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“Love you back.”
He ended the call, knowing Joey wouldn’t do it, and called the police. When they finally had someone come around, it was two hours later, and Kole had already arrived to keep him company after his tour had finished. They took his statement, including who Ethan thought might have done it, and arranged for the place to be secured while Ethan headed to Kole’s place.
They hadn’t spoken much, but Ethan had immediately seen a change in his best friend. Kole was quieter, more subdued than he had been, but there was still a spark of something. As if embers were kindling and all it needed was something to fan the flames to a bonfire. He hoped he could help.
When they were finally settled in Kole’s living room with a bottle of beer each, Ethan asked him how he was while he cleaned his cuts. There weren’t many, but they stung. “And I don’t mean your standard answer, either.”
“It shook me, Ethan. There’s no denying that, but Iamokay. If anything, the tours make me feel better. What’s not so great is my love life.” He chuckled, though it was weak. “I’m not feeling the need to choose men when I go out anymore. I don’t feel…safe, I suppose. This guy seemed nice enough, and we had a great time, but he turned out to be crazy. How can I trust my instincts now?”
Ethan patted his arm. “You’ll get there again. Just think of all the other guys you were with before this. They weren’t like that, and you chose well.”
Kole huffed, raking his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, so well they never came back again.”
Ethan could see his point, but he didn’t want to make Kole feel worse than he did. “You just haven’t found the right guy yet. It takes time.”
“Yeah, that’s what everyone says, but I’m impatient, Ethan. I want it now. I want my happily ever after to cling to me like a koala.”
Ethan chuckled and patted his arm again. “It will as soon as it’s time.” He yawned. “I need to sleep, sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’ve had a long day. I’ll be up for a few hours yet, but you have a key, so make yourself at home.”
Ethan stood, pulled Kole in for a hug and headed for the stairs. He’d called Joey when they’d finally arrived at Kole’s house, so hopefully, he was fast asleep, ready for his appointment the following day. Ethan, however, had a house to sort out and pack up. He wouldn’t be able to take everything with him, but he could take the essentials and ask his parents to hold what he couldn’t leave in the house. He had thought about keeping the house and renting it out to holidaymakers, but he didn’t want the hassle of having to manage it when something went wrong. There were companies out there who could do it for him, but they would take a percentage. All in all, he thought it was better to just let it go and sell it. He could use the money he received from the sale to help towards the bills at Joey’s place.
He was glad of his decision to sell when he was elbow-deep in packing boxes and bubble wrap. While he waited for the police officer to arrive, he was packing the house. So far, he’d made a pile of things to be taken to the charity shop, packed the kitchen up and put a load of washing on that he’d forgotten about before he’d hightailed it out of there for Elliott’s funeral.
A knock startled him, and he almost dropped the plate he’d been wrapping. He rested it on top of the others and opened the door.
“Ethan Wright? I’m Detective Hines. I’m here about what happened yesterday.”
Ethan waved him in. “Would you like a drink?”
The detective looked around. “Coffee would be great, thanks. Going somewhere?”
Ethan chuckled and headed for the kitchen. “I’m moving to London. I’ve just come back to pack up my stuff and get the house ready to sell.”
“That’s a big move.”
Ethan shrugged a shoulder. “It wasn’t planned, but it’s the best decision.” At Hines’ raised eyebrows, Ethan explained his story without naming names. “I never imagined leaving Whitby, but I’m glad I am.”
“Is this because of what happened with Joey Reynolds?”
Ethan settled onto the sofa, the detective copying. “In part. Joey is my boyfriend now. He’s who I’m moving in with. Some people don’t seem to like that.”
“What? That you’re moving in with him?”
“No. They think they can use photos to blackmail us into doing what they want. Joey says it’s part and parcel of being in the limelight, but it’s still shit. Excuse my language.”
“I agree. And you think this David guy is involved?”
“Well, he’s the one who’s been messaging us about it. I still have the emails.” He pulled them up on his phone. “I don’t think Joey’s received any. They seem to just be coming to me.”
Hines read through the emails and then handed the phone back to him. “Can you send them to me, please?”
“Sure.” He did. “I’m not saying this was David,” he said, pointing to the window. “It just seems too close to coincidence to be anyone else. I’m not on anyone else’s bad side, as far as I know.”
Hines asked him a few more questions and then said he would be in touch. “You can go back to London if you need to. I’m not stopping you. Just let me know when you do.”
“I’m here until tomorrow, but I will let you know when I leave.”
