Again, eww. “Fine, but no more Jägerbombs. Pick something else.”
“You got it, baby,” he said, giving me double finger guns. He bellowed, “Barkeep! We need some Purple Hooters over here!”
Despite the atrocious name, the actual drink would be something I could stomach. It was only a moment before we had the two shots in front of us. I wasn’t much of a drinker, and that Jägerbomb was already making me a little fuzzy. However, I only had the one question left, and imbibing two drinks wasn’t going to kill me. I needed the name of that bookie.
CJ held out his shot glass toward me. “To Jason.”
I clinked my glass with his. “To Jason.” We downed our shots, and then I said, “Okay. The bookie. Who is he and do you think it’s possible he would kill Jason to settle a debt?”
He scrunched up his face, seeming to be deep in thought. I hoped he hadn’t had so many drinks that he wouldn’t be helpful. But after a moment or so, he said, “I don’t think the guy is that hard-core. I mean, he gave Jason a serious shiner last week, but I don’t think he’d go so far as offing someone. Then he’d never get his money.”
“I understand. And a name? That was part of my question.”
The corner of CJ’s mouth pulled up in a wolfish grin. “I like you. You’re smart.”
“Thank you. His name?” I felt like I was racing against a clock, and at any time CJ might just fall off his barstool in a coma.
“Um…Ed…Ed Bristow.”
“Do you have a phone number?”
“That’ll cost you another drink,” he slurred.
I rolled my eyes and tossed a twenty on the bar. “I’m out. I can find Ed Bristow on my own. Thanks for your time.”
As I went to hop down from the barstool, CJ caught my arm. “Hey, baby. I thought we were having fun here. Where’re you going?”
“I need to get home. It was nice to meet you.” I tried again to step away, but his grip tightened. It occurred to me that drunk CJ might be more than I’d bargained for.
“You owe me another drink.”
“No, I said I’m out. That means no more drinks. And it wouldn’t hurt you to call it a night as well.” I yanked hard and managed to get my arm out of his grasp, but he got down from his barstool and staggered over to block my way. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. This was not how this was supposed to go.
“Come on, baby,” he said, exhaling stale, bitter breath in my face. “One more. You know you want to.”
“I believe the lady said no,” a gruff voice said from behind me. I turned to find Tucker standing there. I had no idea he was still hanging around. And I’d never been happier to see him in my life.
“Mind your own biz, bro. She’s with me,” CJ said, straightening up to his full height. He only came up to Tucker’s chin, and he was swaying like a palm tree in the breeze.
“No, she’s not, bro,” Tucker growled.
“Youwannago?” CJ demanded, his words running together so it was difficult to understand him. He put up his fists, drunkenly punching at the air.
Tucker chuckled. “I think the only place you’re going is night-night.”
He put one finger on CJ’s chest and pushed. CJ lost his balance and collapsed like a house of cards on the sticky floor.
Tucker turned to me, a stern expression on his face. “What were you doing with that loser?”
“Asking him something about Jason Green. They were friends.”
He shook his head. “What? Why?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a really long story. But seriously, thank you for coming to my rescue.”
He frowned. “No problem. I was just leaving.”
As he started to walk away, I said, “Tucker, wait. We need to talk.”
He took a few more steps, then stopped and turned back to face me. “You did plenty of talking last night. I got the message loud and clear.”
I hurried over to him, somehow managing to trip over my own feet and vault myself straight at him. Tucker caught me and helped me stand up straight. While he had his arms around me, I swear I saw something flash in his eyes, but it was quickly gone. He dropped his arms as soon as I was steady on my feet.
“Why did you come to see the band tonight, Tucker?” I asked quietly.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Like I told you, I enjoy Sister Wildfire’s music. And that has nothing to do with you.”
Maybe it was his gallant rescue; maybe it was the way he looked at me; or maybe it was just the alcohol, but I suddenly felt like I could forgive him. Like Callie had said—everyone was over it except me. Was it right of me to punish Tucker the rest of his life for something that happened when we were young and stupid? What if, like Pepper said, we were meant to be together? If the universe was trying this hard to push us together, who was I to stand in the way?
I smiled and leaned closer. “Are you sure it has nothing to do with me?”
He looked at me quizzically. “Are you drunk?”
Undeterred, I said, “You’re avoiding my question.”
“Quinn, I—” He looked away. “You’re killing me.”
Putting my hand on his arm, I said, “I’m sorry, Tucker. For everything. I’m sorry for holding a grudge and for running out on our dinner last night. I’m especially sorry for what I said about you. Can you ever forgive me?”
He stared at me. “Now I know you’re drunk. I’m driving you home.”
Chapter 25
Amid my protesting, Tucker somehow managed to manhandle my Vespa into the bed of his truck using a couple of two-by-fours as ramps. After we got in his truck, an awkward silence filled the cab, and neither one of us spoke all the way home.
When he pulled up to the curb in front of his place, I said, “Thank you for bringing me home. I’m not drunk, but I think I would have been too tired to pay attention to the road.”
