Kitabı oku: «Lone Witness», sayfa 3

THREE

Tessa’s experience with law enforcement had never been good. As a child living in the projects in Los Angeles, she’d been pulled out of bed dozens of times, taken outside by stone-faced officers who were more interested in checking her room for drugs than in making certain she wasn’t traumatized. She’d learned to wear street clothes to bed, so that she didn’t have to face the embarrassment of being outside in her threadbare nightclothes or too-small shorts and tank top. There had been many times when she’d watched as her mother was handcuffed and carted away. She had sat in the back of police cruisers waiting for her grandmother to walk the half mile that separated their rentals, inhaling the scent of vomit and urine while she tried not to cry.

Life in the projects had not been easy.

Being her mother’s daughter had not been easy.

Both had taught her the importance of staying on the right side of the law, steering clear of trouble and avoiding the police at all costs.

She tried not to show any of that as she perched on the edge of the hospital bed and answered Chief Carmichael Simpson’s questions. Dressed in street clothes, his short-cropped hair sprinkled with gray, he paced her room, a pad of paper in one hand, a pen in the other. Two uniformed officers stood near the door. Darrell Mitchel and Kayla Delphina were regulars at the diner, and Kayla attended Faith Community Church. Other than that, Tessa knew nothing about her and nothing about Darrell. Right now, she wouldn’t have minded a connection, a smiling face, someone aside from the taciturn police chief to focus on.

“So, what you’re saying is that you were walking to work before dawn in thirty-five-degree weather when the forecasters were calling for freezing rain?” Chief Simpson said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

At least, that was what she thought she was hearing.

It was possible her perception was tainted by past bad experiences. Patrick had questioned and criticized everything, and she’d learned to always be on guard.

She swallowed a terse reply and plastered on the smile she wore when she had to deal with frustrating customers at the diner. “My car is on its last legs, Chief Simpson. I try to put as little mileage on it as possible.”

“It’s about two miles from your place to the diner.” He glanced at his notepad as if it contained the information. She knew it didn’t. Like everyone else in town, he knew where she lived. Like everyone else, he knew she walked most days in most kinds of weather.

“That’s right, and as I’m sure you know, I almost always choose to walk,” she responded, the smile still plastered to her face.

“Even in the winter?” he asked.

“It’s winter now, and I was walking outside,” she pointed out.

“That’s not an answer,” he murmured.

“Walking to work is not a crime, Chief,” Kayla commented, crossing her arms over her chest. “I walk around after dark all the time. Provincetown has a low crime rate.”

“Point noted, officer,” the chief said, his focus still on the notebook. “But I believe I directed the question at Ms. Carlson.”

“As Officer Delphina pointed out, it’s a safe town. I walk to work all the time. You can ask my boss, Ernie Baylor. He owns the diner,” Tessa said.

“We all know who Ernie is, Ms. Carlson. We all know the diner,” the chief replied, finally meeting her eyes. “If I’m giving you the impression that you’ve done something wrong, I apologize. You saved a little girl’s life, and you deserve all the praise that’s coming to you. But I don’t like when these sorts of things happen in my town. The kidnapping of a child is something I take very seriously, and I want to get to the bottom of it as quickly as—”

Someone knocked on the door and it opened, a tall, sandy-haired man stepping into the room. He looked familiar, his hard face and lean muscular form reminding her of someone.

“Tessa,” he said, striding toward her and offering a hand. “I’m Henry Miller. Everly’s father.”

Of course!

“Special Agent Miller,” the chief said, before she could respond. “How is your daughter?”

“Call me Henry, and she’s still unconscious, but the doctor says she will make a full recovery.”

“I’m relieved to hear that, and I want to assure you that we plan to work in full cooperation with your team once it arrives.”

“My supervisor will appreciate that,” Henry replied, his gaze never leaving Tessa. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, and his lashes were dark brown and tipped with gold.

“How are you feeling, Tessa?” he asked, and she knew it was only the first of many questions he planned to ask.

