Chapter 6 - The Interrogation of Evan Whitmore
By 4:45 A.M., the storm had completely cleared, leaving behind a crisp, freezing sky dusted with thousands of sharp white stars.
Inside Interrogation Room 1, Evan Whitmore sat at the heavy metal desk, his elbows resting on the scratched grey surface, his face buried in his hands. His hair was wildly unkempt, his tan trench coat tossed carelessly onto the floor in the corner. Across from him sat Assistant District Attorney Karen Brooks and Sergeant Hannah Cole.
On the table between them sat the opened matted brown teddy bear, the black voice recorder, and the clear evidence bag containing the green pitcher taken from Rachel Whitmore's kitchen.
"Evan," Brooks began, her voice cold and measured. "Your attorney, Mr. Harrison, has been notified. He is en route from his home in Portland, but he advised you over the phone to remain silent until he arrives. Do you still wish to answer our questions?"
Evan lifted his head. His eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, surrounded by dark, bruised circles of total exhaustion. He looked at the matted bear, then at the green pitcher, and finally at Hannah.
"Is Rachel okay?" Evan asked, his voice a hoarse, ragged whisper.
"She’s fine," Hannah said. "We got to her house before she drank the liquid Claire left on her counter. It’s currently down in the lab being tested for digitalis."
Evan closed his eyes, a violent shudder wracking his upper body. He leaned back in his chair and hit the back of his head against the beige wall with a soft thud.
"My God," Evan wept softly. "My God... she told me it was just a supplement. She told me she was giving Rachel vitamins."
"Evan," Brooks interrupted sharply. "Don't play the fool now. We have the banking records from your commercial loan accounts. You owed three point two million dollars to a private investment group in New Jersey after your construction firm failed last year. They put a lien on your primary residence six months ago."
Evan said nothing.
"Claire murdered her sister Sarah for the two point four million dollar trust," Brooks continued implacably. "And when that wasn't enough to cover your remaining debts, she set up a one point five million dollar life insurance policy on your sister Rachel, planning to kill her too. And you knew about it."
"No!" Evan shouted, his hands slamming down onto the metal table so hard the evidence bag jumped. "I didn't know about Sarah! I swear to God on my daughter's life, I thought Sarah really overdosed! Claire came home that day crying, telling me Sarah had taken her own life because of her depression! I didn't find out about the trust money until two months later when the probate court cleared the transfer!"
"And Rachel?" Hannah pressed, leaning forward. "What about your own sister, Evan? You signed as the primary beneficiary on her life insurance policy three months ago!"
"Claire told me it was for estate planning!" Evan cried out, tears streaming down his hollow cheeks. "She said Rachel wanted me to manage the money for Lily's college fund if anything ever happened to her! Claire handles all our finances! I haven't looked at a bank statement in three years! I just... I was so desperate to save the business. I let her handle everything."
"Then why did you bring Lily here tonight?" Hannah asked softly.
The question hung in the cold air of the interrogation room like a heavy stone.
Evan slowly lowered his head back into his hands. His fingers dug into his scalp as he began to rock back and forth in his metal chair.
"Because three days ago," Evan whispered, his voice barely audible, "I found Lily sitting on the floor in her closet. She had split the seam on that bear with a pair of plastic safety scissors. She had the steel box out on her lap."
Hannah felt her heart freeze. "She opened the box?"
"No," Evan sobbed. "She couldn't open the box. It was locked. But she told me... she told me Mr. Bear was holding Aunt Sarah's secret, and that Mommy told her if anyone ever found it, Aunt Rachel would go away to sleep just like Aunt Sarah did."
"And what did you do?" Brooks demanded.
"I confronted Claire," Evan said, his chest heaving. "I showed her the bear. I asked her what Lily was talking about. And Claire... Claire didn't deny it. She looked at me with those cold, dead eyes and said, 'If you say a word to anyone, Evan, the police will think you helped me do it. You signed the insurance papers. Your name is on the bank transfers. You'll go to prison for the rest of your life, and Lily will grow up in a state foster home'."
"So you stayed quiet," Hannah said, feeling a deep, burning disgust rising in her chest. "You let your wife take a poisoned drink to your sister's house today while you sat by and did nothing."
"I was terrified!" Evan screamed, weeping uncontrollably now. "I didn't know what to do! Claire told me we were going to take Lily to Canada this weekend! But Lily wouldn't stop crying! She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep, she just kept saying 'I want to go to the police station, I want to tell the police lady about the green cup'!"
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Evan looked up at Hannah, his eyes filled with a pathetic, desperate plea for understanding.
"So I brought her here," Evan whispered. "I brought her here because I knew if I brought her into a room full of police officers, my daughter would tell the truth... and I wouldn't have to be a coward anymore."
