Chapter 23 Tom
TOM
Something was eating at Tom, and he couldn’t shake it. There was something he needed to do, something that filled him with dread, but he knew he had no choice. A good police chief couldn’t let personal feelings interfere with justice, even when it involved his own family.
He glanced at his wristwatch and pulled out his phone.
But first, he needed to see Lucy. Tom knew that with everything that had happened to Lacey, it probably wasn’t the best time, but Lacey’s accident had shaken him more than he cared to admit.
It had shown him how quickly life could change, how fragile happiness could be.
If his life was going to end tomorrow, he didn’t want to have any regrets. Especially when it came to Lucy.
He dialed her number, and she answered after the third ring.
“Hello, Tom,” Lucy’s voice was soft but tired.
“Hello, Lucy. Are you still at the clinic?” Tom asked.
“Yes, I’ve just finished consulting with Dr. Reeves about Lacey’s condition,” Lucy told him. “Other than needing several stitches in her leg, extensive bruising, and a dislocated shoulder, she’s going to be perfectly fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Tom breathed a genuine sigh of relief. “I know this probably isn’t the best timing...” He cleared his throat, gathering courage. “But would you have dinner with me tonight?” He took a breath. “I’d very much like to continue the conversation we were having at your house.”
There was a pause, and Tom quickly added, “Before you say it’s not the right time, Lacey’s accident just showed me that we need to grab precious moments whenever we can.”
Another pause. “I completely agree,” Lucy said, and Tom could hear the warmth returning to her voice. “And yes, I think dinner together is exactly what we both need. It’s been such a difficult day, and since my sister is going to be fine, I’d love to spend the evening with you.”
Tom felt relief wash over him. “Wonderful. How about we have dinner at the Sandpiper Inn’s dining room?”
“I think that’s an even better idea,” Lucy said with a soft laugh. “Then we can truly relax with a bottle of wine and not worry about driving anywhere.”
“Perfect,” Tom said, feeling his mood lift considerably. “Shall we say six o’clock?”
“I’ll be there,” Lucy promised, and Tom hung up feeling lighter than he had all day.
He took a few minutes to gather his thoughts before standing up, grabbing his jacket, and heading toward the exit. On his way out, he encountered Holt, who was also preparing to leave for the evening.
“Heading home for dinner?” Holt asked Tom.
“Eventually,” Tom said, nodding, then frowned slightly. “Where are you off to?”
“Going home to have dinner with my family,” Holt told him, glancing toward Rad’s office. “Well, my mother and Tyler, anyway.” He nodded in Rad’s direction. “Rad is on duty until later this evening.”
“Before you leave...” Tom said, lowering his voice. “Do you have about ten minutes to accompany me somewhere?”
“Of course,” Holt said curiously. “May I ask where we’re going?”
Tom’s jaw tightened, and he ran a hand over his face before leaning closer to speak for Holt’s ears only. “I need to visit Harvey’s auto repair shop.” He closed his eyes for a second and shook his head before looking at Holt. “I know this sounds terrible, and Clive is my son...”
“I completely understand,” Holt told him firmly. “I’d do exactly the same thing, even if it were my son or grandson.”
“I just don’t believe in coincidences, you know?” Tom said.
“Neither do I,” Holt agreed, and Tom realized he felt the same unease.
They walked the few blocks to the auto repair shop, where Harvey Vincent was preparing to close up for the evening. The young man who had taken over the business from his uncle when Barry Vincent retired looked up suspiciously as they approached.
“Good evening, Harvey,” Tom greeted him professionally. “Would you mind if we have a look around your shop?”
“Do you have a search warrant?” Harvey asked skeptically, his defensive posture immediately apparent.
“Do we need one?” Holt asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied the young man’s reaction.
“Well, to search and go through my shop, yes, you do,” Harvey told them, standing his ground with obvious nervousness.
“We simply want to look around,” Tom told him before hardening his stance and bringing the conversation home. “But if you prefer, we can return with a warrant, which I’m now considering, given the history of this establishment.”
