Did anyone else think Caleb had something to do with Travis coming forward? That silent nod at the station made me think Caleb got to Travis without anyone knowing. So this is what I came up with...
This fic begins when Caleb leaves to go save Toby from breaking into that car during the barn dance. Caleb takes Toby home to cool down then returns to the barn dance not knowing Hanna has already paid Travis a visit.
" Hey, you want to head out? I've worn this ridiculous outfit long enough " Caleb tugged at the hem of his shirt.
" Actually uhm...I'm going to hang around. But you can go if you want to. I don't mind " Hanna reached forward & grabbed his hand.
" You sure? I can come back if you want? " Caleb insisted.
" No I'm good " Hanna kissed his lips. " Go. I'll get a ride with one of the girls. I'll see you tomorrow " Hanna watched him squint his eyes, she could almost read his thoughts. He was trying to figure out her motive for staying, why all of a sudden she wanted to stay at a dance she never wanted to attend in the first place.
" Alright " he kissed her forehead. " Ring me tomorrow " he turned on the heel of his boots & walked out of the old barn. Secretly though Caleb had his own agenda, there was something he had to do and it had to be done without Hanna knowing.
Pulling on to the main road he didn't have to drive far to his destination, luckily for him the person he wanted to see was standing on the side of the gas station. Caleb parked his car away a short way down the road & walked back toward the station. When his boots crunched against the gravel Travis turned his head sharply & held his palms up as if to resist a confrontation.
" I don't want no trouble " he said calmly.
" Good. Neither do I...but we do have to talk " Caleb kept walking toward him.
" I don't got anything to say to anyone. Like I said I don't want any trouble ".
" Hanna told me everything. About what you saw & what ended up in your car " Caleb stopped in front of him.
" What ever she told you " Travis started until Caleb spoke over him.
" Calm down Travis, I'm here peacefully. In fact, what ever amount was in that envelope I'll double it. Triple it even, if you just do one thing " Caleb crossed his arms over his chest with a fierce look in his eyes.
" This is sounding a lot like the note I found on my front seat " Travis took a step to the side to get away but Caleb was too quick & blocked his way.
" It probably does but I'm not here to shut you up. What I want is for you to come forward. I want you to tell the police Ashley didn't kill Detective Wilden. And that he was still alive when she left ".
" But he was. Who ever killed him it wasn't Mrs Marin " said Travis.
" Good then tell them that! Ashley Marin is a good woman, she doesn't deserve to go down for this " Caleb defended her, Ashley was like a second mother to him.
" My Dad & Wilden they have history. If I come forward they'll put two & two together & then my Dad will be the one sitting in that cell " Travis started to walk away but Caleb grabbed him by the arm.
" Who doesn't have history with Wilden? He was a scum bag dirty detective. I bet you can't find one person in this town who doesn't have history with him ".
" Look... I can see why you're doing what you're doing...but I just can't. There's too much at stake " Travis walked away, Caleb didn't follow him instead he called out from the side of the car park.
" I'll just keep coming back. And each time I'll leave more money on that counter. Trust me when I say I have more than enough resources " Caleb kept calling out until Travis stopped under the light.
" You really won't give up will you? " Travis turned around.
" Not when you have the truth that can set Ashley free. I love Hanna, and I care for her mother. If she's innocent, she deserves to be with her daughter not locked in some cell or sitting in her room with a ugly monitor attached to her ankle. Look, no one will even know, just come forward, say your bit & let Ashley off the hook ".
" And if they start looking into my Dad? Then what? " Travis looked through the window of the gas station at his father who was locking up for the night.
" They're looking for a cop killer. That's their number one priority right now, what ever your Dad & Wilden's beef is, its the least of their problems. If your Dad has a solid alibi then he's good. And you need to get yours straight too " Caleb reached for his keys in his pocket. " Think about it. Do the right thing if not for me, do it for Hanna " Caleb walked back to his car.
Travis stood under the lights of the gas station & watched as Caleb drive off a short distance down the road. He didn't know what he was thinking when he put that money in Hanna's locker, now he had Caleb on his tail he regretted saying anything at all.
" Dad, I need to tell you something " Travis locked the doors & walked toward the front counter.
" What is it son? " his father turned to face him, immediately noticing the worry across his sons face.
" You know that lady who is being charged for the detective's murder? " Travis rubbed the back of his neck.
" What about her? "
" You remember that night we got a call out? At the lake? When I arrived I seen Mrs Marin drive off. That detective was still alive but someone came out from the woods & shot him. All I seen was a girl with blonde hair, she took off into the woods after that ".
" Travis, do you know what you're saying? You were there when Wilden got shot. You're a witness! " his father claimed.
" I know Dad, and I'm scared. What if I was wrong? What if I didn't really see what happened that night? If I go to the cops with this, they'll interrogate me & twist my words. You & Wilden have history, I don't want that to crash into our lives again " his voice cracked.