“Aside from a headache, fine,” she replied, wishing she had the courage to tell all of them to leave the room. She needed some time to think things through, to make decisions about how much of her past she wanted to reveal.

Any of it felt like too much, but she was afraid they would dig for answers if she avoided questions.

Then again, maybe they wouldn’t ask about anything except that night and the kidnapping.

“I’m glad. You risked a lot to help my daughter, and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.” He was studying her face, his gaze stopping for a moment too long on the narrow white line that cut from her ear to her temple.

She tensed, waiting for him to ask how she’d gotten it.

Instead, he met her eyes again. “I owe you a lot.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she said, and she meant it.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree.” He grabbed a chair that was sitting against the wall and placed it in front of her.

She knew he planned to sit there. Too close for her to avoid his eyes.

“I really do have a headache,” she murmured, hoping he would get the hint and leave.

“I won’t take much of your time.” He eyed the throbbing area on her temple. She’d seen herself in the mirror. What had felt like a glancing blow had left a huge knot and an ugly bruise. Apparently, that wasn’t enough to dissuade him from questioning her.

He dropped into the chair, leaning toward her, his elbows on his knees, his gaze direct. “Tell me what happened this morning.”

She repeated everything she’d told the police. She gave as many details as she could remember. The sunglasses. The pale skin. The dark hair. The gun.

He didn’t interrupt, didn’t cut in to ask for clarification. He didn’t take notes. He just stared into her eyes, judging—she thought—her honesty.

Fortunately, she’d learned a lot during her years living with her mother. She had watched uniformed officers ask questions and watched her mother shift and squirm, trying to hide that she was strung out on drugs or hiding a few ounces of cocaine in her sleeve, or blouse or pants pocket.

Tessa kept still, kept focused, refused to look away.

Because, everything she was saying was the truth.

Only her identity was a lie.

Four months before she’d left Napa Valley, she’d purchased a new identity from an old acquaintance. She had attended middle school with him, and she had known that her grandmother had offered him a place to stay when his stepfather had kicked him out. He had been happy to help Tessa. For a price. Eight months of saving every penny of the allowance Patrick gave her had made the purchase possible.

The day she’d left California, she had destroyed her driver’s license and become Tessa Carlson. From that day forward, she had tried to convince herself she had never been anyone else.

By the time she finished speaking, she felt exhausted, the pain in her head a throbbing ache that made her want to close her eyes and sleep for a while.

“How about the Jeep, Tessa?” he prodded. “Did you notice anything about the interior that might help us?”

“I was a little too busy trying to figure out how to save myself and Everly to worry about the color of the seats or the vehicle identification number, Agent Miller.”

“Call me Henry. Most people who save my daughter’s life do.”

“Do your daughters often need saving?” she asked, and he smiled.

“This is the first and, hopefully, last time.”

“I’m glad I was in the right place at the right time,” she murmured, still refusing to look away from his unwavering gaze.

He had blue-gray eyes that reminded her of the fog that had often rolled across the vineyards in Napa Valley. She had liked to sit and watch it as the sun rose, wishing and hoping for changes that never came. Sometimes praying the way Hester had taught her, but never believing that God would hear the cries of a woman who had wandered so far from His truth.

It had taken many years and thousands of miles for her to understand the truth of God’s love and forgiveness.

“We’re all glad you were,” the chief interjected, and she allowed herself to finally look away from Henry.

“You’re a newcomer to Provincetown,” the chief continued.

“I’ve been here for three years. That’s not so new.”

“You weren’t raised here, is what I mean,” he amended. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t think of you as part of the community. Your well-being during this investigation is paramount. Once you return home, I’ll have patrols ride past your house every few hours.”

“He wasn’t trying to kidnap me, Chief Simpson. He was after Everly.”

“Everly didn’t see his face. You did,” the chief responded, the words chilling. She hadn’t thought about what it meant to be the sole witness to a kidnapping attempt or to be the key witness in a crime that could put someone in jail for a very long time. She’d been too busy worrying about the past to think about the very clear and present danger she might be in.

