2016
Dallas, Texas
(One Week After The Funeral)
"Please reschedule my four o'clock, make a note that the big dinner with the new associate buyer has been changed to a lunch and it's next Wednesday…"
"Yes, Miss Franklin…"
"Oh and I need the preliminary results of the QEC report on my desk no later than the close of business tomorrow."
"Anything else, ma'am?"
"That'll be all, thank you", the pretty executive thanked her assistant as she rounded the corner en route to her spacious, private office.
She came to a stop as she saw the two men, one of them very familiar, lurking outside her door.
"Just to think that me and my computer skills had a hand once in getting all this off the ground", he looked at her with a smile.
Bevin folded her arms and grinned.
"Well, well. What a surprise. You asking for a job, Mighty Mouth?"
He shrugged.
"I'm kind of, shall we say, preoccupied at the moment but if you're offering I'll keep it in mind."
She moved in and gave him a hug.
"It's nice to see you. You look good."
"So do you."
"Sorry we didn't get a chance to chat much at the funeral. Things were just so hectic and his death was such a surprise…"
Mouth nodded, Detective Tucker stone faced and standing close by.
"I understand. Well, Bevin, I wish I were in town on a social call or at least more pleasant circumstances but I'm afraid that isn't the case. This is my partner, Detective Paul Tucker…"
"Detective", Bevin shook his hand.
"Miss Franklin", he nodded in return.
"…And we're here to speak to Brooke."
"Brooke?"
"Yes. Is she in?"
Bevin sighed.
"Mouth, Brooke is a very busy woman. All this…the beautiful building, the employees, the designs, the revenue…she did this. This was her dream built from the ground up that started out senior year in Tree Hill in her and Haley's apartment with your laptop."
"I understand that."
"Besides, in addition to her schedule, she is very upset, you know. My God, she just lost her husband. Someone murdered Lucas Scott. It's hard enough for her to deal with her own grief, now she has to stand in the face of these ridiculously unfounded horrible accusations."
"I'm sure it's very difficult."
"And now you come down to harass her some more?"
"Bevin, I know Brooke is your friend and you care about her. So do I. But I have a homicide investigation here. I have a job to do. Lucas, Brooke's husband is dead, murdered. It's up to me to find out who did that and bring the person to justice. In order to do that, I need as much information as possible. It is very important that we speak with Brooke."
"Is she a suspect?" Bevin demanded.
"We're not at liberty to release that information at this time", Tucker stated simply.
"At this time, Bevin, Brooke is a person of interest. We would like to interview her with the hopes that she can provide us with new details that will help us come closer to cracking this case", Mouth added.
Sighing, Bevin nodded her head.
"Fine. Wait right here."
She disappeared for a few minutes but soon returned, motioning for the two men to follow her. They were ushered into the elegantly decorated CEO's office with the sprawling view of the city. Bevin closed the door behind them and excused herself.
"1,185 miles", said a soft voice.
Then the executive's custom leather chair spun around to face the two officers and revealed Brooke Scott.
"Excuse me?" Tucker questioned.
"1,185 miles. That's how far it is from Tree Hill to Dallas", Brooke observed. "That's a mighty long way. Maybe I should consider it flattering. I mean, I'm used to being in demand but it seems you fellas really want to see me."
Mouth nodded.
"It's important that we talk. I thought my partner and I made that clear a few days ago when we spoke on the phone in Tree Hill. You were supposed to come by the station for an interview but you never showed up. When I went looking for you, I found out you had flown back here."
Brooke shrugged.
"This is my home. This is where the headquarters of my business is. This is where I'm supposed to pick up the pieces and figure out what to do with the rest of my life."
"But we had an appointment and you bailed just like that."
"My lawyer decided that it wasn't a good time for me to talk to the police. I was advised against it and eventually I returned here."
"But at the funeral you promised me your full support and cooperation."
"I know I did."
"Then will you at least talk to us? We have a few questions."
Brooke gestured for them to have a seat.
"I have a few minutes, Detectives. What would you like to know?"
"For starters, why you left Tree Hill so quick?" Tucker eyed her.
Brooke frowned but quickly managed a smile.
"Like I said before, my home is here now and let's just say the welcome wagon wasn't exactly laid out for the grieving widow by the Scott family."
"Let's begin with that, Brooke", Mouth started. "We spoke with Karen and…"
Brooke laughed in spite of herself.
"I'm sure that went well. She's leading the lynch mob. Hell, I would have been burned at the stake days ago if she had her way."
"Why is that? You two always had a good relationship."
"Had. Not so much now."
"Why is that?"
"Lucas and I had some problems, a lot of problems actually. There was a time you could say we were pretty much divided. The people around us were forced to choose sides. Karen chose her son's side. What else can I say?"
"What about these so called problems in your marriage?" Tucker questioned. "You had a lot of problems, didn't you?"
