Her Hometown Redemption

by Rachel Brimble

  “Great. Thank you.”

  Tanya sat on one of the plastic chairs lining the walls of the lobby. Uncertainty, once again, edged into her consciousness as she bounced her foot on the fake-marble tiles. Being here hadn’t been part of her plan. What would she even say to DI Garrett? Worse, what would the inspector do about whatever Tanya had to say?

  The side door opened and her thoughts scattered. She sat up straight, her body rigid with trepidation.

  DI Garrett’s red hair had been the first thing Tanya noticed about the inspector when she’d come to the Party Place opening, and it was the first thing she noticed now. Although tied into a ponytail rather than left loose about her shoulders as it had been at the event, there was no hiding its vibrancy or beauty. The woman was stunning, and Tanya couldn’t help wondering if that helped or hindered her as the town’s most senior police officer.

  The inspector came forward, her hand outstretched. “Miss Todd, it’s nice to see you again. I hope Russ Harwell’s little display didn’t entirely ruin your opening on Saturday?”

  Tanya’s thoughts leaped to her and Liam’s lovemaking. She smiled softly. “Not entirely, no.”

  “Glad to hear it. I would’ve gotten involved if he’d turned physical, but luckily for Mr. Harwell, Liam came along and put an abrupt halt to the boy’s rantings.” The inspector smiled. “As most people around here are prone to looking out for one another without the police’s help, I find my job a lot easier...and more pleasant if I step back a little.” She grimaced. “Well, for the most part anyway.”

  Unsure how to deal with this unexpected small talk, Tanya merely smiled. The police in the city were the antithesis of this kind, smiling, green-eyed inspector...not that Tanya didn’t detect a harder woman just beneath the friendly veneer. Despite the warmth radiating from Cat Garrett, suspicion was clear in her gaze...as was curiosity.

  The inspector cleared her throat. “So I understand you wanted to talk to me about Sasha?” She gestured toward the door behind her. “Maybe we could have a chat in my office.”

  “Great.” Tanya glanced toward the duty sergeant who was doing a pretty unconvincing job of working on some papers, rather than listening to their conversation. Small towns...

  “Then if you’d like to follow me.” The inspector led the way through the door.

  Curiosity struck Tanya anew as she followed her. What had been the circumstances that brought DI Garrett to the Cove and led to her taking over from where DI Bennett had left off? How informed could she be when she couldn’t possibly know the residents as Bennett had?

  The moment they entered the station’s main arena, Tanya’s nausea returned with a vengeance and any speculation about DI Garrett ceased. The ringing phones and raised voices, the assessing looks and clear judgment on the officers’ faces brought back the day of Tanya’s arrest with terrifying clarity. Her legs trembled and her heart pounded, but she forced her feet forward. Now she was here, she would see this meeting through...no matter how she might have to hide away from everything and everyone for the rest of the day in order to regain some of her fragile confidence.

  DI Garrett walked to the open door of a corner office and with a wave of her hand invited Tanya inside ahead of her. “Take a seat. Do you want coffee? A cold drink? It’s the hottest summer I’ve known since I came to the Cove.”

  Tanya sat in one of the two visitors’ chairs in front of the inspector’s desk. “How long have you been here?”

  “I came here for summer holidays as a child, but I’ve lived here permanently for about three years.” She sat in the chair behind the desk and laced her fingers in front of her. “I can tell by the expression on your face that my newness to the Cove doesn’t inspire a lot of your confidence in my abilities.” She smiled. “That’s fine, I’m used to it. Rest assured, my lack of time in the Cove is made up by my determination to keep it free of crime.” Sadness flashed in her eyes. “After all, I hope to be blessed with kids myself one day and like to think my work will go a long way to making the Cove a great place to raise them. I care about this town, which means I care about anyone who lives or visits here. Including you. Do you want to tell me what brought you to see me?”

  The sincerity in the inspector’s eyes couldn’t be denied and Tanya relaxed a little. “Once upon a time I wouldn’t have considered staying in Templeton long enough to raise kids.”

