Even though DI Garrett hadn’t said as much, Angela could tell by the concern in the detective’s eyes and the occasional gentle touches to Angela’s arm that Chris had told his sister about her stupid, albeit terrified, admission about Robert killing her.
Now not one but two people knew she was in Templeton hiding from her ex-husband. Tears stung her eyes and the view blurred. How could she have been careful for so long, only to blow everything? DI Garrett was most likely at the police station right now running a check on her.
She’d discover Angela had been living there for two years. She’d read all about her court case, her history and her horrendous—and very publicized—marriage. She tightened her jaw. Whatever DI Garrett’s reaction was to what she discovered, Angela had rights. Until she requested help, the police couldn’t get involved. She’d lived alone and happy for a long time and there was no way in hell she’d allow her way of life to be governed by Robert’s actions again.
So, why then were tears searing hot behind her eyes? Why did it feel as though her heart was being squeezed? Like Robert’s fist pushed clean through her chest, bruising and hurting her once more.
Covering her face with her hands, the tears broke and Angela cried harder than she had in months. Cruel images of a wedding, children, first days of school and birthday celebrations appeared in garish Technicolor behind her closed lids. Her body shook and her heart ached for a life she was beginning to believe she’d never have.
Once her tears were spent and her throat sore, she inhaled a deep breath and swiped at her cheeks. Done. No more. Tears didn’t get things done. Didn’t protect her life or those she loved.
Those I love.
Angela leaped to her feet. She needed to warn her family. Her parents. Her sister. Forewarned was forearmed. Who was to say Robert wouldn’t contact them before her? She went back inside, snatched up the phone and dialed her sister’s number.
Eloise picked up on the third ring. “Hey, you.”
Angela released her held breath. Her sister sounded the same. Happy. Free of worry or concern. “You haven’t seen today’s Daily News, have you?”
“No. Why?” The smile left Eloise’s voice. “Is everything okay?”
“No. I’m afraid it isn’t.” Angela walked into her open-plan living room and collapsed onto the leather sofa. “You need to get today’s paper.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
Angela leaned her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes as a sharp thud took up residence in her temple. “There was a flash flood yesterday. Part of the Cove was completely washed out.”
“My God. Are you all right?”
“Yes...” Thanks to one man. “So far twenty-five people are dead. The holiday park was completely devastated. Nothing spared.”
“Oh, Ange. I’m so sorry.”
“There’s a picture of me in the paper, Ellie.”
Silence.
Angela opened her eyes and stared ahead. Her sister’s muffled curse came across the line and then Eloise blew out a breath. “So, you’re leaving Templeton, right? You know you can’t stay there.”
“I’m staying.”
“What? No. You can’t.”
“I can, and I will. He’s not making me change my life again. No way.”
“He’ll go there. If he sees that picture... Look, I’ll pack a bag and be there by tonight, okay? Tomorrow we’ll grab what we can and get you back home with Mum or me. We’ll let the police know what we’re doing before we leave.” Her voice cracked. “Everything will be all right.”
Angela’s heart ached for the renewed pain the photographs in the newspaper would cause her family after the peace of mind they’d had knowing she was safe—if a little lonely. She sighed.
“I’m pretty sure the police will be knocking on my door anytime now, so don’t worry.”
“Why would you say that?”
Angela sighed. “I met the town’s police inspector today.”
“You’ve been to the police already? Thank God. I didn’t think you would...” Eloise’s breath rasped down the line. “Well, that’s something, at least.”
Angela stared across the room, not bothering to correct her that she hadn’t been to the police but rather they happened upon her. Having placated the guy whose car Angela hit with promises of a full insurance follow-up, DI Garrett had slid into the passenger seat of Angela’s car like it was the most natural thing in the world...and asked her absolutely nothing. It was clear from the intense look in her eyes and the set of her shoulders that she was waiting for Angela to tell her about Robert. Angela hadn’t said a word, either. The minute she did, her life would no longer be her own—again.
Angela blew out a shaky breath. “I just wanted you, Mum and Dad to be aware that Robert could already know where I am. What he chooses to do about it, none of us knows.” She paused. “We’ve just got to hope he won’t be angry enough to land himself back in prison for longer than he could’ve dreamed of.”
“So, you’ve told this inspector everything, right?”
“Right.” Angela grimaced, the lie feeling horrible in her mouth.
Even though Inspector Garrett hadn’t directly asked her anything, her eyes asked so much Angela had squirmed under their gentle scrutiny until she’d been forced to stare out the windshield or crumble. She’d curled her fingers around the steering wheel, silently begging God to make DI Garrett leave before everything came spilling out. Her gaze was so much like her brother’s; Angela had felt herself weakening. She just hoped she didn’t see Chris again—the potential for disaster was wide-open.
She closed her eyes. “There’s more, Ellie.”
“More?”
“I told someone Robert will kill me. After all this time, it just slipped out.”
“Who? Who did you tell?”
“Her brother.”
