Sins of Justice, page 16
Beckett and I take plywood and nail it over the windows. We make sure anything outside of the house goes inside so it doesn’t blow away. It takes a few hours.
When we get done, I check my phone, but Chloe still hasn’t text me back.
Why hasn’t she texted me back?
Settle down. She’s working. Don’t be a psycho.
I turn to Beckett. “Did Mia get back with you?”
“She said we’re good on drinks, but someone got into the food.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“No. Probably some idiot at the party. She said there were open boxes of crackers and ants everywhere. She and Connor are cleaning it up right now.”
“We’re going to need to run to the store.”
“Gracie is there with Gabriella right now. They had to go an hour away. People already cleared out the grocery store.”
I pick up my phone and call Gabriella.
She answers after one ring. “Ryland.”
“Where did you have to go?”
“Brandon.”
“Ouch.”
“Yep. Gracie and I had to call around. It took us two hours to get up here.”
“They should be evacuating north, so coming home shouldn’t be as bad.”
“There’s no gas. The stations all have signs they’re empty.”
“We stored enough for the business. Everyone will be fine. You have enough to get home, right?”
“Yes. We had a full tank.”
“All right. Do me a favor and don’t hang around up there. Get back to the island as soon as possible, okay?”
“We will.”
“Thank you. How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“We’ll talk later about what happened yesterday, okay?”
“Mm-hmm. I have to go. We’re here now.”
“Let me know when you’re back.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Funny.” I hang up. When hurricanes appear, the general public tends to freak. Food and water become scarce. The hurricane weather can last for hours or days, but a significant threat is the loss of power during or after the storm. Fights can occur over a bottle of water or a bag of potato chips, so I don’t like my sisters being that far away from home during these scenarios.
I fill Beckett in on what Gabriella said.
“Connor just texted Mom and Dad don’t have full tanks of gas for the generator,” he informs me.
“Let’s go grab them from the storage unit, then.”
“Mom and Dad sure picked the right time to go on vacation.”
I chuckle. “Yep.”
Another loud beep comes through my phone. Beckett grabs it. “Same message. Nothing different.” He tosses the phone in my cupholder.
“Text Hudson we’re going to the storage unit for fuel.”
He does then reads the reply. “He already went and is at Mom and Dad’s now.”
I turn the truck around and head back to the northern end of the island.
My phone vibrates. Beckett picks it up. “Chloe sent a message.”
I grab my cell from him.
“Can’t go out tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
No reason? No response to my text about the hurricane? My gut drops.
Beckett’s cell rings. “Casey—”
I turn to him.
He glares at me. “What did they ask you?”
Goose bumps pop out on my skin. Beckett listens for what seems like hours.
“Thanks for letting me know.” He hangs up and scowls. “Seems like your girlfriend didn’t stop asking questions.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Chloe and Javier just questioned Casey for over an hour. They told him not to leave the island. They want to know how Mia went from being on a yacht with Skates to arriving back on Casey’s boat.”
22
Chloe
* * *
“How did Mia end up on your boat?” I ask Casey again.
He sits and says nothing.
“Mr. Cline, it’s in your best interest to answer our questions,” Javier nicely tells him.
“I’ve told you to leave my daughter alone. You seem to be obsessed with trying to harm her. Maybe I should call my friend, Senator Wombold, regarding this harassment?” Casey raises his eyebrow at us.
I smile at him. “You can call whomever you choose, but your connections at the state level are not going to help you. We are the FBI. No amount of politicking will stop us from questioning or arresting you if we find a cause, so I suggest you answer our question.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“Now, now, no one is arresting anyone,” Javier jumps in. “Agent Drake, why don’t you go grab a glass of water or something. Would that be okay, Mr. Cline? Then we can have a man-to-man conversation.”
Good move, Javier.
I glare at him. “How dare—”
“In the kitchen, the cupboard on the left above the sink.” Casey points to the kitchen.
I huff and stomp off.
It’s an open floor plan. I can hear everything Javier is asking Casey and all of his answers. I take my time finding a glass and filling it with water then sip it.
“Let’s go through this again, Mr. Cline. The video recording shows Mia arriving at the marina with Henry. She didn’t appear as if she wanted to be there. Now, Agent Drake thinks she could be part of the Twisted Hearts dealing heroin with Skates. Is that true, or did she not want to be there?”
“What? My daughter has no part in that gang or drugs.”
But your son runs it, and you’ve been allowing him to run drugs through your restaurants because you’re too big of a coward to stop him.
“Okay. That’s good to hear. She doesn’t seem like that type of girl.”
Casey sternly says, “No, she is not. She is a very good person. Decent, like her mother was.”
Javier nods. “So Mia was forced onto the yacht. Where did Skates take her?”
He shrugs. “How would I know?”
“You picked her up somewhere. She came back in your boat, remember?”
“I never said that.”
