Ethan's Daughter

by Rachel Brimble

  At least, she had until now.

  Could it be that she only wanted to think well of Ethan and that her fondness for him was causing her to be biased and unfair to a woman she’d never met? People made mistakes. Mistakes that could send them veering onto a path they didn’t want or expect.

  Drawing in a shaky breath, Leah picked up her phone and dialed her best friend’s number, in the hope Sasha would provide the neutral view Leah needed in order to gain some perspective.

  Sasha picked up, her voice drowsy. “Leah? You okay? It’s past eleven.”

  She grimaced. “Sorry, I completely lost track of time. Do you want me to call back in the morning?”

  A rustle and faint snoring sounded over the line. “No, it’s fine. We’re in bed, but I’ll head downstairs. Are you upset about something?”

  “Not upset, concerned.” Leah closed her eyes. Was she upset? Upset by frustration that she should be doing more to help Ethan and Daisy? That Ethan should be doing more and they were being unfair in their assumptions about Anna? “I need to run something by you. Several somethings.”

  “Sounds serious.” A door clicked, followed by the scrape of chair legs against tile. “Right, I’m in the kitchen. What’s up?”

  Opening her eyes, Leah reiterated the whole story, from finding Daisy on the beach to putting Ethan and Daisy in a taxi earlier, and her subsequent discoveries about Anna. “So, I’m thinking I go ahead and call Cat Garrett tomorrow, regardless of whether Ethan wants me to or not. He says Daisy is all that matters to him, but not involving the police is not protecting her, right?”

  “Right.”

  “I don’t understand why he can’t see that.” She inhaled. “Then again, I’m not a parent. What do I know? Or maybe, when I go back to check his stitches, I should ask him more about his ex and the circumstances surrounding her leaving.”

  “Don’t you think you’re asking for trouble by getting this involved with a guy you don’t know? A family you don’t know?”

  “Maybe.” Leah left her office and walked into her bedroom. “But now I’m involved, I can hardly get uninvolved. I’m worried for them, Sash. Really worried.”

  Her friend exhaled. “The first thing to worry about is what is happening now, rather than what was going on with his ex five years ago. There’s not a lot you can do about that.”

  “I suppose.” Leah sat heavily on her bed. “But I’m still going to the police. My conscience isn’t letting me do anything else.”

  “When will you next be seeing Ethan?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m going to ask him tomorrow about all this, and if he hasn’t called them, I’m going to talk to Cat Garrett myself.”

  “Good.”

  “But I still can’t shake the feeling I should ask more about Anna. Or at least for a chance to have her side of the story explained. It might go some way to understanding what is happening now.”

  “So he hasn’t told you her side of the story?”

  “Not really. Just that she walked out and never looked back. That he wasn’t the type of husband she wanted.”

  “In what way?”

  Leah sighed. “Personally, I have no idea, but according to Ethan, he is pretty quiet when compared to the lifestyle she wanted. Now she’s mixed up with the same kind of people who used to visit the Cove’s fairground. Before you cleaned up Funland, it was a beacon for underground dealings. A place run by criminals under the guise of something meant for kids. The thugs Ethan’s ex are involved with don’t sound any different than the men you got arrested and kicked out of Funland. I’m scared for him, Sash, and I’m scared for his daughter. His ex-wife didn’t call him asking for money. She turned up on his doorstep, demanding it while brandishing a knife.”

  “What?”

  “I know. It’s bad, right? Who knows? She could be depressed. Partway to a breakdown. Ethan seems so wound up by her having no contact with Daisy that he wouldn’t consider his ex’s mental state. I can’t walk away from that. No matter how much he wants me to.”

  “Nor could I. So you’ll call the police tomorrow if he hasn’t?”

  “Yes. I’ll voice my concerns about his ex’s state of mind, and if he gets upset, that’s too bad. This isn’t just about my feelings, his feelings or his daughter’s—this is about my job. The police need to know about the people Anna is caught up with. End of story. Cat will do all she can to ensure the minimum distress to everyone concerned. I’m sure of it.”

  “I agree.”

  “Sometimes, I really wish I was the type of person who could walk away, Sash. All my life, I’ve preempted other people’s unhappiness, other people’s problems.” She closed her eyes. “I really like this guy. If the circumstances were different...”

  “You’d jump him?”

  Leah opened her eyes and smiled. “Something like that.”

  “Then he can’t possibly be so dumb to not call the police. You like your men kind, considerate, intelligent and sexy. This guy must have all of that in spades if the tone of your voice is anything to go by.”

  Sasha knew her so well.

  “He’ll call. I’m sure of it.”

  “If you were so sure, you wouldn’t have called me.”

  Leah blew out a breath. “Maybe I was hoping you’d tell me to mind my own business and leave the guy to run his own life.”

  “Sorry, girlfriend, no can do. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

  Hope jolted through Leah and she smiled. “You’re coming to the Cove for a visit?”

  “I wasn’t going to, but I have a feeling I might need to see my best friend sooner rather than later.”

