A Cop's Honor. Emilie Rose

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СКАЧАТЬ cheeks darkened again. “He made inappropriate comments to other students.”

      “Kids talk junk, Hannah. Nothing unusual in that.” He and his friends sure had.

      “No.” She glanced over each shoulder then leaned forward. “His comments were...sexual and crude. I don’t even know where he heard the words he used. Definitely not from me.”

      “Movies? Internet?”

      She shook her head. “I don’t have cable TV and I’m very careful about what I allow him to watch, and I always supervise his internet time.”

      All good. “What about from the men you date?”

      “I don’t date!”

      Her shock at his question seemed genuine, and the rings would be off-putting to most guys. How long would it take for Hannah to move on? He hated to think Rick would be replaced, but Hannah was attractive, in great shape and only thirty. It was inevitable.

      “He probably has a girlfriend.”

      “He’s ten!”

      “They start early these days, Hannah.”

      Her gaze bounced to his then volleyed away again. She bit her lip. “I don’t think it’s a girl.”

      “What makes you so sure?”

      “Because if I didn’t make him do so he’d never brush his teeth, shower or change his clothes.”

      “Good point. Discovering girls would encourage him to improve his hygiene, and care about his appearance. Have you spoken to his teachers or the school counselor?”

      “Yes. They don’t have any idea of the cause. But... Brandon, they’re threatening to expel him if he doesn’t straighten up and I can’t... I can’t guarantee that he will. He’s a handful. Even for me.”

      “Have you asked him about sexual abuse?”

      She flinched. “Yes. I did. It was an...awkward conversation. He swears no one has touched him inappropriately. And I don’t know where it could have happened...if it had. I don’t leave him unattended or let him go anywhere that I haven’t thoroughly checked out.”

      “There’s always church and day care.”

      “Both places have excellent reputations, and there are always two adults in the rooms.”

      “If this has been going on for a while, why are you calling me now, Hannah? What aren’t you telling me?”

      She swallowed, inhaled and glanced around again. “You can’t say anything about this to anyone. Okay? It could...cause problems.” He nodded, knowing if a crime had been committed he’d break the promise. “Mason tried to sneak out Wednesday night.”

      That could be cause for alarm, but it could also just be Mason acting like an adolescent. “I snuck out plenty of times as a kid—usually to go somewhere with Rick. What did he have with him?”

      “His backpack.”

      “What was in it?”

      She blinked. “I don’t know.”

      “Didn’t you look?”

      “No. That’s a violation of privacy.”

      “You’re his parent, not his pal. Privacy is a privilege that must be earned.” Or so his parents always claimed.

      “I disagree. To teach respect you must show it.”

      “When he’s thirty. Right now he’s a kid with problems. You have probable cause and the right to search.”

      “You sound like a cop.”

      “Because I am one. Either you want my help or you don’t.”

      She tipped her head back to stare at the dense leaf canopy. Then she swallowed and met his gaze. “Do you know how hard it was for me to call you? I wouldn’t have if I’d had anyone else.”

      Regret twisted through him at the agony on her face. Talking to Hannah had once been almost as easy as talking to one of his sisters. She’d always been smart, informed and funny. “What about your dad or Rick’s parents?”

      Her mother had never been part of the picture. Rick hadn’t told Brandon why.

      “Dad’s stationed in Italy right now. He’s too far away to visit us more than once a year, and our parenting views...differ. Rick’s parents think I’m a horrible mother. They fuss continually because my kids are ‘ill-mannered and don’t respect others’ property.’ Once a month we visit them or they come here, but...it’s not a good relationship no matter how hard I try to fix it.”

      Some things never changed. On his few visits to Rick’s house he’d learned not to touch anything. “I take it their house is still full of priceless collectibles?”

      “Yes. In the Leiths’ eyes I don’t do anything right, and neither do my kids. Mason and Belle hate visiting them. But I want them to know their grandparents. I always lived too far away to see mine, and then they were gone and it was too late.”

      “What you’re saying is, Rick’s parents are still uptight pains in the ass?”

      She grimaced. “Pretty much. They keep pushing me to move closer so they can watch the kids when they’re not in school. What they really want to do is ‘fix them.’ But I don’t want to leave our home.”

      Her gaze bounced away. He waited, suspecting the speech she was formulating in her mind would be the core reason she’d called him.

      Worry-clouded eyes found his. “The Leiths miss their son, and they’re clinging to my children as a replacement—especially Mrs. Leith. When she heard about Mason’s troubles at school she insisted her precious Richard had never had behavior issues, and if Mason did it had to be my fault. She’s threatened to ‘call in a professional.’ I don’t know if she means a psychologist or social services, but neither would be good. Like you, she assumed I was bringing unsuitable men into the house, and when I assured her I wasn’t, she said he had to be learning his filthy language from me. Which, she went on to tell me, made me an unfit parent.”

      “She was always a vengeful bitch.”

      She’d tried to get Brandon fired after Rick’s death and throughout the follow-up investigation. Because of the Leiths’ clout with South Carolina’s movers and shakers, it had been a serious threat. He’d had to deal not only with his grief over losing his best friend and the threat of losing the job he loved, but also second-guessing his judgment because he’d let Rick talk him out of following protocol.

      “I’m a good parent, Brandon. I do my best to provide for my children. I never leave them unsupervised, and I send them to the best after-school program I can afford. But I saw a friend who was an excellent parent lose custody of her children when her ex-husband manufactured things. What he accused her of wasn’t true, but it cast enough doubt for her to end up with supervised visitation only. Like the Leiths, he’s loaded and connected, and like me, my СКАЧАТЬ