Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Laura Scott (speed reading book .txt) 📖

that with Georgia. It would only ramp up her worry. Colt wiped the sweat from his brow. “Chance might be dangerous. You should have gotten out of there. If you’re going to fret, fret over that.”

She pursed her lips and touched his shoulder. “You might have torn a stitch. You’re bleeding.”

So much for her not distressing over him. “I’ll look at it when I get time. Come on.”

She opened her mouth to protest but remained silent and followed him inside and back to Chance’s office. Chance sat smugly in his office chair, as if he hadn’t been caught talking suspiciously to a known drug dealer. “Well, I can bring you in the back of a squad car or you can come discreetly on your own, but we’re definitely going to have a conversation,” Colt said. “We know you lied about your alibi. One of your buds came forward. We also know about the ten thousand your dad paid Ryan and Joey in exchange for their lies.”

Chance didn’t miss a beat, didn’t even flinch. “That was a scholarship from his firm and you can’t prove otherwise. The paperwork will show it’s legit. You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

This guy got all under Colt’s skin. “Maybe. But that doesn’t explain the fact you lied and said you were at the Dairy Freeze all night when we know you weren’t.” Colt motioned for him to stand. “Don’t try anything stupid, Leeway. Go straight to the station and be thankful I’m allowing this courtesy.”

Chance narrowed his eyes and collected his keys and wallet.

Within fifteen minutes, Colt was in the interview room with Scott Hazer. Rhett sat in with him. Georgia and Mae watched from behind the glass. Poppy was in with Chance. She knew football and how to work an arrogant suspect.

Scott’s jaw hardened as he rubbed his dark scruffy cheeks, hair disheveled. He smelled like stale cigarette smoke and sweat. This was the guy Amber had crushed on? She’d spoken of regretful eyes, but the only thing radiating from Scott’s glare was belligerence and disgust.

“I’d like to talk to you about Jared Toledo.” Colt tented his fingers on the metal table.

“Jared Toledo is dead and I didn’t do it.”

“I’m not saying you did.” Yet. “But we know you had a thing with Amber Wilcox and Jared didn’t like it. The two of you tangled, and I want to know how mad you were over it.”

Scott licked his bottom lip and folded his arms across his chest, letting his glare bounce between Rhett and Colt.

Colt had overheard Chance talking about his dad being Scott’s lawyer. New approach. “Chance Leeway and his father have a lot of connections and money. If Chance is involved in Jared’s murder, they’ll want to find a fall guy. And it’s obvious that the two of you have history and some sort of relationship now—likely drug use. His daddy may be your lawyer who has, and can, get you out of jams, but he’s Chance’s father. Who do you think he’s going to defend first and fiercest?”

“I’d have to go with Chance, but what do I know?” Rhett asked. “What’s that saying about blood being thicker than water?”

“That is the saying,” Colt returned and grinned. He and Rhett chatted up the chances nonchalantly while Scott squirmed. They had this down to an art form. They had nothing to lose if he talked or not, but he would sit here for hours and had everything to lose. Once it sank in, he’d talk—at least a little. They always did.

“But who knows,” Rhett added. “Maybe you’re more like a son to Reggie Leeway than Chance. I wonder if you’re in the will. I imagine it’s a substantial amount of money.”

“What, maybe a few mil?” Colt asked.

“Oh, at least,” Rhett said. “And the house. I hear it’s a really nice house.”

And that did the trick.

Scott haltingly released his clenched jaw and leaned forward on the table. “Look, I didn’t have a beef with Jared. I get I was no good for his sister. Whatever. We got into it and yeah, I muscled him some, but he said he had proof of me doing something...not so legal, and if I went near her, he’d give it to the cops.”

Colt’s gut clenched. “What did you do about that?”

“I called in a favor from Chance. I wanted the camera and the film or SD card or whatever. Chance owed me.”

“Why?”

Scott shook his head. “Doesn’t matter why. He owed, and the favor was getting me that proof.” Scott wasn’t as stupid as he looked. No way Jared would let him near a camera. If Scott was telling the truth, which Colt believed he was, Chance had a better shot of lifting the evidence. He could get in closer contact.

“So you could continue seeing Amber.”

“The photos had nothing to do with her. I don’t need nobody having pictures of me. Holding stuff over me. No proof. No worries. I didn’t kill Jared. I can’t say what Chance did or didn’t do.”

How did any of this connect to illegal recruiting or Georgia’s attacks? It was obvious whoever came after Georgia was steamed about the evidence that linked to illegal recruiting and that led back to Dandy’s original inquiry to what was going on in the Courage High district and Ole Magnolia University. Could two separate crimes be going on at one time?

“I’ll be straight with you, Scott. I don’t care about your drug dealing. Everyone knows about it. That’s between you and the local police. I’m here to find out who killed Jared, and what I have is Chance’s crumbled alibi and the need to know where he was when Jared died. Now, I have him linked to you and Jared as well. Where were you that night?”

He laughed. “I barely know where I was yesterday. But I know where Chance Leeway was the night Jared died.”

“Where?”

“Met Jared at the Magnolia Motel to get the evidence.”

“Did he get it?”

Scott leaned back in his chair. “Yeah. He broke