Tucker nodded, his gaze fixed on the steering wheel.
“Is it okay if we wait until tomorrow to get my Vespa off your truck?”
“Sure.”
After hesitating for a moment, I said, “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Disappointed that he hadn’t actually accepted my apology, I headed across the street. Even in my foggy state, the irony wasn’t lost on me that that’s what I had basically done to him.
When I got to the sidewalk in front of the B&B, I heard Tucker say, “I made a deal with Scarlett to get her to leave Delilah alone.”
Certain I had misheard, I turned to face him. “Did you say a deal? What do you mean?”
Nervously jingling his keys in his hand, Tucker stared across the street at me for a moment. Then he gestured toward Pulaski Square and started walking that way. I crossed Barnard and followed him. He threw himself down on one of the benches, and I sat next to him.
Still not meeting my eyes, he said, “I didn’t realize what Scarlett was doing to Delilah. I knew she was jealous that Delilah and I were such good friends, but I had no idea she was working behind my back to bust up our friendship. Delilah never told me that Scarlett threatened her to quit hanging out with me. If I’d known, I would have put a stop to it.” He turned to look at me, his eyes haunted. “Then I heard about what happened at the pep rally. I was devastated for Delilah. I broke up with Scarlett that afternoon.”
My jaw dropped. “You did? But you two were crowned homecoming king and queen that evening. It would have been a total scandal, and I don’t recall hearing anything about it.”
“It was incredibly awkward. Scarlett pitched an absolute duck fit. I’ve never seen one person cry so much in my life.” He sighed. “I took pity on her, which I shouldn’t have. I told her we could keep the breakup a secret so it didn’t ruin homecoming for her. Then we could ‘break up’ quietly the next week.”
“If I remember right, your breakup was anything but quiet. Sh
e told everyone who would listen that she dumped you for some college guy.”
Smiling ruefully, he said, “Right. I didn’t care, though, as long as I was rid of her. But then it was like she took up this crusade to get everyone to crash down on Delilah. Scarlett would egg people on left and right to make fun of your sister. I went to her and told her to stop, but nothing was getting through to her. I tried going to her friends to get them to talk some sense into her, but everyone was too scared to be her next victim.” He hung his head. “After a month of it, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I knew she wanted me back, so…I agreed to be her boyfriend again if she would put an end to her vendetta against Delilah and call off her dogs.”
I stared at him. “The ridiculing stopped because of you.” I couldn’t believe it. I had been so wrong about him.
Tucker turned to look me in the eye. “Yes. And the worst part was I couldn’t tell Delilah so she’d know I didn’t just abandon her. Scarlett insisted I have no more contact with her—that was part of the deal. I hated it, but I had no choice. I had to go along with it or risk ruining the rest of Delilah’s senior year.”
“So you ruined your own senior year instead.”
He shrugged. “I guess you could say that. But the minute we got our diplomas, I was done. Scarlett and I went our separate ways, except for when she’d drunk dial me every so often. I moved up North, so I thought I was rid of her. That was until she found me on social media. She’s been stalking me online for years.”
“I had no idea she was so crazy.”
“No one did. And that’s why I’ve kept the secret for so long. If I told anyone our relationship was a sham, she said she’d come back after Delilah with both barrels, even if it was years later. I wouldn’t put anything past her, so I promised to keep my mouth shut.”
“That’s why you didn’t want to tell me, even now. You’re still protecting my sister.”
He nodded.
I took his hands. “Thank you. I’m sorry I basically forced you to break your end of the deal and tell your secret. And I’m sorry I punished you for something you didn’t do.”
He glanced down at our hands and smiled. “It’s okay. I get it. You and your sister have an amazing bond. I don’t blame you for being angry with me all these years. But you know you can’t tell anyone about this, not even Delilah. I don’t want any chance of it getting back to Scarlett. You saw what she did to you last night. We can’t trust her any farther than we can throw her.”
“My lips are sealed.” I hated to admit it, but it felt rather exhilarating having a secret I shared only with Tucker.
“Good. And since we’re confessing, there’s something else I should tell you. Part of the reason I was so interested in taking you to Abercorn Bistro was that I had hoped to make Scarlett understand that I was unavailable. With me being back in town and single again, I was afraid she would decide we needed to get back together. I couldn’t think of any other way to get it through her thick head than to see me with another woman. I used you for that, and I’m sorry. The location was the contrived part, but I really did want to take you to dinner. Maybe we could try it again sometime without all the pretense.”
“I’d like that,” I said, smiling. And I meant it. There was a definite attraction between Tucker and me, and if I were truthful, I’d been fighting it all along. As he’d said last night, if we were going to have any kind of relationship, I had to trust him. That also meant he had to trust me. Since trust was built on truth, I felt like I needed to come clean as well. “And you weren’t the only one with an ulterior motive for going to dinner there.”
Tucker looked at me thoughtfully. “Right. I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. You said you weren’t at Abercorn Bistro for the food. Why did you want to go there so badly?”
