Lone Witness

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.