Mountain Witness

Max grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t do it, man. The chief will—”

Chris shoved Max’s hand away and yanked open the door.

* * *

JULIE HURRIEDLY STEPPED back to put more distance between her and the imposing man suddenly filling the open doorway of the interview room—her neighbor, Detective Chris Downing. With his clenched jaw and hands fisted at his sides, he seemed like a tautly drawn bow, ready to spring.

Before Kathy could say anything, Thornton held his hand out to stop her and confronted his officer.

“I warned you, Chris. You can’t be in here.” His gravelly voice whipped through the room. “What do I have to do, arrest you? Lock you in a cell?”

Twin spots of color darkened Chris’s cheekbones. His heated gaze flashed to Julie, then back to Thornton. “I need answers. And, so far, you’re not getting any. Let me interview her. I’ll make her talk.”

Julie flinched at his harsh tone. She’d retreated to her chair, but even with a table between them, his anger seemed to fill the room, crowding in on her. Where was the gentle, concerned man who’d knelt in front of the couch earlier this evening, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay?

Kathy didn’t move. Her only concession to Chris standing so close was to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. “Are you threatening Mrs. Webb, Officer Downing?”

Thornton aimed an aggravated look at Kathy. “It’s Detective, not Officer. And he’s not threatening anyone. Stay out of this.”

The shocked look on Kathy’s face was almost comical. Julie doubted that anyone, except maybe Kathy’s husband, had ever dared to speak to her that way before. She seemed to be at a loss as to how to respond.

“Don’t you be questioning my methods, son.” Thornton jabbed his finger at Chris’s chest. “I was interviewing witnesses when you were knee-high to a mule. Since you’re the one who fired the gun, you can’t be involved in the investigation. Until this is over, you’re a civilian. And civilians have no business questioning witnesses. Now, turn around and—”

“No.” Julie jumped up from her seat.

Everyone stared at her in surprise.

She cleared her throat, just as surprised as they were at her outburst, but she now acknowledged what her subconscious had already known—that this was the right thing to do.

“I want him to stay,” she said.

The expression on Chris’s face turned suspicious.

“What did you say?” Thornton’s question sounded more like he was daring her to repeat her request, a request he had no intention of fulfilling.

“Julie—” Kathy began.

She waved her hand. “Taking a life is a heavy burden that no one should have to bear, even if taking that life was necessary. Letting Detective Downing ask questions about why he was put in that situation is the least that I can do to show my gratitude for his saving my life. So, Chief Thornton, either you allow him to stay, or the interview is over.”

While Thornton stood in indecision, Chris firmly closed the door and then straddled the chair directly across from her. He gave her a crisp nod, as if to grudgingly thank her. She nodded in return, just as stiffly—two adversaries facing off before a fight.

The other two gave up their vigil. Kathy sat down while Thornton stared pointedly at his chair, the one Chris was currently occupying. Chris ignored him. After grumbling something beneath his breath about “seat stealers,” the chief finally sat down. But the table’s small size and Chris’s broad shoulders had forced the chief to the end of the table, which had him grumbling again.

Julie waited expectantly. Rather than attack her with a volley of questions, Chris simply stared at her, as if sizing her up. If he was trying to figure out how to intimidate her, the effort was unnecessary. She’d been intimidated since the moment he’d stood in the open doorway like a fierce warrior looking for a dragon to slay.

And she was the dragon.

She clasped her hands beneath the table so he couldn’t see that they were shaking. It wasn’t just Chris that had her so nervous. Being in an interrogation room again, after all these months, stirred up a host of horrific memories. The past few months had been rough, brutal. But at least she’d survived. Her husband hadn’t. And even though she was relieved she no longer had to fear him, she still grieved that it had come to this. There’d been a time once, long ago, when she’d loved him.

He’d been a good man back then—handsome, kind, sweet, helping her move forward after the tragic loss of her family just a few months before she’d met him. She grieved for that Alan, the one she’d pledged to honor and love until death do they part. The man who had, or so she liked to believe, loved her, too, once upon a time, until the fairy tale had twisted into a tragedy.

“Mrs. Webb?” Chris’s deep voice intruded into her thoughts. “Please answer the question.”

She blinked. “I’m sorry. What did you ask me?”

“I’ll answer your question,” Kathy interrupted. “Mrs. Webb came to Destiny to hide from her abusive husband.”

Julie shot the other woman an irritated look. She made it sound like Julie had stayed with Alan through a long, abusive relationship. In truth, before today, Alan had been abusive only once, five months ago. After that one horrific night, she’d filed for divorce and ended her three-year marriage. She supposed she was lucky. Some women ended up caught in cycles of violence from which they could never escape. But Julie wasn’t feeling particularly fortunate at the moment. Everything was in turmoil. And Alan had lost his life. There was no way to feel good about what had happened.

“Her husband somehow found out that she was here, in Destiny,” Kathy continued. “And he broke into her home and assaulted her. The rest you know. Detective Downing had to use deadly force to protect her.”

“How about we let the witness give her own statement,” Chris said, closely watching Julie. “Mrs. Webb—”

“Julie, please,” she corrected, so tired of the awkwardness and formalities of this never-ending interview. At this point she just wanted it over.

“Julie,” he corrected. “Do you agree with the assistant district attorney’s version of this evening’s events?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

Kathy let out a breath, as if relieved.

“Except for the part where she made it sound like my husband had a history of violence,” she said. “Alan and I never had a perfect marriage. But until...recently...he never lifted a hand against me. Something...happened to make him snap.” She finished in a near whisper, her defense of Alan sounding weak when she said it out loud. Still, she hated to paint him as a bad person when, for most of the time that she’d known him, he was kind and good to her.

Kathy put a hand on top of Julie’s and gave her a sympathetic look. “You’re being far too kind to a man who tried to kill you.”

Julie swallowed and looked away.

Kathy sighed and turned in her seat to face Julie. “For the record, are you stating that your husband wasn’t dangerous? That you weren’t afraid of him?”

“No, of course not. He was definitely dangerous. You know what he did in Nashville.”

Kathy groaned and closed her eyes.

“I was wondering why you hadn’t brought that up yet.” Thornton jumped on her statement. “I ran your husband’s name through the computer before the interview. Why don’t you tell us your version of the first attack?”

Chris shot a surprised look at his boss. Julie figured he must not have been told what Thornton had found.

Kathy checked her watch, probably calculating how late—or early in the morning now—it would be by the time this was over and she could start the long drive back.

“You might as well tell them,” she said. “Now that you’ve brought it up. Then I’ll take you back to Nashville and—”

“I’m not going back.”

Kathy frowned. “Why not?”

“I just got here. I don’t want to move again. Not this soon.”

“You were here to hide out from Alan. Obviously, that’s not necessary anymore.”