“Reilly’s wound or Monte’s?”
“Monte’s,” Scottie retorted. “I’m sure it was Monte’s more than Reilly. Although I could tell it grated on Reilly’s nerves to see him there walking around instead of behind bars.”
“I heard through scuttlebutt that you didn’t believe the accusations against Monte,” Brand said.
“Not one bit,” Scottie said and got up and went into the kitchen coming back with two long neck bottles of beer. He popped off the caps and handed one to Brand who reluctantly took one but didn’t drink. “He was my partner, and I knew him like I knew myself. I never saw him with a drug dealer. I never saw him taking a bribe. I don’t care how many pictures Reilly took of him talking to a drug dealer or how many envelopes of cash IA found in Monte’s locker I just don’t believe it wasn’t a set up.”
“And yet you never told Harley any of this,” Brand said.
“That was between me and Reilly, not me and Harley,” Scottie said. “It all happened before I started dating her.”
“I beg to differ,” Brand said. “I think she had a right to know. I think it played a big role in your keeping the relationship a secret from Reilly.”
Scottie drank half the bottle and stared into space thinking for a few minutes before he spoke. “Maybe. But it was water under the bridge by the time I met her. I sure as hell didn’t think about it when I asked her out and I sure as hell didn’t think about it when I asked her out the second time. In fact, I didn’t even know her last name until we’d went out three times and by then I was crazy about the girl, and it didn’t matter.”
“You didn’t know her last name? How could you not find that out?” Brand asked, curious.
“We met at a bar,” Scottie said. “A popular law enforcement and legal eagle handout. She’d learned about it from Reilly as it turned out, but she’d only told me her brother at the start. So we agreed to meet up there two times after we first met and then I asked her on a real date where I was going to pick her up at home. That’s when she told me her name was Harley Flynn and still I didn’t make the connection until she gave me the address. I knew it because I’d followed Reilly home one night after he’d turned Monte in. I almost broke things off with Harley after that, but I realized I was crazy about her, and she wasn’t her brother. I eventually confronted her about him, and she explained how she didn’t want him knowing about me either and so we proceeded from there.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Maybe, but that’s how it happened,” Scottie said.
“She called you last night, but you didn’t answer,” Brand said.
“I know, I wasn’t sure if I should,” Scottie said. “IA told me not to talk to my girlfriend. IA would shit a brick if they knew she was my girlfriend.”
“IA would lock you up if they found out,” Brand said and finally took a drink of the beer.
“You can say that again.” Scottie raised his bottle. “We never meant for things to get out of hand when we decided to keep quiet about our relationship.”
“No one ever does,” Brand said and sat his drink down on the side table. “I better go. I don’t like leaving Carly home alone at night. We’ll talk more again.”
“My union rep believes I need to get an attorney,” Scottie said.
“It probably wouldn’t hurt,” Brand said.
“Shit.”
“But you do what you must,” Brand said and headed to the door.
“In that case, I have no choice but to get one,” Scottie said. “I can’t let Harley deal with this alone.”
CHAPTER 5
The next morning…
“I got it, Hawkeye,”Will McLeod promised. He ended the call and took his empty cup to the sink, rinsed it, and put it in the drainer.
“What did Hawkeye want?” Jules asked, gathering her things before heading out the door to catch the ‘L’ to go to the youth center.
“He wants me to pay a visit to Clint Rogers this morning,” Will told her. “The guy has been placed on administrative leave like Dugan until Flynn’s death has been sorted out.”
Jule’s scowled as she zipped her work bag. “I don’t like you going alone. We don’t know Rogers that well.”
“We don’t know Dugan either,” Will pointed out. “But Brand talked with him last night. It’s only right that I do my part.”
“I know, but why do you have to go alone,” Jules persisted. “Why can’t Don Juan or Wyatt go with you?”