“Do you really think he will come after me?” she asked.

“If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t. I’d leave Provincetown and never return.”

“You’re assuming he’s not from the area,” Kayla said.

The chief frowned. “I’m not assuming anything, officer. I’m saying that if I were in his shoes, I’d leave town and never return. I have no real idea what he might do. If I could figure out the minds of criminals, I’d be able to stop a lot of terrible things before they happened. I need to get back to town. The state police are bringing in their evidence team, and I’d like to be there when they arrive. Officer Delphina, you are to take station outside the door. Don’t let anyone in who isn’t on the list.”

He strode into the hall, and Kayla and Officer Mitchel followed close behind.

That left Tessa and Henry.

Which shouldn’t have bothered her, but did.

“Do you have more questions?” she asked, picking at the tape that held a bandage on her left knee in place. She had insisted on staying in her street clothes, and her black slacks were torn at both knees, the fabric ripped away to reveal pale skin. The chief had arrived with her purse and her cell phone. Both had survived their time in the street. Her coat had been taken for forensic testing. The police were hoping to find a hair from the kidnapper on it. Betty’s coat was lying across a table near the far wall.

Focusing on those things did not keep her from noticing how quiet Henry had become. How still and watchful he was.

He seemed to be waiting for something, and she had no idea what.

She tore at the tape again, and he pulled her hand away.

She winced, jerking back reflexively, her cheeks hot with embarrassment when she realized what she’d done.

“You’re nervous,” he commented, and she looked up, saw that he was watching her with a mixture of what she thought was curiosity and suspicion.

“After what Chief Simpson said, who wouldn’t be?”

“You were nervous before that.”

He was right, and she wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. “I’m not used to having four law-enforcement officers questioning me while I sit on a hospital bed.”

“I don’t think many people are.”

“Look, Henry, I’ve told you everything I know about what happened today, and—”

“You haven’t told me everything,” he interrupted.

“Of course I have.”

“You haven’t told me why you fled the scene when the police arrived.”

There it was.

A question she didn’t have a good answer to.

If she had been given time alone, she might have been able to think of one.

“I was in shock.” That seemed to be as good a reason as any.

“Most people who are in shock don’t wander away from help.”

“I’m not most people,” she replied, standing and walking to the door. She had nowhere to go. The hospital was an hour’s drive from Provincetown, and she had no car. She was stuck until Ernie and Betty arrived.

“No, I guess you’re not.” He was on his feet, watching her as she opened the door and glanced into the hall. Kayla was leaning against the wall, reading a magazine. She smiled when she saw Tessa.

“Everything okay?”

“I’m just getting antsy. Betty and Ernie said they were coming. When they get here, you’ll let them in, right?”

“Of course,” she responded.

“Thanks. I’m tired. I may nap while I’m waiting, and I don’t want to miss them,” she said, hoping Henry would get the hint and leave the room.

“Good thinking.” Kayla’s gaze dropped to the magazine. A white fluffy dress on the back cover screamed that it was bridal.

“Are you engaged, Kayla?” Tessa asked, suddenly curious. They’d known each other for a few years. They attended the same church. Kayla ate meals at the diner several times a week, but Tessa couldn’t call her a friend.

She couldn’t really call anyone that.

“Not yet, but I’m hopeful. The big three-oh is coming up, and I’m not getting any younger. I’d like to have a few babies before the clock stops ticking.” She smiled and met Tessa’s eyes. “My boyfriend is a professor at Boston University. He teaches Tuesday and Thursday and comes down on Friday and Saturday. It’s working for now.”

“Will you move there after you are married?”

“No. I left the city life for good. Nathan knows that. What about you? Any wedding bells in the future? I’ve got more of these where this one came from.” She gave the magazine a quick shake and smiled.

“I left the relationship life for good. Every guy who’s asked me out knows that.”

Kayla laughed. “You say that now, but we never know what God will do.”

“No. I guess we don’t. I’d better get that nap,” she said, shutting down the conversation before it could get more personal. She’d already said too much. She’d given Kayla a glimpse into a past she never talked about.