  DI Garrett arched an eyebrow. “And now?”

  Tanya swallowed her nerves and lifted her chin. “In the past, I was blinded by ambition and Templeton suffocated me. I left with my mother and didn’t look back. Not for a while anyway.”

  Tanya hesitated, wondering why she was talking so openly to this woman, this stranger, when she should’ve been tenser than a tightrope sitting in a police inspector’s office. She needed to be on her guard or risk DI Garrett jumping on her with unforeseen questions when she least expected it. Her brief experience of the police had been one of condemnation and judgment. The reasons for people’s actions the least of their concerns.

  She turned away from DI Garrett’s cool curiosity to stare out the office window. “Anyway, none of that matters now. What does matter—” she faced the inspector again “—is that I talk to you about a big part of the reason I’ve come back.”

  DI Garrett narrowed her eyes. “Oh?”

  All the determination and anger Tanya felt toward Matt Davidson filled her soul, strengthening her resolve to do whatever was necessary, regardless of what the inspector might think of her. “I’m back to find the man who hurt Sasha. I’m back to find Matt Davidson.”

  DI Garrett didn’t move, but recognition passed with lightning speed through her gaze. “That’s a name I briefly remember. What does he have to do with Sasha?”

  Tanya’s heart picked up speed. “Hasn’t Jay spoken to you about him already?”

  She stiffened. “What does my husband have to do with this?”

  Tanya shook her head. “You can’t fool me, Inspector. You know Liam and I came to your home, and you know we were asking about Davidson. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already looked into his whereabouts.”

  The atmosphere cooled, but Tanya held DI Garrett’s stony gaze.

  She might be recovering from a breakdown and have a life full of mess and regret, but Sasha came first and if DI Garrett thought she could avert Tanya’s investigation with games, she was wrong. Very wrong.

  “Regardless of what my husband and I might have discussed, Miss Todd, I’d like to hear what you have to say about Mr. Davidson.”

  Tanya shifted forward in her seat. “Matt Davidson worked at Funland when Sasha and I were teenagers...or in Sasha’s case, almost a teenager. He molested her and, so far, has gotten away with it. I want him caught...with or without your help.”

  DI Garrett stared for a moment, seeming to digest the information before she stood and walked around the desk. She leaned against the gray metal edge just to the side of Tanya and crossed her arms, her gaze concerned. “And Sasha knows you’re pursuing this? You’re looking for Matt Davidson on her say-so?”

  Tanya nodded. “Yes.”

  DI Garrett dropped her arms and curled her fingers around the desk edge at her sides. “Then no matter how much anger you might feel, I will need Sasha to file a statement before I can arrest him.”

  Frustration knotted in Tanya’s chest. “Sasha needs to put this part of her life away in a box and shut the lid. What that monster did to her still affects her life today. What if he’s still out there hurting little girls? What if he’s not stopped hurting them for the last fifteen years?”

  “As much as that thought terrifies me, until such time as I have Sasha’s statement, my hands are tied.”

  “You don’t understand!” Tanya slapped her hand on the arm of her chair. “You have to find him. I need to tell Sasha he won’t hurt her, or anybody else, ever aga
in.”

  The inspector stared, two spots of angry color staining her cheeks. Tanya closed her eyes against the sharp sting of tears as her body trembled with frustration. Her outburst had bounced from the walls and reverberated in her ears, her desperation and lack of control as clear to her as it would undoubtedly be to the inspector.

  She opened her eyes. “We have to find him so we can move on as a family. Matt Davidson is the cancer that has tainted and altered the course of our lives. There have been too many secrets, which means my family no longer knows each other as we should. I want that to change, and the first step is finding Matt Davidson. I know it is.”

  The inspector’s careful study and intelligent gaze bore into Tanya as though DI Garrett wanted to see deep inside her mind...maybe even her heart. Tanya waited, her fingers gripping the armrests.

