Legacy of Fear by A J McCarthy

Author:A J McCarthy [McCarthy, A J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781684333837
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2019-11-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

“Ugh, my head is spinning. I can’t stare at this anymore,” she said.

Emily glanced at Dustin. The file in front of him seemed to draw his full concentration. “You look enthralled.”

“I am,” he said without lifting his head.

They had divided the pages between them, and Dustin retreated to the chair in the corner, while Emily remained on the bed.

“You don’t find it gets to be too much? All that forensic detail?” she said.

“Not at all.”

“Dustin, what did you do before you became a writer?” Emily set down her share of the papers. The more time she spent with him, the more of an enigma he became. He vacillated from grumpy to helpful, from annoying to charming. The details about his life, his career, and his past were kept hidden away. Yet, he seemed to enjoy sticking his nose in other people’s business. At times, she detected a sense of loss or sadness in him. Yet he gave the impression of being in control and confident of his place in the world. Definitely a man of contrasts.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I googled holobiont, and I can’t picture you as a botanist. From what I can see, you don’t like anything plant-related.”

“Not true. I like corn on the cob.” He continued to flip through the papers.

“Spill the beans.”

He sighed and set down the file.

“Why is it so important to you?” he said.

“Because it’s part of who you are. Because I’d like to know who I’m dealing with.”

“Is this about trust? You’re not sure you’re safe with me? I’d think by now you would’ve figured that out.”

“I sense I’m safe with you. But I like to know people, especially someone I spend a lot of time with. And now I know you lied about all that botany hoo-ha, I wonder if I can feel comfortable with you.”

“It wasn’t a lie so much as an evasion.”

“Semantics.”

“Not at all. You tried to force yourself into my bubble, and I had a classic fight-or-flight reaction. It’s the result of psychological childhood trauma.” He stretched his legs out in front of him.

“You’re such a bullshit artist.”

“There you go. We have something in common, after all. We’re both artistic.”

Emily glared at him.

“All right. I’ll spill. I was a journalist,” he said.

“You’re kidding.”

“You’re surprised?”

“It’s unexpected. Who were you with?”

“The Globe and Mail.”

“Oh, the big times. You lived in Toronto?”

“No, Calgary. Welcome to the modern world. With the wonders of something called the internet, not to mention the cellular phone, you can work from anywhere.”

“What kind of stories did you cover?” she said, intrigued.

“Predominantly crime.”

They stared at each other for several moments before Emily spoke again.

“That explains your intense interest in my drama. It brought back memories of your heyday.”

“What makes you think it was my heyday? It could have been the worst time of my life.

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