"Familiar?" Faith once again did her best to feign confusion. "From where?"
"Well if memory serves, I think I pulled you over a month back, give or take. Don't you drive a teal SUV?"
"Well yes, I do. But still, I highly doubt that--" Faith quickly began to say, only to stop short, realizing that she was beginning to recognize Brooke's face as well. "Wait. It was because I'd stopped too long at the stop sign, near that Happy Scoops store, wasn't it?"
"That was it," Brooke confirmed. "I remember thinkin' it was only fair to warn you, given all the crime that happens in that neighborhood."
"Thanks. It might have saved my life."
Brooke nodded. "So, what's goin' on?"
"Well, first things first--I need you to promise to let me remain as anonymous as possible regarding everything I tell you. No one outside the police station knows you heard any of this from me. Or inside for that matter, unless you know for sure that they're trustworthy."
"You've got your anonymity," Brooke reassured her. "So you can talk freely."
"Good. So to start, the place I was coming back from the night you pulled me over actually was Happy Scoops, and one of the things I want to talk about." Faith paused, feeling some last-minute second thoughts, but knew that if she didn't talk now, she may not ever be taken seriously later. "As you might already know," Faith made herself continue, "someone named Rowan Frost has gone missing, and I have reason to believe Aaron Galanos has him locked up in the back of that store."
"And what proof do you have of that?" Brooke asked immediately, as Faith should have expected.
"Well...it's complicated."
"It usually is," Brooke sighed, seemingly annoyed already.
"I can explain though," Faith added quickly. "As you also might know, I reported a .38 special missing at the same time that Rowan went missing. One of your fellow officers--Keith--was at Happy Scoops the same time I was tonight and said he found it. He took it to the station tonight and said I should get it back tomorrow, but the part he's leaving out is that he found it on Rowan, and not only that, but Rowan used it to try to kill Aaron. I was told to keep silent about this entire thing and offered my gun back as a bribe, but...I don't think I could keep silent about all of that for the rest of my life. At the time I took the bribe because I was scared, but regardless, I wanted to make sure you knew the full story."
"Okay. So what exactly were you doing at Happy Scoops tonight?" Brooke asked, her gaze never leaving Faith's direction except to jot down notes from what Faith was telling her.
The objective and cold way that Brooke spoke made it difficult for Faith not to feel like she was in trouble somehow, like she was being interrogated. Still, though, she made herself continue. After all, she had already told herself that this would likely get uncomfortable. "I owed Aaron money, and I was there to finish paying him back."
"And how did you come to owe Aaron money?"
Once again, Faith recounted the story of how she had gotten to know Rowan and his situation, as well as his many lies and how much money she wound up spending on him in trying to protect him, their near eviction due to not being able to pay rent anymore, her friend Sheena's unknowing involvement with Aaron's crimes, and her family turning her away unless she got away from Rowan first. "I don't blame Aaron Galanos for my situation--I blame Rowan and myself," she now concluded. "I thought anything Aaron could do to me would pale in comparison to what I thought Spencer was capable of, but if I had known everything I know now, I would've just kicked Rowan to the curb and none of this would have happened. I've learned my lesson, I assure you."
"And has Aaron hurt you physically in any way, or threatened you?" Brooke's demeanor may have felt intimidating at first, but her consistent focus on the information Faith gave was free from any judgment or bias. Brooke only wanted the facts, nothing more.
"Not directly, no. But I know he's more than capable of it. Your son Parker had to find that out the hard way tonight, when he came to Happy Scoops trying to get Rowan back. I think Parker might've been helping to hide Rowan, before Aaron got involved."
Faith watched Brooke's face suddenly turn white, her voice however remaining steady. "Look--you and I don't even know each other. How would you even know whether I have a son?"
"Because he told me about you," Faith said without missing a beat. "He said that you weren't corrupt like Keith."
"And where is Parker now?" Brooke asked. If there was any point in this conversation that Faith had her undivided attention, it was now.
