Her sister nodded and shifted the phone to show her husband.
“Do you have a cousin, Lee? Tall, lean, black hair?” It wasn’t much of a description to go on.
“Yes. He lives in Australia. Did you meet him at the wedding?”
“Yeah.” She hesitated. “Saw him again at the restaurant, and he looked familiar. He had a camera with him.”
Dylan grinned. “Sounds like him. He’s a photographer and has a camera stuck to his hand.”
“Why ask about him?” Joy asked, turning the camera back to her. “Is he the one you ran off with?”
“No! It’s been bugging me, that’s all.”
“So where are you? Mum’s frantic.”
“Somewhere safe.” How much should she tell her sister? She didn’t want Joy involved. “Tell Mum not to worry, and I’ll call her later.” She hung up before her sister could say anything else.
Ed shifted from where he stood by the door, watching the hall. “That corroborates Lee’s story.”
She wasn’t looking forward to calling her parents, particularly not if Tan had lied to them first. Her mother did get hysterical over the slightest thing, and Tess running off with a man would be a big thing. She sighed.
“What’s up? It’s good Lee isn’t a suspect anymore.”
“Yeah, but I have to call my parents, and it won’t be pleasant.” And what if they confirmed they were somehow involved with this Stonefish company? Would that mean they were criminals? Would they ask her to do something to the Stokes family?
Ed’s smile was sympathetic. Outside, people called for speeches. What was she doing, dragging Ed into her mess? “Go outside and enjoy the speeches,” she said. “I’ll be out after I’ve made my call.”
He glanced down the corridor. “You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Mum’s going to freak out. You don’t need to witness it.”
He smiled. “Come and get me if you need me,” he said. “I’m here for you.” Ed waited until she nodded and then left the room.
She placed a hand on her chest.
How did she get so lucky to find this white knight?
There was no way she would let Tan hurt him further.
Chapter 11
Ed wandered outside and around the verandah to rejoin the wedding. Tess had asked a lot of questions about Stonefish, and now didn’t want him there as she talked to her family. Could she be working for Tan, and calling him now? He hesitated, glancing back towards the house. Should he go back, eavesdrop?
He crashed into Sam, who stepped onto the verandah. “Sorry.”
Sam grinned. “You want to do the speech instead?”
Everyone was gathered, waiting. Ed cringed and shook his head, joining Georgie on the lawn. He couldn’t go back inside now and he definitely didn’t know enough about his brother to do a best man’s speech.
Sam waited for silence. “Unlike Lindsay, I can’t claim to have seen Brandon in a nappy, but I could probably top her with stories about other unfortunate circumstances I’ve found him in.”
While the crowd chuckled, Ed wondered whether he could say the same. What stories did he have of Brandon? Brandon and Darcy had spent most of their time together, roaming the station after school. Charlie would go with them when he could, but Ed preferred to stay at home with his mum and Georgie. He had memories of them all together as a family, but few he could single out as just him and Brandon.
“We went through basic training together and from that moment, I knew he had my back, and I had his. Brandon would do anything for his teammates.”
And yet he’d left his family without a backward glance. Over the years, Ed had tried not to let it bother him. Brandon had helped him settle into university in Perth, and they’d occasionally caught up for dinner, but now Brandon was back at the station as if he’d never left. Darcy accepted him, and Lara thought he was wonderful. Ed was back to being the only black sheep, the only one who couldn’t handle the country. He shoved the unwelcome jealousy aside.
Perhaps he was still tired if he was feeling sorry for himself. Ed had lived for his visits home, his mum’s cooking and mothering, catching up with Darcy, Georgie and Lara. When he’d got his dad hooked on astronomy, it had been something they could share. Heading back to Perth had become more difficult each time he left. Now though, everything was different.