“Her brother? Whose? The inspector’s?”
“Yes.”
“But how? You’re so careful. How could you tell the inspector’s brother? Was he with her at the station? Who is he?”
“His name is Chris Forrester. And no, he wasn’t at the police station.” Angela’s heart skipped a beat and she opened her eyes. “He was at the park. He saved my life. He saved lots of lives...and he’s sharing a double-page spread with me in the national paper this morning.”
“You were photographed with him? Oh, my God.” There were shuffling noises as Eloise moved. “That’s it. I’m coming to Templeton. There’s no way I’m leaving you there on your own.”
Determination rose up behind Angela’s rib cage and she pushed off the sofa to pace the room. She didn’t want Eloise or any of her family there. She liked her life just as it was. People needed to stay away from her where they would be safe. Her mind whirled with excuses, reasons to keep Eloise away. She stopped.
“What about Tim and the kids? You can’t just up and leave.”
“Yes, I can.”
“I...I don’t want you to, Ellie. I want you to stay where you are. Stay near Mum and Dad.”
“Ange, you have to come home.” Her sister’s voice was firm.
“No. I’m staying here.” Injustice pressed down on Angela’s chest, making her breathing harried and her blood burn. “I’m not running anymore.”
“You can’t. Robert will come. You know he will.”
“So what if he does?” Frustration soared through her. “I have to face him head-on or I’ll always be afraid of him. Always wonder what he will or won’t do. I’m not going to give him that power, Ellie. This is my home now, and I won’t let him take it away from me.”
“We’ll find you somewhere else to live that you love just as much. Somewhere just as beautiful.”
Angela walked through the French doors and out onto the balcony. She breathed in the sea a
ir. The happy screeching of playing kids and barking dogs on the beach below punctuated the scene.
She shook her head. “If I don’t fight for what I want, Robert will steal everything I have. Absolutely everything. There’s no way I’m going to let that happen a second time.”
A long moment ensued before Eloise blew out a defeated breath. “You’ll tell the police everything they need to know? You’ll let them protect you?”
Angela gripped the iron railing running around the balcony. “What, how they did before, you mean?”
“Angela, come on. They made mistakes, but you can’t not involve them.”
“They made mistakes that led to me being beaten and raped again, Ellie. They didn’t listen to me. Saw Robert as nothing but a pillar of the damn community.”
“Things are different now. They know what he’s capable of.”
Angela glared blindly ahead. “Yeah, well, I’d rather do this alone than trust them to mess up.”
“You’re playing with your life, Ange.”
“My life. Exactly. Not Robert’s. Nothing he does...or anyone does, will take that right away from me. No one. Including you.”
Silence.
The passing seconds pressed in on her but Angela refused to backtrack, apologize or say anything different. She needed to be in control. She would not go down the road of anybody ruling her decisions or actions ever again.
Eloise blew out a breath. “What about this guy? The brother?”
Angela’s cheeks turned warm. “What about him?”
“What did he say when you told him about Robert?”
The memory of Chris’s shocked stare crashed into her mind’s eye. The way his arms felt around her and then the tight set of his jaw when she pushed him away. “I didn’t let him say anything. I told him I didn’t need his help and he walked.”
“He walked? What a jerk. Clearly, his sister got his share of the balls if she’s a DI.”
“Didn’t you hear me?” Angela frowned as defensiveness for herself...for Chris...leaped to the surface. “I said I pushed him away.”
“So? He should have stayed. I repeat, no balls.”
Angela huffed out a laugh as pride for Chris knotted her stomach. “Oh, believe me. He’s got balls. He must have pulled twenty or thirty people out of seven feet of swirling brown floodwater.”
“Yet he didn’t react when you told him Robert could kill you. He’s a jerk.”
“Ellie...”
“What?”
“He cared. His eyes went kind of dark...like he might explode. I think he walked away because of something that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. I think he was protecting me.”
A pause. “From what? Him?”
“No. He’s a good man...I think. Maybe protecting is the wrong word. It was like he sensed what I needed from him, that I needed him to walk away.”
“What you need is a big strong guy to walk away and leave you to deal with the likes of Robert alone? Well, that’s just fabulous.” Her sister sniffed. “Well, whatever. Good riddance to him. The main thing is you have me now. I’ll be there by midafternoon.”
Angela tightened her grip on the phone. “I told you. I don’t want you to come.”
Silence again.
“Ellie?”
“What?”
“I’m not rejecting you. I want to stand on my own two feet. You were there for me when I was a mess, a puddle of absolutely nothing without a thought or feeling inside. A shell. That was three years ago. I’m stronger now...and I’m not leaving Templeton. I’ll deal with this. Whatever this is.”
“He’s going to come.”
“And if he does, I’m better prepared than ever before. I’m mentally, physically and emotionally stronger than ever. I’ll handle it.”
“A few self-defense classes and therapy sessions are not enough after what that monster did to you.”
