Chapter 7 #2
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 be Blake’s only 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 back against 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.”
“Same thing,” Tanner bit out.
“Maybe. Maybe not. You won’t know until you ask. But I will tell you this - doing nothing at this point is not an option. If you don’t act on these findings, someone else will. And they won’t care about Blake or Skyla, or what they’ve been through.”
Tanner wanted to scream and punch something. “I just can’t believe he would do something like that. I know he’s impetuous and doesn’t give a damn about rules, but murder?” He ground out that last part like it was costing him his own soul just to utter the word.
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Blake did it.
It’s too messy. Feels… wrong.” Luke ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
“I’m not saying he didn’t do it. I’m not even saying he wouldn’t do it.
Especially given the timeline, the events that unfolded later that evening, and Skyla’s history with the deceased.
All I’m saying is that things might not be quite as they appear.
But that’s all we have to work with, so we work with it. We work the case. We do our job.”
“I can’t do this to them,” Tanner said. “Blake stopped by the precinct today. He was...broken.” Tanner didn’t even know how to describe the man he saw earlier, but it sure as hell wasn’t the same guy he’d known for years.
Something like this, his own friend accusing him of murder - that could very easily be the last straw for him, and for Skyla.
Luke gave a quick nod, keeping his gaze forward. He swallowed hard before speaking again. “You’re not doing it to them. You’re doing it for them. Remember, Tanner. Innocent until proven guilty.”
“I want to believe he’s innocent,” Tanner said, grabbing onto Luke’s words like a last lifeline to his own sanity.
“Then prove it,” Luke said. “And help them finally leave Arlo J in their past. Permanently.”