  At last, Cat Garrett pushed away from the desk and walked to her chair. She slowly lowered onto it and rolled forward, resting her elbows on the desk and lacing her fingers. “I had dealings with Sasha last summer, just before she left Templeton. I also had dealings with her fiancé, John Jordon.”

  The way she said John’s name lifted the hairs on the back of Tanya’s neck. “You don’t like John?”

  The inspector gave a wry smile. “The opposite. I think he’s one of the most decent men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

  Relief lowered Tanya’s shoulders. Hadn’t Liam said something about the Garretts owing John their gratitude? “Well, that’s something we agree on anyway.”

  “Be that as it may, I also never shook off the instinct that John would do anything to protect Sasha. Do you know I held John in custody for a while last year?”

  Surprise jolted through her, but Tanya fought to keep her face impassive. “No, but I do know John has never been charged with anything. You must’ve let him go.”

  “I did, but that didn’t stop me from believing he was hiding something. Could what Davidson did to Sasha be what John was hiding?” The inspector stared. “Was he protecting her from having to testify?”

  Tanya shook her head. “I don’t know, but neither would surprise me. I have to do this for her, Inspector. I wasn’t there to help Sasha when Davidson hurt her. I didn’t ask her the right questions. God, I didn’t care enough to see how quickly she changed that summer.” Tanya leaned forward in her seat, praying DI Garrett trusted her words. “I promise, once Davidson is found, Sasha will testify, make a statement, whatever it is you need to get a conviction. She’s told me Davidson’s incarceration will bring her the peace she’s been looking for.”

  The inspector narrowed her eyes, her brow creased. “And it will ease your guilt, too, of course.”

  Tears burned Tanya’s eyes. “Yes. You’re right. Liam’s right. There’s every possibility finding Davidson is as much about me seeking forgiveness for who I used to be as it is for Sasha, but, either way, the man is still out there and needs to be found.”

  Their gazes locked and the only sound was the muffled buzz of the busy station from behind the inspector’s closed door.

  DI Garrett cleared her throat and splayed her hands on the desktop. “Okay, why don’t you start by telling me everything you know and we’ll take it from there.”

  Tanya exhaled and pulled out Scott’s photograph of Sasha and the man she knew in her heart to be Davidson.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  LIAM PICKED UP the pace of his run and attacked the upward slope of Clover Point with gusto. It had been three days since he’d spoken to Tanya, and the frustration of not seeing her, not knowing if she had kept her promise to speak to Cat Garrett, constantly played on his mind. Work had slowed somewhat, leaving him with too much time and headspace to linger on how hard it was to be separated from Tanya again.

  He hated it but would not call her. Her silence surely meant she felt no differently about needing space.

  It was late-Sunday afternoon, and before her return he’d spent his weekends working for the most part, maybe passing the odd evening at the Coast or attempting to date. Both nocturnal activities were okay—nothing to get overexcited about, but okay. During daylight hours, his work was a perfect reason to avoid anything that couldn’t be conducted in his office or the courthouse.

  Filling his hours had prevented this overbearing sense of flailing around in an empty space with only endless days of loneliness stretching ahead of him.

  Not speaking with Tanya, not seeing Tanya or spending time with her...goddamn it, not making love with her, had painted his day-to-day existence a different color. Gray. Nothing but gray and more gray.

  The late-afternoon heat refused to subside. Perspiration ran down his temples and spine, his heart beating fast. Frustration was a great motivator for exercise. Putting his head down, he pushed harder as he climbed the hill, his muscles screaming as he pounded the path higher and higher toward the apex of Clover Point.

  He passed the log cabin homes and the benches dotted in between, where visitors could sit and contemplate the fabulous view of Templeton. His mind whirled with pictures of Tanya, Sasha and the photograph of the man Tanya believed to be Davidson. Liam gritted his teeth. His life had been turned upside down and his heart was a mess once again. Yet, instead of the anger he wanted, he felt alive and pumped for the first time in years. Eight years, to be exact.

  He couldn’t let Tanya go...no matter how much he wanted to.

