“I remembered what happened too, Amy. It was because of Eric we left Australia. His interest in me scared my father. I guess he knew something wasn’t right with his brother and it was easier to get us out of there than to stay and fix things. We’ll never really know though.”
“No! I have to say that surprises me. But really, it shouldn’t. He was always a troublesome teenager. Poor Grandad didn’t have much control over him being the youngest and all, especially after Nana died. He broke the poor old man’s heart, he did.” Amy tsked. “We all thought he’d come right when he decided to become a lawyer. Thought he’d become a better person. Goes to show you can never tell.”
“That’s right. I have to get to work but if you need me, Amy, I’m not far away, okay?” Ryder grabbed her hand, patted it, and then headed for the door. “How the heck do I get out of this place?”
Amy laughed. “Hang on.” She hurried back to her desk and pushed a big green button on the wall. “You have a great day. And Ryder, thank you for trusting me.”
Chapter 22
“Morning, Ryder. How is everything going with my granddaughter?”
It’d been a tough couple of weeks dealing with the fall out from Eric’s arrest and all the work that went with it. Late nights and busy days had kept her from thinking too much of how close she’d come to losing her child and the reasons behind her uncle’s depraved way of making money. Talking to her mother on a sunny Saturday morning soothed her busy mind.
“Fantastic. She’s outside playing with Milo. I swear that dog was meant for her.” She walked into the lounge and dropped into a chair, grateful for a chance to sit down for a moment. Ever since Ryder had woken up this morning, she’d cleaned and sorted out the house. After two weeks of doing hardly anything but work, the place was a mess.
“I’m so glad you found each other. Has Eb said anything about your uncle taking her? I have horrible visions of her having nightmares about it all.” Ryder could hear the sadness in her mother’s voice.
“No, not a thing. That’s the only good thing about that drug, the loss of memory that comes with it.” She paused. Now was the time. “Mum, listen. Eb wasn’t the only one who remembered something where he was concerned.” Ryder closed her eyes, sucked in a breath, and went through everything she’d told Jake about what happened when she was little.
“Oh no. And your father never said a word about any of it.” She sniffed. “Fancy holding that kind of thing in all those years. The poor man.” Ryder could hear a strange noise over the phone. Was her mother crying?
“Mum, are you okay?”
“I don’t know, honey. To think you went through that as a youngster. It breaks my heart.” Her mother sighed.
“But he didn’t do anything to me so stop stressing. Dad stepped in and I’m fine, I promise.” Ryder knew it would plague her thoughts about what might have been, but she was determined to move on.
“Are you sure, honey?”
“Uh huh. And guess what else?”
“What?” Her mothers twang grew deeper when she got excited. Ryder had missed her voice and speaking to her now was what she needed.
“I’m glad I came home. It feels as though I belong here at last.” She paused. “Mum, can you come over for a visit? I want you to meet someone and if you don’t come and see Eb, she’ll forget you.” Ryder bit her bottom lip, knowing she was pushing the grandma heartstrings buttons a bit hard.
“I’m not sure, Ryder. I’d have to take time off work but I can ask. And you’d never let my granddaughter forget me.”
Ryder laughed, knowing her mother was right. It was a ploy to get her over to Australia. “You must have so much time off due to you anyway, you always do. A fortnight, Mum. I have something planned and that timing would be good. Please say you’ll come?”
“Let me get back to you. I will if I can.”
Ryder hung up the phone and walked out to the kitchen. She picked up pen and paper from the table and walked outside, sat down on the steps, and started to write while Ebony played with Milo in the yard.
* * *
“Ryder, can you come in here please?” Jake held open his office door and waited for her to join him. When she walked in he closed the door behind her. “You remember Mr. and Mrs. Bonneville. They wanted to come in and talk to us.”
“I’m glad things worked out and you got Paris back.” Ryder smiled, satisfied all the grief over the last weeks with her own family members had been worth it for these parents. Eric still denied all wrong doing and her grandfather had suffered again from backlash from the same community members who always had it in for him.
Mr. Bonneville stood up and took Ryder’s hand. “We can’t tell you how much we appreciate what you did for us. For Paris.” Tears filled his eyes but he brushed them away. “And to think you had to suffer as well but never gave up. You deserve a medal for your effort.”
“No I don’t, its all part of the job. But I’m glad Paris is safe at home again.” She withdrew her hand and stepped back to lean against the wall. The distance gave her the opportunity to breath easier. It still hurt that Ebony had been taken and if it wasn’t for her grandfather, she may well have been lost in a city somewhere as Paris had been.
He grabbed for his wife’s had. “I’d all but given up. It seemed