I pulled my hands away from his and stood, walking a few steps away from him. On this night of soul-bearing confessions, I didn’t feel like I could keep my investigation from Tucker any longer. After all, he’d been involved in two of my interviews, at least in some capacity. And it wasn’t like what I was doing was a secret.
Turning back toward him, I sighed and began spilling my guts. Beginning with finding Jason (no details), I filled him in on Drew telling me we were both persons of interest, Drew’s arrest, my horrendous attempt at solo investigating, Delilah’s offer to help, and our team sleuthing. I did decide to leave out the part where I insinuated that his father could have murdered Jason. His dad didn’t seem to want anyone to know about our conversation, so if I was lucky, Tucker wouldn’t hear about it.
Tucker’s face became darker and darker as my story went on. Once I was finished, he said, “Are you out of your mind? What you’re doing is incredibly dangerous. Don’t you get that?”
I threw up my hands. “Did you not hear the part where I’m a person of interest? If the police even think I had anything to do with Jason’s murder—which I didn’t—they’re not going to hesitate to arrest me. That bothers me more than the chance of a little bodily harm.”
He stood from the bench and came to stand close in front of me. “I’m not talking about a little bodily harm, Quinn. If your friend Drew didn’t kill Jason Green, then someone out there did. Someone who doesn’t want anyone to know the truth about the murder. Think about it—if you’d already made the choice to take someone’s life, what would prevent you from taking another to make sure your secret is kept?”
“What would you do in my situation, then?”
“Talk to the police.”
“I have. They won’t listen.”
“Get yourself a lawyer. Hire a professional investigator to look into the case.”
“Tucker, I can’t afford it. Drew can’t, either. That’s why we had to go it alone in the first place. Don’t you think I would have made a better choice if I’d had one?”
Frowning, he scratched his beard. “So through all this investigating, who do you have it narrowed down to? What kind of people are you up against?”
“Valerie Green, her mystery man, and a bookie named Ed Bristow.”
“You’d said that your original goal was to bring the police a better suspect than Drew. I’d call the widow, the widow’s boyfriend, and a bookie who gave the victim a black eye last week all ‘better suspects.’ Surely the police would take you seriously with the three possibilities that you pared down from your list.”
I thought for a moment. “Well, maybe. I mean, I guess it couldn’t hurt to take those names to the police tomorrow and see what they say.”
Tucker took a step closer. “Then maybe if you’re not spending your whole weekend sleuthing…you might want to spend some time with me?”
I smiled. “I would like nothing more.”
“It’s a date.” He took my hand. The electricity that passed through was apparent now more than ever. “Let’s get you home. Sounds like you’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
* * *
—
The moment I stepped into the B&B, Delilah descended on me. “What happened out there? Did I actually see you and Tucker holding hands? Spill it, sister!”
I couldn’t keep the grin from my face. “He and I are good now. Really good. In fact, we have a date tomorrow. A real one this time.”
“Well, all I can say is it’s about time.” She paused for a moment, and her face fell. “I’m glad you’re in a good mood, because I have something to tell you that you’re not going to like.”
Worry niggled in the pit of my stomach. “What is it? Is Papa Sal okay?”
“He’s fine. It’s about Jason’s murder. I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t want you to worry while you were at your performance. I took it upon myself to do some investigating on my own tonight.”
“Oh, D, you didn’t have to do that. I would have been happy to go with you.”
“I had a weird hunch, so…
I went to see if I could uncover some information.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the couch in the parlor. Once we were settled, she said, “I tailed Valerie tonight.”
My jaw dropped. “Whoa. She’s not an easy one to follow.”
“I know. She almost caught me once. I had to dive behind a dumpster to hide myself. Not pleasant.”
I could barely contain my apprehension. “What did you find out?”
“Honestly, not much until I broke into her apartment.”
“What?” I cried, grabbing my sister by the shoulders. “You broke into…Delilah Jane Bellandini! You broke the law!”
Just then, an elderly couple who’d checked in earlier today walked into the parlor. But when they heard what I said, their eyes bugged out, and they turned and hurried upstairs. Papa Sal would not appreciate this. Delilah and I should have had our personal conversation in an employees-only area.
Delilah seemed unbothered by the fact that she had engaged in criminal activity. “I didn’t get caught.”
“And that makes it okay?”
She shrugged. “No harm, no foul. It’s not like I stole anything.”
I put my head in my hands. “I don’t know if I want to hear any more.”
“The B and E was the worst thing I did, if it makes you feel any better.”
“It does not.”
She pulled my hands away from my face. “Quinn, please don’t shoot the messenger, but there’s something else your buddy Drew neglected to tell you.”
I couldn’t help but feel a stab of disappointment, especially after we’d left things so badly this morning. I’d made it clear that I didn’t appreciate being kept in the dark about details that could make or break his case. I had hoped he wasn’t hiding anything else from me.
“What is it?”
Delilah grimaced. “He’s Valerie’s mystery boyfriend.”
My entire body went slack, and I slumped back against the sofa. I felt like I’d been kicked in the gut.
Southern Discomfort Page 20