Harvey’s eyes widened in shock at the implication about how his father had run the shop as a chop shop before being convicted and sentenced to prison, and Harvey’s uncle had taken it over, transforming it into a legitimate business.
“No!” Harvey said emphatically. “I’m running this place completely legally.” He assured them quickly. “I’m nothing like my father.”
“So you claim,” Holt told him, pulling out his phone and beginning to scroll through his contacts.
“What are you doing?” Harvey asked, now looking genuinely nervous.
“Calling a federal judge I know to obtain a warrant, and then I’ll contact the federal task force,” Holt told him matter-of-factly.
“No...” Harvey said, holding up his hands in surrender. “No, that’s completely unnecessary. You can come inside and look around all you want. I have absolutely nothing to hide.”
“Then you shouldn’t have given us such resistance, Harvey,” Holt told him. “Because now I’m going to call in the federal team anyway.”
“No, Director Dillinger, please don’t do that,” Harvey practically pleaded with him. “My uncle will be furious, and with his heart condition...”
“Then let us inside, and I’m sure I can persuade Director Dillinger to call off his federal team,” Tom said, he and Holt exchanging a knowing look as Harvey nodded quickly and led them into the shop.
The first thing Tom noticed was the collection of high-end antique sports cars in various stages of restoration, and he frowned with surprise.
“These vehicles look extremely expensive,” Tom observed.
“They are,” Harvey said proudly, quickly explaining himself. “I restore them and do custom design work for wealthy clients.” He pointed toward his office area. “I have all the paperwork, my design portfolios, everything documented in my office files.”
“I’d very much like to examine those records,” Holt told him, and Harvey nodded cooperatively.
“Right this way,” Harvey said, leading Holt toward the office while Tom continued through the large auto shop, looking for one particular vehicle. It wasn’t there.
Tom walked into the office where Harvey was showing Holt his meticulously kept records, detailed drawings, and restoration portfolios.
Tom approached and noticed the impressive diagrams and documentation. Everything appeared legitimate and professionally organized.
“Where is Clive’s vehicle?” Tom asked directly.
Harvey turned his attention to Tom. “Oh, the wrecking company came and collected it about ten minutes before you arrived here.”
“Wrecking company?” Tom’s eyes widened with surprise and suspicion.
“Yes, the car was completely totaled,” Harvey explained. “Clive told me his brakes failed and he crashed into a large tree. The repair costs would have been far more than the vehicle’s value, so it was much easier to have the insurance company write it off.”
“He told us it was just minor front bumper damage from someone backing into his car in a parking lot,” Tom repeated what his son had claimed earlier.
“No, that’s definitely not what happened,” Harvey said, pulling a file folder from a tray on his desk and opening it to reveal a collection of photographs. “Here, I took these pictures for the insurance company documentation.”
Tom stared at the photographs in disbelief. The images showed a vehicle with severe front-end damage, a crumpled hood, and broken headlights. The damage was extensive and clearly consistent with a high-speed collision, not a simple parking lot mishap.
“This is the damage from someone backing into him?” Tom asked, his voice tight with controlled anger.
“No, sir,” Harvey replied. “This is from hitting something at considerable speed. You can see the impact pattern here.” He pointed to specific areas in the photographs. “You can see where he struck the tree.”
Tom and Holt exchanged a meaningful glance, both thinking the same troubling thoughts.
“Can we get copies of these photographs and your assessment report?” Holt asked Harvey.
“Absolutely,” Harvey said without hesitation, moving toward his copy machine. “I’ll make you a complete set right now.”
As Harvey worked on the copies, Holt leaned closer to Tom and spoke quietly. “We’re going to need to locate and examine that vehicle.”
Tom met Holt’s eyes, recognizing that they were both thinking the same devastating possibility. Clive might have been the one to run Lacey off the road, then had his car destroyed to cover up the evidence.
