by Linda Warren
Ms. Malone stepped into the apartment with a Louis Vuitton bag over her shoulder and an equally expensive briefcase in her hand.
“This is Holly, my friend.” Abby made the introductions.
“I’ve heard of you,” Holly said. “You’re a child advocate. You fight for the rights of children.”
“Yes.”
“Ms. Malone, you’re an answer to my prayers, but I don’t understand why you’re willing to take my case.”
“As your friend said, I fight for the child. I’ve lived in Austin for a long time and I know the Bauman name and their family’s power. I just wanted to offer my services if you need them.”
“Yes. Yes.”
Within minutes, Abby had hired Lissa Malone to represent her and Chloe. “How much will this cost me?”
“I don’t talk price until the case is finished. If I lose, you don’t owe me a dime. If I win, we’ll talk price.”
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“I’m not in this for the money. I’m here to help your daughter.”
“Are you for real?” Abby had the feeling she’d conjured this woman up out of thin air.
“You’ll find out in the next few days.” Ms. Malone looked at her Rolex. “I would like to meet your daughter in the morning at ten and then we’ll go over every last detail of this case. What you expect from me and what I expect from you.”
“Okay.”
Abby danced around the apartment in excitement. Out of the blue, her prayers had been answered. “Wait a minute.” She stopped dancing. “Things like this don’t happen for no reason. Do you think the Baumans sent her here to give me a false sense of security? I mean, did you notice her clothes and purse? They were expensive. How does she afford that?”
Holly resumed her seat on the sofa. “I don’t know much about her, just her work. Maybe we can find something on the internet. But she doesn’t seem like a person who can be bought.” Holly sat with the laptop cradled on her legs. Abby knelt on the floor as her friend searched.
“She has a law degree from UT. Married a wealthy stockbroker fifteen years her senior. He died five years ago. That would account for her expensive taste. Uh-oh.”
“What? She has a connection to Richard Bauman?”
“No. She was born in Willow Creek, Texas.”
Abby sat back on her heels. Ethan had sent her.
“Please don’t blow this out of proportion. You need Ms. Malone.”
Abby got to her feet. “I’m not stupid, Holly. I don’t care who sent her. I want custody of my child.” She remembered Ethan talking about a killer attorney who had gotten custody of Kelsey for him. It must have been Lissa Malone.
* * *
LATER, HER PARENTS came back with Chloe, and her daughter was excited that Grandpa had let her go down the big slide by herself. After her parents left, Abby fixed dinner and bathed Chloe, putting her down for the night in her own bed. She’d been sleeping with Abby and that could not continue.
She didn’t quiz her daughter much about what had happened. There were blue marks on her neck where Doug had forcefully held her. Every time she saw those it angered her. Chloe had never even been spanked.
Chloe had only said that Daddy made her drink some stuff and she didn’t want to. She’d started to cry, wanting Mommy, and he had told her to shut up. Then she got scared and she was still scared. Abby was at a loss at how to make her feel safe. But today was a big start.
That night so many problems weighed upon her but she knew she had to keep fighting for Chloe and herself.
As much as she tried to take steps away from Ethan, something kept pulling her toward him. He knew she needed help and he made sure she got it in the form of Ms. Malone. She moved her head on the pillow and remembered the morning they’d spent in this room. All the emotion and passion they’d shared was forever.
Then the unthinkable happen. He chose his job over her and broke her heart. The thought hung in her mind for a moment and something clicked. He didn’t choose his job over her; he did his job because of her, no matter how much it hurt him. And Doug was behind bars because of that.
Oh, Ethan.
* * *
ETHAN SPENT HIS days in turmoil. His daughter was his only bright spot. He took her to school and picked her up, which was at varying times because she was in so many activities now. His daughter was becoming a social butterfly.
He went into the kitchen to get a glass of ice water. Sometimes at night he’d feel the heat from the fire and the water helped. He wondered if Abby still felt it, too. Oh, God, he had to stop thinking about her. But that was difficult when she filled his every waking thought and all of his dreams.
As he got a glass out of the cabinet, he heard voices coming from Kelsey’s room. It was after ten-thirty. She should be asleep. He walked into her room and flipped on the light. Propped up in bed on several pillows, she was talking on her cell.
“Gotta go,” she said into the phone and slid down into the bed.
He held his hand out for the phone.
“Ah, Dad,” she grumbled, but placed it in his hand. “I get it back in the morning, right?”
“Depends how I feel in the morning. You broke the rules. You’re supposed to be in bed at ten and not on the phone.”
“But Cathy called me. There’s a football game tomorrow and we’re trying to decide what we’re going to do afterward. Sleep over at her house or mine.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of a sleepover. After the game, you’ll be coming home with Grandpa and me.”
“Jeez.” She flopped over in bed. “When are you going back to work? You’re getting as grouchy as Grandpa.”
He was. He felt as if his nerves were tied up with barbed wire.
“We’ll talk in the morning.”
