Read Online Charleston with a Clever Cougar: A Dance with Danger Mystery #6 by Sara M. Barton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sara M. Barton
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he would tolerate foolishness. Such a difference from
Stephen, who lived on his comfortable yacht with all the amenities.
I couldn’t remember Stephen ever taking care of me. In the few
short hours I had known Doc, he had done more than just attend to
my bruises and contusions. He had also patched up my soul, helping
me to put more perspective to my buried past.
It was hard to sleep. I lay in bed in my
sweats, my comforter on top of me, but my body just wouldn’t relax.
The muscles ached and my mind raced. Why would Doug hire thugs to
hurt his own daughter, Daisy? Something didn’t make sense. And yet,
I couldn’t deny what had happened to the teenager. First came the
hit-and-run, and then came the assault in the parking lot. Why? It
wasn’t like Daisy was particularly sullen or uncooperative. I knew
that, despite the trouble her parents had with staying married, she
did still want her father in her life, even now, even after his
remarriage. Was Doug that cruel a man? I didn’t think so.
What if Daisy was a target for another
reason? Almost grown up, she would soon be making the rounds of
colleges and universities before starting the admissions process.
In another few years, Daisy would be off on her own. Would that
have been a problem for someone?
I thought I could rule out a teenage stalker.
After all, those men were adults. But I still didn’t understand
what they wanted with a teenage girl.
The divorce itself had fraught with tension.
Carole and Doug both wanted custody of the kids, and Doug pressed
hard on the cancer card. But in the end, her oncologist provided
her with the winning chip. The stress of the divorce and custody
battle was taking a toll on Carole, and it was critical that she be
relieved of this burden as quickly as possible. When the court
mediator heard this, he called both parties to the table and set
down the rules. Carole’s medical needs came first and losing her
children would put too great a strain on her compromised health. As
long as Carole could show that she had a support team that would
help her meet the needs of Daisy and Dylan, the children would
remain with their mother. Doug agreed about Dylan, by that time
feeling guilty about having left his wife in the lurch in favor of
his mistress. Mimi was down in Maryland, setting up her new
political life, and away from her, Doug seemed more like his old
pre-Mimi self. He suggested that Daisy be given a choice of where
she wanted to live. When the teenager arrived at the custody
session, she told the mediator she wanted to stay with her mother,
not only because Carole needed the help, but also because Daisy had
no desire to change schools so close to her graduation. She didn’t
want to leave her friends. At last, said the mediator, a voice of
reason. The rest of the settlement was fairly standard, and Doug
was soon able to return to his new life, albeit without his kids.
As I recalled, he seemed to accept the custody arrangement
willingly once the mediation was over. But Daisy had said he called
recently to tell her he wanted to get custody of Dylan. Something
had happened. Did he have a change of heart?
As an assistant school superintendent, Doug
was supposed to be an educator. Shouldn’t he of all people
understand that the protracted tug-of-war between parents was
harmful to the kids? I just couldn’t buy that Doug planned to go
back on his word to let Daisy stay in Old Saybrook. He was never a
mean man, in my experience, even though I still hated him for what
he did to my friend. And I couldn’t see him hiring a couple of
goons to menace his daughter in some wacky plot to get her to move
down to Maryland.
So far, it didn’t look like Dylan was a
target, any more than it looked like Carole was. Maybe we were
missing the whole point of the terrifying events. If Daisy was the
target, there was something about her that was making someone
angry. If it wasn’t something she did, could there be another
reason why those men tried to
Stephen, who lived on his comfortable yacht with all the amenities.
I couldn’t remember Stephen ever taking care of me. In the few
short hours I had known Doc, he had done more than just attend to
my bruises and contusions. He had also patched up my soul, helping
me to put more perspective to my buried past.
It was hard to sleep. I lay in bed in my
sweats, my comforter on top of me, but my body just wouldn’t relax.
The muscles ached and my mind raced. Why would Doug hire thugs to
hurt his own daughter, Daisy? Something didn’t make sense. And yet,
I couldn’t deny what had happened to the teenager. First came the
hit-and-run, and then came the assault in the parking lot. Why? It
wasn’t like Daisy was particularly sullen or uncooperative. I knew
that, despite the trouble her parents had with staying married, she
did still want her father in her life, even now, even after his
remarriage. Was Doug that cruel a man? I didn’t think so.
What if Daisy was a target for another
reason? Almost grown up, she would soon be making the rounds of
colleges and universities before starting the admissions process.
In another few years, Daisy would be off on her own. Would that
have been a problem for someone?
I thought I could rule out a teenage stalker.
After all, those men were adults. But I still didn’t understand
what they wanted with a teenage girl.
The divorce itself had fraught with tension.
Carole and Doug both wanted custody of the kids, and Doug pressed
hard on the cancer card. But in the end, her oncologist provided
her with the winning chip. The stress of the divorce and custody
battle was taking a toll on Carole, and it was critical that she be
relieved of this burden as quickly as possible. When the court
mediator heard this, he called both parties to the table and set
down the rules. Carole’s medical needs came first and losing her
children would put too great a strain on her compromised health. As
long as Carole could show that she had a support team that would
help her meet the needs of Daisy and Dylan, the children would
remain with their mother. Doug agreed about Dylan, by that time
feeling guilty about having left his wife in the lurch in favor of
his mistress. Mimi was down in Maryland, setting up her new
political life, and away from her, Doug seemed more like his old
pre-Mimi self. He suggested that Daisy be given a choice of where
she wanted to live. When the teenager arrived at the custody
session, she told the mediator she wanted to stay with her mother,
not only because Carole needed the help, but also because Daisy had
no desire to change schools so close to her graduation. She didn’t
want to leave her friends. At last, said the mediator, a voice of
reason. The rest of the settlement was fairly standard, and Doug
was soon able to return to his new life, albeit without his kids.
As I recalled, he seemed to accept the custody arrangement
willingly once the mediation was over. But Daisy had said he called
recently to tell her he wanted to get custody of Dylan. Something
had happened. Did he have a change of heart?
As an assistant school superintendent, Doug
was supposed to be an educator. Shouldn’t he of all people
understand that the protracted tug-of-war between parents was
harmful to the kids? I just couldn’t buy that Doug planned to go
back on his word to let Daisy stay in Old Saybrook. He was never a
mean man, in my experience, even though I still hated him for what
he did to my friend. And I couldn’t see him hiring a couple of
goons to menace his daughter in some wacky plot to get her to move
down to Maryland.
So far, it didn’t look like Dylan was a
target, any more than it looked like Carole was. Maybe we were
missing the whole point of the terrifying events. If Daisy was the
target, there was something about her that was making someone
angry. If it wasn’t something she did, could there be another
reason why those men tried to
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