"Unfortunately I don't know anything else regarding Parker, or even whether he made it completely off Happy Scoops's premises, but I'm fairly sure he did. I know you must be worried sick right now, but please hear me out on the rest of this--you need to raid Happy Scoops, and I know people who have proof that would give you the leeway to do that." She wasn't sure if she should have even said that last part, but at the same time, some form of risk was going to be unavoidable now. "Those same people are the ones that gave me the money to pay Aaron off and got Sheena out of town before Aaron could further involve her in his money laundering. I have their card."
"Ugh, I think I know who you're talking about," Brooke said with a disapproving scowl. Unlike before, Brooke now appeared to show some form of personal resentment. "If it's the Salvagers After Sundown you're talking about, then you should know that they're some of the exact people who are helping to protect Aaron Galanos and those working for him from a real investigation. Your friend Sherman's mentioned them to me before too. I've tried to warn him, but I don't know how much he's been listening to me."
Faith nodded. "Well, what if I told you that the only reason they protect him is because he protects their identities from being revealed to the general public, all of which he apparently knows and could disclose at any time he thinks their deal might get broken?"
"Did a member of the S.A.S. personally tell you that?"
"Yes, on the night they came to help Sheena. They never would have agreed to any compromises with him to begin with, except for the fact he managed to hold one of them hostage until the rest of them agreed to never send crucial evidence of his crimes in to you all."
"Hm. Well, what kind of evidence are we talkin' about here?"
"The kind that they still have and could show you--if I can convince them."
"And what if you can't convince them? You know we would need a warrant before we could do any sort of search and seizure of potential evidence anyway."
"Well, in that case...I don't know," Faith responded as she began to silently wonder how far she would need to go--or rather, how far she was willing to go--to get that video on Nayla's phone sent to Brooke, even if it involved more trickery and deception from her end.
"You don't know, huh? Somehow I don't believe you. Listen, I've been a police officer for 15 years and I know what you're thinking right now--don't do it. These vigilantes might have helped you once, but they could wind up being just as dangerous as these people down at Happy Scoops if you get on their bad side by trying to take matters into your own hands. I know because Aaron Galanos is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we have to deal with." At first Faith began to wonder if all they had done was waste each other's time (as well as whether Brooke was a mind reader), only for Brooke to add, "Just let me or one of my colleagues get in contact with them and see what we can do, though I've gotta say I don't trust anyone in this S.A.S. to begin with. Not til I see some valid proof that this story you're telling me is true."
Judging from Brooke's comments about Aaron, Faith wondered just how much more Brooke knew about Happy Scoops than she was letting on. "Well, if you don't get any cooperation from the S.A.S. themselves, I know some other people you can talk to that might prove helpful. I only know their first names, but they run a car repair shop here in town called Brian's Auto Repair. Brian is the owner, and Nayla is his daughter. Make sure they know you don't work for Aaron."
"Okay. I think I can work with that," Brooke agreed. "But just know that no matter how careful we are, the finger might still get pointed at you from Galanos's end. Your safety is important too, so I thought I should just remind you of the associated risks with this. As for your .38 special, it would honestly make more sense under the circumstances to just let you keep it."
At first, Faith hadn't thought she had heard her right. "So...just like that, then?"
"You heard me--keep it. Unconventional circumstances call for unconventional responses. It's been a hard thing for me to accept, but there's not much of a choice right now. Ideally, if we could keep it longer and prove what Rowan attempted to do then he could get more of a sentence once we find him. But at the same time, we can't protect you 24/7, let alone these people who are calling themselves vigilantes."
"Well, either way, thank you," Faith exhaled, feeling her shoulders relax a bit. Even if Rowan's punishment wouldn't be as satisfying as she was hoping for, at least now she would be somewhat protected. "Well, I think I've covered everything for now. And just please give the S.A.S. a second chance, okay?"
"We'll see. But for now, just try to lay low on your end. We'll keep an eye out for Rowan too."
