What Goes on Tour (26 page)

“Hello, Libby.” George’s voice was polite with maybe a hint of surprise.

“I heard that Kate is staying with her aunt,” Libby blurted. “Is there any way I can help?”

“Who told you?” There was definitely surprise there.

Libby hesitated. She didn’t want to get Kate into trouble.

George filled the silence. “It had to be Kate.”

“She sounds worried. Do you want me to write a statement? I could say how well Adrian cares for her.”

“I appreciate the offer, Libby, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Susan knows you and Adrian were lovers. Anything you say would be disregarded almost immediately.”

Libby huffed. He was right, of course. “Is there nothing I can do?”

George was silent. “I’m collecting statements from others. Yours might help when viewed alongside them.”

“Fine. When do you need it?”

“We go to court in two days.”

“So soon?”

“Susan knows someone in the department,” George growled.

“How’s Kate holding up?”

George laughed. “She’s a real trooper. She’s made lists and written her own statement, she’s even got her cousins fighting against their mother. We’ve nicknamed her Lilly Lionheart.”

Libby’s heart swelled. The name of Kate’s superhero in her story. “She’ll love that.” Libby paused and then asked the question. “How’s Adrian?”

The silence was so long Libby didn’t think George was going to answer. “He swings between fighting for her and convincing himself Susan can give her a more stable home life.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Kate and Adrian belonged together.

“You and I both know that. The whole situation with his father really set him back.”

George was telling her more than he probably should, considering how her relationship with Adrian ended.

Her head swirled with thoughts. She loved Kate and she loved Adrian. He might not reciprocate that love, but she couldn’t stand by and watch him lose Kate without doing something. Would a reference be enough?

Her stomach twitched with nerves. “I’ll send you the character reference as soon as I can. If you think of anything else I can do, let me know.”

“Will do.”

Libby hung up. It was probably the last time she’d hear from George.

Adrian was preparing lunch in the kitchen, though he wasn’t hungry. Kate had been living with Susan for a couple of days now, and while he’d been allowed to speak to Kate on the phone, he hadn’t been allowed to visit.

He missed her.

The court case was tomorrow and strangers would decide whether he’d get Kate back.

“How do you think it will go?” he asked George.

George’s phone beeped, signaling a message. Adrian searched for his own cell and saw it lying on the bench. Picking it up, he noticed it was turned off. The battery must have run out. He’d not checked it in days, as he hadn’t been in the mood to talk to anyone. He plugged it in to charge.

“I honestly don’t know how it’ll go,” George said. “We’ve got statements from everyone who knows you and Kate, Emily’s video confession and the supervised visit reports. The only thing we haven’t responded to is your father’s accusations.”

They’d had the discussion multiple times, but Adrian had never worked up the courage to face his father. He kept convincing himself that it wouldn’t help.

But what if it did? What if something his father said could make the difference between winning custody of Kate and losing it? Would not knowing eat away at him?

Adrian turned his phone on and noted a missed call. He dialed to listen to the message.

Libby’s voice washed over him like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water at him. He was so startled that her words didn’t sink in until the last sentence – “I don’t need you in my life.”

He boosted himself on to the kitchen bench as he replayed the message. The only other time he’d heard Libby use that tone was the day after Kate’s nightmare when she’d come to his defense against Susan. It was her somebody-needs-their-head-examined tone and this time it was directed at him. He couldn’t prevent the smile that covered his face. He loved that tone, could picture her indignation and the way her eyes flashed fire when she spoke.

He loved her.

Adrian froze. He loved Libby.

How could it have taken him so long to realize it?

“You all right?” George’s voice waded through the shock.

Adrian nodded as he listened to the message a third time. Libby was right. He was trapped by his childhood and she did deserve better than that. But the fact that she had called to tell him gave him hope. She had to care for him. Maybe he hadn’t completely ruined things with her.

“Do you want to go through our statements again?” George asked.

The question brought him back to the now. He couldn’t think of Libby at the moment, he had to focus on winning the court case. There was still one more thing he could do.

Fear shivered unwelcome down his spine. Adrian fisted his hands. It was time he freed himself from this fear. Time he freed himself from his past. Adrian braced himself and then said, “I’m going to visit my father.”

George’s eyes widened briefly. “Are you sure?”

Adrian nodded, not as certain as he’d like to be.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No.” He could do this. He had to do this himself.

Before he could change his mind, he stood up and walked out of the house, feeling like he was walking into a minefield.

But the thought of Kate – and Libby – gave him courage.

***

Adrian drove through his old neighborhood, the stress building the further in he drove. He hadn’t been back since the day he and Daniel had run away, but it had hardly changed. The school he’d attended was to his left and on the right he drove past the supermarket where he and Daniel had bought their microwave dinners.

