have a lot of suspects.”
I dug into my pocket and handed her a card. “Please get in touch if you think of anything that might be helpful.”
She laughed. “Right now, I’m rooting for the bad guy.”
“Fair enough,“ I said.
“It seems like you and your brother stand to inherit most of your father’s estate.”
Her jaw clenched tight again, and her cheeks reddened. “We both deserve it after all we’ve been through. But I don’t want or need his money.”
Something told me she was going to take it, nonetheless. It all spends the same.
“Do you know where we can find your brother?”
“Why? So you can harass him too?”
I said nothing.
“Find him yourself.”
She stepped back inside, closed the door, and latched the deadbolt.
JD and I shared a glance, then walked down the hallway toward the elevator.
“Think she killed her old man?” JD asked.
“If she did, I’m sure she feels justified. And she might very well be.”
Jack pressed the call button when we reached the elevators. When the doors opened, we stepped aboard and plunged down to the lobby. Outside, we climbed into the Porsche and set out to find Hunter.
I called Denise and had her run background. According to the DMV records, Hunter claimed his permanent residence was his father’s Palm Haven estate.
Digging a little deeper, she found a 40-foot sailboat registered in his name, with a mailing address tied to a PO Box at the Pirates’ Cove Marina.
Hunter was no stranger to the county lockup. He’d gotten popped a few times on DUI and possession. Nothing his father couldn’t get him out of with a high-priced attorney. He’d been in and out of rehab a few times. Didn’t seem like it stuck.
We zipped across the island, pulled into the parking lot, and Jack found a spot by the dock. We hopped out and strolled around, looking for the Velocity.
It didn’t take long to find it. This wasn't some beat to hell old monohull collecting barnacles.
This was a sleek, modern vessel with all the options.
A wide cockpit with a dual helm station, hydraulic swim platform, and a teak deck.
There were electric winches and state-of-the-art navigation.
A cockpit fridge and a grill for barbecuing.
There were built-in solar panels in the hardtop sunshade.
Graceful and sophisticated. A boat like this didn't come cheap. I figured it was probably a gift from Brock. Something to help his son out. Despite being 30 years old, Hunter had a slim employment history. From what I could tell, he’d never held down a real job.
I banged on the stern and shouted, “Coconut County,” before boarding the boat.
We had the right to board and do routine compliance inspections of any boat on the water without a warrant. Anything in plain sight was fair game. I looked for bloodstains on the deck, but didn’t see any.
Commotion below deck drifted about. It wasn't long before Hunter poked his head out of the salon and looked at us with quizzical eyes. "What do you want?"
"We’d like to talk to you about your father?”
"Fuck that guy.”
"Why don't you tell us how you really feel?" JD snarked.
"I just did.”
"You know he's dead, don't you?" I asked.
"That's what I hear,” he said, unaffected by the news.
"You don't seem too upset about that," I said.
He shrugged. "How am I supposed to feel?”
Hunter was a handsome guy with loose sandy-blond hair, blue eyes, and a rugged jaw that belonged in a razor commercial. He had an athletic physique and possessed the ability to knock out Tiffany and stab his father multiple times.
"It's my understanding there was a little bit of tension between you two," I said.
His eyes narrowed, and his lips tightened. "Who’ve you been talking to?”
"People.”
"It's no secret my dad was a douchebag.”
"This is a nice boat," I said. "You buy it?"
Hunter scowled at me. "Just ‘cause he bought me shit doesn't make him a good guy.”
"No, I guess not."
"You ever stop to think that maybe he bought me a boat because he felt bad about what an asshole he was to me growing up?”
"Was he covering the slip fees and the maintenance?"
His brow wrinkled with annoyance. "What does that matter?”
I took that as a yes.
"Despite all that, you still harbored animosity toward him."
"We had unresolved differences.”
"Even though he continued to pay for your lifestyle."
"They're not mutually exclusive.”
"Care to tell me where you were last night between 9 and 10:30 PM?”
His mouth tightened, and he glared at me. "What gives you the right to come here and ask me these kinds of questions?”
"I get it. You're dealing with a lot of emotions right now. Must be a difficult time."
Hunter grew even more defiant. "Nothing difficult about it. My dad was an absolute piece of shit. He abused my sister, treated me like crap, and even killed a man. Nothing ever happened to him. He was always above the law. Until now. Looks like karma caught up with him."
"You wouldn't happen to be karma, would you?"
Hunter glared at me. "I didn't kill my dad. I'm not a fucking moron. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison.”
"So you hired someone to do it?”
He didn't like that. "No. I didn't. I'm sure there were plenty out there willing to kill my father for free.” A thin smile curled his lips. “But you’re looking in the wrong place. You need to focus on Tiffany.”
"You think she murdered your father?"