Balotelli-Bale Series Book #4: THE OTHER MAN PART 1

Chapter 47: Rose Anderson

"...with a touch of doubt, it is possible
that innocence could be true..."

Detective Rowland's POV
Never in a million years did I think it would play out like this. Love triangles can get ugly but the twists are always unique to each story. I worked a case some time ago when a similar thing happened. The wife was murdered by the man she was having an affair with. Her lover was fed up of excuses about her getting a divorce. That is what I expected in the case of this love triangle. I expected that Keira Ballard would be the one to end up dead. The murderer would be Nickolas Bale because of his impatience to get her out of her marriage or her husband Jason Burke because of his jealousy. But instead, it's her husband who is dead and the strangest part is that the body has been found on her family's property. Is she that stupid or is something else happening?

I can't help but wonder if Miss Ballard is being framed.

"She doesn't look like a killer. I mean look at her." Fitz frowned. "She gives innocence a whole new meaning. She looks like an angel in tears. It's heartbreaking!"

We have been observing her from the one way glass. She is cuffed to the table of the interrogation room. I like to observe those I have arrested through the glass. Her mannerisms don't expose guilt.

"Murderers don't have a distinct face. Sometimes they look like angels. Even the Devil was once an angel." I looked at him. He rubbed the back of his head. She does look like an angel. She is soft spoken, polite and strangely calm even in this situation. "What did you find out about the guns?"

"They probably belong to her father. His name is Michael Ballard. He served as Master Chief in the navy."

I nodded my head. "Well look at that! She's the daughter of a naval officer. That explains the guns. But tell me about the missing one. You saw the gap, right?"

"It is exactly that. Missing."

"Any news from the coroner about the cause of death?"

"We will know by evening."

"And where is Michael Ballard?"

"We don't know. Do you think the father did it?" Fitz posed another question I have been asking myself. Now that I know he served, I am sure he is capable of murder. "He finds out his daughter was being abused by Jason Burke. He gets into a major disagreement with him and he shoots him."

"And he served the navy. But would he be careless enough to leave the body on his own land and flee, leaving the daughter he was protecting to pay for his actions? Something about this is not adding up."

"She doesn't look like a murderer." Fitz insisted. Perhaps he's falling prey to her already. I'm sure if she asks him to set her free Fitz may just do it.

"What if Nick did it?" I expressed my opinion.

"You badly want this to be Nick, don't you?"

"He has enough motive to kill Jason Burke. He wanted her. Jason Burke was a hinderance. Nick broke into Jason's house, he beat Jason up and he took his wife. If she was on the brink of death like she claims then he was angry and he wanted payback and he got it. My money is on Nick. I want it to be Nick so that I can put that smug bastard away."

"So how do you want to play this?"

"I want to use her as bait to get a confession out of Nickolas Bale. Let's see how true their love really is."

"Do you seriously think that a man with a daughter will confess to murder to save his mistress?"

"Like I said, let's just see how true their love is."