I’ve got you, Ethan.
Ethan dropped his eyes and took a deep breath. “My name is Ethan Rhodes. Up until about six months ago, I was working as an ER doctor at George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C.”
“And Lucy?” Ronan asked when Ethan didn’t continue.
“She’s my ex-boyfriend’s stepdaughter.”
“Eric Palmer?” Ronan asked softly.
Caught off guard, Ethan managed a nod and then said, “How did you know?”
“After Cain told me yours and Lucy’s first names, I had one of my people do a little digging. She found a BOLO alert on you.”
“What…what is that?” Ethan asked.
“It means ‘Be on the Lookout.’ It’s used to inform law enforcement to be on the alert for suspects, missing persons and people of interest. It allows police officers to detain someone until the interested party can be notified,” Ronan explained.
Ethan paled, but nodded. “Is it…is it for kidnapping?” he asked.
“No, it’s not a warrant. You’re named as a person of interest in transporting a minor across state lines.”
“Person of interest?” Ethan asked, his voice shaky.
“You haven’t formally been charged with the crime,” Ronan said.
“Why wouldn’t Eric just have me charged with kidnapping?”
“My guess is your ex wanted some wiggle room…he needed help finding you, but didn’t want you to be formally charged.”
Ethan shook his head. “He wants to control the outcome,” he murmured.
“It’s a calculated risk. If you’re arrested and charged, you’remore likely to tell your side, but as a POI, he can work something out with you and drop the charges if things go his way.”
Ethan nodded. “He doesn’t want me in jail. He wants things to go back to the way they were. And when things quiet down…”
I remembered Ethan’s words from the night before. He’d been so certain Eric would kill him. He’d actually accepted it as a foregone conclusion.
“Start at the beginning, Ethan,” I said softly as I watched Ethan try to hold himself together. I was tempted to go sit next to him on the couch, but I knew it would look strange, so I stayed where I was.
“Um, I met Eric a little over four years ago. I was a second-year resident at that time.”
“Second year?” Ronan interjected. “Most people your age would have still been in medical school at that time.”
“Yeah, um, I skipped a couple of grades when I was a kid. I graduated high school when I was sixteen.”
Ronan nodded.
“Eric came into the ER with a broken wrist. He’d been chasing a suspect. When he tackled the guy, he fell wrong…”
“Your ex is a cop?” I asked.
Ethan nodded. “For Metro PD…Metropolitan Police Department in D.C.” Ethan dropped his eyes again and said, “He started flirting with me, though I didn’t really realize it at the time. I was…I was kind of clueless when it came to that kind of stuff,” he said softly. “When he asked me out, I was so surprised. I told him no because I didn’t think I was allowed to date a patient. He came back the next day and asked me out again…said I wasn’t his doctor anymore.” Ethan paused before softly whispering, “He was so charming.”
Silence fell across the room and I had no doubt Ethan was remembering that day because a wistful expression fell over his face. It took him several long moments to continue.
“Things were good at first. He was patient and sweet. I wasn’t very experienced so I wanted to move slow. He did too. He said I was worth waiting for. It was three months before we even…you know,” Ethan murmured as more color flooded his face.
“Things started to go bad about a month after that. He hit me for the first time after he accused me of cheating on him. Another doctor had given me a ride home from work when I was having car trouble. I didn’t even know how Eric knew and when I asked, he hit me and told me not to try and change the subject. I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to do. He apologized the next day…told me it was just because he loved me so much and the idea of me with someone else drove him crazy. He swore he would never do it again and I believed him. Ineededto believe him,” he added, his voice low.
