by Jane Godman
She shook her head. “That’s not why I’m telling you this. You shared your story with me. I wanted to do the same.”
“Why didn’t you see your mother after she left? That’s a very unusual situation.”
“Looking back, I’m amazed she stayed with him as long as she did. I found out later that she tried to leave and take me with her on several occasions, but my dad stopped her each time. In the end, it all became too much. She sneaked out one night to a place where he couldn’t find her. With the help of some friends, she started a fight for custody.” She bent her head, studying the wood grain of the tabletop. “He used every cheap shot he could come up with to make sure she couldn’t win and that we never got to see each other.”
“If you never saw her again, how do you know all of this?” Griffin asked. “Did your dad tell you he used unfair tactics?”
“No, although he wouldn’t see it as a bad thing. He takes pride in being good at fighting dirty. My mom wrote me a letter just before she died. Actually, it was one of many, but it was the only one I received. I don’t know what happened to the others, but I guess my dad intercepted them. Somehow, this one got through.”
Whenever she remembered that time, the confusion and grief she’d experienced resurfaced. Her dad had told her that her mom had gone because she no longer cared about them, and the absence of any contact had seemed to reinforce that. For a long time, Abigail had questioned her own role in the breakup. Had it been her fault? Had she somehow caused her mother to fall out of love with her dad? With her? Feeling unloved and rejected, she had withdrawn into herself.
“Do you want to talk about what it said?” Griffin asked.
She reached for another napkin and dabbed at the corners of her eyes before blowing her nose again. Such a good look. Was this what he’d expected when he offered to come over? But he was such a good listener, and they’d established an almost instant bond through their similar backgrounds. For the first time since Veronica’s death, she didn’t feel embarrassed about showing her feelings in front of another person.
“Mom wrote how much she loved me and how hard it had been to leave. In the end, my dad had made her life such hell that she’d had no choice. His wild business schemes, debts and dubious acquaintances were taking over his life and, at the same time, his controlling behavior toward her was increasing. He wouldn’t allow her to leave the house without him and wouldn’t give her any money of her own. In that letter, she told me how hard she’d tried to get custody and to have contact with me.” She managed a laugh. “The thing is, my dad never really cared for me that much. Keeping us apart would have been driven more by the desire to hurt my mom than any love he felt for me.”
“I’m sure he cared for you in his own way.” His voice was gentle.
“Are you?” she asked. “Think about what you know of the RevitaYou scam. Do you think the man behind that sounds like he would be a loving parent? And yet, his own mom was loving and kind. I grew up close to her, even though my dad wasn’t a family man. She died of Alzheimer’s and that prompted my interest in the disease.”
“Yet, even despite your mom’s letter, you didn’t get to see her before she died?”
“The letter made things worse. I tried confronting my dad but he refused to listen when I asked to see my mom. When we got the news that she was dead—” She tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling for a moment or two. “The first thing he said was that at least I would finally stop annoying him about contacting her.”
Although Griffin didn’t comment, his fist clenched on the tabletop. After a few moments, he pointed at her empty beer bottle. “Another?”
“Thank you, but two is my limit. Maya will wake me up at about six tomorrow morning, so I need a clear head.”
“Did you go to your mom’s funeral?” he asked.
“Yes, even though my dad told me I couldn’t. Veronica and I sneaked out of school that day and went to the service. I’m glad I got a chance to say goodbye.”
“You should have been able to do so much more.” His voice was gruff. “Too many people are inclined to view divorce as just another episode in a child’s life. It’s not. It’s a major trauma that changes the whole trajectory of a person’s future. In your case, you had so much else to deal with in addition to your parents splitting up.”
She smiled at him. “You are the most amazing advocate for children.”
“I do my best.”
When he smiled, she realized that she’d been mistaken. He wasn’t cold. He was shy.
“When Riley checked on your dad’s background, he discovered that Wes was an investment banker.” Griffin changed the subject.
“That’s one of the jobs he had,” Abigail said. “He used to be good with money, but then his age became an issue for the firm he was at. He started complaining about younger people being given all the opportunities. He was always a scammer and what he meant was that he was missing out on the chance to make more cash. He said he was leaving to start a new venture. He was a grifter and I guess RevitaYou and the pyramid scheme was his latest plan. I feel so bad for all the people who got taken in and lost money.”
“It’s not just about money. The reason we started to investigate this con is because of a man called Brody Higgins. My dad got involved in Brody’s case when he was wrongly accused of murder. Since then, we’ve all looked out for Brody—he’s like part of the family. Brody borrowed five thousand dollars from a loan shark company called Capital X to get in on RevitaYou. When he didn’t meet the first payment, they broke two of his fingers. Now he’s on the run trying to avoid the next attack.”
“That must be so worrying for you and your family,” Abigail said.
“More for them than for me. Brody might have been another late addition to the family but he was a very important one.”