Then he turned into his old street and his heart beat heavily in his chest. He pulled into the drive and turned off the engine. He stared at the house, not ready to go in.

The paint was peeling away from the timber cladding and the grass in the front was long and unkempt. The porch sagged and the wood was a silver gray color from neglect.

He gripped the steering wheel and focused on his breathing as the memories tried to overwhelm him.

He could do this. He had to, for Kate and for himself.

He thrust the car door open and climbed out, forcing his feet to keep moving toward the house.

The steps groaned as he climbed onto the porch. The front door was open and through the flyscreen Adrian could see into the house. The hallway was lined with empty bourbon bottles.

The twelve-year-old inside him shuddered. Adrian took a deep breath and knocked, the sound like a gunshot to his ears.

In another room he heard someone getting to their feet and walking toward the door. He fought the urge to run.

“If you’re here to sell something, I’m not buying.” It was his father’s voice, the deep Texan accent slightly slurred as it preceded him into the hallway.

Fear pricked Adrian. Was his father drunk?

The man entered the hallway, walking slowly, and finally looked up. He met Adrian’s gaze and his jaw dropped, his expression first shock, then perhaps fear.

“Hello, Pa.” Adrian was pleased his voice was steady.

His father closed his mouth and grunted. “Didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Adrian didn’t know what he’d expected his father to say, but it was more than that. Pushing past the surprise, he focused on his purpose. “I want to talk about the lies you’ve been spreading.”

“Those suckers will believe anything,” his father said, not the least bit apologetic.

Anger began to dissolve Adrian’s fear. “Don’t you care how those lies might have affected me?”

“Why should I? You and your no-good brother left and never looked back. I suppose he’s got some hifalutin job as well.”

The grief hit him. “Daniel’s dead.”

“How?” There was shock in the old man’s eyes and sorrow in his voice.

Adrian was so surprised he answered immediately. “A car crash a year ago. It killed Daniel and his wife. Kate was the only survivor.”

His father squinted at him. “Kate’s the red-haired girl?”

“Yes,” Adrian said. “Your granddaughter.”

His father unlatched the flyscreen door and pushed it open. “You want to come in?”

Adrian didn’t. The thought of crossing the threshold into the house that was his prison throughout his whole childhood filled him with dread, but there was a vulnerability in his father’s eyes that he had never seen before.

Adrian walked in through to the living room.

It hadn’t changed in the eighteen years since Adrian had been inside. The brown couch he’d raced around so many times to evade his father, the coffee table that had been chipped when he’d tripped and his father had pushed him into it, the dirty, threadbare beige carpet. The whole room had an odor of stale cigarettes and bourbon.

His father hovered near the doorway, uncertain. “You gonna sit?”

“No.” He couldn’t. There was no way he could relax in this room.

His father walked over to the sideboard and poured himself a drink.

“Don’t.” Adrian’s tone was sharp.

The old man’s hand shook but he put the glass down. “You tryin’ to order me around in my own home?”

“Someone needs to.” Adrian didn’t want to hang around here. The fear he’d felt for all these years had evaporated and been replaced by pity. The man’s life revolved around the bottle.

“I came here to talk to you about Kate.”

“My granddaughter?” His father seemed stunned.

Adrian nodded. “Daniel named me guardian of Kate if anything happened to them. Because of what you’ve been saying, Penny’s sister believes I can’t care for Kate and is trying to take her from me.”

“The bitch.” Adrian’s father was outraged. “You can’t let her do that.” He didn’t seem to comprehend his part in all of this.

“It would help if you withdrew your accusations about me.”

His father’s outrage was replaced with calculation. “How much is it worth to you?”

Adrian blinked in surprise. His father had gone from grieving to outraged to calculating in a space of seconds. This was the man Adrian remembered. “Kate is priceless.” His voice was cold. “But you won’t get a cent out of me. If you have any shred of decency left in that alcohol-pickled brain of yours, you’ll do what’s right. You’ll retract your accusations and tell the truth.” Adrian walked toward the door and then stopped. “You never cared for your own children, but this is your chance to do something for your grandchild.”

Disgusted, he brushed past his father and headed to the entrance. Once outside he took a deep breath of fresh air.

He was relieved to be out of there. He stalked over to his car and climbed in. Glancing toward the house, he saw the silhouette of his father in the window. The anger dissipated. The man wasn’t worth it.

Adrian knew his visit wouldn’t make any difference. His father didn’t give a damn.

But as he backed out of the drive, the chains that had bound him to this place for so long gave way.

He was no longer fearful of this man.

He was no longer a prisoner of his childhood.

He was free.

***

The next morning dawned sunny and bright. Adrian was up early and spent an hour pounding out his nerves on the treadmill.

Today would decide his and Kate’s fate.

