Silent Witness by Diane Burke

Author:Diane Burke
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2012-10-20T05:00:00+00:00

NINE

Adam stood quietly in the bedroom doorway and simply watched.

Jeremy was sitting in the middle of the floor with a book open on his lap. Rerun’s head was lying on the boy’s legs. If dogs had expressions, Adam thought this one would definitely be anticipation. The crazy mutt looked like he expected Jeremy to start reading him the book any second now.

“How’s he doing?” Liz’s voice was a low whisper as she tiptoed up beside him.

“See for yourself.” Adam gestured into the room. “Charlie’s done a great job getting the two of them to bond. Rerun was quite instrumental in not only calming Jeremy earlier today after that deliveryman fiasco but he’s actually got the boy talking.”

“Talking?” Liz could barely conceal the excitement and surprise in her voice.

Adam held up his hand. “Whoa, calm down. It’s nothing to get too excited about just yet.”

“Well, what is he saying?” Liz asked in a louder whisper, and shifted her position for a better view into the room.

“Mostly gibberish. He stops talking if I get too close. But I definitely heard him tell Rerun about a ‘bad man.’”

“‘Bad man’? Do you think he’s talking about the killer?”

“Maybe.”

Liz’s face twisted in concentration. When she spoke again, she sounded disappointed. “Maybe he’s talking about the deliveryman.”

Adam shrugged. “Hard to tell just yet. But it doesn’t matter, anyway.”

“Doesn’t matter? Of course it matters. We need to know if Jeremy saw the man that killed his parents. We need to know if he has any other memories of that night that might help with our investigation.”

“Shh.” Adam gently pulled her out of the doorway and into the hall. “I know, but he has to open up on his own and in his own time.”

“We’re running out of time, Adam. I can’t run my office from here indefinitely and I can’t request federal marshal protection in WITSEC if I can’t prove he was a witness. He’ll end up in foster care and there will be no one to protect him.” He heard the catch in her voice. “I can’t let that happen to him.”

“I understand. I do.” He tilted her chin and looked into her shimmering blue eyes. Tendrils of her silken hair slid across his hand. The slight whiff of lilacs teased his nostrils and brought a smile to his face. He didn’t expect a sheriff to wear perfume but on this one it seemed a perfect choice.

“These things can’t be rushed, Liz. Both for the boy’s mental health as well as for the integrity of your case. If we ask questions too soon or push too hard, the prosecution can say what we present was coerced or manufactured. They’ll throw it out of court.”

“I know.” She reached up and cupped his wrist with her hand. “Thank you for what you are doing. You’ve helped Jeremy more than I ever thought anyone could.”

Her touch sent every nerve ending in his body zinging. The blood pounded in his temples and his pulse quickened. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her.

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