There was something about Griffin’s expression as he spoke that drew her attention. She sensed there was a tension in him about how the Coltons treated Brody. Clearly, his past was complicated and still affected him today. Yet he had turned all that hurt into a powerful force for good. She knew about the amazing work he did for children, not just in his job, but for nonprofit organizations in the Grand Rapids area. It told her so much about the sort of man he was that he could empathize so strongly with children in the foster and adoption system and he would devote his life to helping them.
“I should go.” He indicated the clock over the stove.
“Goodness, how did it get to be after midnight?”
He laughed. “I’d love to stay and talk some more but I have an early start. And you did say you’ll be woken at six.”
She walked with him to the front door. He paused and faced her in the confined space of the hall. As he raised his arms, she thought he was going to pull her in close for a kiss. Her heart started to beat a little faster and she held her breath. He hesitated for a second, then rested his hands lightly on her shoulders.
“I enjoyed tonight, even though the circumstances weren’t ideal.”
She nodded. “And some of the topics we talked about weren’t exactly uplifting.”
“But it was good to be able to share those difficult parts of our lives.” He moved his hands down to her upper arms, warming her flesh through the thin material of her shirt. “Let me know if you hear any more about the Anthrosyne investigation. I’ll keep you informed if I get any information from your caseworker.”
When he’d gone, Abigail locked the door and slid her hands down her arms, touching the place where his fingers had just rested. Surely it was wrong to feel happy when her life was falling apart so spectacularly?
Wrong or not, being with Griffin made her feel good and she was glad of his protective presence in her life. And the fact that she found him so attractive? Well that was a complication she would have to deal with. How she would deal with it, though—that was something she hadn’t quite fi
gured out yet.
Chapter 5
That night, Abigail surprised herself by actually sleeping for a few hours. In addition, Maya slept past her usual time the following morning. As a result, the baby woke with a raging appetite and immediately demanded food. For someone who couldn’t yet talk, she sure knew how to voice her requirements. After strapping her into the high chair, Abigail was preparing oatmeal and pouring milk into a sippy cup, when the doorbell rang.
Frowning, she went to answer it. It was still before eight. She had called the daycare to let them know they were running late but she had no idea who could be calling at that time, particularly as she would usually be heading out about now.
When she opened the door, the tall man standing on the doorstep had an air of authority that was reinforced when he held up his police badge. “Dr. Matthews?”
“Yes.” The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was intensifying with each passing second.
“I’m Detective Emmanuel Iglesias of the Grand Rapids PD. May I come in?”
A wail from the direction of the kitchen signaled that Maya was growing impatient. Although Abigail would have liked to find out more about why there was a police officer at her door before she asked him in, she wasn’t prepared to keep her daughter waiting any longer.
“I need to feed my baby while we talk.” She stood to one side to allow the detective to step inside.
As she led him through to the kitchen, her imagination was going wild. Had they found her dad? Had he somehow implicated her in the RevitaYou con? Had he committed another crime? Or had the Anthrosyne investigation become a criminal inquiry? There were so many things going on in her life and she just couldn’t imagine any good reason why a detective would be knocking on her door at eight in the morning.
The blood in her veins seemed to have been replaced with ice water and, when she went to take the oatmeal out of the microwave, her hand shook.
“It’s okay, honey.” She forced herself to sound normal for Maya’s sake. “Breakfast is coming right up.” She turned to Detective Iglesias. “Can I get you anything? Coffee, maybe?”
He shook his head. “I can see you’re busy, so I’ll get straight to the point. I’m investigating the murder of Dr. Evan Hardin.”
Abigail had been about to stir the oatmeal but, at those words, the spoon slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. “What?”
She must have misheard. Things like murder inquiries belonged on TV and in the movies. They didn’t happen in real life.
“Dr. Hardin was found dead in his office this morning. The time of death is still to be confirmed but we believe it was sometime yesterday evening.”
Mechanically, Abigail picked up the spoon from the floor and placed it in the sink. After getting a clean one from the drawer, she went to sit beside the high chair. Maya babbled happily and opened her mouth like a baby bird. A rush of nausea washed over Abigail and she bowed her head until it passed.
“You said he was murdered?” Images flitted through her mind of the kind, serious man who had been her supervisor and friend throughout her time at Danvers University. Why would anyone kill Evan Hardin? He was an academic. The sweetest, most inoffensive man she’d ever met.
“He was hit over the head from behind with a blunt object. A blood-stained glass bowl, from his awards shelf, was lying next to the body. I’m in the initial stages of my inquiry but it appears that it was the murder weapon. Nothing appears to have been taken.” He took a small notepad and pen out of his shirt pocket. “I believe Dr. Hardin was your boss?”
“Wait.” Abigail looked away from Maya’s oatmeal covered face. “Am I a suspect?”
“All I’m doing right now is making some preliminary inquiries.” He was close enough for her to see that he had written the date and time next to her name at the top of a blank page. “But I’ve been given information that you and Dr. Hardin had an argument yesterday. Something to do with your suspension from your job because of your use of illegal substances?”
