Foul Play (Barlow Sisters Book 3)

by Jordan Ford

  “I’m not a warrior.”

  “Yes, you are.” My voice is strong and adamant.

  “I can’t fix this, Chloe!”

  “Yes, we can!”

  “We?” He scowls at me. “And how am I supposed to protect you through all of this? If Nick doesn’t want me getting hurt, I sure as shit don’t want you to!”

  I smile, his words warming me even though they’re being yelled.

  Reaching for his face, I comb my fingers through his short black hair. “I know this seems huge and scary and dangerous.”

  “Because it is.” He works his jaw to the side.

  “I know, but we can be careful. We can look into things without people even knowing. All we need is a starting point and then slowly we can uncover some evidence. We just need enough to set Nick free. Once we have it, I can take it straight to my dad. Then he can protect us.” Vincent opens his mouth to argue, but I speak over him. “My dad might not understand that I’m crushing on you big-time, but he hates injustice as much as I do. He’ll help us.”

  Vincent’s eyes flick to mine, and very slowly his puffing breaths ease. Finally, the edges of his lips curl at the corners. “We can’t go to him without something decent.”

  “Well, what do we have?”

  Vincent taps the wheel with his finger. “Nick was doing some work on the side, trying to earn some money so he could send me to college.” He lets out a pained sigh, his jaw clenching as he tries to rein in whatever emotion he’s fighting. “He never told me about it, but I think he was working for some guy in Brazenwood.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because he just told me he was supposed to pick up a car and deliver it to a chop shop there.”

  “So he was stealing cars?”

  Vincent nods, then cringes and scrapes a hand through his hair.

  “Do you know their names?”

  “No, he wouldn’t say. If it’s the Mendez brothers, they’re complete assholes. Maybe that’s why he’s scared. Maybe they’ve threatened to come after me or something.” He frowns and shakes his head. “But they wouldn’t take on a Mancini. They’re not completely insane.”

  “So, if it’s not them, who could it be?”

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Vincent cups the back of his head. “I don’t know.”

  Curling my fingers around his neck, I give it a little massage, hoping to relax him. “Are there any other crime syndicates in that area?”

  He swallows and slowly opens his eyes. “Not that I know of. Enzo doesn’t like us going into Brazenwood. He knows better than to start some kind of war with the Mendez brothers.”

  “Okay.” I bulge my eyes, finding this conversation kind of heavy. “So, what happened that night? Nick went to pick up a car and…”

  Vincent keeps rubbing his forehead, his face puckering. “He said he got a text to go collect and deliver this car, but when he got there McCrae was already dead inside. The cops showed up. Saw the body. Saw Nick standing there and arrested him on the spot. Assumed it was a carjacking.”

  “But what proof did they have? They can’t convict him for standing beside a dead body.”

  “They found a gun with his fingerprints all over it. Ballistics matched the bullet to the gun.”

  “And where was the gun?”

  “On the floor of the car he was supposed to be stealing.”

  My lips part. Damn, that evidence is really compelling. It takes me a moment to find my voice as I will myself to not waver on my conviction. Nick told his little brother he was innocent. We have to believe him.

  “Okay, so someone could have easily stolen his gun, used it and then planted it in McCrae’s car, right?”

  Vincent nods.

  “It sounds to me like he was set up by his boss.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t know who the hell that is. Nick refused to say, and he looked scared when I pressed him on it.”

  “Well someone else must know. What about his lawyer?”

  Vincent scoffs. “That idiot won’t help. No one’s going to talk to us.”

  I purse my lips, staring out the car window while I think about my dad and what he goes through when investigating something. There are always reports and those little notebooks they write in. That’s all evidence and permissible in court.

  “There have to be notebooks from the night Nick was arrested. Records. Statements. Maybe I can ask Dad to look into it for me.”

  Vincent gives me an incredulous look. “And when he asks why you want to know that stuff? What are you going to tell him then? That you’re helping a Mancini?”

  “Stop saying your last name like it’s a curse word,” I scold him. I hate the way he does that. It just fuels his own belief that his bloodline makes him automatically bad.

  He huffs and clenches his jaw again. The way he’s going, his teeth will be buried back inside gums soon.

  “Okay, fine, you don’t want to involve my dad. Do you remember who the arresting officer was? The detective who investigated this case? Maybe we can talk to them.”

  Vincent worries his lip, still staring out the window like he doesn’t want to look at me.

  “I just want to help,” I whisper. “Please let me.”

  Glancing my way, a soft smile curves the edge of his mouth as he reaches for my hand and starts playing with my fingers.

  “There wasn’t a detective, just the chief of police.”

  “The chief of police?” My nose wrinkles. “That’s weird. They don’t usually conduct investigations.”

  Vincent shrugs. “He was the guy who arrested Nick that night, so he took the case.”

  “Okay.” I shake my head, still finding it a bit strange.

  “He retired early, after Nick was convicted. Got seriously ill and left town.”

  “Do you remember his name?”

  “Scott Tannon. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out.” I smile, pulling out my phone and getting to work.