"We had our share."
"Lucas made mistakes?"
"Yes, he did."
"Did you make mistakes, Mrs. Scott?"
Brooke sighed.
"I suppose I did."
"Was one of those mistakes going a little too far when you made the decision to get rid of your 'problem' once and for all?"
"What are you getting at, Detective?"
Mouth intervened. He knew he was junior ranking but at the same time, his senior's approach was all wrong. Cornering and accusing Brooke would get them nowhere. And still a small part of him desperately wanted to protect her, even defend her somehow.
"Brooke, let's go back a few years to when things first started to go sour, for lack of a better word", Mouth cleared his throat.
"You know Luke, Mouth. At one time you probably knew him as well as anyone. That sweet, sensitive boy on the River Court who loved his mother and stood up for his friends. That's who I fell in love with. That's who I married nine years ago. But Lucas changed."
"When?"
"It probably started in 2010 when he had the mild heart attack."
"Your husband had HCM?" Tucker rifled through some papers.
"Yes. It's a heart condition he inherited from his father. With medication it's controlled but it can impair physical activity so Lucas stopped taking the pills in order to be a better basketball player. In Chicago he collapsed and nearly died six years ago. His condition became public and he was back on the meds and no doctor in his right mind could medically clear him for the NBA."
"That must have been a blow."
"Mostly to his ego but yeah. I guess it was. He loved the game and it was devastating that he couldn't play. I tried to convince him that it wasn't the end of the world, that there were other things he could do."
"And?"
"So he started his own sports agency. Had it all planned out. Put his heart, soul and a shit load of our money into the project. Nathan was supposed to be his first big client."
"What happened?"
Brooke smirked.
"Number 23 happened. The arrogant, cocky jerk that thinks he is God's gift to the world happened. Nathan went back on his word. Money was more important than blood. Once he pulled out, it was hard for Lucas to secure anymore contracts. Eventually the business went belly up and Lucas almost went bankrupt because of it."
"That must have been hard", Mouth commented.
"Hard on his ego, hard on his finances…his confidence, our marriage. He changed. He became bitter, evil almost. His life was in the toilet or so he thought and instead of dealing with it, he blamed everyone else for his problems. My company was thriving but instead of being supportive, it was like he was jealous almost. He started treating me pretty badly."
"And how was his relationship with the others?"
"At that time he didn't have a lot of dealings with Karen and Keith or Deb, Royal and Mae. But they knew what was going on. They knew Dan Scott was being reincarnated."
"What about Haley and Nathan?"
"Lucas never forgave Nathan for screwing him on the agency deal. From then on out, they were basically at each other's throats, usually about money. It got worse when Nathan challenged the Scott estate. There were millions left behind when Dan died, although most of it was questionable. Anyway, Nathan forfeited his right to the inheritance. Lucas didn't. On his 18th birthday he came into a lot of money. It paid for my engagement ring, our wedding, our first place. Luke was sitting pretty on his own financially. You see, all our money was separate. He had made some good investments, then he inked the deal with the NBA and got a couple of endorsements…"
"But when he had to resign because of the HCM?"
"He was only allowed to keep a very small portion of the money from the contract and of course the endorsements were gone. He put a lot into his business and when it failed, it nearly cost him everything. Years later, Nathan had a change of heart and sued for his half. It was a nasty battle that is still unresolved and a lot of assets were frozen."
"How did that make Lucas feel?"
"He was furious! And as Nathan got more popular and made more money and became more and more like the jerk he used to be in high school before he met Tutor Wife, things got worse. Lucas grew to hate him. He was so jealous of Nathan, he could hardly stand it. It was like he became a different person. At that time, we were having problems of our own and it's like if Lucas Scott couldn't be happy, neither could anyone. So basically he betrayed Haley and caused a lot of problems in their marriage to the point they were on the brink of divorce. So she wasn't too happy with him and neither was I."
"Sounds like he burned a lot of bridges, lost some friends."
"All except Jake and Peyton."
"Jake and Peyton?"
Brooke nodded.
"He was pretty tight with both of them at that point. They were probably the only ones who could stomach him."
"They were the only ones he didn't screw over", Tucker muttered.
Brooke smiled.
"Lucas screwed everyone over…eventually."
Tucker returned her smirk.
"You sound bitter, ma'am."
She shrugged.
"Wouldn't you be? The love of my life betrayed me. He lied to me. He hurt me. My heart was broken. I was humiliated."
"Were there other women?" he flat out asked.
Brooke looked away, obviously stung by painful memories of the past.
"Yes, there were."
"That must have made you angry…"
"Angry? Angry isn't the word. Brokenhearted, devastated is more like it. My husband was having affairs. He was a raging alcoholic at times. He was a compulsive gambler…"
"Is it true at one point he was embezzling funds from your own company?"
