Page 73 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
“No!” Ethan shook his head with another sigh. “Carly’s not out for revenge. She didn’t approach me. Remember, I was the one who went after her.” He dropped his head back for a few seconds. “I was the one who dragged her back into this mess, and now whoever’s trying to destroy us has been given the opportunity they’ve been waiting for over the past three years.” He gave a self-mocking laugh. “This is no one’s fault but my own.” A thought hit him, and he turned to look at Alex and then Bailey. “Who owns Daft Drew Productions?”
Bailey fiddled with her phone and held up the contracts. “Parker Drew.”
“Was he one of your suspects?” Alex asked, trying to pry them from Ethan.
“Oh!” Bailey’s eyes widened. “You’re not going to believe this.” She pulled an I’m sorry face.
“What?” Alex and Ethan said in unison.
“Parker Drew has been spotted on Plum Island,” Bailey told them.
“I’m sure he’s been here a lot,” Ethan pointed out.
“He was spotted here talking to Trinity Woodrow this afternoon.” Bailey turned the phone toward them to see the article.
“I hate the internet,” Ethan seethed. “You can’t move these days without being snapped by some enthusiastic fan.” He shook his head. “Phones shouldn’t have cameras on them.”
“If Parker wasn’t on your suspect list, maybe he should be,” Bailey advised Ethan. “Along with Paul Liddiard, guess what company produced Paul’s highly successful comeback album?”
Shock waves zapped through Ethan, and his eyes widened. “Daft Drew Productions.” Suddenly, a new light shone on Carly’s and his troubles. Paul Liddiard hated Ethan and blamed him for Beth’s death. When Ethan started dating Trinity, Paul went after her, warning her about Ethan. If Paul had found out about Carly and Ethan back then, it would have made sense that he’d be furious. Carly was married to his adopted son, and Paul blamed Ethan for trying to ruin another one of his children’s lives.
A cold shiver ran down Ethan’s spine as a cold realization struck. This had never been about Carly until she’d started spending more and more time with Ethan. His eyes widened as the words on the recording ran through his mind, and he frowned.
“Alex, can you play that recording again?” Ethan looked at his brother.
“Really?” Alex looked at him, surprised.
“Yes!” Ethan nodded.
Alex found the clip and hit play. This time, Ethan listened without a preconceived notion that it was Carly plotting against him. His mind whirled as he flipped through his memory banks until he found what he was looking for. His heart kicked back to life, and he sucked in a breath. Ethan picked up Alex’s phone and scanned through the pictures Alex had of Carly and Parker.
Ethan put Alex’s phone down and laughed, surprising his siblings, who thought he’d lost his mind.
“Are you okay?” Bailey asked, looking at him strangely. “Or do we need to call a hospital and put you on a seventy-two-hour psychological hold?”
“I’m good!” Ethan told them, blowing out a sigh of relief. “I also think I’ve solved the mystery of who has been doing this to me and Carly by association.”
“Don’t keep us in suspense!” Bailey said in exasperation. “Spill!”
“I’m not going to do the accusing thing again,” Ethan told them and glanced at Alex. “But I will tell you this…” He pointed at Alex’s phone. “The voice clip you were sent was a line from the last episode ofAll My Heartand so were the photos.“ He turned to Bailey. “If youcheck on the phone you always have your nose buried in, little sister, you’ll find it.”
CHAPTER 17
Carly sat in her empty restaurant. She’d kept it closed because she wasn’t sure what fallout her interview with Trinity the previous day would have on it. She didn’t want her staff to get caught up in the aftermath. She knew firsthand how brutal the media could be.
Carly picked up her phone, her heart bruised and disappointed that she still hadn’t heard from Ethan since the lobby at the Summer Inn the previous evening. She frowned, wondering if Ethan knew that Shaun was Paul’s adopted son.
No, that doesn’t make sense!Carly shook the thought off.
A movement near the bar caught her eye, and she turned to see Parker pacing as he talked on the phone. Carly had managed to calm Parker down the previous evening, and she told him she’d make some calls to help him figure out where Daphne and Lilly were. When he’dfinally left her house in the early hours of the morning, Carly had told Parker to meet her at her restaurant at eight a.m.
After Carly had made them some coffee at the restaurant, she’d called Uncle Sam, who had let Parker speak to Daphne. That had been… She looked at her wristwatch. Ten minutes ago. Carly watched Parker, her heart going out to him. Although she hadn’t gotten the full story and still had a lot of questions for him, Carly could see how much Parker loved Daphne and his daughter.
A twinge of doubt zinged through her as she hoped she’d done the right thing by admitting to Parker that she knew who was helping Daphne. Suddenly, the doubt escalated, and her eyes widened.
What if Parker was working with Daphne’s brother, and I’ve just led them right to her?Carly’s heart started to pound with her panic.That would not only put Daphne in danger but also Lilly and Uncle Sam.Her hands shook as she put the mug of coffee on the table.Uncle Sam had a bad back!She gave herself a mental shake.Good grief, Carly, calm down, for goodness’ sake. You’ve become completely paranoid.
Carly watched Parker flop onto a bar stool with his head in his hand as he spoke.There is no faking that!She appeased her conscience.Parker is a brilliant actor, but even he couldn’t fake the distress of a man worried about his family.