“Yes, but your neighbor saw it.”
“Mable Anderson is the island gossip. You can’t trust anything she says. She needs excitement in her life and is creating this story.”
“Are you claiming Mia didn’t come back with you?”
“Back from where?”
“Your boat trip.”
Casey shifts in his seat. “I never said I took my boat out.”
Javier smiles bigger. “Mr. Cline, you do realize that obstructing an investigation is a crime, correct?”
“Do I need to call my attorney?”
“That’s your right, but I’m here on a friendly visit. I prefer to keep things like that, don’t you?”
Casey taps his fingers on the armchair and leans into Javier. “You know what I think?”
“What’s that?”
“I think you want to persecute me because you can’t do your job and put my son in prison. Instead, you are attempting to frame my daughter for something she would never do so you have something to show your boss.”
I walk back into the room. “Where is Skates?”
He shrugs. “No idea. It seems like you don’t have one, either.”
“It’s your yacht. We have it on video. You are harboring a wanted man. Time’s up,” I snap at him.
Cocky amusement crosses his face. “Do you think you scare me? You aren’t the first FBI agents to roll in here and question me. You think I don’t know who or what my son has become?”
“You must be so proud.” I smirk at him.
He stands. “No. I’m not. But I’m not him. I don’t make decisions for him or watch over him. What he does is his business. I have no idea where he is, but you’re the FBI, so why don’t you figure it out?”
“Oh, we will, Mr. Cline. Don’t you worry about that,” I promise him.
He glares at me.
Javier pats him on the back. “You know what I want to know? Why were you burning clothes that evening?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Javier chuckles. “I think you do. Come on, you can tell me.”
“Never happened.”
I point to the glass overlooking the bay. “You brought Mia back with the Brooks brothers in your boat. You and Ryland Brooks were both in shock from something that occurred at sea. Since Mia had been on Skates’ yacht, you had to pick her up somewhere. What happened that you had to burn your clothes?”
Casey shakes his head. “Crazy stories that woman next door creates in her head. I can’t believe two FBI agents would believe her tales. What a shame. You both seem intelligent. I guess I overestimated you. That or you’re so desperate to arrest someone to save your ass with your boss, you’re willing to fall for ridiculous scenarios.”
I turn to Javier. “Since Mr. Cline isn’t cooperating, I think it’s time we paid Mia Crimson a visit.”
Casey points at me. “You leave Mia Crimson alone.”
“Then start talking.”
He folds his arms over his chest.
“Maybe we should discuss the heroin you’re running out of your restaurants?” I suggest.
His face hardens. “I think it’s time I call my attorney.”
Shit.
“Agent Drake, can you go to the car, please?” Javier asks.
Let’s see if this works this time.
I scowl at him. “Are you seriously asking me this?”
He points to the door. “Go to the car.”
I roll my eyes and slam the door on the way out.
Instead of getting into the car, I stare at the street, imagining the scene Mable Anderson described when Mia waved a gun at Casey. Then I study all the different angles from which Mable can view Casey’s property.
Are there any obstructed views?
I knock on Mable’s door.
“Agent Drake.” She opens the door.
“Ms. Anderson, would you mind if I walked around on your property? I need to check a few things out.”
Her face scrunches. “Is everything all right?”
I pat her shoulder. “Yes. It would be helpful for me to visualize some things if I could see them from your perspective.”
“Do whatever you want to do.”
“Actually, would you show me exactly where you were standing during the different events you described?”
Her eyes light up. “Sure.”
I spend the next fifteen minutes standing in every spot Mable did when Mia threatened Casey, Hudson pulled into the driveway, all four men left the dock, their arrival back, and Hudson helped Ryland into the truck.
Nothing stands in the way of Mable’s view. As she guides me through her property, I imagine every scene. My heart aches thinking of Ryland on the dock and coming back from their trip at sea.
When she describes again how distraught he seemed, the first day I met him and the sad expression on his face plagues me.
If he only would tell me what happened.
He told me he wasn’t in danger. I think I asked the wrong question.
I get back to the car where Javier is waiting.
“Did you get anything?”
“I asked him why he thought Henry would be dragging Mia onto his yacht with Skates and Veronica.”
“What did he say?”
“It wasn’t what he said. It’s how his facial expression changed.”
“What do you mean?”
Javier shifts and turns more in his seat. “When I said Veronica, his face changed. He seemed sad or regretful, maybe? His eyes fluttered when I said her name, and I thought he was going to cry.”
“What the hell happened out there?”
Javier shakes his head. “I don’t know, but everyone comes back except Henry, Skates, and Veronica. Either the captain of the ship knows how to hide well, or we’ve got several murders on our hands.”
Chills run through my body, and I close my eyes.
I can’t deny it. Everything points to that. But there are no bodies or witnesses. It’s all speculation.
And I have no doubt Ryland won’t tell me what happened.