On his way back to the kitchen, he heard a knock at the door. Who could that be? It was almost eleven now.
Levi stood on the doorstep. “I saw the light and knew you were still up.”
“You saw the light from your house? Down the road and two miles away?”
“Of course not. I just got back into town and Pop said you haven’t gone back to work.”
“So you thought you would come nag me?”
“Maybe.” Levi followed him into the kitchen. “You talking to someone?” Levi pointed to the phone in Ethan’s hand.
“It’s Kelsey’s. I had to take it away from her for talking when she’s supposed to be asleep.”
“Oh. How’s the parent thing going?” Levi removed his Stetson and took a seat at the table.
“So-so.” He laid the phone on the counter and got two Coors out of the refrigerator. Handing one to Levi, he added, “I let her get away with a lot of stuff. I have to start disciplining her.”
Levi popped the top on the can and took a swallow. “In your present mood that shouldn’t be too hard.”
He sank into a chair and took a swig from his can. “Don’t start, Levi.”
“Why haven’t you gone back to work?”
“Because I quit.”
Levi gave him one of his classic you’re-not-fooling-me looks. “I’ve known you since we were knee-high to a grasshopper, as Pop would say. What’s eating at you?”
He ran his thumb across the wetness of the can and wanted to throw it against the wall. “I screwed up, man. If I’d made better choices, Abby wouldn’t have gone through another terrifying experience. And Chloe would never have been harmed.”
“How do you figure that?”
“I fought the lieutenant to stay on the case. But he was right. I had too much personally invested in it. I should have let Hal handle the whole thing.”
“And Douglas Bauman would probably have gotten away with what he’d done.”
“What?”
Ethan took a gulp of beer. “Why do you have to be right?”
“Why do you have to feel so much guilt?”
“Because I love her, and I hurt her.” The words had just flown out of his mouth. Obviously, he’d needed to get that off his chest.
“Then do something about it. Talk to her.”
“I did. At the hospital.” He stood and ran both hands through his hair. “I don’t know how much more she can take. She’s hurt, angry and disillusioned. She said she had to sort out her life and then she said goodbye in a way that I knew was final.”
“I’m sorry, man.”
“But it’s not over for her. The Baumans aren’t going to give her time to catch her breath before they file a custody amendment. With Doug in jail, they’ll want the right to see their granddaughter, and that will be hard for Abby.”
“Yeah. So what are you going to do about it?”
Ethan leaned against the cabinet. “I called Lissa.”
Levi chuckled. “She certainly won’t be afraid to go head-to-head with the Bauman lawyers.”
“I just hope Abby hires her.”
“Uh...Abby doesn’t know that you’re acquainted with Lissa.”
“No. I just told Lissa about the case and thought she might be interested. She’d already read about it.”
Levi took the last swig of his beer and stood. “You’re not going back to work because you want to be available in case Abby needs you.”
“Man—” Ethan drove a fist into his hand “—I can’t stand the thought of the Baumans hurting her again.”
“Then why aren’t you with her?”
“Uh...she said we got too involved too quickly and what she felt for me was gratitude. It wasn’t real, but she would always remember me.”
“Ouch.” Levi reached for his hat. “Remind me to never fall in love. Now I’m going home to sleep for about twelve hours.” He headed for the door and turned. “If you need me, you know my number.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Ethan threw the cans in the trash and went to bed. Lying awake in the darkness, he could feel her soft skin against his, smell the sweet scent of her and experienced a deep longing inside that was as real as it got.
It was real, Abby.
It is real.
* * *
THE FIRST THING Abby learned about Ms. Malone was that she was direct and thorough. They spent many hours going over every aspect of her relationship with Doug and his parents.
Chloe was reticent about talking to her. She hid her face against Abby and refused to speak. Her baby was no longer the happy child who used to laugh and run through the house. Now she was very quiet. But Abby noticed as each day passed that Chloe was slowly getting better, especially after the outing with her parents. She would play in her room for short periods of time alone without needing to see Abby, which was good because Lissa was coming over to discuss their case. She and Lissa were now on a first-name basis. Abby liked the mysterious, serious attorney.
Lissa had filed papers to amend the custody agreement, granting Abby legal and physical custody. The Baumans had quickly answered, contesting the filing. In two weeks, a judge would hear both sides and rule. That morning they sat at Abby’s dining table, going over details.
“I have to be honest, Abby,” Lissa said, flipping through a pile of notes. “I have to prove that it’s detrimental to Chloe’s well-being for her to spend time with the Baumans. All I have is Richard’s diabolical manipulation of Douglas. I have to show he and his wife would treat Chloe the same way.”
“Doug was always telling me snide comments of his father’s. Richard said Chloe was too old to cling to a doll and I needed to take Baby, a doll she takes everywhere, away from her. And I know they take the doll from her when she’s there because Chloe tells me. Richard says children shouldn’t be mollycoddled. It makes them weak.”