  As weird as it might sound, this whole thing is kind of thrilling. If we can talk to this guy, find out some answers, dig out the real truth, it’s going to open up a whole big book of secrets.

  A book that might set Nick Mancini free.

  20

  A Losing Battle

  VINCENT

  Chloe found a bunch of people named Scott Tannon on her phone. It’s going to take us some time to work through them. She doesn’t seem perturbed by this. If anything, she’s excited, which kind of worries me.

  Nick was jittery when I visited him, like he wanted me to leave this alone. Like maybe he wished he hadn’t said so much.

  But he’s my brother. Now that I know he’s innocent, I can’t turn my back on him.

  Leaning against the blue slide, I cross my arms and wait. It’s moments like this where I wish I did carry a phone so at least Chloe could get in touch with me.

  When I dropped her back on Friday, we agreed to meet up again today. Ten o’clock at the blue slide. Chloe said she’d work through the night to condense it down to a few decent leads.

  I wish I could have helped her, but the second I walked in the door, Enzo had me running errands, collecting fees, delivering things in paper bags. I don’t want to know their contents. Although I probably should, because if I ever get busted, it’ll be on my head.

  I didn’t get home until 3:00 a.m. I’m kind of tired this morning, but I wouldn’t stand up Chloe for anything.

  She’s working really hard to sneak out with me. Yesterday Rahn covered for her again, but she feels bad about using her friend. Rahn was happy to go along with it, but Chloe was worried that she sounded disappointed on the phone. I don’t know what excuse she’s using today.

  It kind of sucks that she has to find any at all, but I can’t change my name right now, so she has to lie.

  Shoving my hands in my pockets, I push off the slide and walk to the edge of the park when a mother with two young kids appears. She gives me a c
autious look and I force a smile, hoping I look harmless enough.

  She doesn’t buy it, so I sigh and move away from the area, not wanting to ruin her kids’ playtime.

  I’m not sure which way to walk. I don’t want to miss Chloe if she takes a different route. We’re both trying really hard not to be spotted by someone who knows her parents. They’ll no doubt put her on full lockdown for sneaking around with me.

  I need Chloe to help me on this one. I need her strength.

  Glancing over my shoulder, relief washes through me when Chloe appears around the corner. The second she sees me, her face lights with a grin. I tip my head toward the park and walk away from her, getting into my car and driving down the street.

  Hopefully she’ll pick up my signals and meet me around the first corner.

  It’s an anxious two minutes as I tap my finger on the wheel and worry that she thinks I’ve abandoned her.

  The passenger door creaks open and I release the breath I’ve been holding.

  “That was incredibly double-oh-seven of you.” She grins before planting a kiss on my lips.

  Threading my fingers around the nape of her neck, I get lost for a moment before she pulls back.

  Her blue eyes twinkle as she stares at me. I drink her in.

  Shit, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I wish I were picking her up so I could take her out for the day. What do normal couples do on the weekends? Go shopping? Catch a movie?

  “So…” Chloe plunks back in her seat and pulls a sheet of paper from her pocket. “It took hours but I did manage to narrow it down to three men named Scott Tannon who have all been police officers. One of them works for the police department in Bakersfield, another has retired to LA, and this one lives just outside of Cullington. There’s no contact information listed, but I called a bunch of places this morning looking for his information and a sweet, clueless librarian totally believed that I was a courier trying to track down Scott Tannon because a book order had accidentally been delivered to us.” She gives me a triumphant smile while my eyebrows pop high. “So I figured we’ve got all day…why don’t we just show up at this address and see if he’s the guy we’re looking for?”

  “What if it’s not him?”

  “What if it is?” Chloe slips the note back in her pocket and gives me a hopeful smile.

  It’s impossible to counter her sunshine, and my lips twitch with a grin as I pull away from the curb and we rumble out of Armitage.

  “Can’t believe you lied to a sweet librarian,” I tease her.

  She giggles. “I did feel a little bad, but everyone else I tried was adamant that they didn’t give out personal information. I nearly fell off my bed when this sweet woman started rattling off his address.”

  “She could get fired for that kind of thing.”

  Chloe frowns and gently swats my arm. “Don’t make me feel worse! Crap, it was probably her first day on the job or something.”

  She groans and covers her face with her hands.

  I laugh and rub her thigh. “Don’t worry about it. It’s for a good cause.”

  “That’s true.” She sneaks a look at me and I’m taken by how a girl can be so adorable, intelligent, kind, and stubborn. There are so many angles to her, so many points of beauty and brilliance.

  I want to discover every single one of them.

  Chloe leans forward, fiddling with the radio until some song she likes is playing. She quietly sings along, “I’ve got to be me…” and I’m yet again affected by her presence.

  She’s like a warm spring breeze that curls around your senses, filling you with the hope of summer and good times to come.

  The farther we go, the more I relax; by the time we drive through Cullington, I’ve nearly forgotten why we’re here. Until I reach the T-junction on the other side of town and am directed left, then left again down a quiet country road.

  We end up making three more turns before we hit gravel and slowly wind our way down a long, narrow driveway.

