Chapter 35 #2
My heart sank. There was no way he did anything for Stu willingly.
He's just a kid.
"Do you think we could talk to you privately?"
He took a very shaky breath, hesitating for a second before nodding. "S-sure. We can– There's a break room."
Zoey gestured for him to lead the way, both of us falling into step behind him as he led us past the hostess stand and through a hallway by the kitchen. Sammy pushed open the 'Employees Only' door, holding it so the two of us could pass through.
We stepped into the small room; the walls were painted an unappealing beige and completely bare, except for two posters warning about health code violations. There was a small kitchenette, complete with a sink, microwave, and fridge for the employees.
Sammy took a seat at the lone table in the room and immediately tucked his hands under his thighs to stop them from shaking.
If Stu did hire him, he didn't do a good job picking an accomplice. This kid was so nervous, he was going to fold like a cheap chair.
I knew this was typically Zoey's area of expertise, but this wasn't some hard-headed criminal, and it wasn't like I'm not well-versed in legal matters, so I took the lead.
I sat across from him, Zoey sitting next to me, and I steepled my fingers, leveling him with a serious expression.
"Sammy, I'm just gonna come out and ask you because I think you're an honest man, okay?
Did Stuart Moore or anyone from the Boston PD hire you to plant cocaine on Rhys Armstrong? "
The flush on his cheeks deepened and stretched to the tips of his ears. "I– No– I don't know what you're– NO!" he sputtered, shaking his head profusely.
He was clearly lying. Even if I didn't want to admit it, Stu was smart. And calculated. Why would he choose someone who would give it away so easily?
"What did he offer you? I'll double it," I promised, flattening my hands on the table. "Whatever he gave you, I can beat it. Guaranteed."
If there was one way I could beat Stu, it was with money. That was the one thing I was completely sure of.
Sammy’s eyes filled with tears, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "You can't," he whimpered.
Jesus. Even if it was him who got Rhys into this, my heart still shattered for the broken teenager in front of me. Whatever Stu had on him was big.
"Try me," I offered, my voice light. He needed to know he could trust us.
He pulled his hands out from under his thighs, dragging them slowly over his face as a few tears slipped free.
"I–" He took a shaky breath. "My mom. She– She's an addict– was– an addict.
She's been clean for three years, she promised, but–" he paused and shook his head, "He's got her on possession and intent to distribute.
But I know she didn't do it, I know she didn't. Not after the last time she got clean. It was too hard, and she promised."
Sammy was back to wringing his hands, and my heart was still breaking.
How could Stu do this?
"What did he tell you?" Zoey asked, probably sensing I couldn't trust my voice to be steady if I spoke.
He was openly sobbing at this point; his once pale face was completely red, and tears were streaming freely.
"He told me that all I had to do was slip a couple of bags of something into Rhys’s pockets after he was a little drunk, and he could get my mom out.
He promised! He said he would pay her bail. "
He probably had no intention of doing any of that.
I reached over, taking Sammy’s hands in mine. "Listen to me, Sammy. I'm going to help you, okay? I promise. How much is bail?"
"Ten grand," he cried, wrapping my hands in a death grip. "I used all of the money I had saved up last time, and it wasn't even a grand. I don't— I don't know what to do!"
He might not, but I did. I easily had twenty times that in the bank and half of it in my pocket. Expensive? Absolutely. But the lawsuit I was going to drop on the Boston PD would line my pockets with more than what it cost to get this kid's mom out of jail.
"Okay, Sammy. Do me a favor, take a really deep breath, okay? Watch me." I walked him through a couple of breathing exercises, and Zoey stood to get him a bottle of water out of the fridge. I waited for him to calm down before explaining what we would do. "I'm going to pay your mom's bail, okay?"
His jaw dropped, hazel eyes widening comically. "What?!"
I nodded to reassure him. "I promise you. I'm going to the bank to get the cash. But before we get her out, I need you to help me with something, okay?"
Sammy swallowed, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "Anything."
"I need you to come with me to the police station right now. I need your confession to get Rhys out of jail, okay?"
"What will happen to me?" he asked with a shaky voice.
I looked over at Zoey, nodding at her to take over.
"We know what Stu is doing; he's hurting a lot of people in the process, including you and your mom. I promise, nothing will happen to you, Sammy. Nothing. You won't get in trouble. We know you didn't have another choice. We know he was threatening you."