"Okay. And thanks again."
"Mm-hm. I'm glad we had this conversation, and feel free to reach out to me again if it's needed." Brooke now looked preoccupied, as though she was in a hurry to finish up. Probably so she can get in contact with her son and see how he is, Faith thought. "Well, with all of that said, I'd better get off of here, if you're sure there's nothing else you need to tell me."
"No. That's everything. Oh, and...I hope Parker is okay. I really mean that."
"You have a safe night, Faith," Brooke said simply, pointedly ignoring the comment about Parker. Blackness soon replaced where her face once was followed by the screen indicating that she had logged off. She may not have explicitly confirmed he was her son, but she didn't exactly deny it either, Faith observed to herself as she closed her laptop and gingerly crept back out into the hall.
While Brooke went to presumably see about Parker, Faith figured it was time to let Sherm in on the rest of her idea.
"I just don't know about this, Faith."
"Well, why not? You were eager to start as soon as possible when I first told all of this to you last night. I wasn't even sure whether she would agree to meet you, but she did."
"I know, I know. It's not me I'm worried about--it's Violet. What if she catches me doing this and misunderstands the whole thing?"
"Then tell her the truth. You want nothing to do with this other girl, except to try to make peace and get some information. I'll even back you up if you want, and explain that it was my idea."
"Well, hopefully it won't come to that," Sherm said. "Other than that though, I guess I'm ready. I'm just surprised I remembered her phone number from when she first gave it to me that crazy day."
"Now, what are you going to do?"
"Apologize to her for how we met the first time, get a conversation going and secretly record as much information as I can get out of her. Then I send it to you, Brooke and the S.A.S."
"And make sure to act as clueless as possible, and don't go anywhere alone with her. Once you two part ways, send me a text to let me know and then a second one once you're home. And while you're with Melanie, I can be picking up my .38 special. I got the call today saying it's ready."
"Okay. Just be careful over there."
"You as well. And you know, despite the way I got it back, I won't say I'm not glad to have it back, or to be able to tell my parents that at least one thing is going right."
"So are you going to visit your parents today?" Sherm asked her.
"I think I will," Faith said. "I think they could use some good news from my end. But I'll still keep my phone close by."
"Good idea. Well, wish me luck. I'm heading inside the mall now. Maraih--or I guess I should call her Melanie--wanted to meet at the food court, but I think my appetite is shot."
"Well, I'm rooting for you, Sherm."
Upon hanging up the phone, Faith went to gather her phone and purse...only to realize she would need to temporarily change her plans as she heard sudden, loud knocking on her front door.
Running to grab the pepper spray out of her purse before returning to the door to peer through the peephole, a pair of familiar icy blue eyes stared back at her. What a pity. If he'd waited another 30 to 45 minutes, I could've been properly ready for a guest like him. Faith silently stood in front of the locked door, wishing that whatever his reason was for being here, he would eventually just give up and leave.
After another series of loud, obnoxious knocks, Chance said through the door, "I know you're in there, Faith. Open the door."
"Make me," Faith finally replied with a voice that could match his eyes. "Make me, you coward."
"Who's the coward? You're the one that's hiding behind that door. You haven't even heard what I have to say yet."
"For the sake of both our safety, I'm not letting you into my house. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind, the way you've allowed your own sister and especially your brother to suffer on multiple occasions."
"Yeah, about that...look, I know you probably hate me, especially now. But if you help me, I promise I'll find a way to make it up to you," Chance said with almost a sense of urgency. "Happy now?"
"No, because I have no way of knowing whether you're alone or not. Aaron could be using you to test me right now. And even if that's not the case, how can you be sure I won't tell him that you came to my house?"
"Ugh, why are you two even in contact with each other?!" Chance exclaimed, visibly frustrated. "What more do you want from me, an apology or something?"
"Hmm. It would be a nice start, I suppose. Even if I know you don't mean a word of it," Faith said with disgust in her voice.
