Page 55 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
He paused, letting the weight of it land.
“You’re looking at obstruction of justice. Misconduct in office. Misprision of a felony. Conspiracy. Maybe even aiding and abetting murder.”
Rhett cursed under his breath again, but Griff kept going.
“You tampered with the truth, Rhett. Maybe you buried it entirely. You helped send a man to prison for a crime we’re starting to think he didn’t commit. And the person who paid you to keep your mouth shut is dead.”
Rhett’s lawyer leaned in again, her voice firmer now. “Deputy Abrams, I’m advising my client not to respond to threats—”
“It’s not a threat,” Griff snapped, eyes still locked on Rhett. “It’s a list of the charges he could be facing if he doesn’t start explaining why he’s been pocketing hush money since the month after Hannah Cole was murdered.”
Silence settled in the room, heavy and strained.
Griff waited.
Lily waited.
And all that remained was whether Rhett Hale would finally crack… or dig the hole deeper.
Griff watched as Valerie Pike leaned in toward Rhett again, her whisper sharper this time, her expression a mix of damage control and warning. Rhett nodded once, jaw tight, and murmured something back. Whatever it was didn’t settle her.
She straightened, smoothing her blazer, the professional mask snapping back into place.
“My client,” she said carefully, “wishes to make a statement to show his cooperation with this investigation.”
But before she could say another word, Rhett burst out—
“I didn’t kill Hannah.”
Valerie’s head whipped toward him, but Rhett pushed forward, shoulders tight, eyes flashing with something between panic and defiance.
“Catherine started paying me themonth beforethe murder,” he said. “That was all in cash. Quiet. Off the books.”
Griff didn’t speak. He just watched.
“I found out Everett was sleeping with Hannah,” Rhett went on, spitting out the words as if they burned. “Catherine didn’t want that getting out, especially with that land deal Everett was working on. She paid me to keep my mouth shut. Said it’d blow over.”
Lily was already scribbling the timeline on her notepad, lips pressed tight.
“So when did it stop being cash?” Griff asked.
Rhett shifted in his seat. “Shortly after the first payment. She said I’d ‘proven myself trustworthy’. Started cutting checks. Two grand a month.”
“And in fifteen years,” Griff said, voice low, “you never once thought to come forward.”
Rhett didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The silence said it all.
Griff didn’t move. He didn’t blink. Just watched Rhett like he was trying to see through him—and maybe he was. The man was finally cracking, but there was still too much he wasn’t saying.
Lily leaned in slightly, her tone controlled but sharp. “When did you find out about the affair? And how?”
Rhett gave her a bitter laugh. “A month before the murder. I walked in on them. After hours, at the dealership. Everett had a key to the back office, and they must’ve thought no one was around. I saw him with her. Hannah. On his desk.”
Lily’s expression didn’t change, but Griff could see the disgust flicker behind her eyes. “And you went straight to Catherine?” she asked.
Rhett snorted. “Yeah. I figured she deserved to know her husband was fucking a teenager.”
Griff’s jaw tightened. “So you warned her out of… what? Chivalry?”