"Wow. You fellas certainly do your homework", she sighed. "It's true, all of it, I'm afraid."
"That must have pissed you off. He treated you and everybody else like shit, screwed other women, lost all his money and then stole from the fortune you worked so hard to create. How could you stay married to someone like that?"
"I left for a while."
"But you came back."
"I don't know why. Maybe out of love or obligation or stupidity or a combination of all of them. I won't defend it though or explain it. He was my husband and despite everything he did and everything that happened, it's easy to say what I could have or should have done. But no one knows or understands what really happens in a marriage between a husband and a wife."
"Did you love him?"
"Very much."
Tucker nodded as he glanced through his notes.
"Let's discuss the day of the murder. Let's see, you flew to a press conference in Minnesota early that evening. Lucas saw your plane off. Can you describe those last moments with your husband?"
Tears came to her eyes as she took a deep breath.
"I was flying back the next day and we had plans. He seemed happy, normal. Everything was okay."
"Did he mention a trip to Tree Hill?"
She emphatically shook her head.
"Never. There was no reason for him to even go there. Someone must have lured him there."
"The killer?"
"Who else?"
"And who do you think that could be?"
Brooke shrugged.
"Come on, boys, I'm not stupid. I know I'm a suspect and so are Nathan, Haley, Jake and Peyton."
"Do you think your best friends of 12 years and beyond could actually kill Lucas?"
"I don't put anything past them. You see, you never really know a person. You can love someone and be with them for years and still not really know them. It's a scary thing."
"Doesn't exactly seem like you're rallying around them with hugs and support. Have you seen them since the crime, besides at the funeral."
"You tell me, Detective Tucker. Look, I know you're like a veteran at all this cop stuff and everything but next time you tail a girl in your unmarked squad car, try to be a little more incognito and a little less…what is the word I'm looking for? I don't know…obvious, maybe."
He grinned, loving the widow's cat and mouse game.
"Nothing gets past you, Mrs. Scott. Yes, I did happen to take notes of occasions where you interacted with your friends."
Brooke looked at her wedding and engagement rings still on her finger and the many photos in her office of her with Lucas and at times the rest of their old gang of friends, the Super Six as they once thought of themselves.
"You know what they say, Detectives. Keep your friends close…"
"And your enemies closer."
She smirked.
"Nothing gets past you either."
"No, ma'am, it doesn't. I have studied this case carefully. In fact, it keeps me up at night. And of all our persons of interest, you're the only one with an airtight alibi."
"I was on a plane seen by dozens of people."
"That's true. But what about the telephone call you made prior to your flight. Your housekeeper Ida, overheard you tell someone that you needed a favor that had to be done that night. She heard this after you had an argument with Lucas. Care to explain?"
"No need to", came a booming voice that opened the door and interrupted their little convention. "This meeting is over."
"And you are?" Tucker frowned.
"John Addison, attorney at law. I represent Mrs. Scott and she no longer wishes to answer anymore of your questions without her lawyer present and I am a busy man. Your interview is over."
Mouth and Tucker looked at each other. Legally, there was nothing they could do but leave. They stood as an anxious Bevin, who had accompanied Mr. Addison, looked on.
"Thank you for your time, Brooke", Mouth said quietly.
"It was me", Bevin suddenly spoke.
"Excuse me?"
"Brooke called me. The favor she needed was for me to book a huge publicity event on the weekend she and Lucas were supposed to attend our ten year high school reunion. Time was running out and she didn't want to go but Lucas was insistent. She didn't want to fight with him anymore so she needed me to create something legit so she'd have an excuse for him the next day."
"Miss Franklin, that is enough", Mr. Addison warned.
"But it's true."
Mouth looked at Brooke.
"Is it?"
"People grow up, Mouth. They change. They grow apart. Life is a bitch, right? I'm not the girl I was and thanks to my husband I'm not the woman I want to be either. Even with success and fame and money, I wasn't ready to walk into the Whitey Durham Field House and face everyone. Not my classmates, not my teachers, not you Mouth…not my friends or the ones I thought were friends."
"Brooke…"
"I didn't do it."
"Mrs. Scott, don't say another word", her attorney advised.
Mouth was desperate.
"I believe you, Brooke."
"McFadden!" Tucker warned.
"Brooke, if you know something, anything about the others, we need to know. Please. Don't protect them. I know you haven't told us everything. You're all hiding something. There's another piece of the puzzle missing, a big one…"
"McFadden, let's go! Now!"
He sighed and hung his head, defeated as he slowly exited the office.
"Mouth?" Brooke's heels clicked after him.
"Yeah."
"Howard Moss", she said.
Mouth frowned.
"The poet?"
She nodded.
"After the funeral, Peyton left a book on Luke's grave. Howard Moss."
"I don't get it. What does that mean?"
She gave him one last look.
"When you figure that out, you'll know everything."
