Page 57 of Ethan & Grace

I walked over to the little tea and coffee station he’d set up for himself, even though he could have anything brought up from the kitchen at any time. “I need all the lists related to the parking and car situation at the Pearl Gala.”

“Why? Planning to stalk Aliza Malik?”

I held out a mug to him in silent question, and he nodded. I pulled two tea bags from the box. “No, I’m not interested in her. I just want to know who parked in the car park that night and who was dropped off.”

“Why?”

I filled the kettle in the small bathroom adjoining Henry’s office. “Can’t you just give me the lists? They’re hardly state secrets.”

“Not until you’ve told me what you want them for.”

I switched the kettle on and turned to Henry as the water began to boil. He was leaning back in his chair, watching me suspiciously. “Does it matter?”

Henry narrowed his eyes. “As weird as you’re acting? Yeah.”

“OK, I’ll tell you. But you have to promise not to say a word to anyone. And when I say anyone, I mean it. Not Kate, not Olivia. This has to stay between us.”

Again, I saw a flicker of concern in Henry’s eyes, which sent an uncomfortable twinge shooting through my chest. I hadn’t caused him or the hotel any trouble in the past few weeks, but he still didn’t trust me. Old habits die hard.

“Can I count on you?” I pressed.

He looked at me. “I won’t say anything. I promise.”

The kettle started to hiss, and I poured the hot water into the two mugs I’d prepared, setting them on Henry’s desk before sitting down opposite him. “I’m guessing you’re up to date on Amy Claymore’s accident?”

“I know the police still aren’t getting anywhere, if that’s what you mean.”

“Yeah. And you’ve heard about the missing video footage?”

He nodded, clearly curious about where this was going.

“I just spoke to Hank. He explained to me how the security cameras work, and confirmed that they were still working fine on the afternoon of the gala. Which suggests someone deleted the footage to cover up something about the accident. But there are only three people who have access to that data.”

My words didn’t seem to surprise Henry. It was as if he’d heard it all before. He stirred his tea. “We both know whose fingerprints are all over this.”

“Have you tried talking to him about it?” I didn’t have to say our dad’s name for him to know who I was talking about.

“Of course. He denies everything.”

I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. “And you just let it go?”

“What was I supposed to do? I have no proof, and it isn’t my job to solve this case. I couldn’t, anyway. I’m not an investigator. I told the police everything I know. The rest is their job.”

My fingers tightened around the mug handle. “Only they’re not doing their job. The police have completely abandoned Grace and her family, and they aren’t looking into it at all. That’s why I’m here. Grace has started investigating herself, because she thinks someone paid the police off. And I want to try to help her.”

I had promised Grace I wouldn’t tell anyone about her break-in, but I hadn’t said I wouldn’t mention her investigation. I knew I was risking betraying her trust, but I wouldn’t go behind Henry’s back, even to help her. He was my brother, after all, and I didn’t want to jeopardise our newly improved relationship by breaking into his office to get those lists. Besides, he was trustworthy. If he promised not to talk to anyone about this, I believed him.

He held my gaze for a moment before silently opening his laptop. Less than a minute later, my phone buzzed with a notification—a new email. He had sent me the lists.

Henry closed his laptop and reached for his tea. Without a word, he fished out the tea bag and took a sip. How he didn’t burn his tongue was beyond me. “What’s going on with you and Grace? Kate told me you two had a little adventure in the hotel pool.”

“Tell your girlfriend she’s a gossip.”

Henry laughed. “I’ll pass that on, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

“You seem to already know the answer. We ran into each other at the rooftop bar, and one thing led to another.” Even though it was the truth, it still felt like a lie. It hadn’t just been the chance encounter that had led to our time together in the pool. It had been all the moments before, the arguments and conversations, the stolen glances and confessions we’d shared in the days leading up to it. All of it had made it feel like something more, something it shouldn’t have been. “I just want to help her.”

Henry frowned. “Why?”