‘Who?’Ryan asked.
‘Lauren and Steve Berry’s fifteen-year-old daughter.She’s been receiving anonymous emails.Threatening ones.’
Ryan shook his head.‘What’s that got to do with me?’
‘We traced the IP address to this location.’
‘What does that mean in English?’
‘It means that the emails were sent from a computer at this address.’
‘Bloody Charlie,’ Ryan muttered under his breath.Sophie’s stomach lurched.‘Charlie!Get out here!’
She winced at the sharp edge in his voice.
‘My oldest boy was in a fight with their kid last week,’ Ryan explained as he waited for Charlie to appear.
Charlie came down the hall, gave Sophie a nervous glance, then walked tentatively to his father at the front door.
‘The cops are saying something about anonymous emails.What do you know about that?’
Charlie shook his head, clearly confused.‘I don’t know, nothing.’
Ryan eyeballed him.‘You haven’t been sending emails to Leo Berry’s sister?’
‘No, I swear, Dad.I haven’t!’There was a desperate tremor in his voice.
Jimmy looked from Charlie to Ryan.‘Look, this is just a warning to whoever’s been sending the emails.They need to stop,’ he said, directing the comment to Ryan rather than Charlie.
When Ryan shut the door, he turned to Charlie, glaring into his son’s wide eyes.
‘Listen here.’He jabbed his finger into Charlie’s chest.‘I don’t need the bloody cops coming around here, so you make sure it doesn’t happen again.Got it?’
‘Yes, Dad.’Charlie nodded.‘But I didn’t do it, Dad.’
Sophie saw Ryan’s temper flare.His jaw twitched.She willed Charlie to stop talking.
After a long moment, Ryan spoke again.‘Go to your room.’
As Charlie hurried down the hall, Sophie let out a shaky breath.
Chapter 47
‘Croissant,’ Jimmy said, as he sat down in Nel’s consult room the next morning, passing her a paper bag and a coffee.
‘Thanks.You’re a mind reader.’She’d opted for an early surf over breakfast.
He gave her a muted smile.Things were still a little strained between them—his tone a little cooler than usual, his demeanour slightly distant.
‘So, did you visit the Warners?’she asked.
Jimmy nodded.‘Ryan assures me Poppy won’t be receiving any more emails.’
She swallowed a mouthful of croissant.‘He admitted to sending them?’
‘No, he assumed it was Charlie.’
‘What happened?’
