Rachel Lee - Defending the Eyewitness

Now, that was royally confusing. Maybe it was time to try some therapy again. Maybe it was time to pry that awful memory out of the place where she had buried it. Sometimes she wondered if having a face to put on the killer would make it easier to be around other men. Maybe she felt this way only because she didn’t know what he looked like and he was still out there somewhere. Maybe she would have been better off if she had remembered the murder, gruesome though it had been.

She heard the key in the front lock. Austin. The coffee had just started brewing, so she moved quickly to the table and sat, hoping she looked casual.

He headed straight for the stairs. She hesitated, then called out, “I’m making fresh coffee if you’d like some.” She had to smooth this over somehow.

She heard him pause, as if thinking her offer over, then his footsteps drew closer and he appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Do you want company?” he asked bluntly. “Because really, I’m trying not to get in your way.”

She felt her cheeks heat. “I’m sorry. Truly.”

“Being looked at as if I’m about to hurt you isn’t very enjoyable.”

“Oh, my God,” she whispered, and started to lower her head.

“I mean,” he continued, “you don’t have to like me, don’t have to spend time with me. I get that I’m renting from you for a few months and we don’t need to have a social relationship. Unfortunately, I’m cross-cultural. A gentleman offers to walk a lady home.”

She winced, beginning to get a clear picture of her reaction to his offer. And understanding why he had responded as he had. Clearly, he was not one to pretend that nothing had happened. Maybe he was utterly through with pretense after his undercover work.

“Corey?”

She looked up. His face was still all hard angles.

“I just want to know what the hell you want from me. Leave? Stay? Stay out of your way?”

She motioned to the seat across from her and tried to find her voice. “Coffee. Then I’ll try to explain a little.”

He hesitated a moment, then went and filled mugs for each of them. He settled across from her and waited, his dark gaze firmly fixed on her. It was almost unnerving, that intensity, but she supposed he’d gotten very good at reading people, especially faces.

She cleared her throat, feeling as if her accelerating heart were trying to climb up into it. “When I... When I was seven, my mother was murdered.”

At once he stiffened a bit, but at least he didn’t try to say anything.

“Evidently I was there. I witnessed it. But I don’t remember any part of it. Traumatic amnesia. It’s been eighteen years, but I still have a problem with men I don’t know well. It has nothing to do with you. It’s just me.”

“They didn’t catch the guy?”

She shook her head. “Not a clue.”

“So, he’s still out there.”

“Maybe.”

“No wonder,” was all he said.

But those two simple words seemed to free up something inside her. “I was thinking, after the way I reacted when you offered to walk me home, if I wouldn’t be better in the long run if I could remember.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I honestly don’t know. Overall it’s probably best that you don’t remember.”

“I had therapy for a few years after, and the psychologist would agree with you. But I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Why?”

“I know it was a terribly brutal murder. I’m glad I don’t remember that part. But if I could remember the guy’s face...” She trailed off. This seemed like a remarkably intimate discussion to be having with someone she didn’t know. Yet something about him invited confidences. Probably part of what had made him good at his job.

She sighed. “I may not remember, but it’s left me with an indelible suspicion of men. Apparently that much didn’t vanish into amnesia.”

He nodded and sipped some coffee. “That’s why you didn’t really want to rent to me, and why you reacted the way you did when I offered to walk you home. It makes perfect sense. Would you like me to move out? I don’t like the idea that I’m making you uneasy by staying here.”

“I don’t want you to move out.” The words came with surprising ease. “It’s getting easier for me, and I need that, if you can put up with my quirks.”

At that he smiled. “I know quirks. Yours aren’t that bad.” Then his smile faded. “I’m sorry about your mother.”

“I was actually lucky. My grandmother and aunt took me in. In fact, the scariest part I can remember was the three days I spent in foster care.”

“Why three days?”

“Because they had to prove they were related to me and go through background checks. There was other stuff, too, I guess. The sheriff here even had to attest to their ability to care for me. I don’t remember that part, obviously, but my grandmother and aunt told me about it. They wanted me to understand why I had to stay with strangers for so long.”

“You must have been terrified.”

“I was.” She shook her head a little, as if she could shake off the memory. It wouldn’t entirely shake away, though. “They must have wondered what they were getting into. I was placed with a family and I was terrified of the father. I hid a lot. When my grandmother came for me, they had to pry me out of the back of a closet.”

He swore quietly. “Is your aunt still around?”

“No. She died of leukemia seven years ago. Grandma passed five years ago.”

“Your father?”

“I never knew who he was.”

“Damn,” he muttered. “I have more family than I know what to do with. I can’t imagine not having any.”

“I can’t imagine having a huge family.”

“Maybe you’ve created one here. As I was out and about today, people wanted to know a little about me. When I explained I was rooming with you, I heard all about your sewing circles. You seem to be quite a social center in your shop. So you’ve got a family. Not blood family, but still.”

She felt herself smiling at last. “That’s how I think of them.”

“And look at it this way,” he said, leaning forward a little bit, “you aren’t stuck with the ones who drive you crazy.”

“Are you?”

“Of course. I can’t be rude to Tío Reynaldo just because he’s obnoxious. Not allowed.”

She laughed. “Do you really think I could be rude to anyone in this little town?”

His smile widened and she almost caught her breath. My word, this man was attractive. Extremely so. His smile seemed to draw her in and make her heart skip a few beats.

“Well, you probably could,” he said. “Just like I could be rude to Reynaldo. But there’d be hell to pay.”

“It sure wouldn’t help my business.”

He laughed. “There’s a downside to family. I could share some of mine with you.”

“Starting with Reynaldo?” she asked archly. Amazement filled her as she realized how easily he had changed the subject and her mood. Relaxation replaced nervousness, and while she hadn’t quite made up her mind, she rather thought that having Austin around for a while might not be bad at all.

“Of course starting with Reynaldo,” he agreed. He glanced at his watch, a battered and inexpensive brand. “I need to get to the grocery. I picked up some clothes earlier, but I didn’t shop for food. They close at six today, right?”

“Right.” She glanced at the digital clock on the microwave. “You’re running out of time. Why don’t I drive you over there. I can show you where everything is.” She surprised herself by making the offer, then realized she felt good about it. A major step forward.

“Will you be all right with that?”

She nodded. “Let’s go. I need a few things, too.”