“I’ll handle getting the car back,” Tom said grimly.
“No,” Holt shook his head firmly. “You need to distance yourself completely from this investigation.” His voice carried a warning tone. “Let me deal with it through federal channels.” His eyes darkened seriously. “And don’t say a single word to Clive about recovering the vehicle.”
Tom nodded reluctantly. He understood the protocol and felt his stomach churn as disbelief and dread ricocheted through him.
Later that evening, at dinner with Lucy in the elegant dining room of the Sandpiper Inn, Tom found himself feeling decidedly uncomfortable and unable to relax despite the romantic atmosphere.
Lucy noticed his distraction almost immediately. “Tom, what’s troubling you? You seem a million miles away.”
“Lucy, I love you,” Tom said suddenly, reaching across the table to take her hand. “I want us to be together. Truly together.”
“I love you too, Tom,” Lucy told him with a warm, genuine smile. “I want that as well.” She paused, studying his expression. “But I sense there’s something else weighing on you.” She swallowed nervously. “Is this about Victoria?”
Now it was Tom’s turn to look at her with surprise and confusion. “Victoria?” He shook his head emphatically. “Absolutely not. Victoria and I are completely finished. The only thing connecting us now is her temporarily living in my house until her townhouse in Miami is completed.”
“Oh, I thought...” Lucy shook her head and sighed. “Never mind what I thought.”
“What did you think?” Tom asked, now curious about her concern.
“Victoria came to see me today at the clinic,” Lucy explained with a slight laugh. “She told me to stay away from you. Actually, she thought I was Lacey and told me to tell Lucy to leave you alone.”
“What?” Tom asked, anger flaring through him. “I’m going to have a serious conversation with her about...”
“No, please don’t,” Lucy interrupted, squeezing his hand. “It’s just Victoria being Victoria. I suspect Sienna told her she saw us together last night.”
“That would be typical,” Tom said with a heavy sigh. “I sincerely apologize for my daughter and my ex-wife.”
“You don’t need to apologize for their behavior,” Lucy assured him with understanding. “Let’s not allow them to come between us.”
“Agreed completely,” Tom said, then hesitated. “There is something else you should know, though.” He took a sip of his wine, gathering courage. “It’s about Clive.”
“Is he all right?” Lucy asked with immediate concern, which only made Tom love her more. She never assumed the worst about anyone.
“Physically, he appears to be fine,” Tom said carefully. “But Lucy...” He began playing with her fingers as he held her hand. “Today, when I returned from Lacey’s accident site, I saw Clive leaving Harvey’s auto repair shop.”
“Oh?” Lucy’s eyebrows rose with interest.
“I’m afraid that...” Tom swallowed hard. “That Clive might have been responsible for causing Lacey’s accident.”
“What?” Lucy breathed, clearly shocked.
“I’m not certain,” Tom told her quickly. “In fact, I shouldn’t have mentioned it prematurely because Holt is going to investigate thoroughly, and we absolutely cannot discuss it until we know for sure.”
“So you don’t know definitively if Clive was involved?” Lucy questioned.
“No,” Tom admitted. “But it seems highly coincidental that he has significant front-end vehicle damage at exactly the same time Lacey becomes the victim of a hit-and-run incident.”
Lucy was quiet for several minutes, processing this information before looking up at him with a gentle smile.
“Then let’s give him the benefit of the doubt until we know more,” she suggested, and Tom couldn’t believe that this wonderful woman was back in his life.
Unlike Victoria, Lucy always saw the glass as half full and believed in people’s basic goodness.
“I love you so much,” Tom said, his voice hoarse with emotion. He stood up and walked around to her side of the table, gently pulling her to her feet.
As his lips moved toward hers, Lucy whispered softly, “No matter what the outcome of this investigation, I love you too, and I would never blame you for your son’s choices.”
His lips met hers, and the world around them simply faded away. Lucy was the most special person he knew, and she was right. They couldn’t let anyone come between them ever again. This was their second chance.