Her situation was bad enough, but what he’d just said made it sound so much worse. And, if Evan’s body had been found only that morning, who had given the police false information about her? Was it the same person who had provided details of the use of Anthrosyne in the Mem10 trial? Either way, Abigail felt under pressure. She had no way of defending herself against an invisible threat and yet it felt like the evidence was stacking up against her. The nonexistent evidence.
“I want to speak to my attorney before I answer any questions.” If that made her sound guilty, she didn’t care. Because of RevitaYou, the rest of the world already viewed her that way. From now on, she was putting herself, and Maya, first.
“You have that right, of course.”
There was just one problem. Abigail didn’t have a lawyer. At least, not one who specialized in criminal law. What she had was an adoption attorney. But she trusted Griffin. Because of the connection that had sprung up between them, she knew he would support her better than anyone.
She spooned the last of the oatmeal into Maya’s mouth. “I need some privacy while I make a call.”
He rubbed a hand over his chin and gave her a weary look. “I could come back later.”
“Thank you.” She wasn’t going to let him make her feel guilty about taking control. Even after a reasonable night’s sleep, she was tired and stressed. Her future with Maya was too important to risk on a wrong word to a detective. “I’ll have my attorney call you to arrange a convenient time.”
When he’d gone, Abigail leaned against the wall for a moment or two. Her knees were trembling, and she wanted to cry. But she didn’t have time to be upset.
Please let Griffin answer...
With fingers that shook slightly, she found his number in her cell phone and swiped to make the call. It went straight to voice mail.
Choking back the sob that rose in her throat, she forced herself to speak calmly. “Please call me back as soon as you get this message. It’s important.”
For now, that was all she could do. Maya needed normality, and that was what Abigail would give her. Pinning on a smile, she returned to the kitchen.
“Hey there. How would you like to go for a walk in the park?”
Maya showed her appreciation of the idea by hammering her spoon on the tray of her high chair before throwing her sippy cup on the floor.
Her stress levels were off the scale, but she was a mom and Maya’s care was at the top of her list of priorities. As she focused on packing a bag with the baby’s essentials, she found her breathing slowly returning to normal.
Staying in control. For now, it was all she could do. And for Maya’s sake, she would do it the best way she knew how.
* * *
“I’m not sure I can help you.” Griffin hated saying those words, but the couple sitting opposite him had brought him a case that was outside of his experience. “I think you need to take this to the police.”
“That’s what I said.” Liam Desmond placed an arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“But—” Shelby Desmond pressed a tissue against her lips before continuing. “We don’t want to press charges. We just want our baby. Isn’t that what you do? You bring families together?”
The Desmonds had come to Griffin in desperation when the private adoption they’d arranged had gone wrong. A woman on social media who said she knew about their fertility problems had approached them. After striking up a conversation via social media, the woman, who called herself Dr. Anne Jay, had explained that she ran MorningStar Families, an online adoption agency.
Liam and Shelby were desperate for a child of their own, but the waiting list was a long one and they had agreed to adopt the baby of a young woman called Kitty. They had sent regular payments to Dr. Jay who, in return, had obligingly sent them photographic evidence of Kitty’s pregnancy and medical records. On the day the baby was
due, they had transferred ten thousand dollars to MorningStar Families’ bank account. Immediately afterward, Dr. Jay had stopped communicating with them on social media. They had no other way of contacting her. Griffin had spent some time looking into the online agency, but had been unable to find any contact details.
“To be honest, I would be surprised if there ever was a baby.” Although Griffin spoke gently, he wanted them to know the truth right from the start.
Shelby covered her face with her hands and began to weep quietly. Her husband regarded Griffin with a mixture of annoyance and helplessness. “You think this woman could have done this before?”
“It’s possible. Like I said, you need to talk to the police.”
He didn’t add that the arrangement the Desmonds had made with MorningStar Families was a questionable one and the chances of them getting their money back weren’t high. The police should still be informed about the online adoption scam so that they could try to prevent it from happening again.
“Since you work with families all the time, maybe you could help to warn other people against this sort of thing?” Liam asked.
“I’ll certainly try,” Griffin said.
“If we send you some details, would you share them publicly?”
“Send them and I’ll see what I can do.” He would check with Pippa before making any promises, but he couldn’t see what harm there would be in adding a paragraph to his monthly newsletter warning his followers to be aware that this sort of con existed.
When the Desmonds had gone, he checked the time. He had half an hour before his next meeting. Luckily that was routine and required no preparation. A regular lunchtime get-together with some of his fellow family law attorneys, at which they discussed their workload and difficult cases.
He just had time to check his messages. As soon as he picked up his cell phone, he frowned. Abigail had called him almost four hours earlier. As he listened to her message, he grew even more concerned.
When he called her back, she answered immediately. “Oh, thank goodness.”
