The Eyewitness by Nancy C Weeks

Author:Nancy C Weeks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Adams Media

Chapter Fifteen

Damn it, pull it together. Emersyn eased into a standing position and surveyed a crime scene she couldn’t touch. The bullet that almost took off Alec’s fingers was inches from her toes. The other shot was embedded somewhere in the cotton filling of the sofa cushion, while the third was probably lost in the grass of the front lawn.

“Emersyn?”

Her mother’s tear-filled voice broke through her stupor, and Emersyn rushed into her arms. “I’m okay, Mom.”

Tessa circled her arms around both of them. “You’re not okay. Someone tried to kill you in your own family room.”

“The shooter was aiming for Alec, and the damn man went chasing after him, a handgun against an assault rifle.”

“Good,” her sister whispered. “The shooter will be on the run, trying to get away after failing his mission.”

There were times when Tessa’s analytical mind, the way she could push the emotions aside and see only the facts, bugged the hell out of Emersyn. If this wasn’t a moment for a little uncontrolled outrage, what was?

“I would feel more comfortable in the foyer away from all the windows,” her mother said, leading them out of the family room.

Emersyn dropped onto the third step of the staircase and brushed the mop of hair off her forehead. Her heart still pounded like a steel drum in her chest, and her stomach was deciding if it wanted to keep her dinner.

Her mother took her left hand in hers. “You found the file.”

Emersyn sucked at lying. The corner of the file was now visible beneath the upturned sofa’s right leg. “There were three personal journals with it.”

“Why did you keep that from me?”

“And me,” Tessa added.

It was so tempting to say Alec had talked her into it. But that would be a lie. She’d made her choice. “Dad kept that file from all of us for years. I didn’t want that to hurt you.”

“He was protecting us, Emersyn, a job he took seriously.”

“Mom, I was trying to do the same thing.”

Her mother joined her on the small step. “That’s not your job. I’ve protected you, keeping you safe your whole life.” She turned away, brushing a tear from her cheek. “Who is Joe D’Azzo to you, Emersyn?”

The question threw her. “My dad, my life. I’m not sure how to go on without him.”

“And that is how you will read what he left behind.”

“I don’t understand.”

“By keeping this information from me, you are ignoring a huge part of this puzzle. It’s all about objective versus subjective point of view. You’re his daughter; you will decipher his private notes from the eyes of a daughter.”

A light went off in Emersyn’s head. “I know the father, but you know the man.”

“Ding, ding, ding,” Tessa whispered. “We all knew him in our own special way, including Alec. Each of us may see something the other missed.”

Before Emersyn could respond, the deafening sound of police sirens filled the foyer. Several loud knocks sounded at the front door.

“I’ll get the door,” her mother said, standing. “Tessa, open the back door before they break through it.

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