Worse, Henry was standing behind her, probably listening to every word.

She ducked back into the room and whirled around.

He was near the window, the curtains pulled back so that watery sunlight poured into the room.

“See anything interesting?” she asked.

“A few dark-colored Jeeps,” he said, his words leaving her cold.

She walked toward the window, but he motioned for her to stay back. “Let’s not give him an easy target.”

“We’re three stories up.”

“If he has an assault rifle, that distance won’t matter.”

She stepped back, nearly stumbling over a chair in her haste to get out of the line of fire and knocking over a small table that held a nearly empty roll of surgical tape and a totally empty pitcher a nurse had offered to fill with water.

She scooped up both, then set the table upright and put the pitcher and tape on top of it, knowing that Henry was watching.

She didn’t meet his eyes, didn’t acknowledge what he’d said or her own rising fear.

This was not what she’d planned for her day. It wasn’t what she’d planned for her life. She’d graduated from high school at sixteen and earned a partial scholarship to the local community college. She’d worked three jobs to pay the rest of her tuition.

Patrick had walked into the high-end restaurant where she waited tables the night she’d turned eighteen. He’d heard it was her birthday and had left a beautiful bracelet as a tip. He had been nearly twenty years older, suave, sophisticated and more than capable of sweeping a world-weary street kid off her feet.

She’d fallen for the promises he’s whispered in her ear.

She’d believed every pretty lie he’d told her.

She’d given up her jobs, her classes, her scholarships.

She didn’t want to give up more.

She didn’t want to leave her cozy cottage in Provincetown and begin again somewhere else, but she was terrified that it would be necessary.

The woman she’d been in Napa Valley had disappeared.

Tessa could do the same.

If she had to.

* * *

Within three hours of being admitted to the hospital, Everly was awake and on the move. She bounced from one side of the room to the other, chattering endlessly.

Henry suspected nerves were driving her motormouth.

She’d been disoriented and afraid when she’d woken, nervous about the hospital, the police officer and the nurse.

He’d reassured her as best he could, and then he’d let Aria distract her. The two were currently singing praise songs at the top of their lungs. Like their mother, they could each carry a tune, and like her, they loved to belt out whatever song popped into their heads.

Diane would have had a blast making music with the girls.

The thought didn’t make him as sad as it once had. The pain of losing her had become a dull ache compared to the searing agony he’d once felt.

“Girls, how about you lower your voices?” he suggested.

“Why?” Everly asked, spinning in circles, her braided hair flying behind her.

She’d almost become a terrible statistic. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to look at her without remembering that, and he knew he would never be able to remember without thanking God it hadn’t happened.

Tessa had said she had been in the right place at the right time. God had orchestrated that. Henry believed that the same way he believed that the sun would set and rise again.

He also believed that Tessa was hiding something.

He’d listened to her statement of the morning’s events. He’d watched her face. He had looked into her eyes. He felt certain she had been telling the truth about the kidnapping, but he also felt certain she had not been honest about her reason for leaving the scene.

Not that she’d given a reason.

She’d said she had been in shock.

That sounded more like an excuse to him.

He hadn’t pushed. She’d been pale, the bruise on her head deep purple. She had needed rest, and he had left the room so she could get it. Once she did, he’d question her again.

“Yes, Daddy, why? The Bible says to make a joyful noise. It does not say to do it quietly,” Aria said.

“You can make joyful noises quietly. And because I asked you to, and because we’re inside. You should be using your inside voices.”

“Your father is right, dear,” Rachelle said. “You’re both being much too loud, and Nana is getting a headache.”

“I’m getting a headache, too,” Everly said.

Henry would have thought she was saying it to get attention, but she looked pale, her eyes shadowed.

“Why don’t you lie down for a while, then, honey?”

“I want to lie down in my bed at Nana and Pop-pop’s house,” she responded, dropping onto the floor, the hospital gown pooling around her. “Why do we have to stay here?”