" Son, if you know something...anything at all you have to tell the police. An innocent lady could go to jail. Never mind about what has happened in the past. If it comes to light we'll deal with it. If not, it'll stay hidden in the past. Where it belongs " his father walked around the counter placing his hand on Travis' shoulder.
" Do we have to call a lawyer or something? I know the garage isn't doing so well lately " the more Travis though about what he should be doing the more problems kept arising. Could he really go through with this at the risk of bringing more debt to the garage & trouble into his fathers life again?
" Quiet. We'll have none of that talk. I'll call the station & we'll take it each step at a time " he reached behind the counter & started dialing the police.
An hour later a dark colored police car pulled into the garage. Travis' heart began to race as two people started walking toward the door. His father let them inside while Travis stayed behind the counter.
" Hello, my name is Lieutenant Linda Tanner and this is State Investigator Gabriel Holbrook. We are part of the task force bought here to investigate anyone who has information on Detective Darren Wilden's murder. We received a call from your father regarding information about that night " she pulled out her notebook & pen.
" Yes Ma'am " Travis spoke up.
" Why don't we start with what you know or what you saw the night Detective Wilden was murdered? " Travis looked back to his father who nodded for him to tell Lieutenant Tanner what he knew.
" The night Detective Wilden was murdered we got a call out to the lake, I went alone as my father was still working on Mr Landers car. When I arrived I seen Detective Wilden arguing with someone, that person shoot Detective Wilden and then they ran off into the woods "
" Did you see what this person looked like? What clothes they were wearing? Was it male or female? Hair color? Anything that can help point us in the right direction " Detective Tanner asked.
" Blonde. I saw a blonde girl running away from the scene. I didn't really see much else ".
" Was Mrs Marin there when Detective Wilden was shot? Her daughter Hanna has blonde hair? " Detective Tanner was trying to confuse Travis.
" Who ever it was, they were alone. Mrs Marin wasn't there when Detective Wilden got shot. There were no other cars around when I arrived "
" Are you sure? It was late that evening, the woods can be a dark place. Are you certain what you saw? " Tanner kept trying to confuse him.
" The police lights were flashing, I saw the color of their hair as they ran away. It wasn't Hanna. This person was almost as tall as Wilden "
" So now you know how tall they were? " she questioned him some more.
" I'm not lying. I went out to the lake & saw Wilden arguing with someone, they shot him & ran into the woods. Thats all I know. I swear " Travis assured Tanner. She looked him up & down, staring directly into his eyes to see if he would look away but he didn't.
" I just have a couple more questions, you realize you will have to repeat this, so you might have to repeat this in front of a judge " Tanner made it clear Travis would have to repeat this time & time again. If this lead was going to be put forth she hoped it was a solid one.
" I understand that " Travis looked to his father for reassurance.
" Do you think you could identify the person you saw running through the woods? " Tanner clicked her pen beside her body.
" I'm not sure " Travis shook his head. It was the one thing he didn't know.
" But you are...absolutely sure that you heard the gunshots after Mrs Marin drove off? " Tanner thought if she kept grilling Travis he would jumble his words, but he didn't.
" Yes Ma'am. She wasn't there when he was killed " Travis shook his head. He watched as Detective Tanner wrote a quick note in her notepad, he wished he knew what she wrote, that way he would know if she believed him or not.
The next day Ashley Marin was cleared of all charges, Caleb silently thanked Travis as he walked out of the interrogation room. For once something good had happened to the Marin's. The truth had set Ashley free which meant Caleb could stay true to his word.
Before meeting with Hanna Caleb went to the bank & withdrew a large amount of money, the teller had questioned him & in true fashion Caleb lied through his teeth convincing the teller he was buying a second hand car. For most of the day Caleb carried the money around in his back pack, when he finally had a chance to break away from the girls he went straight to Travis at the gas station.
When Travis saw Caleb coming toward him again he put his hands up defensively.
" I did what you asked. I swear! " Travis took several steps back.
" I know. Thats why I'm here. I said I'd be back & I'm keeping my word "
" What do you mean? " Travis looked dumbfounded. Caleb undid his bag & pulled out the envelope overflowing with money and slammed it into Travis' hand.
" That's three thousand right there. Its not hush money, it me keeping my word. You did the Marin's a favor & in return I'm compensating you. I don't want the money back & I'm not expecting anything in return. This is for your trouble " Caleb made it clear how far he was willing to go for Hanna.
" You really care for her don't you? Hanna that is " Travis asked.
" I would do anything for Hanna, her mother too. They're good people that have bad things happen to them " Caleb checked the time on his phone & knew he had to leave.
" I gotta go man, thanks for everything you did. Its one less thing we have to worry about " Caleb turned & went back to his car.
Mean while Travis opened the envelope & flicked his fingers over the money, Caleb really wasn't kidding. Travis wondered how someone who looked the way Caleb did could have so much money just lying around & who could give it away without a second thought?
Travis walked into the garage & shoved the money in his tool box locking it tight a padlock. He didn't feel right about spending such a large amount of money especially when it was from a bribe.