“This is good.” Lissa scribbled on a pad. “Anything else that I can prove?”
“When Doug was ten, they sent him away to boarding school because Richard wasn’t pleased with his grades. He couldn’t come home until they were up to Richard’s standards.”
“This is even better. Douglas’s life has been constantly manipulated by his father.”
“Yes. Getting his father’s approval was the most important thing to Doug.”
“Even marrying a woman of his father’s choosing.”
“Yes.” Abby resisted the urge to squirm. “I can’t believe how gullible I was.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, honey. Richard and Douglas Bauman are master manipulators.” Lissa pulled out a paper from the file. “Lieutenant Eagon was nice enough to let me see the robbery file.”
That made Abby think of Ethan and she suddenly had to know. “May I ask you a personal question?”
“No. I don’t do personal.”
Abby refused to be put off. “It’s not about you. Do you know Ethan James?”
“Yes.” Head down, Lissa continued to read.
“Did he ask you to take my case?”
“No.” Again, she kept reading. Finally, Lissa looked up. “Is that important?”
Yes. Very.
“No” was what came out of her mouth. “I was just curious.”
Lissa leaned back in her chair. “I’ve known Ethan a long time, and every now and then he calls me if there’s a case with a child involved who might need my help. I read about you in the paper and saw a lot of your ordeal on TV. The decision to offer my help was mine alone. Okay?”
“Okay.” The woman was certainly an enigma and Abby was happy to have her on her side.
Lissa pushed bright pink reading glasses up the bridge of her nose. “There’s something about the robbery that’s very vague to me.”
“What?”
“From the report it says Douglas hired Rudy to scare you so you’d call him for help like you did in college. Why was he so certain you’d call him?”
“What? No, that’s not right. I didn’t call—” She wove her fingers through her hair in distress. “That’s not how it happened.”
Lissa picked up a legal pad and pen. “Tell me what happened with Bradley Cummins in college. Were you dating Douglas at the time?”
“I had broken up with Doug.”
“Why?”
“He belonged to a fraternity that had really wild parties that made me feel uncomfortable—a lot of drinking, smoking pot and drugs. That wasn’t my scene and I told Doug we weren’t suited for each other and broke up with him. He called for several days apologizing, but then he finally gave up.”
“When did Bradley Cummins become a problem?”
“I don’t know. Maybe two weeks later. I had an accounting class with him. He started making a point of sitting by me, and everywhere I went he was there. He began making crude remarks, such as he’d love to fondle my breasts or he couldn’t wait for me to wrap my legs around him. I told him to cut it out or I was calling the police. Then one night I was studying at the library with a friend. It was late when we came out. She ran to her car and I ran to mine. I dropped my keys. All of a sudden Bradley was there. He pushed me against the car and I shoved him hard. He fell down, giving me time to get in my car and drive away.”
“Then you called the police?”
“No. My cell was in my purse and I had slung it into the car. It was on the passenger floorboard and I couldn’t reach it. I wasn’t stopping to get it. I rush
ed to my dorm to call them. I was shaking so bad I had to calm down first. Before I could, Doug called and he wanted to know what was wrong. I sounded stressed, he said. I told him to get him off the phone. He said he’d be right there and he was. He called the police and took care of everything. I never had a problem with Bradley again.”
Abby ran her hands over her face as those events became crystal clear. “Oh, my God! Doug called me. I didn’t call him. He already knew what had happened. I’m almost certain he put Bradley up to it. I have to be the stupidest woman alive.”
“Just trusting. After that, you gave Douglas another chance?”
“Yes. He was my hero. My prince charming. I think I need to go throw up.” She took a deep breath. “Doug was hoping for the same thing happening this time. After Rudy supposedly frightened me, I’d go into the bank and he’d call apologizing for not showing up that morning. And I’d be ever so grateful to have him take care of my little harassment.”
Lissa placed files in her briefcase. “I have facts to verify, but I believe I have enough to put doubt in the judge’s mind about entrusting Chloe to the Baumans’ care.” She reached for her purse and stood. “Do you mind if I enlist Ethan’s help?”
“Uh...no. Why?”
“I don’t believe a man can do anything better than a woman, but dealing with Mr. Cummins might take a rougher hand than mine. And I need to be in my office preparing the facts that will support the theory that Chloe’s welfare is at stake, and the only conclusion is to give you total custody. I will press strongly for no visitation, but ultimately that will be the judge’s decision.”
“I understand.” Abby walked her to the door. “Could we get the names changed at the same time?” Abby had decided to have their last names changed to Baines.
“We can certainly get yours changed, but we’ll have to wait for the judge’s ruling before we can consider changing Chloe’s name.”
“Thanks, Lissa.”
“Keep your phone handy in case I need to ask a question.”
Abby closed the door and went to check on Chloe. She’d been quiet for some time. She was sound asleep, curled up on the floor with Baby. That worried Abby. Since the overdose of Tylenol, Chloe slept too much. Abby would have to ask the doctor about that.