“The doctor wants to keep an eye on you for a while longer.”

“The doctor could keep an eye on me at home, couldn’t he?”

“It’s a long drive, hotshot,” Brett said. “The doctor can’t make house calls that far from the hospital. What if people at the hospital got sick while he was too far away to help them?”

“The people at the hospital are sick, Pop-pop,” Aria pointed out. “But, Everly isn’t. Except for her headache, and I can take care of that. I know how to do it.” She sat next to her twin and wrapped her arm around her.

“Sweetheart,” Henry began.

“But I know why you don’t want us to go home. That bad man might be there,” Aria whispered so softly he almost didn’t hear.

Shocked, Henry sat beside her and pulled her into his lap. “What bad man?”

“The one who came in the house and took my sister.”

“What do you know about that?” he asked, wondering if she could have woken and seen the kidnapping and been too afraid to say anything.

“I heard Nana yelling about it in the phone. And then I heard Pop-pop telling Pastor Brendan Walker that we needed a lot of prayer because my sister was kidnapped.”

“I am so sorry, Henry. I thought she was still sleeping,” Rachelle said, her eyes moist with tears. She looked as pale and tired as Everly, and even Aria looked exhausted.

The hospital was a good place for the sick, but not for two little girls who’d been traumatized.

“Tell you what,” he said. “How about I talk to the doctor and see if we can break out of this place? We can stop on the way home and pick up some hamburgers and fries. You girls can watch a movie while you eat it.”

“We can watch a movie?” Everly asked, perking up enough to ease some of his concern.

“I don’t see why not. It’s the weekend, and tomorrow is your mother’s birthday. We always do special things to celebrate that.”

“We get to watch a movie,” Everly whispered loudly in Aria’s ear.

“But what about the bad guy?” Aria responded.

“I didn’t see a bad guy,” Everly said. “I think he was a figment.”

“A what?” Brett asked, digging into a large bag he and Rachelle had brought.

“A figment. Like when I think I see the Loch Ness Monster in the bay, and you tell me that I’m seeing a figment.”

“A figment of your imagination,” Brett responded as he pulled a pair of pink jeans and a thick sweater from the bag.

“Right. That’s what I think he was, so we’re not going to worry anymore. Okay, Aria?”

Aria nodded, but she didn’t seem convinced.

“We’re not going to worry,” Everly repeated, putting both her hands on her sister’s cheeks and looking into her eyes. “We’re going to eat French fries and watch a movie, and we’re going to be happy, because it’s almost Mommy’s birthday.”

“It is almost her birthday,” Aria said. “I picked those clothes out for you. I gave you my pink jeans, because yours are dirty.” She pointed to the outfit Brett held.

“You’re the best sister. Come on. Let’s go in the bathroom, so I can change in privacy.” Everly grabbed the clothes and marched away.

Aria followed more slowly, her feet shuffling and her shoulders sloped.

She hadn’t forgotten what she’d heard, and Henry wasn’t going to pretend that she didn’t have good reason to worry.

“Aria,” he said. “We’re going to make sure you and Everly are safe. I promise.”

“I think I have an idea about that, Daddy.” She looked at him, her eyes so much like Diana’s his chest hurt with it.

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“We can get a dog. A big one that will bark when bad guys come around. I’ll train him all by myself. So, he will lick good guys and bite bad guys.”

“Dogs are great, and I’m sure you’d do a great job training one, but I’m not sure we have time,” he hedged. The girls had been begging for a puppy for a year, and he’d been saying no for just as long. Even with Brett and Rachelle’s help, life was hectic. He barely had time to do the daily chores. Adding a dog into the mix would only complicate things.

“Pop-pop said Mommy always wanted a dog when she was little, and his biggest regret was that he never let her get one, because he and Nana thought they were too busy.”

Henry glanced at Brett.

“I guess I did say that. We were watching one of those dog movies the kids love, and it slipped out. I’m starting to think I need to wear a muzzle when I’m around my granddaughters.” He shook his head. “Those little pitchers have very big ears.”