Chance let out a painstaking sigh that could easily be heard through the door. "...I'm sorry for everything, okay? I should've listened more to your...concerns, about Rowan's wellbeing. And no, I don't want my brother to die, or to see my sister working for some crime boss. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Yes. Now leave. There's nothing I can do for you."
"Are you kidding me?! I just told you I was sorry! I-- You know what? A picture is better than a thousand words when dealing with people like you."
Chance began rummaging around in his pockets, and Faith wished more than ever that she'd had time to get her gun back before this confrontation. "I have a gun too, if that's what you're reaching for," Faith bluffed.
"It's not a gun, Faith. Just look...please. I'll admit it--I'm desperate here." When Faith dared to look again through the peephole at what he wanted so badly to show her, she saw a look on Chance's face that she had never seen in all her years of knowing him as he held up his wallet containing a picture of him, a woman and a little girl that looked to be about three. "Remember when I was arguing with Aaron in the alley, and I said I have my own life now?"
"I see," Faith mused, genuinely shocked by the photo. "So you have a family of your own now. They look surprisingly happy with you. But then again, they could always be paid actors..."
"Alright, so either you're being petty on purpose, or Rowan made you just as delusional as he is. But the truth is, the last woman I really got close to just up and disappeared without a trace one day, and after all this time I still don't know why, and I don't want this to be a repeat of that last time. I don't want them involved in all of this."
Now it was Faith's turn to let out a painstaking sigh, figuring that if he was telling the truth, then maybe she could at least get rid of some of her guilt about Agna, whom she had a nagging feeling he was referring to as the previous woman. "...You really must be desperate to come to me for help, Chance."
"I am. Look, can't I just come in? I don't want anyone to hear us."
"As long as you know that I do have a weapon, and I will use it if you do anything to hurt me."
"Your feelings are the only thing of yours I've ever hurt, and you know that," Chance scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"I'm warning you--don't make me regret this." Slowly turning the knob and allowing it to open, she watched Chance like a hawk as he gingerly stepped into the house.
At first, neither of them said anything, only staring at each other suspiciously, but finally Faith said impatiently, "Just state your business and let's get this over with."
"Alright, alright. So, I'm thinking that you and I might be in a similar boat where Aaron's concerned. He says you're his friend, but I don't buy it."
"Why not?" Faith asked, tilting her head.
"Because I saw your name in his composition book of people who owe him, so don't even bother trying to deny it. And I heard all about how he gave you that gun Rowan initially stole as a bribe to keep your mouth shut about what goes on at Happy Scoops. Also..." Chance looked away. "...While I've never liked you, I know that you're not like him. You at least have somewhat of a conscience."
Faith blinked, staring at him blankly. "Your point?"
"My point is, you'll likely be going to the station here in a few minutes to pick up that gun, and while you're there you and that Sherman guy you've always been friends with might be able to get in touch with someone trustworthy, and tell them what's going on with me and my siblings. I would do it myself, but there's just too many people there that Aaron knows so I can't take the risk, though your chances would be better since you already have a reason to be there. But like I say, I make pretty good money, so I'll compensate you once everything calms down--"
"Ugh, you don't get it! You've never gotten it!" Faith suddenly exclaimed, feeling a flicker of cold satisfaction as Chance flinched ever so slightly. "I don't want your 'payment'. All I want from you is for you to act like an actual brother to Rowan and Mariah for once, assuming all three of you get out of this alive. And even if it's too late for them to accept your support, then it's too late, but I want you to at least try. Do you understand me?"
Staring down at his feet for what seemed to be forever, he finally murmured, "Sure."
"And maybe there is one other thing you could do for me, now that I think of it." Maybe it's not such a bad thing that he showed up here after all...
"What's that?" Chance asked warily.
"You mentioned you have access to Aaron's book. Bring it to me, preferably some time later today. Then I'll know that you're serious."
If Brooke wants solid evidence, she might just get some now.
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