  “Sounds good to me. Night, Sash. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  The line went dead. Leah tossed the phone onto the bed, her mind racing with possible scenarios of what could happen to Ethan and Daisy. Each one worse than the one before. She had to do something. She had to help... Always.

  * * *

  ON SUNDAY MORNING, Templeton’s police station lobby was as empty and depressing as Ethan had envisaged. Nodding at the duty cop sitting behind a strengthened glass partition, Ethan did as he was asked and took one of the seats lining the gray wall behind him, laying the envelope containing copies of Daisy’s pictures and certificates beside him. He leaned his head back against the wall, his foot tapping a silent beat against the tiled floor.

  Being here was the last thing he wanted, but so far this morning he’d achieved little more than a screaming match with Anna, followed by a questioning stare from his mother when he’d arrived unannounced at her house, asking if she’d look after Daisy for a few hours.

  He closed his eyes.

  His mother’s inevitable questions when he returned to pick up Daisy would undoubtedly be as probing and revealing of his inability to protect his daughter as Cat Garrett’s would be any minute now. Failure wound tight in his chest and he opened his eyes, released a slow breath. Would he have to tell the town’s inspector all about his personal history? The details of his disastrous marriage?

  He’d half expected to be speaking with a lower-ranked official, but the duty officer informed him the inspector herself would speak with him. The question was why. Ethan couldn’t imagine his supposed celebrity status had anything to do with the inspector’s agreement.

  The door to one side opened and Detective Inspector Garrett strode into the lobby, her hand outstretched. “Mr. James, nice to see you again.”

  “Inspector.” He shook her hand.

  Her dark green eyes assessed him before she flicked her long red hair over her shoulder and gestured toward the door. “Why don’t we go to my office? I wouldn’t normally be the one to speak with you, but I am down half my team because of this summer flu going around. Of course, I might have just volunteered for a day here and let my hu
sband take over caring for our daughter for the day, too.” She smiled softly. “He spends a lot of time with her, but to my mind, a father can never spend too much one-on-one time with their child. Anyway, come on through.”

  He followed her across a big open-plan office containing ten to twenty desks housing the skeleton team of officers who weren’t ill, and stationed on Sunday duty. A few looked up from their screens, their gazes lighting with interest or suspicion. Ethan nodded to a couple of men and women he recognized, mostly from the odd time he took his laptop to Marian’s Bonniest Bakery for a change of scenery.

  Inspector Garrett closed the door to her corner office. “Take a seat.”

  He sat in one of the two visitors’ chairs in front of her desk and pulled the envelope onto his lap.

  “So, I understand from my desk sergeant you have some concerns regarding your ex-wife?” She leaned her elbows on the desk, her gaze steady on his. “What can I do to help?”

  Ethan drew in a breath. “Well, at this stage, I’m pretty sure there isn’t much you can do, as I’m not here to press charges or anything, but I thought I’d at least let you know what happened the other night. For the sake of my daughter, if nothing else.”

  “And what did happen?”

  He raised his bandaged hand. “This. In self-defense, I ended up wrapping my hand around the blade my ex-wife was threatening me with.”

  The inspector raised her eyebrows, her gaze on his hand. “I see.”

  “Her boyfriend owns a nightclub in Bristol. From what she’s told me, he’s involved in a lot of stuff I don’t want anywhere near Daisy. She asked me for money to get away from him, to get away from the situation she’s gotten herself into.”

  “And what would that situation be?”

  Ethan shifted in his seat. There was no need to tell Inspector Garrett about the drug dealing. At least, not yet. He remembered Anna’s words about wanting to handle her problems herself and how these people could make her life even more difficult. What if he made the mistake of acting too soon and brought something fatal crashing down on her? He couldn’t take that risk. “She’s in a relationship which seems to have turned sour, and if I get involved, it’s highly likely her boyfriend will make things ten times worse for her. We might be divorced, but the last thing I want is to increase the risk of something happening to my ex.”

  “As in something violent?”

  “Very possibly. It’s clear to me that she’s gotten involved in a very controlling relationship. He’s threatening her and I’m convinced any meddling on my part will only provoke a reaction from this guy that could lead to God only knows what. From what I can understand, she wants away from him, but on the other hand, I want her to stay away from me and our daughter. She’s told me she has the situation under control and, because I find that hard to believe, I’m trying to convince her to involve the police. To let the cops in her town help her with this guy.”

  “And she hasn’t done that.”

  “Not yet, no. But I’m not here because she turned up on my doorstep, or that I took a cut to my hand. I can handle Anna well enough. I’m here because of this.” He passed her the envelope. “I want you to be aware of the situation in case anything happens to me or Daisy.”

  With her gaze on his, Cat Garrett took the envelope and opened it. Looking inside, she pulled out the contents and flipped through them, her brow furrowed. “These are pictures of your daughter?”

  “Yes—Daisy. They arrived in the mail yesterday. Anna is adamant they didn’t come from her. If she’s telling the truth, this is most likely her boyfriend’s way of letting me know I need to mind my own business or something will happen to Daisy. I’m guessing that he either knows Anna turned up here or assumes she will at some point. Either way, I want to be sure I’ve done everything I can to keep Daisy safe if he or one of his cronies arrives in the Cove.”