  When he reached the entrance to Jay’s driveway, Liam slowed down and jogged in place, his eyes fixed on his friend’s home. Jay would know if Tanya had seen Cat—even if he didn’t know what had been said between them. Liam shot his gaze to Jay’s Mercedes. His friend sat in the driver’s seat, his mouth moving as he spoke into the cell phone at his ear. It would just be a matter of asking Jay what he knew...

  The car door opened and Jay emerged, sliding his cell phone into his shirt pocket. He lifted his hand to his brow as though shielding his eyes from the sun. “Liam? What are you doing here?”

  Liam walked forward, his heart and breath slowing to a steadier rhythm. Lifting his chin, he pulled on an air of confidence and pushed away the stink of gutlessness he felt grilling Jay rather than going to Tanya, the source, with his questions. He lifted his hand in a halfhearted wave. “How you doing?”

  Jay slammed the door and frowned. “Not too bad. I don’t need to be Einstein to guess why you’re back here again. How is Tanya?”

  “As far as I know, she’s fine.”

  Jay arched his eyebrow. “As far as you know? You two fallen out?”

  “Something like that.” Liam tilted his head toward the house. “You got a minute?”

  “Sure.” Jay slid his arm around Liam’s shoulders. “Let’s grab something to drink. You look as though you could use one, too.”

  Liam smiled. “Rough day?”

  “Rough weekend. Cat’s working, which means I work, too.” He gave a half smile. “And when both of us know what we’d really like to be doing instead. This situation can cause tension of the wrong kind...if you know what I mean.”

  “I think the whole of Templeton would know what you mean if they saw the size of the glint in your eye.” Liam laughed. “Do I really need to hear about this?”

  “Probably not, but it’s good to share between friends.”

  They reached Jay’s front door and he released Liam before sliding the key into the lock. Liam coughed. “Glad to hear you say so. Sharing is just what I’m hoping you’ll do...although not about your and Cat’s private life.”

  Jay stepped inside the house. “Drink first. Talk after.”

  Liam followed him inside and through to the Garretts’ enormous kitchen. Jay grabbed two cans of soda from the fridge and tossed one to Liam. He deftly caught it in one hand. “Cheers.”

  “Fancy watching some rugby?”

  “Sure.”

 
Jay led the way into the living room and picked up the remote, turning on the TV bolted to the wall above his open fireplace. The screen flickered to life and due to its size, Liam immediately felt as though he was at the stadium rather than in Jay’s living room. Jay slumped down on the couch and propped his crossed ankles on the coffee table while Liam took the armchair.

  They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Liam cleared his throat. “So...”

  Jay turned. “So?”

  “What do you know about Tanya seeing Cat?”

  “Straight for the jugular.” Jay smiled around the mouth of his can. “Fair enough.”

  “Well?”

  He lifted his shoulders. “Not much. I know Tanya went to see her, said she wanted Davidson caught and that’s about as much as my lovely wife would tell me.”

  “Didn’t Cat say how she felt about what Davidson had done? Warn Tanya from taking any steps of her own?”

  Jay slid his gaze from the TV. “You did the right thing by getting Tanya to the station. Leave it alone now. Cat will deal with it.”

  “You’re shutting me out?”

  “I’m not shutting you out, I’m asking you to let Cat do her job.”

  “And what about Tanya?” Irritation simmered inside Liam’s gut. “I’m supposed to let her go after that son of a bitch and sleep peacefully in my bed at night? I don’t think so.”

  “Do you have any choice?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “What I mean is the Tanya I remember did what the hell she wanted to do when she wanted to do it. Will she really listen to any warning from you, Cat or anyone else?”

  Liam clenched his jaw before taking a drink. He wiped his mouth with a swipe of his hand. “I don’t know. I thought I knew her better than anyone, but I don’t. Not anymore.”

  Jay frowned. “Why? What’s changed?”

  “Everything. She’s changed. I’ve changed.” He shrugged to counteract the yank of regret that pulled at his chest. “I feel out of control and I don’t like it.”