Angela turned and walked back inside. Her gaze fell on the bureau in the far corner of the living room. Her gun lay inside the center drawer, loaded and locked. She swallowed. “Things are different now. I promise.”
“Let me just stay for a few days. Even seeing you will make me feel better. It’s been so long.”
“I know, but I don’t want you here if Robert’s coming. If he can’t have me, who’s to say he won’t go after you?”
“But—”
“Ellie, no. I’m putting the phone down now. I’ll call you again soon, okay?”
“You promise?”
“I promise. Give my niece and nephew each a big kiss from me, okay?”
“Ange?”
“What?”
“Please at least consider letting the police help you with this. For me?”
Angela squeezed her eyes shut. “I’ll think about it.”
Eloise sighed. “I supposed that’s better than nothing. I love you, Ange.”
“Love you, too.”
The line went dead and Angela pressed the end button. She’d stay in Templeton; stay where she’d been the happiest for as long as she could remember—come what may.
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHRIS HAULED ANOTHER bag of groceries into the trunk of Cat and Jay’s “weekend car.” With Cat using the unmarked police car most of the time and Jay his Mercedes, the Saab was a spare part around the Garrett household. Cat told Chris it was his to use for as long as he was in Templeton. So, as his temporary home was now under six feet of water, he planned to make the inconvenience of him shacking up with his newly married sister and her husband as painless as possible.
By grocery shopping for them.
Scowling, Chris slammed the trunk shut as his phone rang inside his jacket pocket. God, he hated shopping.
He looked at the display and pressed Talk. “Cat?”
“I’ve got an address for her. I know where Angela Taylor lives.”
His meager hope that his sister would leave Angela to her own devices for at least a day or two dissolved in a puff of air. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Where?”
“Far enough away from the park that she still has somewhere to live. She’s been here for two years....”
Chris frowned. “And?”
“Her husband was sent down for four years. He served three, and then he was released for good behavior. She was the plaintiff. Her testimony put him there.”
Chris frowned. “How long has he been out?”
“Almost a year. On the day of his release, he was read the whole spiel about not contacting her or trying to find her. As far as we know, he’s behaved. Having said that, it could just be he hasn’t managed to find her...and now, if he reads the papers, he’ll know exactly where she is.” She drew in a shaky breath. “He wasn’t quiet about wanting to find her again. He threatened to come after her several times, including shouting it across the courtroom during the trial.”
Chris leaned against the car. Anger and adrenaline heated his blood. From the tone of Cat’s voice, the soft sympathy laced with a slight tremor, she knew something a lot more unpleasant than she was telling him. He’d heard her talk the same way to people who’d lost family members or been the victims of violent crime.
He stared across the store parking lot. “What did he do to her?”
A pause. “Where are you?”
“At the store. Just tell me what he did.”
“I can’t do that. She has to tell you herself.”
He hadn’t expected anything less from her but for once just hoped his sister could lean toward the side of not-so-good cop. “Is it bad?”
“She’ll have to tell you. What I will tell you is she needs to get out of Templeton. I’m worried what will happen if the tabloids dig into her background.”
“Surely they can’t print
anything.”
“In theory, no. More often than not, though, it happens and they risk the consequences once the stuff is already out there. Sex and scandal. It’s what sells papers.”
“Can’t you do anything to stop them?”
“It’s the same problem I have contacting Angela’s ex before I’ve heard from her. I’m not supposed to know anything, remember? I sat in her car for fifteen minutes hoping she’d say something, but she clammed up completely. I’m only telling you all this so you’ll go see her.”
Chris ran his hand over his face and blew out a breath. “How did I know that was coming?”
“My hands are tied until she calls the police. I can call her, but the preferable option is that she comes into the station of her own free will before it’s too late. Until she tells us there’s a problem, we can’t do anything. If I go around there, she’ll know you breached her confidentiality. Once she knows that, we run the risk of losing her trust completely.”
Chris closed his eyes as the steady thump of an encroaching headache pulsed at his temples. “How was I supposed to keep quiet when she said her ex would kill her and damn well meant it? If I hadn’t told you this morning, you can bet I would’ve sooner or later. Her eyes told me everything I needed to know. Her life is in serious danger but she doesn’t want me interfering.”
“Maybe. But she didn’t strike me as unintelligent. Deep down, she’ll know it’s likely you’d tell somebody. The trouble with the female psyche is, once we know someone has betrayed our trust, we clam up like we’re bloody Venus flytraps. She’ll not tell you or the cops anything else. I guarantee it.”
Chris shook his head then wished he hadn’t as the pain in his temple shot across his forehead. “This is horrendous. She doesn’t want me poking my nose into her business, but I can’t stand by and do nothing.” He closed his eyes. “If you’re saying she needs to leave now, I don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out that he hurt her and hurt her bad. Am I right?”
Cat stayed quiet.
Chris swallowed as icy-cold anger seeped into his veins. “He’s considered dangerous even now, isn’t he? Her fear is entirely justified. He could kill her, right?”
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