Page 40 of Detective Daddy Next Door

"I know, and I'm not leaving yet."

Ellie nods and turns her attention back to the TV.

I walk toward the door and Bria follows. I hold the door open for her and step out after her.

She turns to face me and crosses her arms over her chest. Not an act of defiance—I notice she’s nervous. But she’s trying to hide it.

"I'm sorry," she finally says.

I nod and lean against the wall.

"I really am. I wasn’t purposely avoiding you. Well, I was, but it was because your wife threatened to expose your identity, and I know how dangerous that could be for you."

"I know."

"You know?"

I stare at her directly. "Yes, my estranged wife came to warn me to stay away from you, too. And she told me she came to your office to warn you to stay away from me."

Bria uncrosses her arms and lets her shoulders drop.

"I was calling to ask how you were doing. As you can see, I haven't been doing too well. Sonya's threatening to hold up the divorce process if I continue to see you. She says she doesn't want you around Ellie. But I know that's not her reason for doing this. I know she just wants me to be miserable. And I don't know why, because I've been nothing but good to her."

"Maybe she wants you back."

"She doesn't. She just wants to see me suffer."

"Why would she want that?"

"I don't know. That's just how she is. She knows you might not stay away from me so she’s trying to use the divorce to get to me."

"I'm so sorry about that."

"No, it's not your fault. If it wasn't you, she'd have used something else."

"I got your text about the files. I tried to get them today. I had actually copied them to my laptop just in case, which would have come in handy today, but they've been deleted."

"You deleted them? Even from your recycle bin?"

"No, someone else deleted them. I checked my recycle bin and they were deleted from there, too."

I push slowly off the wall. "What do you mean someone deleted them? Did someone else know about this?"

"I forgot my laptop at the office, and the next morning I went to copy them, and the files were gone."

"Jeez, who could have done that?"

"That's not all. I got an envelope with a note in it. It read ‘back off or face the consequences.’”

"What?"

She bites her lips. "I got the envelope before the files were deleted. Someone left it in my desk drawer."

"Did you tell anyone about the investigation?"

"No, I didn't."

"Then this evening, I was in my bedroom in front of the mirror when I saw someone watching me from outside my bedroom window."

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