  “You sure this is it?” I murmur.

  “According to Maps it is.” She taps her phone to light up the screen. “Although my reception is getting sketchy. I’m down to one bar.”

  As soon as we pop through the trees, a small cabin appears and two dogs start barking. And not that happy, yappy kind. It’s more the I’m going to rip your throat out variety.

  Chloe tenses beside me when I stop the car and a German shepherd goes ballistic against the glass.

  I reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. “I’m not going to let him touch you.”

  A shadow catches my eye and I glance out the window to find another beast on my side. His throaty growl and sharp fangs keep me put until a weathered-looking guy in brown slacks and a checkered shirt appears on the porch.

  He’s holding a shotgun like it’s no big deal. His pale brown eyes assess us as he slowly walks to the car. With a sharp whistle and a click of his fingers, he calls his dogs off. They obey immediately, scampering onto the porch but standing ready to fight if he calls on them.

  “Can I help you?” He leans against the roof of my car, the muzzle of his gun tapping the glass.

  My window groans as I wind it down. I give up about halfway and murmur through the gap, “Hey, Mr. Tannon.”

  I look him in the eye and he flinches with recognition before going very still.

  “Thought I recognized this damn car. What are you doing here?”

  “I just want to talk.”

  “Who sent you?”

  “No one. I’m just looking for answers.”

  His face hardens and he shakes his head. “I can’t help you, son.”

  “Please.” My voice cracks.

  Chloe leans around me. “Just one conversation, Mr. Tannon, and then we’ll leave you alone. We promise.”

  His eyes narrow, his long nose twitching. “I know him, but I don’t know you.”

  “I’m Chloe, Vincent’s girlfriend.”

  My heart does this weird hiccup. I’ve never had a girlfriend before, and I definitely didn’t think I’d be lucky enough to get Chloe as one, but there she is, announcing it to this guy like it’s common knowledge.

  I’m rendered speechless, gazing at the side of her face like this is some kind of dream that’s going to disappear the second I open my eyes for real.

  “We know we might not be able to change anything, but sometimes understanding can bring a little peace, you know?”

  “Understanding this won’t help you, and it certainly won’t give you peace.”

  “We just want to know a little about the investigation. That’s all. Please. Please help us.”

  With a deep huff, he steps back from the car and starts walking for his house.

  Chloe and I glance at each other, wondering what it all means, until he turns on the porch and barks, “Are you coming or not?”

  We scramble out of the car and inch past his dogs.

  “Ratchet, sit!” the man barks when his dog starts growling at me.

  I swallow and duck through the screen door before it shuts on my butt.

  The house is dim and sparsely furnished. The guy obviously lives alone.

  “I would offer you something to drink, but I’ve only got water.”

  “That’s okay.” Chloe smiles at him while taking my hand and sidling up against me.

  I rub my thumb over hers and wait for an invitation to sit down.

  It doesn’t come until he’s plunked into a cane chair by the window and leaned his gun against the wall. “Well, are you going to sit down?”

  We drop in unison onto the couch opposite him. I bring Chloe’s hand onto my lap and thread our fingers together.

  “So, how’d you find me?”

  Chloe and I share a nervous look and I’m just formulating a lie to protect her when she goes and spurts out the truth.

  The ex-police chief blinks a couple of times, his mouth opening in surprise before he lets out a snickering laugh. “Well, I guess after that
kind of effort, I should at least let you ask me a question or two.”

  “Thank you.” Chloe smiles in relief, then pulls out her notebook and flips it over. “You arrested Nick that night, didn’t you?”

  He nods but doesn’t say anything.

  “Could you, uh, tell us about that?” she prompts him.

  “What do you already know?”

  I adjust my jeans and clear my throat. “Only what Nick’s told me. He got a text, telling him to pick up a car at a warehouse in Armitage. He was supposed to drop it off in Brazenwood, but when he showed up, there was a dead body in the driver’s seat.”

  “Todd McCrae,” the man mutters.

  “Exactly.” I nod. “So, you took Nick in. What was he like?”

  The man rubs a callused hand over his mouth. His long, bony fingers are split and dirty. He obviously works this small piece of land and does everything he can to stay out of society’s way. “He tried to run. I had to chase him down and wrestle him into those cuffs. He was angry, cursing up a storm, shouting that he was innocent.”

  I frown. Why did Nick run if he was innocent?

  “I had to fight him into my car.”

  “What were you doing at the scene? Had someone called it in, or did you just get lucky cruising by?” Chloe asks.

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, the man shuffles in his chair. “We had a suspicion that the car thefts in the area were linked, and that night I got an anonymous tip that another car would get jacked near the warehouse on Vine Street. We were so eager to get these jerks that I didn’t think twice about where the tip came from. I just followed it, decided to cruise the streets in the area before I headed home. I pulled into the lot and Nick was standing by the car, the door wide open.”

  Chloe scribbles down some notes. “Did he have the gun in his hand?”

  The man’s face puckers with regret. His headshake is minimal, his voice dropping to a quiet rasp. “He was trying to deny his guilt, but he was standing over the body. He ran!”