“Yes, I love him, like I never thought was possible outside of a soppy romance novel. Look, I get why he brought you here. He wants to protect me, save me, not that I truly believe that’s possible.”
“It’s possible, sweetheart, one hundred percent.” He has the same unwavering conviction Mase has, even the way he says sweetheart sounds like Mase. “But we’re going to need some details. We need to know exactly what and who we’re saving you from.” He speaks with a flatness and seriousness that reminds me of the enormity of my situation.
“Okay. Mase knows everything, but who is we? Thewethat needs to know what and who?”
The older Harding man laughs at me. “He said you were sharp.Weis me primarily but I might need to use the means at my disposal.”
I have no clue what that means, and I assume my face says as much when Jimmy laughs again.
“Have you seen Liam Neeson inTaken?” He’s startled judging by the gaping expression he’s wearing. Doing a very bad Liam Neeson impression I share the line about a special set of skills, but Jimmy just looks back at me with confusion and amusement. “Watch it. It’ll make sense and I’m sure you’ll like it,” I assure him.
He nods. “Is this avoidance?”
“Maybe.” I sigh before giving him my rubbish life story, albeit a slightly edited version; he needs who, where and when, not how.
I am laughing hard at the image being painted of Mason as a young boy trading injuries and hospital trips with Dec when Mase returns from seeing Nicola.
“We all okay?” Mase drops down next to me on the sofa where he lands a gentle kiss to my temple.
“Yes,” Jimmy and I reply together.
“So?” he asks his dad now.
“I’ve got what I need and later I can make a few calls, put out some feelers and see how the land lies and we’ll take it from there. I should tell you before we embark on this, Olivia, if I find serious illegal activity, I will feel obliged to notify the relevant authorities.
The implications of his words make me panic, especially when I think of Scott and my mother’s suggestive words. “I thought the whole point was that you’d look into things, no more.”
“What I mean is if I should find evidence, real evidence of children being hurt and abused or people kept against their will, I wouldn’t be able to simply walk away and pretend I didn’t know.”
“What? Like me? Is that what you’re saying here?” I ask, defensively leaping to my feet, a little outraged, but more than that I feel guilty, very guilty.
“No. I mean that sometimes when you start digging you reveal far more than you ever imagined and if that should prove to be the case here, I will act upon it. I would imagine your stepfather has already attracted the attention of the authorities one way or another; the police, inland revenue, other churches, education authorities, social services…Some might suspect something isn’t right. Maybe they have suspicions about exactly what is going on, but they can’t act on it because they need proof…”
“And if you find it you’ll give it to them?”
“Yes. For all we know you could have been a one off for your stepfather, not that I am saying that would make it any better, however, if that was the case it would be between you and your conscience, but you may have been one of many.”
“I understand. I want to forget it all, or at least ignore it, but between them all; my mother, her inferences and threats, the doctor being investigated…”
“It may not be possible to forget or ignore. Leave it with me, let’s see what everyone else has got on them. Maybe you should contact your dad, he might know something,” Jimmy suggests nervously.
I can feel Mason’s gaze on me as he waits for me to say something. He’s been waiting for me to say or do something regarding my father since we met him at Sarah’s wedding
“He didn’t know what Raymond was, I know he didn’t,” I insist. “Look,” I clarify. “My dad, he was a good and loving dad and if he’d suspected something like that was probable, or possible he wouldn’t have left us there.”
I look between Mase and Jimmy and can see they’re not entirely convinced by my claims, but I am. My dad was my hero, and I was his princess. He would never have allowed anyone to do those things to me, not ever, no matter what they said or did to make him go away—and then it happens, my lightbulb moment that is accompanied by tears.
“It was them. They did something to him, my dad. They made him go, didn’t they?”
I am staring at both men who are now standing together, before me. “They had to. He would never have left us,” I cry with conviction.
Jimmy nods as he reaches out and cups my shoulder that he is now gently stroking. “As a divorced father that left his children with an ex-wife and a succession of stepfathers I can understand what you’re saying, but what could they have threatened him with to make him leave if he was the caring and loving dad you’re telling us about?” He stares at me, giving me a few seconds to let his words sink in and then he continues. “I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt I can’t think of anything that would have forced me to leave my kids behind without a second thought, which is what he seems to have done.”
I nod and turn to Mase. “I need to speak to him, don’t I?”
My hands are shaking as I take my dad’s business card from Mason, so much so that I am physically unable to dial the number. Taking my phone and the card from me I watch as Mase makes the call and then hands the phone back.
“It’s ringing.”