I can’t tell you. I’ll go to my grave with it. Ryland’s voice echoes in my mind.
I open my eyes. “If they are dead, who do you think murdered whom?”
“Mia and Hudson have both been seen in public with guns. Well, Hudson at Gabriella’s party.”
“Casey burnt his clothes.”
“Ryland was in shock.”
“Beckett would do anything to save Mia. He’s also been in prison for ten years for a crime he didn’t commit. I’m sure revenge weighs on you.” I assume if I were in prison on a false charge, I would seek it.
My phone vibrates in the cupholder, and I read a message from my boss and another one Ryland sent earlier. “Hurricane on the way and should hit within the next forty-eight hours. We may need to evacuate. I’m keeping an eye on it.”
My heart hurts, but I can’t be around Ryland while trying to figure out what happened. I already know he isn’t going to tell me anything, and so I’m going to have to figure it out. Being with him is only going to distract me from finding out the truth.
I reply to Ryland, “Can’t go out tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Why can’t you just tell me what happened?
I blurt out, “Do you know we’re going to get hit with a hurricane?”
He gapes. “No. How did I not know that?”
I rub my forehead. “I think we’ve both been distracted this weekend.”
“Shit. How many times can I curse myself for letting my dick rule my brain?”
“I think you should tell me more about what happened between you and Gabriella.”
“Not going there.”
“Okay. Have you been through one of these before?”
He starts the car. “Yes. Several. What category is it going to be?”
I tap on the app with the radar, and my gut drops. “Cat three possibly.”
“That’s not good. When is it supposed to hit?”
“Ryland text says forty-eight hours, and he’s watching to see if we will be required to evacuate.”
Javier grips the wheel harder. “I’m not prepared for this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t prepare a hurricane survival kit. I kept putting it off. I bet money the stores are going to be out of everything.”
Panic grips me. “I don’t have anything, either.”
He accelerates the car. “Let’s go see what we can find.”
“If a hurricane is coming, assuming Skates is still alive, he won’t have an option but to come to shore, correct?”
“What direction is the storm coming from?”
“Southwest, and it’s supposed to hit the panhandle, too.”
“He’s trapped. He has no option but to come in.”
“Would his ego be big enough to try and ride out the storm?”
Javier grunts. “Wouldn’t put it past him.”
“Can’t say I wouldn’t be happy if his ship toppled, and he drowned.”
“World would be a better place,” Javier agrees.
“Although I would rather watch him slowly die,” I mutter.
Javier is quiet for a few moments. “Chloe, are you doing okay? Being on this case with everything that happened to Peter?”
I turn to stare out the window. “Yeah, fine.”
He puts his hand on my arm. “You sure?”
I spin toward him. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“When you were in the military in Afghanistan, did it get easier?”
“What do you mean?”
“Killing people. The other night, you told me you were killing people in Afghanistan at twenty-two.”
He exhales. “Why are you asking me this?”
“You know I killed Leeland after he shot Peter, right?”
“Yes. And you did the right thing. You don’t feel guilty about that, do you?”
“God, no. He was scum. I’d do it again, and I should have done it before he shot Peter.”
“That wasn’t your fault, Chloe.”
“Let’s not get into the what’s my fault and what isn’t debate, please.”
He sighs then concentrates on the road. “Okay.”
“I wish I had killed Skates. No one would have known. The world would have been a better place.”
“You would have known.”
“So. How many people would still be alive if Skates had died two years ago? I had my chance, and I didn’t do it. He squeezed the trigger on Peter just as much as Leeland. I saw him give the order, and he walked free.”
“I’m not going to argue with your thoughts. Hell, I agree with them, but if you aren’t defending yourself or protecting someone you love, then it’s not the same thing. Guilt would eat at you because you wouldn’t be able to justify it.”
“So if you kill in defense or for protection, it’s justified and okay, but killing to make the world a better place isn’t?”
Javier groans. “Do you have to put it that way? I like to think my time in the military helped make the world a better place.”
“So, it is justified, then?”
Javier parks in the grocery store lot, which is full of cars. “Look at me, Chloe.”
I turn to him.
“Whatever you do, never talk to anyone else about this. The FBI would put you through a psych exam and probably take your badge.”
“You think I’m crazy?”
“No. I think you’re right in your thinking. I understand how you feel, and if you were in the military, you wouldn’t have to worry. But you aren’t. You’re an FBI agent, and we play by their rules. It’s not just. It’s not fair. But that is the way it is. You can’t ever tell anyone what you just told me.”
What he is saying is true. Javier’s watching out for me, and I blink hard.
“Chloe, you okay?”
I turn from him. “Yeah. Thanks for having my back. I’m fine...”
“You sure?”
I take a deep breath and turn back. “Peter used to look out for me. No one has since him. It was nice. Thank you.”
“You could stay and be my partner.”
