Chapter 77
SEVENTY-SEVEN
Quinn didn’t bother to ask Drew if he knew where he was going.
She was sure he had already looked into Colin and had all the information he needed.
She remained silent throughout the drive, her mind flitting from one scenario to another as she tried to understand what had happened to Logan.
Drew parked in front of a luxury building on the Chelsea Waterfront and waited for her to get out.
She looked up at the glass and chrome structure.
A flat in one of these waterfront properties had to cost a bomb, but she supposed Colin and Adam could afford it.
They were both successful in their work and had no dependents, so were free to live for their own pleasure.
Drew hastened his steps when an older man pushed open the door and walked out into the rainy night.
He opened his umbrella and kept his eyes down as he walked down the street.
Drew caught the door before it closed, and Quinn followed him into the foyer.
She wondered how Adam felt about Colin helping his ex-boyfriend, or if he was even aware that Logan had come to Colin in his hour of need.
Perhaps it was unwise to barge in this way and jeopardize Colin’s relationship and possibly his career.
“Drew, perhaps we should ask Colin to meet us somewhere instead of showing up at his home. His partner might not know about Logan.”
“Don’t worry about his partner,” Drew said. “I don’t think he’ll raise any objections.”
Quinn turned to look at Drew, but his profile was inscrutable as he pressed the button to summon the lift.
They rode to the top floor in silence. Quinn hung back when Drew knocked on the door.
It had been clever not to announce their presence, but now she wondered if Colin would even let them in.
She didn’t hear any sounds behind the closed door, and, when nothing happened after a few moments, she assumed no one was in.
“I don’t think anyone is at home.”
Drew didn’t reply but raised his hand to knock again. Another few moments passed, and then they heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. There was the metallic snick of an opening lock, and then Colin was standing in the doorway, his silhouette illuminated by the soft glow from the light fixture.
His initial reaction was surprise, but then he chuckled mirthlessly as he looked at Quinn, as if he should have known that she would figure it out. Not that she had. She would have never suspected Colin of being involved.
“Who’s your friend?” he asked.
“This is Drew Camden.”
Colin and Drew had never met, but Colin had heard the name and knew precisely what Drew did for a living.
“Come in,” he said and stepped aside. “This is not a conversation to be had in the corridor.”
Quinn gaped at the view beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Even on a cloudy, rainy night, it was spectacular.
A sizable balcony overlooked the Thames, and she pictured Colin and Adam sitting out there on fine evenings, sharing a bottle of wine as they watched traffic on the river.
The décor was as modern as the architecture—white leather sofas, asymmetrical metal end tables, and a long glass dining room table flanked by white leather chairs.
The walls were off-white, the only items of color several canvases that although they depicted nothing in particular still brought to mind dramatic sunsets and stormy seas.
Colin gestured towards the sofa, then walked over to the sideboard and poured three glasses of French brandy. Quinn didn’t like brandy, but her heart was racing and she needed something to calm her.
“Are you going to tell us what happened, or are we going to beat around the bush for a while?” Drew asked. He’d softened his words with a self-deprecating smile, as if to say, I figured out part of it, but only you can tell us the rest.
“How much do you know?” Colin asked as he sat in an armchair across from them.
“We know you accessed Chrissy’s medical file and that you probably helped Logan to lie low this past week.”
It was only when dense silence settled on the room that Quinn realized that Adam probably wasn’t in the flat. He’d have come out if he were.
Colin studied Quinn over the rim of his glass. He appeared to be ignoring Drew, which she supposed was natural, given that the man had the power to land Colin in a world of trouble.
“Colin, please,” Quinn implored. “I’ve been going out of my mind, and Max is heartbroken. He needs to know what happened to his dad. You have my word that anything you reveal will remain in this room.”
Sighing heavily, Colin nodded. “Adam and I split just after the new year,” he said. “It was my decision. I hated to hurt him. He was one of the best people I had ever met, but I could no longer ignore the gaping hole inside my heart. I didn’t love him. I don’t think I ever had.”