  The inspector studied the pictures and certificates a second time before laying them on the desk. Her expression was now a lot less genial than before. “You were right to bring this to my attention, Mr. James, but Bristol is quite a distance from my jurisdiction. There’s nothing I can do if you’re unwilling to press charges of assault against your ex-wife or, as you said, before something actually happens in Templeton. I can, however, call Bristol and have this guy’s name on record as a possible problem.”

  “I don’t know his full name and Anna refused to tell me. I told her I was coming to see you this morning, and she begged me not to.” He clenched his jaw against the memory of Anna’s disparaging comments to him about his supposed gutlessness over the years. “My ex-wife considers me spineless at the best of times, Inspector. Little does she know how much I’ve changed since she walked out on us.”

  She frowned. “You aren’t thinking of doing anything inadvisable, are you, Mr. James?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Or ever, if I have anything to do with it.” She lifted the pictures and certificates. “Do you mind if I hold on to these? Maybe run them for prints? It would be useful if we had a full ID on this man.”

  He waved his hand. “Be my guest.”

  She slid them back into the envelope and pushed it to the side, before leaning forward. “I propose that as soon as your ex, or anyone else, gives you further cause for concern, you call me.” She handed him a business card. “I can assure you we’ll be here if you need us. Do you have family in the Cove? Somewhere your daughter could stay for a while? Just for your peace of mind.”

  “My mother lives in Clandown.”

  “Good, well, that’s not too far from the Cove, so if you’d feel better with her being away from here—”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  She frowned. “Mr. James, I’m really not sure what you’re asking me to do or to help you with here.”

  “I’m letting you know there could be a problem. As there isn’t right now, I don’t want Daisy confused or upset. Her mother hasn’t bothered with her for the past five years and then turns up demanding money. I’m all Daisy has really known, and her stability and happiness come first. Right now, I have nothing more to worry about than my ex shooting off her mouth. To send Daisy on an extended trip to Grandma’s won’t cut it with my daughter, Inspector. She may only be seven, but she’s smarter than a kid twice that age. She’ll know something’s wrong. I don’t want her worrying. She stays with me until I say otherwise.”

  “Fine.” Inspector Garrett’s gaze hardened. “Then I’ll inform my team of your address and the problems you’ve had so far. Does anyone else know about this? Didn’t the hospital ask questions when you turned up with your hand that way?”

  Damn it. He couldn’t bring Leah’s name into this. He knew she was breaking rules by keeping quiet, not only about finding Daisy alone on the beach, but also about Anna’s attack. “I have a friend who took care of it.”

  “A friend?”

  “A friend. It’s fine.”

  She studied him a moment before standing. “Okay, I’ll have to take your word on that. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  He rose. “Nothing, for now. If Anna turns up again, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay, then I’ll see you out.”

  They walked to the station’s lobby in silence. After a brief handshake, Ethan walked through the exit to the parking lot, swearing he could feel Inspector Garrett’s gaze burning into his back the whole time. He knew of her reputation, of the changes she’d made to improve the Cove, and the peace that had steadily grown in the community since she took over from the last inspector.

  He’d done the right thing by Daisy, so why did he feel that when he told Leah about his visit to the station, she still wouldn’t be satisfied?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  LEAH HURRIED ALONG the street toward Templeton’s police station, snatching glances left, right and beh
ind her as though she was an undercover agent. She’d tried calling Ethan at least four times already today, but still couldn’t ignore the feeling that she was going behind his back.

  If he’d spoken to Cat Garrett, then it would make no difference if Leah did, too. She was looking out for him and Daisy. Nothing more, nothing less.

  Focusing on the street ahead, Leah picked up her pace. As the police station came into view, she saw Ethan emerge from the parking lot onto the street. “Damn it.”

  He came toward her, his face set and his arms swinging at his sides.

  Leah faltered to a stop and forced a smile. “Ethan, fancy seeing you here.”

  “On the street that leads straight to the police station?” He was angry. “I told you I’d handle things. Don’t you trust me?”

  “That’s not fair. We’ve barely known each other more than—”

  “Maybe not, but I’ve listened to everything you’ve said and taken it seriously. I would’ve thought you could extend the same courtesy to me.”

  She took a step back. The guy’s height wasn’t quite so appealing under these circumstances. Even as guilt burned her cheeks, she lifted her chin. “I have yours and Daisy’s best interests at heart. I told you—”

  “And I told you I’d deal with this my way. You have no right to go sneaking to the cops behind my back.”

  “I’m hardly sneaking—”

  “You’re sneaking.” He crossed his arms and stared her down. “I’ve already spoken to Inspector Garrett. She knows all about Anna showing up here and the stuff that was delivered to my door. You can turn around.”

  She crossed her arms, too. “Surely I deserve to know what was said between you?”

  “You deserve? Looking after my hand was some sort of payment in kind?”

  She glared. “Don’t insult me.”

  Their gazes locked before he briefly closed his eyes and inhaled a long breath. “You’re so damn stubborn.”

  “I know. That’s hardly headline news around here.”