After facing his father, he felt more optimistic than he had since the whole saga began. The visit had proven to him that he was nothing like his father.

Afterward he’d called Hank and Marla to see if they had any record of Hank’s meeting with Adrian’s father. Hank had recorded the whole event meticulously and Adrian read the information with interest. It showed him how easily his father had given them up, which was bound to help the case.

Adrian made breakfast and ate it with gusto. He was going to win this.

As he was struggling to do up his tie, the phone rang. It was Kate.

“Uncle Ade, it’s going to be all right, isn’t it?” Her voice was small and scared.

Adrian wished he could tell her it would be. “No matter what happens, we’ll still see each other.” He paused. “I love you, kiddo. Nothing is going to change that.”

Kate sniffed and Adrian’s heart ached. “I love you too, Uncle Ade,” she said.

Adrian checked the time. “I’ll see you soon.” He hung up.

***

George met him outside the courthouse and they walked in together. Susan and her parents were on one side of the room with Kate. Adrian acknowledged them with a nod of his head as Kate ran over and threw her arms around him.

“I’ve missed you,” she told him.

Adrian squeezed his eyes tightly. “I’ve missed you too, kiddo. Have you had fun with Jemma?”

Kate checked if anyone was near enough to hear. “Not nearly as much fun as we have at our place.”

Kate’s grandmother walked over.

“How are you, Virginia?” Adrian asked.

She was stiffly polite. “Well, thank you, Adrian.” She turned to Kate. “Katie dear, you need to come with me now.”

They had arranged for Kate’s grandmother to take care of Kate during the hearing. The judge would talk to Kate at the end.

“I’d rather wait with Uncle Adrian until he goes in, Grandma,” Kate replied.

Adrian smothered a smile at the way Virginia pinched her lips.

Before she could argue, a clerk came out, took everyone’s details and invited them into the room.

Adrian turned to Kate. “Be good for your grandma, kiddo. I’ll see you when we finish.” He gave her a hug and she clung to him for a minute longer. Adrian shut his eyes. When he looked up, Virginia was waiting impatiently.

“Come along, Katie.”

Adrian watched his niece go and then walked into the courtroom with George and his lawyer by his side. He had to win this.

When the preliminaries were done, Susan stated her case, explaining why she was seeking custody of Kate.

“Kate needs a stable family environment. The recent incidents have shown Adrian cannot provide that for her. She has been assaulted by the media and hasn’t been allowed the freedom a child needs to explore.” Susan paused. “In addition, she needs siblings and a woman’s influence in her life, particularly as she reaches puberty. Her best friend is my daughter, Jemma, and they will be able to grow up together.

“Adrian’s behavior on his most recent tour has shown he is irresponsible and cannot possibly give her a safe environment to grow up in.”

“Please elaborate further,” the judge requested.

Susan went into detail about the Emily incident and showed the footage of Kate in front of the media. “The matter involving Adrian’s father have shown that Adrian is irresponsible and turns his back on family when it doesn’t suit him. He is likely to decide one day that he no longer wants Kate and will leave her heartbroken.”

Adrian’s mouth dropped. He hadn’t been expecting that. George looked equally surprised.

“Do you have anything to prove these claims?” the judge asked.

“Adrian’s father has been on a number of talk shows.” One of the clips was played.

“He’s lying,” Adrian said calmly.

“You will get your chance to respond, Mr. Hart.”

Adrian sat there drumming his fingers on the table while Susan summarized her case. The tour schedule wasn’t suitable for a ten-year-old child, she was surrounded by adult men frequently, there were no children for her to play with, her nannies were more interested in her uncle than her and she had been exposed to an unhealthy relationship model.

Adrian simmered with anger. How could Susan portray Libby like that? She knew nothing about her. She hadn’t seen Libby helping Kate with her story, playing games with her, teaching her to cook. Libby had given up her writing time to be with Kate when the media had been at their worst. She’d done everything a mother would do for her child.

He froze. He examined the thought carefully, poking it from all sides to see if it held. Yes, Libby had loved Kate.

Adrian was so distracted he didn’t realize it was his turn to speak until George elbowed him. Adrian refocused on the scene. The judge was waiting for him. George shoved a notebook at him, outlining all the points he needed to respond to.

Adrian stood up. He wasn’t going to let Kate go without a fight. He breathed in to calm his nerves and breathed out again. “Your Honor, I love my niece and I want the best for her. If at any stage I believed I couldn’t care for her properly, I would hand her over to her aunt.” He paused. “The recent publicity surrounding my tour has been difficult. Emily was Kate’s nanny, but she quit when I rejected her advances. She left me without a nanny for Kate and I was fortunate a friend offered to help. A couple of weeks ago Emily admitted this in an interview.”