Chapter 67 : Unfolding Conspiracy Part 2

John leaned forward in his chair, his hands folded in his lap as he stared at Keenan as he spoke, "If Herman Flynn really did betray me, how can I be sure that you weren't the one who helped him do it? After all, you have the power to make that happen."

She looked at him with furrowed brows, confused as to why he was implicating her husband and why he was speaking in an accusatory tone. "What — I don't understand, what do you mean?"

John's smirk never wavered, his eyes still fixed on her husband, who sat quietly next to her, as he replied, "Why don't you ask your husband? Because he was the one who provided the access and assistance that helped Herman leave town to find 'their' hidden lair."

"What is he talking about?" She turned to her husband for an answer, "Ken?"

Keenan replied with a sigh. "What Detective John is trying to tell you is that he is not the only one who has made a deal with his hacker friend, honey," he replied as he looked into her eyes and his hand cupped hers gently.

"You? How?" she let Keenan hold her hand, feeling so confused with all the new information she was getting. "He works for you too? For what, Keenan?"

Keenan gave her a smile as he gently rubbed her trembling fingers. "I had him do a few things for me. One of them was my brother's case. You remember that, don't you? That man made millions of dollars vanish and nobody has found the missing money until today. He helped me find the money and track down my brother's associates, because I knew he wasn't working alone."

"But why did it have to be you? Why did it have to be you who tracked them down?"

She looked into her husband's eyes, hoping that he would be true to his word to tell her everything and not keep any more secrets from her. The way he looked at her as he gave her an honest answer only proved that he was ready to open up completely.

"It's not that the police aren't looking for them too, honey. It's just that they don't have the same reason or purpose for investigating them," he glanced at John, who looked suspicious, before turning back to her. "I also need Herman to dig up something else. I suspect the money is connected to 'them' as well. So if I can find the source or where the funds are hidden, then maybe—"

"You can find 'them' by tracking them. Is that what you're looking for?"

Keenan nodded. "And I can find enough evidence that they're behind it all. Herman has the ability and access, and I'm sure he's in contact with them as well," his voice still sounded calm and steady, even as he turned to John. "I'm sure that's why he needs your protection. Isn't that right, Detective?"

John nodded. "That was part of our agreement, too. He works for me to find the missing funds and to help me discover the background of the people behind it," he replied. The frown on his face was obvious as Aishleen's eyes fell on him.

"He does the same for the police, huh?" asked Aishleen, though she had already guessed the answer.

"No, not the police. Just me," he replied firmly, reminding Aishleen of the situation he was in, and the reason he was working with Aishleen and Herman in the first place. "I don't know who I can trust in my own department, or in the entire department for that matter. That's partly why Darrel came to me to confess before he died, and why he kept the information he had from the police. And another reason why I've been working in the shadows lately. I can't let anything I find fall into the wrong hands."

She turned to look between the two men. "If you're both working with Herman at the same time, looking for the same thing, why aren't you working together?"

Keenan shrugged indifferently as he leaned back in his chair. "I offered it to your detective friend here, but he turned me down. I'm sure he has trust issues with people."

"Well, that certainly wouldn't have happened if you hadn't threatened me by telling me to stay away from your wife," John frowned again, making her husband laugh sarcastically.

"You guys have met before," she sighed, shaking her head in disbelief and at her own blindness. She should have known the moment she found out her husband was spying on her, and the moment John became more cautious and suspicious of her husband.

"I did," Keenan nodded his head and scoffed. "I tried to make a deal with him when I first started working with the hackers to gather information. But as you can see, he simply refused. And now he's trying to blame me for the hacker's downfall because I decided to give him what he needed to do his job while he was in hiding."

John shook his head and laughed bitterly. "Are you blaming me for this? You're the one who got him into this situation. You're the one who sent him there to be killed. And how can I trust you when you can never explain to me what your relationship is with these people and with Darrel, while you seem so desperate to get me to stop seeing your wife. If you're really trustworthy, why didn't you tell her about your deal with Herman?"

Their constant bickering in front of her made her head spin. And suddenly, Aishleen felt overwhelmed by all the things being thrown at her. It had been less than a day since her intervention with Keenan, and now she had to find out what her husband and the detective had been doing behind her back. Another secret.

And she hadn't even recovered from the reality of Herman's possible death.

"I'm sorry," she got up from her seat when she felt she couldn't take it anymore, interrupting their heated conversation. She didn't even bother to look at either of them as she turned to leave. "I need a moment. Excuse me," she announced quietly as she hurried to find shelter in her cozy bedroom.