“Is it bad or something?” She wasn’t sure how results could be good or bad, unless maybe they were inconclusive.
Tanner was quiet for a long moment. “I can’t really talk about it. Tell me about your day,” he said in a valiant effort to change the subject.
April sighed and relaxed into the couch cushions. She couldn’t tell him much, but she always managed to think of at least one thing she could share about her dayswith Violet. “My day… let’s see… Violet and I had a dance party tonight before I put her to bed.” She set her foot down and lifted the other one to massage.
“That already sounds a heck of a lot better than my day.” The smile in his voice had April smiling, too.
“We also had a picnic and kicked a soccer ball around this morning.” On the surface, her job and Violet’s life sounded perfect, nearly idyllic. So far removed from how it really was, andhow Violet’s day had started. The image of her sweet little niece blinking and sending six knives hurling into three men’s chests was the stuff of nightmares. And the horror on Violet’s face when she realized that their vests hadn’t protected them from getting stabbed was something April would have to live with the rest of her life.
“Violet sounds like a very happy and special little girl. She’s lucky to have you as her teacher and nanny,” Tanner said.
“I’m the lucky one.” April hadn’t told him yet that Violet was also her niece, and it didn’t feel right telling him over the phone. Maybe tomorrow at the soup kitchen, if they had a quiet moment alone, she’d finally tell him everything.
They talked for a few more minutes before saying goodnight. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the soup kitchen?” Tanner asked.
“I’ll be there.” April had no idea how Tanner would react to the news that Violet washisdaughter. But if Tanner rejected her again, April would have to figure out another way to get Violet away from Ned.
Even if it cost her everything.
***
After ending the call with April, Tanner paced the confines of his living room like a caged wild animal. It felt like the walls were closing in on him. He loved talking to April, but even her voice couldn’t settle him tonight. Not after the lab had confirmed that it was Blake’s hair on Arlo J’s body.
He blew out a breath, and stared at his cell phone. He had two options. Actually, he had a few more than that, but he would only consider two of them. He could call Blake and ask for his alibi or he could -
Shit. He didn’t like either of these options, but only one of them wouldn’t hurt someone who was already in a world ofhurt. Tanner had gone over the likely scenarios in his mind more times than he could count. The morning of Arlo J’s murder, was the morning of Madigan’s grand reopening. It was also just twelve short hours before Skyla started to miscarry. If Arlo J threatened Skyla in any way, Tanner had no doubt Blake would’ve stepped in and taken care of business. But the man was an FBI Agent. Why wouldn’t he arrest him? Why wouldn’t he bring him in for questioning? Why the fuck would he drug him, strangle him, stab him, and leave his body in a dumpster? No. None of that tracked.
Tanner was making the wrong assumptions. He had to be. That was the only thing that made any kind of sense. Yes, Blake would defend Skyla. Yes, he would absolutely kill for her, and for his unborn child. But not like that. Blake had an FBI issued gun, so it only made sense for him to use it if the situation had warranted deadly force. So, why would Blake use a hunting knife? Unless Blake was trying to hide what he’d done. Unless it was premeditated…
Tanner shook his head, his whole body now vibrating with a deep-seated unease. Blake wasn’t just some thug on the street. He wasn’t even another colleague, or some random guy with a badge and gun. He was Blake. He was a friend. A very close friend whose apartment he was at just days after Blake had lost his child.
There had to be another explanation. Tanner simply wasn’t seeing it. But he knew someone who might. It was his only hope. It might beBlake’sonly hope.
It was a Friday night, but he knew his friend and mentor would be there for him. Tanner picked up his cell phone and sent a text message, then cradling the phone in his hands, he waited for a response. As soon as he saw the three dots, he rushed out the door.
Driving in dead silence, his mind raced with what he could possibly be missing. The idea of Blake… it just felt wrong.
He pulled over on the side of the highway at a small lookout point. Moments later, a silver pickup truck pulled in and parked next to him. Tanner got out of his vehicle, walked around to the passenger side of the truck and got in. He didn’t even look at the driver. There was no way Tanner could make eye contact with anyone right now without completely losing his shit at all the thoughts racing through his mind.
“You look like you’re about to implode, take a breath.”
Heeding Luke Harmon’s advice, Tanner did just that. He took a breath, and when it felt like he couldn’t get enough air in, he took another one and then another. Detective Luke Harmon was more than just Tanner’s training officer when he first joined the force. He was one of the first friends Tanner made on the job. Without Luke, he would’ve never met Caden, Blake, or any of the other guys he now considered brothers. When Luke had gone missing, Tanner insisted on heading up one of the task forces, hardly eating or sleeping until Luke was found.
Now it felt like he was the one who was barely keeping his head above water. Tanner kept drawing in air and letting it out until he felt Luke’s hand land on his shoulder. “Easy, I don’t need you passing out on me. What’s going on?” Luke’s words came out steady, like it didn’t bother him in the least that Tanner had just dragged his ass out of the bed he shared with his beautiful wife.
Tanner closed his eyes for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts but they all came rushing at him at once. “I’m in trouble,” he finally said. “And I don’t know what to do.”
Luke didn’t say anything for a long beat. He just sat there as if waiting for Tanner to continue. When he didn’t, Luke adjusted his seat into a more reclined position and put his head backagainst the headrest. “I’ve got all the time in the world. Start at the beginning.”
Tanner almost chuckled at Luke’s ease. There was no way Luke was going to feel the same way after he knew the kind of ticking time bomb Tanner was sitting on. So, he told him. Everything. And he felt the tension in the vehicle skyrocket as Luke’s hands tightened into fists and his jaw grew tauter with every word coming out of Tanner’s mouth. When Tanner was done, his eyes were fixed on a dark point straight ahead. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Luke. “So, what the hell do I do now?”
Luke didn’t answer right away. Just as Tanner had thought, the other man was having just as much trouble digesting this information as he was. Blake O’Connell was a close friend. Someone everyone in their group trusted and loved like a brother.
After what seemed like hours but was likely only a few minutes, Luke finally sighed and spoke. “You do the only thing you can do. Your job.”
Tanner swallowed, hard. “You want me to accuse our friend of cold-blooded murder.”
“Only if he did it. I was actually thinking along the lines of asking for his alibi.”
