Chapter 4 - ETHAN CAME TO THE HOSPITAL
Ethan arrived just after midnight.
He wore the same dark suit he had left in that morning.
His tie hung loose.
He looked exhausted and offended.
Not frightened.
Not ashamed.
Offended.
A hospital security officer stopped him outside Dustin’s room.
“I am his stepfather.”
Andrea stood near the door.
“The child has requested that you not enter.”
Ethan looked at me.
“You did this.”
“No.”
“Dustin made a decision.”
“He is seven.”
“He is terrified.”
“Because of your mother.”
Ethan lowered his voice.
“Can we speak privately?”
Detective Hall had already arrived.
He stood several feet behind me in plain clothes.
I agreed to speak inside the consultation room.
The detective entered with us.
Ethan stared at him.
“This is a family matter.”
Hall closed the door.
“Child abuse and attempted financial fraud are not private family matters.”
Ethan looked at me again.
“You called the police before speaking to me?”
“I heard the recording.”
His face changed.
“What recording?”
“Ellie’s phone.”
He sat slowly.
I played the section containing his voice.
I told you not to leave marks.
Keep Dustin scared.
Ethan closed his eyes.
“It sounds worse than it was.”
Detective Hall leaned forward.
“What did you mean?”
“My mother said Dustin had become disrespectful.”
“What did discipline involve?”
“I thought she took away games.”
“You warned her about marks.”
Ethan rubbed his face.
“She said she grabbed his arm once.”
“Did you ask Dustin?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“He always takes Maya’s side.”
I stared at him.
“He is my son.”
“He is supposed to trust me.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“That is exactly the problem.”
“You never let me become his father.”
“You called him her son whenever responsibility became inconvenient.”
“I paid bills.”
“With money from my company.”
“I worked there too.”
“You drew a salary.”
The detective interrupted.
“What is Leonard Pike preparing?”
Ethan became silent.
Hall repeated the question.
“My mother introduced him.”
“He said we could restructure the trust.”
“You had no authority to restructure it.”
“I was planning for our future.”
“You were planning to use Dustin’s money.”
“It would have become family money.”
I looked at Ethan.
“It was left to a child by the grandfather who loved him.”
“He has more than he will ever need.”
“Ellie has debts.”
“My mother has nothing.”
“Your family always needs something.”
The words came out quietly.
That quiet hurt him more than shouting would have.
Ethan asked to see Dustin.
Andrea returned with the answer.
“No.”
Ethan stood.
“You are poisoning him against me.”
“No.”
“He heard you tell people to keep him afraid.”
Ethan moved toward the door.
Detective Hall stopped him.
“We also need your phone and laptop.”
“You do not have a warrant.”
“Not yet.”
Hall held out a preservation notice.
“Destroying anything after receiving this becomes another problem.”
Ethan took the paper.
Before leaving, he looked at me.
“You are throwing away nine years of marriage because my mother made one bad decision.”
I thought about the potato.
The bruises.
The forged forms.
The fear in Dustin’s eyes.
May you like
“No.”
“You threw it away one decision at a time.”