"Can you do this for me, Sammy? Please? Rhys... He means a lot to me, and Stu is only doing this to him because of me. And I can't get him or your mom out without your help, okay?"
He nodded, looking more confident in my words. He believed me. "Okay, yeah. I need to get my things. Can you– Are you able to give me a ride to the station? I don't have my license."
I smiled softly at my saving grace, patting his hands. "Yes, of course. Anything you need."
Zoey and I both stood, a spark of hope igniting in my chest. This could work. This could actually work.
Rhys could be in my arms before the day was over.
"Grab whatever you need, we'll be waiting right out front, okay?"
He nodded eagerly, rushing out of the break room door.
I turned to my sister, "This feels like it could work."
She smiled widely, "I'll call Lucas in the car and let him know to clear his schedule." Zoey reached over, her hands resting on my shoulders. "This is going to work."
In just a few minutes, we were all piled into Zoey's car, and the air around us felt lighter and full of hope. This was going to work.
I wasn't allowing any doubts to creep into my mind. There was no room. Sammy was going to tell Lucas everything that happened. Lucas would help me get Rhys out and launch an investigation into Stu before he could do anything else to me or the people I loved.
We swung by yet another branch of my bank, pulling out five grand to cover the bail as I'd promised, and then got on the road to head back to Boston.
"Sammy, are you sure your mother didn't have those drugs on her?" Zoey asked. I could tell by the tone of her voice and her furrowed brows that she was going somewhere with this.
"I'm sure... She uh–" he sighed. "When my grandparents died, they left me a college fund. The last time she went on a binge, she ended up cashing it out. I think it was a wake-up call. She swore. She hasn’t kept a promise to me in a long time, but this was different.
She meant it this time. I could– I could tell. "
I turned in my seat, smiling softly, "We believe you."
The look on his face told me that was the first time he'd been told that.
"Also, her drug of choice was heroin. I don't– He said he found coke on her, but she's never...
I mean, she didn't do coke. And we don't have any money, I don't know where she would've bought it.
I uh–" He paused, his cheeks flushing pink.
"I checked my stashed money. She didn't steal. So... I don't know."
Zoey sat silent as she drove on the interstate, a pensive look on her face. I knew better than to interrupt. Something was brewing in her mind. Her index finger tapped slowly on the steering wheel. "He stole it from evidence."
My head whipped over to look at my sister. "What?"
"Stu... I don't– I can't believe I didn't make the connection.
" She smacked her forehead with her palm, "Christ, I'm a fucking idiot.
" She looked over at me with her eyes wide, "Do you remember that day you came over to Lisa's?
It was really hot, we were all swimming, and then I realized you and Rhys were actually dating. Like it was real?"
I nodded, recalling the day. After a second, my thoughts caught up with hers. I gasped. "Oh my god, you left early. You said something went missing at work."
Zoey groaned, "God, I feel like a fucking moron!
It was drugs. The security cameras were mysteriously down; no one saw anyone go in or out.
Stu's one of the five people who have access to the security system, including the cameras.
" She shook her head. "It was him. Stu stole the fucking drugs and waited just long enough so it wouldn't raise any red flags. "
My back met the leather seat of her car with a thud. He was deranged. Stealing from the evidence locker to frame Rhys? He was crazy. "How do we prove it?"
She worried her bottom lip, shaking her head softly.
"I don't know. The cameras were down, the security guard swore up and down no one came in.
He must've been paid off. I can–" Zoey paused, glancing over at me for a second before turning her focus back to the road.
"I can try and get it out of him, but that could raise suspicion.
He could talk to Stu, and at this point, I don't know what he's capable of. "
My hands scrubbed over my face. "So what? What do we do?"
Sammy cleared his throat from the backseat. "Could I maybe offer something?"
I exchanged a look with Zoey before shrugging. Again, desperate. "I'm all ears."
He dug around in his jacket pocket before pulling out something that looked like a pen. "Here, I have this." He handed it over, and I stared at it with confusion.
"What is a pen–"
"It's not a pen," Zoey noted, her eyes flitting back and forth between the road and whatever the hell I was holding in my hand. "It's a mic."
I held it up and examined it closely. "It is?"