Colin’s eyes grew moist, and his hand trembled as he set his tumbler on the coffee table. “It was always Logan for me. He was the love of my life—my soulmate. The longer I was away from him, the more I realized what a terrible mistake I had made and how empty my life had become.”
“Was it your things Jude found at Logan’s house?” Quinn asked.
Colin nodded. “It took months for Logan to agree to see me. He was understandably cautious and didn’t want to upset Max, so we only met after Max was asleep.
I had denied Logan the family he’d always wanted, and I was the one who left him.
I knew things with Rafe wouldn’t last, but Logan made emotional decisions and threw himself into a relationship with someone who seemed to worship him.
Rafe would have agreed to anything to keep him, so, when Logan said he wanted a child, Rafe went along with it and even introduced him to Chrissy. ”
“Was Rafe in on this scheme to take Max?” Drew asked.
“No. Rafe is not to blame. He simply wasn’t ready for the sort of commitment Logan was after. Rafe is one of those men who will always remain a child at heart, no matter how old he gets.”
“Colin, what happened?” Quinn asked softly.
“About a month ago, a man named Ronnie Stalk rang Logan. He said he was Chrissy’s partner and that Chrissy wanted Max back.
He sent a video of Chrissy, talking about how she would do anything to get Max and how she was the primary parent and had rights.
Of course, Logan panicked. He tried to reach out to Chrissy, but her number was disconnected and no one seemed to know where she was.
He was able to find out that Chrissy had been ill and had left her job at the nail bar months ago. ”
“Was that when you logged into the NHS to see what was what?” Drew asked.
Colin nodded. “The prognosis hadn’t been good.
Chrissy’s cancer had spread, and, although treatment could buy her some time, she wasn’t likely to live more than a few more months.
There were no entries in her chart after her last chemo session in April.
Logan thought she might have gone home, so I rang a colleague in Prague.
He was able to confirm that Chrissy had died and obtained a copy of her death certificate. ”
“Wait, if Chrissy was in the country illegally, how was it that she had access to the NHS?” Quinn asked.
“Regardless of immigration status, no one is denied emergency medical care. And Chrissy was brought in to A&E when she began to hemorrhage. She was taken directly to the operating theater and had to have follow-up care. And then, once she realized how serious the situation was, she must have decided to go home, to people who loved her and would care for her in her final months.”
“So, Logan knew Chrissy was dead,” Drew confirmed.
“Yes, which meant that this bloke had used a video Chrissy had recorded before she became ill and only wanted money. Logan told him to sod off and blocked his number. But he wouldn’t go away.
Ronnie came to see him at the hospital. He said that legally Chrissy was the primary parent and could take Max anytime she wanted.
When Logan told him he knew Chrissy was gone, Ronnie said her parents had a right to their grandson and could petition the court for custody.
Which is rubbish. Logan is Max’s biological father, and Max has lived with him from the start. Chrissy’s parents had no legal rights.”
“Unless both biological parents were deceased,” Drew interjected.
“Precisely.”
“Did Logan think Ronnie Stalk was working on behalf of Chrissy’s parents?”
“Either that or he was just trying to shake him down.”
“So, what happened the day Ronnie followed Logan home?” Drew asked.
“I think you should ask Logan that,” Colin replied.
“We would if we could.”
Quinn experienced a strange sensation, as if someone were watching her, and then noticed a reflection in the window that hadn’t been there before. She whipped around to find Logan standing in the doorway. He looked anxious but otherwise unharmed.
“Logan!” she cried as she sprang to her feet and threw herself into his arms. “Thank God. Oh, thank God you’re all right.” Logan stiffened, and Quinn pulled away and looked up into his face. “What did you do?” she whispered.
“I’m going to need some of that brandy,” Logan said as he sank into the vacant armchair.
Colin poured him a generous measure and handed him the tumbler before resuming his own seat. Logan took a gulp, then another, then set the nearly empty glass down. He didn’t look at Quinn.